American Rite of the Templar Order

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Ratonhnhaké:ton: "What is it the Templars truly seek?"

Haytham Kenway: "Order. Purpose. Direction. No more than that."

—Ratonhnhaké:ton and Haytham Kenway, discussing the Colonial Templars' goals, 1778.^[src]^-[m]

The American Rite of the Templar Order, formerly known as the Colonial Rite of the Templar Order, is the branch of the Templar Order in operation in the United States since colonial times, before the country's foundation.

While the Templars had been active in North America since before the 18th century, they never held a permanent presence until Reginald Birch became Grand Master of the British Rite and refocused the Templars' efforts on locating several suspected Isu sites in the New World. In 1754, Birch sent his best agent, Haytham Kenway, to the Thirteen Colonies of the British Empire to find one such site. While the expedition was unsuccessful, Haytham remained and increased the Templars' influence in the colonies, founding the Colonial Rite as its first Grand Master.

The Colonial Templars maintained a vast network of resources and connections, and primarily ran their operations out of New York City. During the Seven Years' War, the Colonial Rite aided the British Crown in defeating France, and became engaged in a struggle for control of the colonies against the Colonial Brotherhood of Assassins led by Achilles Davenport. The Templars were ultimately victorious after eliminating most of the Colonial Brotherhood, mainly thanks to the efforts of the Assassin-turned-Templar Shay Cormac, which allowed them to dominate the British colonies virtually unopposed.

As the American Revolution broke out, the Templars sought to secure the colonies' independence from Great Britain in order to achieve their goal of creating a New World Order. However, their plans were sabotaged by the Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton, whose actions eventually resulted in the American Revolutionary War.

As the revived Colonial Brotherhood under Ratonhnhaké:ton allied itself with the Sons of Liberty and the Continental Army, the Colonial Rite's leadership was systematically eliminated by the young Assasssin. After discovering that Ratonhnhaké:ton was his son, Haytham attempted to secure a truce between the Templars and Assassins, but failed and was ultimately killed by his son. His second-in-command Charles Lee succeeded him as Grand Master, though only for a short time, as he also met his end at the blade of Ratonhnhaké:ton.

Following the creation of the United States, the Colonial Rite reorganized itself into the American Rite prior to the French Revolution and had contacts on both sides of the Parisian Rite. The earliest known Black Crosses appointed by the Inner Sanctum were from the American Bolden family, an influential Templar linage that used covert operations similar to the Assassins while they searched for Isu artifacts and hunted Assassins.

By 1863, the American Rite was led by Grand Master William M. Tweed and was trying to influence the outcome of the American Civil War. The Templars directly influenced the Confederate States of America and infiltrated the Grant Administration during the Reconstruction Era through both of Tweed's terms as President. The American Rite has remained active in the country through the 20th century and into the present day.

History

Pre-foundation

A New World

In 1398, the Scottish Templar Knight, James Gunn, was said to have been part of Henry Sinclair's expedition to the New World. The expedition was believed to have reached Nova Scotia and Massachusetts.^[2]

In 1491, the Roman Templar Rodrigo Borgia unsuccessfully attempted to thwart Christopher Columbus' voyage to the West Indies, wishing to keep North America a Templar secret.^[3] During the collapse of the Roman Rite led by the Borgia family, the Templars were spreading their reach to the New World and their voyages were tracked by Assassins, who followed suit.^[4]^[5] By the early 16th century, both groups had managed to establish presences in the New World through both old and newly-recruited members.^[6]

Salem witch trials

"Our Order is not built on blood."

