Initiation into the Templar Order

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"We welcome you into our fold, brother. You... are a Templar. May the Father of understanding guide us."

―Haytham Kenway, concluding Charles Lee's initiation ceremony, 1755.

Charles Lee being inducted into the Templar Order

The initiation into the Templar Order was a ceremonial tradition observed by Templars to mark the induction of an individual into the ranks of their Order. For several hundred years, these ceremonies consisted of the affirmation of the Templars' goals and a vow of silence and, in some cases, the symbolic bestowal of a Templar ring upon the new recruit.

History

Early details of the practice of initiation are unknown, but a common theme throughout the ceremony was the part that the Grand Master played in the proceedings, usually leading or commencing the initiation. After swearing the new initiate to uphold the values and principles of the Order, the prized Templar ring was given to the new member of the Order.

Aside from the bestowal of the ring, however, the ceremony has been known to change from age to age and even from one region to another, to fit the needs of the assembled group.

Golden Age of Piracy

"Mark and remember our purpose. To guide all wayward souls 'til they reach a quiet road. To guide all wayward desire 'til impassioned hearts are cooled. To guide all wayward minds to safe and sober thought. By the Father of Understanding's Light, let our work now begin."

―Laureano Torres, inducting the new Templar recruits, 1715.

Torres bestowing the Templar rings on the new recruits

In 1715, when the Grand Master of the Caribbean Templars, Laureano de Torres y Ayala, inducted Woodes Rogers, Julien du Casse and Edward Kenway (mistaken for the Assassin turncoat Duncan Walpole) into the ranks of the Order, he handed out Templar rings to the three men, reminding them of the Templars' hidden nature, their role as the secret leaders of the world and primary goal of the Order: to tame all of the flaws of the human nature, so that humanity could be led into a New World Order. The ceremony was brief, but solemn all the same, and after the men had received their rings, Torres asked for the Father of Understanding's blessing, before shifting the group's attention to the task of locating the Observatory.

American Colonies

"Together, we will usher in the dawn of a New World. One defined by purpose and order. Give me your hand."

―Haytham Kenway, during Charles Lee's initiation, 1755.

Charles Lee, at the conclusion of his initiation

Several years later, after Haytham Kenway led the burgeoning Colonial Templars on a mission to sabotage the Braddock Expedition, the men regrouped in the Green Dragon Tavern in Boston to celebrate their success. Before determining their next moves, Haytham noted that Charles Lee, who had been assisting the group over the last year, had shown exceptional promise and suggested that he be welcomed into the Order's ranks. The group, consisting of William Johnson, Thomas Hickey, Benjamin Church and John Pitcairn, agreed and stood, and, after Lee promised to protect the Order and its principles, Haytham gave him a Templar ring, one that had previously belonged to Edward Braddock. Haytham then concluded the ceremony as Torres had, with a request that the Father of Understanding guide them.