Cormac family

The Cormac family originally hailed from Ireland before settling in America. They are particularly known for their significant role in the Seven Years' War and the eradication of the Colonial Brotherhood during the early 18th century, as well as their long-standing affiliation with the American Rite of the Templar Order. Their involvement in the Assassin-Templar War further solidified their influence in the long cannals of it's history.

Two members of the Cormac line are connected to the Ascendence Event, a series of events orchestrated by the Isu scientist Minerva. These events were designed to bring together multiple family bloodlines, either knowingly or unknowingly, to determine the fate of the Prongs of Eden.

By the early 21st century, the Cormac line still exists, with Javier Mondragón, his brother, and their mother, although they remain unaware of their family's connection to the Assassins and Templars.

History

Immigration to America

Shay Cormac was born on September 12, 1731, in New York City to a family of Irish immigrants from Dublin. His mother died during childbirth, and his father was often absent due to his employment in the merchant marine, leaving Shay to be raised by his aunt. Living in a rough part of the city, Shay often found himself in trouble but was taught how to protect himself by his friend, Liam O'Brien, whom he had met while visiting his father at the docks one day.

By the time he was eight years old, Shay had already earned a reputation as quite the fighter on the streets. That same year, he joined his father at sea to start earning his own wages. He was enthusiastic about the prospect of adventure and was taught basic self-defense skills with a sword and pistol in case of a pirate attack. These attacks occurred more than once, and on one occasion, Shay managed to save his father's ship by shooting a pirate captain in single combat. Nonetheless, tragedy struck in 1747 when a fierce storm claimed the lives of Shay's father and much of their crew.

Shay drifted through New York in despair until he reunited with his friend Liam, who introduced him to Mentor Achilles Davenport. Over four years, Shay trained alongside Liam, Hope Jensen, Kesegowaase, and Chevalier de la Vérendrye, though he frequently clashed with the latter.

Seven Years' War

Shay's life as an Assassin

In January 1752, Shay and Liam accompanied de la Vérendrye on a mission to Port-Menier, where the elder Assassin was set to meet with some smugglers he had made arrangements with. While Shay and Liam were hunting, the Royal Navy attacked de la Vérendrye's Man O' War, the Gerfaut, capturing his smuggler allies and leaving the Assassins stranded. Returning to camp after hearing cannon fire, Shay and Liam were berated by de la Vérendrye for their tardiness, an altercation that rapidly escalated into a fistfight between him and Shay.

After Liam broke up the fight, he handed Shay a sword and dagger and the three Assassins proceeded to silently dispatch a group of nearby British sailors in order to rescue de la Vérendrye's smugglers. Shay then happily claimed the sailors' sloop-of-war as his own, dubbing it the Morrigan after the Irish goddess. With his new ship, Shay sank the British vessels attacking the Gerfaut, allowing de la Vérendrye to return to his vessel. The three Assassins then sailed back to the Colonial Assassins' headquarters at the Davenport Homestead to report to Achilles.

In April 1754, Shay and Liam received a lead on Samuel Smith's whereabouts from Le Chasseur, who also supplied Puckle guns for the Morrigan. These new weapons were put to use as the Assassins engaged Smith’s schooner, Equitas. Although Shay’s pursuit of Smith led to a skirmish, the Templar captain used burning oil to try and ward off their pursuers. However, Shay was relentless, and after a chase, he successfully assassinated Smith at his camp in Terra Nova, recovering the Precursor box.

By the summer of 1754, tensions between the French and British forces in the American colonies were reaching a boiling point. Shay and Liam traveled to Albany to meet with Hope, hoping to gain information on James Wardrop and the Voynich manuscript. While there, Shay attended the Albany Congress, hoping to learn Wardrop’s location. Through eavesdropping on a conversation between Benjamin Franklin and Templar William Johnson, Shay discovered that Wardrop was in Fort Frederick. Shay infiltrated the fort, killed Wardrop, and retrieved the manuscript, despite the Templar’s cryptic warning about the consequences of his actions.

With both the Precursor box and the manuscript in hand, Shay reunited with Hope. Posing as an associate of Johnson, they enlisted Franklin’s help to activate the box. However, Franklin revealed that he could not conduct the necessary experiment because his lightning rods had been confiscated by the authorities. Shay was tasked with retrieving the rods from a warehouse. Once back, Franklin successfully used the rods to direct electricity into the Precursor box, which activated after a third lightning strike, revealing a holographic map that showed the locations of several Isu temples. One of these locations matched a place Shay had previously visited: Lisbon, Portugal.

In 1755, Shay was assigned by Achilles to investigate the Lisbon Temple and recover any Pieces of Eden it contained. Leaving the Morrigan in the Assassins’ hands, he sailed to Europe. Upon arriving in Lisbon on November 1, 1755, Shay quickly made his way to the Carmo Convent, believing the Temple was hidden beneath. During a mass, Shay accessed a secret passage that led him to the Temple’s heart, where a star-shaped artifact was suspended above a pedestal. After removing the artifact, it disintegrated, triggering a massive earthquake that ravaged Lisbon and caused widespread destruction. Shay hurriedly fled the Temple, narrowly avoiding falling debris. The earthquake’s destruction was immense, with thousands of civilians killed as buildings collapsed around him. Shay made his way back to the harbor, escaping the destruction by leaping into the sea and swimming to his ship. He then sailed back to the Homestead, disturbed by the catastrophic results of his actions.

Betraying the Brotherhood

Upon returning to the Davenport Homestead, Shay stormed into the manor, accusing Achilles of deliberately sending him to destroy Lisbon. Hope, shocked by the claim, first dismissed it as impossible, then became offended on Achilles' behalf. Shay referred to the previous operation in Port-au-Prince to support his accusation, but an alarmed Liam interrupted the confrontation. When Shay cut off Achilles' attempt to explain, the Mentor forcibly removed him to cool down outside.

Still distrustful of Achilles, Shay decided to steal the Voynich manuscript, believing it was the only way to prevent another disaster like Lisbon. Later, while sneaking into Achilles' study, he was caught by the Assassin. A heated argument followed, with Shay accusing the Assassins of seeking power. Achilles, frustrated, attacked him, and Shay was thrown through the window.

Fleeing the Homestead, Shay was cornered and shot at. He fell into the bay, assumed dead by the Assassins. However, he survived, was rescued by George Monro's men, and taken to New York. He recovered under the care of the Finnegans in New York City. Upon regaining strength, Shay defeated a local gang terrorizing the district. Shay returned to Monro, earning Monro's gratitude, and was tasked with rescuing Christopher Gist from Fort Arsenal. After saving him, Shay seized the gang’s headquarters for himself. Soon after, he discovered his former ship, the Morrigan, and, with Gist’s help, reclaimed it by eliminating the remaining gang members. Gist then joined Shay’s crew as his first mate

Shay sailed to Albany to meet Monro, who informed him of a nearby French fort that posed a threat. After gathering supplies, Shay led an assault on the fort, ultimately confronting and killing Le Chasseur, an Assassin smuggler supplying the gangs with poison. Learning that the Assassins planned to use the poison against civilians, Shay returned to New York. Under Monro’s orders, he investigated Benjamin Franklin’s research and used a prototype grenade launcher to destroy poison production facilities.

Over the next year, Shay continued aiding Monro and the Templars. During the Siege of Fort William Henry, he helped evacuate Monro and his men while fending off attacks from French forces and Assassin allies. Though Shay successfully saved Monro, the Colonel was later ambushed and mortally wounded by Liam in a burning building, who stole the Voynich manuscript. Before dying, Monro entrusted Shay with his Templar ring, urging him to continue their mission. Leading to Shay joining the American branch of the Templar Order under the supervision of Grand Master Haytham Kenway in 1758.

In June 1758, Shay traveled to the North Atlantic to meet with a Royal Navy captain, James Cook, and was given leave to use Cook's Man O' War, the HMS Pembroke, to halt the French Navy's advance at the Siege of Louisbourg. During the battle, Adéwalé aided the French with his brig, the Experto Crede, by leading several fireships towards the Pembroke. Shay followed Gist's advice to focus on the fireships, allowing the Experto Crede to slip away, just as the Royal Navy arrived to combat the French forces.

Following the decisive British victory at Louisbourg, the Templars could focus their efforts on hunting down the Assassins, beginning with Adéwalé. After several months, Shay and Haytham managed to locate the Assassin in the River Valley and, following a brief engagement, forced him to beach the Experto Crede at Vieille Carrière. The two Templars then separated, with Haytham choosing to distract Adéwalé while Shay approached him from behind and assassinated him.

In October 1759, Shay spied on a meeting between the remaining Colonial Assassins at the New York harbor, learning about their plan to replicate Benjamin Franklin's experiment with the Precursor box in order to locate more Isu temples. Determined to stop them, Shay worked with Jack Weeks to break Hope's control over the city's organized crime. To accomplish this, the pair stole gang uniforms for a false flag operation and staged a military outpost robbery, in order to give the British Army a reason to fight the criminals.

After successfully stealing the Voynich manuscript, Shay met with Haytham, who interrogated one of Hope's men to learn the location of her mansion. As the British attacked, Shay infiltrated the estate and witnessed the Assassins' successful replication of Franklin's experiment. Hope shot out the window, causing Shay to fall into the chamber. Hope tried to kill him with poisonous gas, but Shay escaped, chased her, and ultimately killed her to take the antidote.

Stopping Achilles

Later, Shay pursued de la Vérendrye, who revealed that Achilles and Liam were heading to an Isu temple. Shay, with Gist, followed de la Vérendrye, killed him and retrieved the maps. Shay reported his findings to Haytham, who joined him on the voyage to the Arctic Temple to stop the Assassins' expedition. Leaving Gist behind on the Morrigan, the pair navigated through ice caves, passing the gang members who accompanied Achilles and Liam. As they ventured deeper into the caverns, an ice bridge collapsed, separating Shay and Haytham and forcing the latter to find another route into the Temple.

Shay managed to bypass the Temple's ancient defense mechanisms and reached its heart, where Haytham soon joined him. The two Templars confronted Achilles and Liam, who had found the site's artifact, identical to the one Shay encountered in Lisbon. While Achilles admitted he had been wrong about the artifacts, Liam condemned Shay for betraying the Brotherhood. Shay, in return, accused Liam of shooting him at the Davenport Homestead, but Liam clarified that it was de la Vérendrye who had shot Shay that day. Liam then prepared to fire at Shay but was restrained by Achilles. During the struggle, Liam fell back onto the artifact, disturbing the Temple and triggering an earthquake. Shay pursued Liam through the collapsing caverns, while Haytham followed Achilles to a clearing outside.

As the former friends fought, the precipice beneath them gave way, causing them to fall onto the ice below. Shay used Liam to break his fall, mortally wounding him. With his dying breath, Liam questioned Shay’s decision to betray everyone he knew and join the Templars. Shay responded that he had done so to save the world. Liam sarcastically remarked that he hoped the world the Templars were trying to build was a “good one” before succumbing to his injuries. As a final sign of respect, Shay pulled Liam's Assassin hood over his head. Shay then found the Voynich manuscript on Liam's body and took it before heading to find Haytham and Achilles.

Upon finding Haytham and Achilles in combat, Shay witnessed Haytham defeat and disarm Achilles, preparing to deliver a fatal blow. Shay intervened and persuaded Haytham to spare Achilles, arguing that the Mentor no longer posed a threat, as his followers had been defeated and that he could warn other Assassins of the dangers posed by Isu temples. Haytham agreed, but to prevent Achilles from ever operating in the field again, he crippled him with a shot to the right shin.

Later aboard the Morrigan, Haytham told Shay that Gist and the others would oversee the remaining Assassins' extermination in the colonies. He then tasked Shay with recovering the Precursor box, which had been sent by the Brotherhood to Europe. When Shay remarked that it could take years to find the box, Haytham stated it could take a lifetime and asked if Shay was up for the challenge. Shay accepted and set out on his new mission.

Retrieving the Precursor Box

By December 1776, Shay tracked the Precursor box to Paris, where he learned it was held by the local Assassins and would be passed to Charles Dorian at the Palace of Versailles. To gain entry, Shay enlisted the help of Benjamin Franklin, now the U.S. ambassador to France. After protecting Franklin from criminals, Shay was granted access to the palace

Inside, Shay located the Assassin meeting and, after Charles left, assassinated him with his Hidden Blade, seizing the box. The dying Charles revealed that Connor Kenway and the American Revolution had thwarted the Templars' influence on the American colonies, undoing Shay's work. Shay responded that the Templars could start their own revolution before escaping the palace. After successfully retrieving the Precursor box, Shay continued traveling around the world in search of more Isu artifacts for the Templar Order.

From father to grandson

At some point in his life , Shay had conceived a son who became a member of the American Rite of the Templar Order in the 19th century. His father personally trained him as an Assassin Hunter, imparting skills in freerunning and Eagle Vision, which he inherited from Shay. Shay not only taught his son about the Templar ideals and there ancient war with the Assassin Brotherhood, but also passed down his air rifle to his son, a weapon that had originally been stolen from Master Templar Lawrence Washington when Shay was still an active Assassin, over a century earlier.

At some point later, Shay trained his grandson, nicknamed ''Cudgel'', in his youth. Cudgel mastered freerunning and Eagle Vision, continuing the family legacy of Assassin Hunters. Like his father and grandfather, he joined the Templar Order, fighting in their ongoing war against the Assassin Brotherhood. He too inherited the Cormac family' air rifle, further cementing his connection to the Templar legacy. Shay remained loyal to the Order until his death, never betraying their cause.

The American civil war

By July 1863, Cudgel was a feared barman of one of New York City's pubs, where he was acting as the Templar contact with the gangs, being a trusted agent of Grand Master William M. Tweed. As such, he was tasked to convince the other gangs to participate in the riots organized by the Templars to turn the tide of the American Civil War in their favor. The night before the riots were scheduled to start, a letter of Tweed was delivered to Cudgel, instructing him to stop an Assassin from stealing a Piece of Eden rumored to be hidden in the Aztec Club and to bring the artifact to his house.

Later, the Templar ambushed the Assassin Varius as he was leaving the Aztec Club with a Dagger of Eden, seizing the artifact from his paralyzed foe but sparing his life. He then left as the riots were starting in the city to watch the chaos from afar on a church's bell tower, prudently staying out of trouble and determined to bring the artifact to his master after sunset. While he agreed that the black citizens of New York were a necessary, yet sad, casualty of the Templar agenda, Cudgel nevertheless decided to save the children of a black orphanage after it was set ablaze by rioters.

Eventually, as he reached Tweed's estate, the Templar discovered that having been guided by one of Tweed's servant, Eliza, Varius was also in the house, and the two resumed their fight. They freeran on the roofs of the city while brawling until Cudgel inadvertently used the power of the artifact on Varius while ranting about his Templar ideals, throwing a knife at the confused Assassin, which hit him in the stomach.

However, as Cudgel was about to finish the critically injured Assassin, Eliza, who had followed them, used the rifle that Cudgel lost during the fight to shoot a paralyzing dart at the Templar. Enraged by the death of her father who was beaten to death during the riots, Eliza threatened the powerless Templar with the Dagger to his throat, knowing he was responsible. She nevertheless spared him, promising to return for him and Tweed later, before vowing to join the Assassins and complete Varius' mission by delivering the Dagger to General Ulysses S. Grant.

Modern Times

Trojan horse

While the Cormacs had long since departed from the scene of the colonial conflict, their legacy continued to influence key Templar operations into the modern era. In November 2014, a research analyst at Abstergo Entertainment in Montreal accidentally activated a virus embedded in the genetic memories of Shay Cormac, triggering security protocols that led to the evacuation of all but high-ranking Abstergo employees. Under orders from Violet da Costa, the analyst was tasked with resolving the situation. Juhani Otso Berg viewed Shay as a representation of Templar ideals and instructed the analyst to review his memories. The collected footage was later altered and disseminated, emphasizing the brutality of the Colonial Assassins while omitting Shay’s remorse for killing his former comrades.

Although Berg’s video did not immediately cause major disruptions, the Assassins were forced to abandon several safehouses and strengthen their digital security. However, their operative in Montreal was quickly identified and killed. This escalation led William Miles to implement a protocol severing communication between the Initiates and the Assassins to mitigate further risks.

The Trident of Eden

Cudgel Cormac fathered at least one child, that continued the bloodline into the early 21st century, the family though its members were largely unaware of their heritage. By late 2016, American teenager Javier Mondragón discovered his connection to the Cormac family when he and his estranged friend, Owen Meyers, became caught in the ongoing war between the Assassins and the Templars. Their DNA, it turned out, was the key to locating the modern resting places of the Prongs of Eden.

While hiding in Sebastian Monroe's safehouse, Javier met Sean Molloy, Natalya Aliyev, and the Collin siblings, Grace and David, all of whom shared ancestors whose paths had crossed multiple times throughout history. Monroe explained the basic foundations of the Assassin-Templar war through a series of holograms and by pointing out the edvidence of an Assassin tracking Owen and him, who they had to lose to not compromise the location. Monroe suggested that both factions would lose interest in their DNA and leave them in peace once he discovered the resting place of the Piece of Eden so he can hide it again, making there DNA a death end. Javier and the other teenagers agreed with this plan and decided to work together in a joint simulation to locate the artifact so that Monroe could re-bury it elsewhere.

After exiting the Animus, Javier found that he had acquired some of Cudgel's skills, such as combat proficiency and Eagle Vision, though his vision was not as strong as that of his friend Owen Meyers. He also developed a temporary resentment toward Owen as his friend was a descendant of Varius, who had actively meddled in Cudgel's affairs during the riots. As they made there way out, a Templar squad attacked the safehouse, Javier instinctly used his new abilities against one Templar agent and was able to escape with Owen on Monroe's motorbike, while Monroe made it out with the Animus memory core, preventing the Templars from gaining acces to knowledge about the artefacts.

Javier and Owen later cooperated with the Assassin Brotherhood, joining the American Assassin Griffin for personal reasons and to locate the remaining Prongs of Eden. As Javier learned more about the Brotherhood and their code of ethics, he gradually began to trust them and grew increasingly distrustful of the Templars.

Several weeks later, he discovered that the rogue Templar Isaiah intended to use the Prongs of Eden to alter the world's structure by destroying it and rebuilding and use the artefacts to impose his own vision upon it. This series of events led to the revelation of the true purpose of the Ascendance Event. Entering the same simulation as Owen, he encountered Minerva, who showed him the history of the Isu, including their downfall caused by a solar catastrophe. He also learned that she had orchestrated the Ascendance Event to unite the teenagers in order to ensure the destruction of the Prongs of Eden in which they succeeded after Javier killed Isaiah with the use of his Hidden Blade.

Following these events, Javier decided to align himself with the Assassin Brotherhood.

Legacy

The actions of Shay Cormac led to the extermination of the Colonial Brotherhood during the Seven Years' War, allowing the Templars to expand their influence and strengthen their control over the region. It was only when Connor Kenway was recruited by Achilles Davenport, trained, and later became involved in the American Revolution, that Shay's actions were undone, breaking the Templar influence in the United States and enabling Connor to rebuild the Brotherhood.

Shay Cormac's assassination of Charles Dorian in 1776 left the latter's son, Arno, an orphan. Arno was soon adopted by François de la Serre, the French Templars' Grand Master, and would become embroiled in the Assassin-Templar conflict years later, joining the French Brotherhood.

The family remained in the service of the Templars until in 19th century, with Shay training his son and grandson nicknamed ''Cudgel'' to become Assassins hunters. The later assisting Templar Grand Master William M. Tweed in inciting the New York Draft Riots in July 1863. The riots caused massive destruction and chaos in the city, enabling the Templars to regroup and re-establish their vision for the city.

In modern times, Shay Cormac was not directly involved in the deaths that occurred in late 2014, but Juhani Otso Berg exploited Shay’s genetic memories to lure the Assassins out, making them easier targets for elimination. In November of that year, Berg uploaded these memories to the Assassin network, spreading altered footage that cast Shay in a favorable light while portraying the Colonial Assassins as ruthless. While the footage itself did not cause immediate large-scale damage, at least one operative was identified and eliminated by the Templars. This prompted William Miles to sever communication with the Initiates to prevent further civilian casualties.

Shay Cormac also served as a key inspiration for Berg. He maintained extensive records on influential figures such as Grand Master Haytham Kenway, Mentor Al Mualim, Robert de Sable, Assassin defectors like Duncan Walpole, and Daniel Cross. By analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, and the downfall of key Templar leaders, Berg sought to refine Templar strategy, expose vulnerabilities within the Assassin Order, and prevent his predecessors’ mistakes from being repeated.

In late 2016, teenager Javier Mondragón uncovered the Assassin-Templar War and relived the memories of Cudgel Cormac during an Animus simulation of the New York riots. While Cudgel was unaware of his role in the Ascendence Event, Javier discovered, along with other teenagers, that they were all connected to this event. Multiple family bloodlines, knowingly or unknowingly, converged around the fate of the Trident of Eden. Over the following weeks, Javier learned more about his own lineage and the history of both organizations. As he unraveled the truth about his heritage and the ongoing conflict, he began to understand his place in the struggle. After helping to stop the rogue Templar Isaiah, who had obtained all the Prongs of the Trident, Javier ultimately chose to join the Assassin Brotherhood.