―Samuel Parris arguing with William Stoughton, 1692.^[src]

In 1692, following rumors of a girl named 'Assassin's Creed coming into contact with a reed – {{Cite in March 202, Individual issue, the Templars sent two of their agents, humb|right|250px| and s giving Stoddard the, to investigate. The two Templars started a information and threatened to hur to cover their investigation, executing numerous women who had been accused of witchcraft after becoming "ill."nsus]] once again possessed Dorothy, Querry took upon the opportunity to kill a guard and free Stoddard when Stoughton shot her dead. Then Stoddard tried to free Dorothy an

During the Salem trials, the Assassin and artifact hunter toughton revealed t arrived in the city to search for the Piece of Eden. With the help of fellow Assassin Dorothy killed her, he liberated Dorothy, who had been imprisoned by the Templars alongside several other people. Believing that the Assassins would lead them straight to the Piece of Eden, Stoughton decided to use the Salem townsfolk to hunt for them, an idea that Parris objected to. Once the Assassins and Dorothy were captured in a swamp, Stoughton took them to be interrogated.he would take the ac

Querry offered to give the Templars information after Stoughton threatened to hurt the mute boy David - secretly Querry's son. Before she could do so, however, Dorothy suddenly became possessed by the Isu Consus, who delivered a cryptic message, confirming to the Templars that Dorothy was the Piece of Eden they sought. While Stoughton and Parris were distracted, Querry managed to free herself, but was quickly shot and killed by Stoughton.^[7]

As Stoughton made plans to experiment on the captured women to replicate Dorothy's powers, the girl killed herself to prevent the Templars from using her. In rage, Stoughton decided to execute the tied up Stoddard, but was shot and stopped by Parris, who had grown tired of his Templar brother's violent methods. Wishing to end all the bloodshed, Parris gave Stoddard the keys to the cells where the captured women were held, and allowed the Assassin to leave Salem with David, declaring that the Templars' mission in the city was done.^[7]

Preparations for a Rite

"Master Gist, We are basically just sending letters out filled with secret plans and praying they arrive safely. We need a front company, or a series of companies, to double as a communications network."

―Lawrence in his letter to Gist, 1746.^[src]

The Wardrop Family was a Templar lineage active in the colonies since before the late 17th century. Continuing in his father's footsteps, James Wardrop was inducted into the Templar Order in 1720 and was tasked to secure land and wealth for the Order in North America, slowly but surely building up the foundation for a new Templar Rite.^[2]

In 1738, Lawrence Washington joined the British Rite of the Templar Order. Upon rising to the rank of Master Templar, he was sent to the New World by Grand Master Reginald Birch to locate undiscovered Isu sites and artifacts. By 1744, Wardrop had began to build a trade network for the Order that ran from the American colonies to the West Indies.^[2]

In 1746, Lawrence recruited the explorer Christopher Gist as an ally of the Templar Order. Around this time, Gist encountered a young thief named Jack Weeks after the boy had tried to pickpocket him. Impressed by his skill and audacious attitude, Gist took him on as an errand boy. Later, Gist was tasked by Lawrence to expand the Templars' communications network by recruiting William Johnson into the Order. Johnson, who had been appointed Colonel of the Warriors of the Six Nations, used his relations with the Kanien'kehá:ka to help the Templars build an infrastructure in the colonies.^[2]

In 1747, Lawrence worked with prominent businessmen and created the Ohio Company with the intent of opening trade to the interior of the American continent. Around this period, he hired Samuel Smith as a treasurer for one of his businesses; following Smith's induction into the Templar Order, he became a treasurer for the Order as a whole.^[2]

In 1750, Birch sent his agent, Colonel George Monro, to assist Lawrence in his search for the Grand Temple, due to his dissatisfaction with Lawrence's progress. That same year, Wardrop worked with Gist to acquire North American lands for the Order, evicting many native tribes from their ancestral lands in the process. Gist and Monro also worked with the Templar son of Barry and Cassidy Finnegan to try and and drive the Assassin-allied gangs out of New York, to allow the city to flourish. By 1751, both Gist and Weeks had been officially inducted into the Order by Monro.^[2]

Search for Precursor sites

"Master Washington, I am less than pleased with paltry results coming from the colonies. I have other agents around the globe searching tirelessly for Pieces of Eden and you and your motley crew are busy building a postal service. What is more, I understand that an Assassin Brotherhood has taken root somewhere outside of New York. This simply will not do."

―Birch in his letter to Lawrence, 1750.^[src]

Following the 1751 earthquake of Port-au-Prince, Lawrence stole two Isu relics from the Haitian Assassins: a Precursor box and the Voynich manuscript. After returning to New York, he tasked Samuel Smith and James Wardrop to research the relics in the hopes of unraveling their secrets. The two Templars consequently reached out to the Order's allies in New York and among native trives for any information on the relics, to no success.^[2]

In July 1752, Lawrence organized a party at Mount Vernon as a cover to reunite with his Templar brothers and learn about their progress researching the relics. He also informed them that he was dying of tuberculosis, and asked them to leave his younger brother out of the Order's affairs; a decision the Templars respected. After the other Templars departed, Lawrence was killed by the Assassin Shay Cormac. In the aftermath, Wardrop took over as the de facto leader of the Templars in the colonies, while Smith traveled to Europe to find a scientist who could make the Precursor box work.^[2]

In 1752, the soldier Thomas Hickey became stationed in Boston. There, he was assigned as an assistant to William Johnson, and joined the Order himself shortly after.^[8] Two years later, the British officer John Pitcairn also joined the Templars, who used their connections to influence Commander Amherst and have Pitcairn moved to the Copp's Hill Battery in Boston so that he could assist the Order in the colonies.^[8]

By April 1754, the British Templars had acquired a mysterious key from Miko, the leader of the British Assassins, who had been killed by Haytham Kenway at the Theatre Royal in London. Upon further examination, the Templars concluded it was the key to the Grand Temple, and Reginald Birch sent Haytham to the colonies to find the site. While traveling across the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Providence, Haytham foiled an assassination attempt by the Assassin and sailor Louis Mills, who had led the Assassin ship, the Aquila, to attack the Providence. However, the Aquila was forced to abandon its pursuit after being lured into a storm, and the Providence continued its journey without incident.^[8]

In May, Samuel Smith returned to the colonies with the Precursor box, having been unable to make it work. He was hunted down by Shay Cormac, who killed him in Terra Nova and claimed the box for the Assassins. Prior to Smith's demise, William Johnson had made contact with Benjamin Franklin, who examined the box and agreed to conduct further research on it.^[2]

In July, Johnson met with Franklin during the Albany Congress, promising the scientist that the box, as well as the Voynich manuscript, would be delivered to him for experimentation shortly. However, the Templars were forced to delay their plans with the artifacts, as James Wardrop refused to hand over the manuscript, believing the risks of meddling with Isu technology were too great. While hiding in Fort Frederick, Wardrop was killed by Shay Cormac for the manuscript; leaving the Templars in the colonies leaderless once more.^[2]

Founding

Haytham's operations

"Upon this paper are the names of five men sympathetic to our cause. Each is also uniquely suited to aid you in your endeavor. With them at your side, you will want nothing."

―Birch giving Haytham his mission, 1754.^[src]

On 8 July 1754,^[9] Haytham arrived in Boston and was greeted by Charles Lee, a hopeful young man wishing to join the Templar Order. With Lee's help, Haytham sought to gather four Templars that Reginald Birch had arranged to aid Haytham with his expedition: William Johnson, Thomas Hickey, John Pitcairn and the surgeon Benjamin Church.^[8]

Traveling to the Green Dragon Tavern, where Lee had booked them rooms, Haytham met with Johnson first, who informed him that his research on the native tribes had been stolen by mercenaries, likely hired by the Assassins. With Lee and Hickey, Haytham recovered the research, allowing Johnson to analyze the symbols on the Grand Temple Key and conclude they were connected to the Kanien'kehá:ka.^[8]

Afterwards, Haytham and Lee searched for Church in order to recruit him, but discovered he had been abducted by Silas Thatcher, a cruel British officer who demanded protection money. Fortunately, the two managed to rescue Church from being tortured by Silas' assistant, Cutter, and took him back to the Green Dragon.^[8]

Later, Haytham and Lee went after the final recruit, Pitcairn, who was serving under the British general and former Templar Edward Braddock. However, because of his past grievances with Haytham, as well as the fact that he had been forced by his superiors to let Lee assist Haytham, Braddock refused to release Pitcairn from his command. In response, the Templars assaulted Braddock during a patrol to force him to comply.^[8]

With all his Templar recruits gathered, Haytham devised a plan to infiltrate Southgate Fort and put an end to Silas' slave operation, believing that this would earn them the favor of the Kanien'kehá:ka, which could prove essential in their search for the Grand Temple. After intercepting one of Silas' convoys transporting Kanien'kehá:ka slaves, the Templars killed the guards and took their uniforms. While Haytham rode on the carriage alongside a native woman named Kaniehtí:io, his fellow Templars followed the convoy from afar, taking out any suspicious soldiers along the way.^[8]

Upon arriving at Southgate, Kaniehtí:io immediately ran away to liberate the natives. Despite this inconvenience, the Templars executed their plan successfully, freeing many prisoners who helped them fight Silas' men. During the battle, Haytham defeated Silas, who was then promptly killed by Church as revenge for his prior abduction. As the British troops surrendered, the natives were free to leave the fort, and Kaniehtí:io smiled to Haytham as a sign of gratitude.^[8]

During this time, the Parisian Templar Charles Gabriel Sivert served as the colonial governor of Saint Pierre and Miquelon and Brigadier general in the French military, while also running an artifact smuggling operation on the side. Through this, Sivert funded Haytham's operations in the colonies, and was at one point involved in a disastrous attempt to recover an unknown object.^[10]

Official establishment

"We need to redouble our efforts and expand our order, and establish a permanent base here. Although the site eludes us, I am confident we will find it."

―Haytham declaring the establishment of the Colonial Rite, 1755.^[src]

In November of 1754,^[9] Haytham and Lee searched for Kaniehtí:io in the Frontier, as the former believed she could lead them to the Grand Temple. When they found her, the woman tried to ran away but Haytham managed to catch her. The Templar explained to her why he needed her help but Kaniehtí:io refused before Haytham tried to prove that he could be trusted. Haytham promised to help the natives stop the British expeditions into their territory. During their investigation, they discovered that with the outbreak of the Seven Years' War, the British Government had arranged for Edward Braddock to lead an expedition to the French-controlled Fort Duquesne.^[8]

In July 1755, the combined assault of Haytham's Templars and the Kanien'kehá:ka tribes, together with a timely assault by the French Army, led to the destruction of the expedition,^[8] where Gist fought at George Washington's side.^[2] After being confronted by Haytham, Braddock attempted to run away, but was eventually cornered and mortally wounded by his former Templar brother. True to her word, Kaniehtí:io then led Haytham to the Grand Temple, though the latter was disappointed to find little more than a painted cave.^[8]

Later, Haytham returned to the Green Dragon Tavern and informed his Templar brothers of his findings. He then officially established the Colonial Rite of the Templar Order and inducted Charles Lee into the their ranks. The Colonial Templars would continue to search for the Grand Temple, and also aided in the unification of the Thirteen Colonies by aiding the British Crown against the French.^[8] Around this time, Barry and Cassidy Finnegan's son passed away and his Templar robes remained with his parents in New York.^[2]

In early 1756, George Monro's men found Shay Cormac, who was left for dead after having betrayed the Assassins and stolen the Voynich manuscript from them. Monro recovered the manuscript from Shay's body and was tasked by Haytham to discover its secrets. Despite being aware of Shay's former allegiance, Monro decided to rescue him and left him in the care of the Finnegans in New York, to recover from his wounds.^[2]

The Colonial Great Purge

Securing New York

"We shared a dream, he and I, that of making the world a better place. Mere survival is not enough. Full bellies, warm clothing... Freedom from want is the greatest freedom of all"

―Monro explaining his philosophy to Shay, 1756.^[src]

By June 1756, Shay had recovered and the Finnegans were attacked by gang members on the orders of the Greenwich Assassin bureau leader, who demanded protection money. Monro wanted to attack the gang's headquarter but Shay, after donning the robes of the Finnegans' late son, arrived first and killed the Assassin leader.^[2]

Seeing the potential of Shay, Monro convinced him to work with him towards the betterment of the colonies, while concealing his Templar affiliations from him. Following his encounter with Monro, Shay began rebuilding the city by fighting the Assassin gangs and renovating properties.^[2]

When Gist discovered that the gangs in New York were working on creating new weaponry, he attempted to take down the criminals set up at Fort Arsenal, only to get captured. As Gist was about to be hanged, Monro tasked Shay to rescue him. Once Gist was safe, Shay claimed the fort as his new home. He then recovered his ship, the Morrigan, from the Assassins, and recruited Gist as his quartermaster.^[2]

Fighting the Assassins

Shay: "Kesegowaase... It didn't have to be this way."

Kesegowaase: "It did. You are an enemy. Achilles will see you dead."

—Shay and Kesegowaase during the latter's final moments, 1757.^[src]

Shay and Gist later met with Monro in Albany, from where they navigated through the River Valley in the Morrigan that was disrupting Monro's operations. Shay infiltrated the fort and met Le Chasseur, an Assassin ally and smuggler, who was surprised to see Shay still alive. To prevent Le Chasseur from informing the Brotherhood of his survival, Shay was forced to kill him. In his last moments, the smuggler revealed that the Assassins planned to poison the officials of New York.^[2]

Shay returned to the city to stop his former allies. With Monro, he planned to destroy the Assassins' factory to prevent them from manufacturing more poisonous gases. After doing so, Shay was joined by Monro, Gist, William Johnson, and Jack Weeks and understood that he had just helped his former enemies, but kept his thoughts to himself.^[2]

In 1757, Monro was assigned to Fort William Henry which was threatened by the French. Consequently, he sent the Voynich manuscript to Shay for safekeeping, along with a letter in which he revealed his true allegiance. After Monro was forced to surrender the fort to the French, Shay, fearing an attack from the Assassins during the evacuation, went to protect the colonel and his men with Gist and Weeks.^[2]

Just as Shay had anticipated, Monro's troops were attacked by the Abenaki led by the Assassin Kesegowaase. Shay defended the colonel and his men as they made their way to the Morrigan, where Kesegowaase made a final attempt to kill Monro, but was wounded by Shay with an explosion which left scars on his face. Despite the Templars' escape, Kesegowaase had seen Shay helping them and subsequently informed his Assassin brothers, making Shay a target of the Brotherhood.^[2]

Later, Monro learned that Kesegowaase was planning an attack on Albany. The colonel decided to prepare the defense of the city and sent Shay to help the Oneida, a native tribe allied to the British, who were attacked by Kesegowaase's men. Shay also gave the Voynich manuscript back to Monro, believing it was no longer safe with him.^[2]

In November, Shay arrived at Albany when the Assassins attacked the city. Making his way to Fort Frederick, Shay confronted and killed Kesegowaase, who with his dying words revealed that the attack was only a distraction to allow Liam O'Brien to assassinate Monro. Shay consequently rushed to Monro's defense, but arrived too late: the colonel had been mortally wounded, and the Assassins had stolen back the Voynich manuscript. With his last breath, Monro passed his Templar ring to Shay, trusting him to continue his work.^[2]

Turning the tide

Gist: "He's a powerful man in his own right, and a symbol of hope for the Assassins. Eliminating him would shake them to their core."

Shay: "It would, I know. But it seems a shame. He's a good man, Gist."

—Gist and Shay, discussing killing Adéwalé, 1758.^[src]

In 1758, Shay was officially inducted into the Templar Order by Haytham Kenway following the latter's return from Europe.^[2] Since returning to the colonies, Haytham had started writing letters to his half-sister, Jennifer Scott, in which he spoke of his dream to conciliate the Assassins and Templars.^[1]

Learning of Assassin activities near Louisbourg, Shay, Gist and Haytham joined their ally, Captain James Cook of the Royal Navy, aboard the HMS Pembroke. The captain informed them that the British were preparing to attack the fort, but having learned of their plan, the French had mounted a counter-attack. The Templars decided to sink the French ships before they could begin their attack.^[2]

Sailing to Louisbourg, Shay took command of the Pembroke and destroyed a number of French vessels before the Experto Crede, captained by the Caribbean Assassin Adéwalé, came to the French's aid. Adéwalé attempted to destroy British reinforcements with fireships, but the Pembroke managed to destroy them, forcing the Experto Crede to retreat. As the battle ended in a British victory with the capture of Louisbourg, marking a turning point in the war, the Templars could now focus on pursuing the Assassins.^[2]

Later, Shay, Gist and Haytham tracked down Adéwalé and, after a naval battle between the Morrigan and the Experto Crede, the Assassin beached his ship on the Vieille Carrière to escape from his enemies. Haytham decided to serve as a diversion while Shay sneaked up on Adéwalé and assassinated him. With the death of Adéwalé, the Assassins suffered a major loss of morale.^[2]

In October 1759, the Mentor Achilles Davenport and the remaining high-ranking Colonial Assassins - Liam O'Brien, Hope Jensen and Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye - met in New York to use the Voynich manuscript and the Precursor box to find another Isu temple. Shay eavesdropped on their conversation and informed Haytham and Jack Weeks about the Assassins' plan.^[2]

Deciding that they needed to eliminate Hope to remove the Assassins' control over New York's gangs, Shay and Weeks captured two gang members and stole their disguises to impersonate them while robbing a British fort. This turned the British authorities in the city against the gangs, leading them to attack Hope's mansion.^[2]

During the attack, Shay made his way to the mansion's rooftop to spy on the Assassins through a window. He saw Liam leave with the box and the manuscript, but was spotted by Hope, who shot at the window. With Shay on the ground, Hope tried to poison him with gases, but the Templar managed to escape. Seeing this, Hope threw a poisoned knife at him, and Shay was forced to kill her after a chase through the streets of New York in order to obtain the antidote to the poison.^[2]

Naval conquests

Gist: "The Grand Master is pleased, Shay. What you did in New York... Well, it's only a matter of time now before order is restored."

Shay: "New York was never "orderly", Gist... With Hope gone, perhaps..."

—Gist and Shay discussing the collapse of the Assassin gangs, 1759.^[src]

After the assassination of Hope Jensen. Shay and Gist sailed to Canada, New France to assist the Royal Navy against the French during the Battle of Labrador. The Templars fought off the first wave of French ships sent to protect the coast, and afterward sunk the French flagship, the Couronne, and her reinforcements.^[2]

In late 1759, Shay and Gist helped the Royal Navy again, this time in hunting down two of the most dangerous pirates operating in the North Atlantic, who had made a fortune terrorizing trade ships. The Morrigan sank the Cauldron captained by William Crest and the Pilgrim captained by Joseph "The Aristocrat" Reed, thus eliminating one of the last remainders of the Golden Age of Piracy.^[2]

Around the same time, the English had established dominance over the Arctic seas, and the French enlisted the help of the Assassins, who sent their flagship, the Storm Fortress, in a desperate attempt to regain control. Shay and Gist sailed the Morrigan with the support of British gunboats, though their escorts were quickly destroyed by the Storm Fortress' cannons and mortars. When the Storm Fortress was damaged severely, it was joined by two other Men O' War, the Argonaut and the Sceptre. Nevertheless, the Morrigan was able to sink the Storm Fortress and her escorts, thus maintaining the British hold on the Arctic seas.^[2]

For his efforts in defending the Templar Order's hold of the region, Shay was eventually promoted to Master Templar. At one point upon returning to New York, Shay was lured into a trap by a group of Assassin gang members, who used Marla Capps as bait. When the Templar came to protect Marla, he was ambushed by the gang members but managed to kill them all, saving Marla.^[2]

Confrontation in the Arctic Temple

Haytham: "Never forget what has happened here."

Achilles: "I won't... But the world will."

—Haytham and Achilles, after the latter was crippled by the former, 1760.^[src]

In early 1760, with the help of James Cook, Shay and Gist tracked down de la Vérendrye, who the Templars believed to be in possession of the Precursor box and the Voynich manuscript. The Morrigan attacked the Assassin's ship, the Gerfaut, in the North Atlantic, where the Brotherhood had organized an expedition to find an Isu temple that they erroneously believed to contain an Apple of Eden.^[2]

After sinking the Gerfaut's escorts, Shay boarded the ship and dueled de la Vérendrye, only to discover that the expedition was a ruse to lure the Templars away from Achilles and Liam, who had already located the temple. In his anger, Shay threw de la Vérendrye overboard to his death. Afterwards, Shay and Gist parted ways with Cook, who inquired whether they were part of a larger organization, but the Templars deflected his question.^[2]

By March, the Templars had managed to locate the temple in the Arctic Ocean and set out to stop the Assassins from causing another earthquake by meddling with the Isu technology inside. While Gist waited aboard the Morrigan, Shay and Haytham dealt with the Assassin expedition outside before entering the temple. They arrived at the central vault moments after Achilles and Liam, just as the Mentor realized that Shay had been right about the nature of the Seismic Temples.^[2]

As Shay angrily confronted Achilles, telling him that he should have listened, Liam tried to shoot his former friend, but was stopped by the Mentor. In the process, Liam accidentaly disturbed the temple's central component, triggering an earthquake and causing the temple to collapse. During their escape, Haytham dueled Achilles while Shay pursued Liam, who eventually died when they both fell from an ice platform. Shay subsequently recovered the Voynich manuscript from Liam's body and returned to the Morrigan.^[2]

As Haytham defeated Achilles, he was stopped from killing him by Shay, who reasoned that the Mentor was harmless now without his Brotherhood and that he could warn other Assassins about the dangers of the Seismic Temples. Haytham agreed, but shot Achilles in the leg, crippling him. He then told Achilles to never forget what had happened there, to which the Mentor claimed the he would not, but the world would.^[2]

Final assault

Shay: "So what happens now?"

Haytham: "Master Gist will be in charge of eradicating any remaining traces of the Assassins. Master Weeks and the others will assist him, of course."

—Shay and Haytham discussing the final assault against the Colonial Assassins, 1760.^[src]

Later on the Morrigan, Haytham tasked Shay to find the Precursor box, which was still in the Brotherhood's possession, and Gist to lead the continued eradication of any surviving Assassins in the colonies. While Shay left for Europe to begin his search, the remaining Colonial Templars launched a three-year purge against the last remnants of the Colonial Brotherhood.^[2]

At one point during the Great Purge, a Templar raiding party killed the father of Atasá:ta, a Kanien'kehá:ka Assassin. The purge was also an opportunity for some Templars to prove their efficiency and dedication to the Order, as was the case of Federico Perez, who became a feared Assassin hunter operating in Florida.^[8]

In November 1760, a group of Templars led by Lee assaulted a young Kanien'kehá:ka boy named Ratonhnhaké:ton, who unbeknownst to them was the son of Haytham and Kaniehtí:io. They asked him for the location of his village so that they could speak to the natives about the Grand Temple; stubbornly, the boy told them nothing and was knocked out. Although the village was burned down by George Washington, Ratonhnhaké:ton believed Lee and his cohorts were responsible. Finally giving up their search for the Grand Temple, the Templars focused on strengthening their influence in the colonies.^[8]

During the Great Purge, the Assassin Pierre Bellec witnessed the Templars commit several attrocities as they became more ruthless in their efforts to eliminate the Colonial Assassins. At one point, he supposedly witnessed them massacre an entire village to kill a single Assassin, Bellec managed to escape to France in 1762, being one of the few survivors of the Templars' purge.^[11]

In 1763, the Colonial Rite launched an attack on the Davenport Homestead, which served as a base of operations for the remaining Colonial Assassins. Killing those who remained, the Templars once again spared Achilles' life when he agreed to cease all Assassin activities in the colonies. The Assassin Benjamin Tallmadge, Sr. narrowly survived the attack.^[8]

After decades of attacks on their Templar fleets by the Aquila, the Colonial Rite set up a trap in 1768 to destroy the Assassin flagship once and for all. Three British frigates ambushed the ship and nearly destroyed it, though its first mate Robert Faulkner survived the trap and managed to escape. Faulkner later returned with the Aquila to the Davenport Homestead, where the ship lay in ruin for several years.^[8]

American Revolution

After defeating the Colonial Assassins, the Templars gained more influence while a revoltionary fevur begun to grip the Thirteen Colonies due the accumulation of taxes and the lack of representation in Parliament.^[8]

The Colonial Rite attempted to influence both sides, hoping to achieve the colonies' independence through less violent means and to create a Templar state: William Johnson traded with the natives to protect them; John Pitcairn, who became a Major in the British Army, was known as a peacekeeper and was well-respected by the colonists; and Benjamin Church joined the Sons of Liberty, a Patriot group that collected information, though in time he betrayed them by communicating with the British. Unknown to the Templars, however, the Colonial Brotherhood had begun to rebuild, as Achilles Davenport came out of his retirement to train Ratonhnhaké:ton as an Assasin at the boy's own request.^[8]

Assassin Interference

Connor: "Is that my father...?"

Achilles: "Yes. Which means trouble is sure to follow. I need you to tail his accomplice. This crowd is a powder keg - we can't allow him to light the fuse"

—Achilles telling Connor to prevent their plan, 1775.^[src]

On 5 March 1770, after Private Hugh White wounded Edward Garrick in Boston, a crowd mobbed around the Old State House to reclaim justice. Haytham sent one of his associates to shoot on the soldiers and cause an outbreak of fighting, but Ratonhnhaké:ton killed him before he could complete his mission.^[8]

As a backup plan, Charles Lee shot into the air. The British soldiers, believing it was the crowd, opened fire on the mob, killing five people and leaving many wounded. This event increased the anger of the people against the British Crown. Six months later, Church inducted in the Templar Order a junior officer of the British Navy: Nicholas Biddle.^[8]

In 1773, Templar ships posing as British vessels began to attack the Nantucket's coasts to make the region unstable. The same year, William Johnson sought to purchase land from the Iroquois to protect it, knowing that the colonists would inevitably attempt to take it. To finance his project, a local Templar taxman ran a tea smuggling operation in Boston for Johnson, as tea had become more expensive after the Tea Act. The taxman also extorted the city's citizens through his tax collectors, which enraged many of them.^[8]

Eventually, one such citizen, a chef named Stephane Chapheau, decided to take action and killed Johnson's taxman with the assistance of Ratonhnhaké:ton - by now an Assassin known as "Connor." Chapheau subsequently joined the Assassins, becoming the first of Connor's apprentices and marking the official rebirth of the Colonial Brotherhood.^[8]

In December 1773, the Sons of Liberty sought to protest against British rule of the colonies. With the assistance of Connor and Stephane Chapheau, they organized a raid of one of Johnson's ships, where they threw all of his British tea into Boston Harbor in front of a large crowd. This act had the desired effect of upsetting the British Crown, and also greatly set back Johnson, who had just lost his main source of income.^[8]

That same month, a group of mercenaries led by a Templar began upsetting order in the northern district of Boston, taking citizens captive and demanding protection money from merchants. Their efforts were undermined by Connor, who eventually killed the mercenary leader with the help of Duncan Little.^[8]

By July 1774, