Grace Collins
Grace Collins (born 2001) is an Afro-American teenager, the elder sister of David Collins, and a descendant of the 19th-century slave Abraham and his daughter Eliza, the Wangaran gold trader Masireh, and the Swedish farmer and soldier Östen Jorundsson. In 2016, she was part of a group of teenagers who, through the use of an Animus, discovered clues leading to one of the Pieces of Eden, the Trident, attracting the attention of both the Assassins and the Templars.
Biography
Search for the Faith prong
Along with her brother, Grace was recruited by Sebastian Monroe to go into a shared simulation along with other teens — Owen Meyers, Javier Mondragón, Sean Molloy, and Natalya Aliyev.[1] When Monroe explained the secret war between the Assassins and Templars, he asked them to aid him to find the prongs of the Trident of Eden before either faction. Along with the others, Grace relived the memories of Eliza, a servant to William M. Tweed and American Assassin during the New York City draft riots, while David relived the memories of Eliza's father Abraham.[2]
During the simulation, Grace began to feel the Bleeding Effect when her ancestor used her Eagle Vision[3] and learned under Varius, an Assassin and Owen's ancestor.[4] At the end, she discovered that her ancestor held the Faith prong before traveling it to give it to General Ulysses S. Grant to end the Civil War.[5]
However, upon the discovery, Grace and the others were attacked by the Templars, who were tracking their use of the Animus.[6] Upon seeing David tased, Grace attacked the Templar agent before being restrained. She, David, Natalya, and Sean were taken to the Aerie while Monroe, Owen, and Javier were able to escape. There, they met Dr.Victoria Bibeau and the Aerie's director Isaiah, who introduced themselves as Templars. They discussed how Monroe is not in the right mindset and how they differed from their past Templar counterparts and want the world safe in their image. Somewhat gaining their trust, Grace was able to admit the possible location of the Faith prong.[7]
Spying on the Templars
Initially, Grace and David's father took them out of the Aerie. However, after a shooting happened near their home, their father re-enlisted for their safety.[8] While there, Grace and David promised each other to keep an eye on the Templars especially Isaiah. They even noticed Isaiah placing too much attention on Sean, who was reliving Tommy Greyling's memories while he was in London chasing down Templar agent Alice. They soon came to check up on Sean when he abruptly desynchronized and was taken to the infirmary.[9]
Although concerned, Grace and David watched Natalya come and berate Isaiah for using Sean. However, when Isaiah offered them to leave, only Natalya objected. When she left, the Collins followed her. Following Natalya, they told her that they understood that the Templars may be untrustworthy especially Isaiah. However, they also stated that they will have to be there when Sean is not useful to Isaiah and pick him back up.[9]
After Sean was dismissed due to the last simulation revealed Alice escaped Greyling, Grace, David, and Natalya consoled him but also discussed how something was off. Talking about how Greyling would not have given up, they all met with Isaiah and convinced him to have Sean go back into the Animus to check if Greyling continued his investigation. After determining that Alice destroyed the Voynich manuscript and committed suicide, Isaiah thanked them and apologized for his hasty actions before letting them go for the day.[10]
Search for the Fear prong
Grace began to desire to feel useful rather than waiting around all day. With Victoria, she began to relive the memories of Masireh, a gold trader living in Timbuktu.[8] However, Grace's simulations led to nothing to further the Templars' plan to find the next prong. Meeting with Isaiah, she stated that she wanted to be more help but he reassured her that she is before being dismissed. Meeting up with Sean and David, she began to grow annoyed over David's enthusiasm over his simulations as a Tuskegee airman.[11]
Grace soon heard that David wanted to investigate the other parts of the Aerie. Dismissing the thought, Grace learned that David snuck around the Aerie and how he heard Isaiah order his security to kill Owen and Javier. However, she refused to believe him and let it go as a dream from sleepwalking.[12]
Grace and David later met their father on his visit while she made sure that David did not tell him on what he heard and saw. However, all the teens were called by Victoria and Isaiah, who saw the footage of David's incursion. As a result, they almost terminated their stays and placed a curfew on all of them. Blaming David, Grace and Sean left him to think about what he had done.[13]
In the night, Grace woke up to a siren and David coming into her room. Meeting with Natalya and Sean, they decide to investigate but Sean decided against it and went back to sleep. Venturing from their rooms, they saw no security and wondered what had happened. They soon come across Monroe, who broke in to rescue them from Abstergo. Skeptic of him, Grace saw Natalya and David agree to leave with him. Not wanting to worry, Grace was told by David that he cannot. However, he left with them while Grace stayed behind.[14]
Grace soon joined a meeting with Sean and Owen, who coincidentally aided in a rescue mission with Javier and the Assassin Griffin but was captured. In the meeting, Isaiah tried to convince Owen to help him but Owen resisted until mention of reliving his father's memories. With all that transpired, Grace admitted to take some time before going back into the Animus.[15]
Grace soon met Owen, who relived his father's memories before his arrest, and talked about how they felt. Yet, they later met with Victoria and Sean while Owen asked to meet with Monroe. Victoria remained ambivalent and revealed that Isaiah left the Aerie earlier. After the meeting, Grace aided Owen who wanted to follow Isaiah but also find Monroe. Reluctant, Grace followed Owen's lead.[16]
However, during their sneaking, Grace and Owen were caught by the head of security Cole and taken by gunpoint. Fortunately, she took him to Monroe and aided in their escape. Placed in a shipping container heading to Mongolia, Grace and Owen asked Monroe about the prong's location. They all detailed that this prong must be in Mongolia and the other may be in Scandinavia. Monroe divulged more on their DNA being part of the Ascendance Event, a culminative event that may have a buried memory from the past.[17]
Arriving in Mongolia, Grace and her group saw that they were in Isaiah's camp. Before they could leave, Isaiah already knew and called them out of hiding. Restrained, they were taken to be restrained and then Grace heard Isaiah's order to kill the Assassins nearby. Stopping him, Grace told him to use color lights to signal David. Convinced, Isaiah followed her as they used the lights. Soon enough, David came alone and was captured by the Templars.[18]
Interrogated, David admitted where the Assassins went after Grace pleaded him to listen to the director. Isaiah left with his team while leaving Grace and the rest guarded. Signaling each other, Grace and Owen took down the guards in their way and rescued themselves and Monroe in the process. Retrieving David, they followed David towards the right location.[18]
They traversed the Burkhan Khaldun and found Natalya and Javier at the tomb. Catching up, Grace and the others kept digging until they found an access point. Yet, they all were cornered by Isaiah and the Templars. When Grace, Owen, and Javier tried to fight back, the Templars restrained them while Isaiah thanked them for their help.[19]
Fortunately, the Assassins Griffin and Yanmei came and engaged the Templars in a fight. In the scuffle, Grace and the boys were able to knock out their guards and fight against the Templar troops. However, in the commotion, Isaiah acquired the Fear prong and used it on all of them. When Yanmei tried to stop him, Isaiah fatally stabbed her and left all of them after renouncing the Templars. With nowhere else to go, they all returned back to the Templars' camp. There, they met with Victoria, who arrived with her men, and admitted that Isaiah left a manifesto and how he had both prongs. Meeting with Griffin, Victoria soon agreed to a ceasefire to beat Isaiah.[20]
Search for the Devotion prong
Back at the Aerie, Grace and her group were given a choice by Victoria to walk away or face Isaiah. They all agreed to help stop Isaiah.[21] With Victoria, they were told about their ancestor Östen Jorundsson, a renowned farmer and warrior, being in 10th century Sweden and Grace volunteered David to be first to go into the Animus. However, she witnessed David desynchronize and become ill after his first attempt.[22] After speaking with David, she learned that their ancestor owned a slave, which David's moral compass could not handle. However, Grace stepped in and managed to accept her ancestor's past despite her misgivings.[23]
Venturing into the Collective Unconscious
After some time, Grace was contacted by David through the Animus and asked to switch out. Believing in him, she asked Victoria to give David one more chance and the doctor agreed. Out of the Animus, she saw David succeed in accepting Östen's past and connecting with his memories.[24]
Venturing more around the Aerie, she came across Isaiah's library and found evidence of Isaiah being part of the Instruments of the First Will. She shared her findings with Monroe due to her distrust of the Assassins and the Templars. Asking about what Owen and Natalya were doing, Grace offered to join them. After being explained of the dangers, Grace joined Owen and Natalya on their journey to the collective unconsciousness.[25]
Walking to a mountain, the trio found an elderly man with his dog. The man told them that he is dying but needs a favor. He asks them to take his dog once he goes, to which Owen agreed heartily. When the man passed, Owen stayed with the dog, who laid besides his dead master, while Grace and Natalya left to get back on their path.[26] After a moment, the girls were joined by Owen and the dog. At a crossroads, they met passerbys to gauge their desire for the dog and ultimately decided on a wanderer who initially did not want the dog. Yet, Owen convinced her and the dog left with his newfound companion.[27]
Finding themselves at a new mountain, Grace and her team came at the end of the path, where they saw two paths up the mountain. One held a rope to the light while the other path was a steep climb. Grace managed to convince her team to take the harsher route, which soon changed to have an abyss. During their trek, Grace saw Owen and Natalya nearly give up as Natalya nearly fell into the abyss. With Owen and Grace, they pulled her up and continued up to the summit. There, they saw a dome emerge from the mountain.[28]
Entering into the dome, they were soon met by a towering figure who introduced herself as Minerva. She explained that this memory was placed in certain humans' memories and explain how her people brought their own end due to their own pride and vanity. She also divulged of the artifacts they left behind and how the Trident should not be left in anyone's hands. With this memory, she promised them that they now have a shield to counter the Trident's abilities before saying farewell. Waking up to Owen and Monroe, she was told to wait while Monroe discussed his findings with Victoria.[29]
Mission to Sweden
After their meeting and David's last session,[30], Grace, Owen, and Natalya were chosen to go with Griffin to Västerås, Sweden, the last known location of the Devotion prong. Grace also informed everyone of her discovery of Isaiah's ties with the Instruments, much to Monroe's chagrin. After a night to prepare, Grace, Owen, and Natalya join Griffin on a commercial flight setup by Victoria.[31]
Upon arrival, Grace used the Bleeding Effect to recall her ancestor's memories and lead the group to the prong's last known location. From their travels, they encountered Dolkkälla, a man-made spring and building named after a "dagger." With Griffin, Grace entered the building to investigate. There, they saw the prong in full display but heard of another American woman having come earlier. When they left, they realized that Isaiah was close by, too. With the others, Griffin told them all to stand by while he snuck inside the building. However, Grace and the others heard Abstergo forces coming and shots fired. They soon saw Griffin running out of the building but he was surrounded by Isaiah's men.[32]
With Owen, Grace took down the men with a shovel. Griffin soon gave her the prong while he struggled with a gunshot. Running from Isaiah's forces, all four of them hid near a stream. However, Griffin became unresponsive after giving Owen his hidden blade for Javier. Despite Owen giving CPR, Griffin succumbed to his wounds. Waiting until they heard silence, they made their ways to Griffin's car but forgot his keys. Suddenly, the trio was cornered by Isaiah and his men. When probed by Cole, who was under Isaiah's use of the Trident, Grace lost hold of the prong. With the Trident complete, Isaiah ordered the teens to be shot to death.[33]
When Isaiah held the gun on them, he began to taunt them especially when he mentioned David being unprotected. Lunging at him, Grace lowered herself when he pointed the gun at her. When he then held the gun at Owen, a van, Poindexter, drove towards them while Owen grabbed the girls and pulled them back. Inside the van, Sean told them to enter while they dodged bullets. Driving away, they soon contacted Victoria and told her all what had transpired. Heading back to the Aerie, Grace and the others began the preparations to protect the Aerie from Isaiah's imminent attack.[34]
Defeating Isaiah
After they placed their traps around the Aerie, Grace and the others waited until they heard Isaiah's helicopters incoming. Readying to protect themselves, Grace and the others held off Isaiah's foot soldiers but their traps proved futile as more men still came. Soon, Grace and her group were pushed back further into the garage. Isaiah soon came to order their deaths but Sean then challenged him to a duel. Although Isaiah rebuffed the challenge, Sean stated that he knew what Isaiah feared. Using the Trident, Isaiah inflicted them again with the same nightmares they had in Mongolia.[35]
However, Owen soon overcame the illusion and told his friends to accept it. Like the others, Grace also managed to beat the illusions. Although Isaiah used the other prongs' abilities, the teens soon prevailed over the faith and devotion illusions. When Owen began to attack Isaiah in combat, Grace, David, Natalya, and Javier joined to fight Isaiah. Soon, the director was overwhelmed and dropped the Trident before falling to the floor. Before he could grab it again, Isaiah was slain by Javier and his new hidden blade. With Isaiah gone, Grace joined the others and grabbed the Trident. After a surge of energy transferred from them to the Trident, the artifact was seemingly depowered as Minerva intended.[35]
In the aftermath, Victoria promised the teenagers that they would be left unbothered by the Templars. When they arrived home, Grace and David agreed to keep what had transpired between them. Upon smelling their mother's banana bread, the Collins were finally home.[36]
Ancestry
Grace and her brother's lineage traced back to Östen Jorundsson, a 10th-century farmer from Sweden who fought in the Battle of Fýrisvellir and was married to Hilla, with whom he fathered three children: Tørgils, Agnes, and Greta.[22][37] The siblings were also descendants of Masireh, a 14th-century Wangaran gold trader from Timbuktu.[8]
During the 19th century, Grace and David's ancestors included Abraham, an Afro-American servant employed by William M. Tweed, and his daughter Eliza, who went on to join the Assassins during the American Civil War.[5] They also shared an ancestor who was a Tuskegee airman in the 1940s.[11]
Trivia
- After Eliza completed her training with Varius, the two Assassins spent a lot of time together as a team and became close. A residual of that closeness and trust lingered between their descendants, Owen Meyers and Grace, after they relived the memories of their respective ancestors.[4]
- In both Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide and Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Locus, Grace is depicted wearing glasses. However, there is no mention of her ever wearing glasses in the Last Descendants novels, unlike her brother, who is shown wearing them.
Gallery
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Grace in Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide -
Sketch of Grace -
Grace in Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Locus
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Locus
- Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan
- Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods
References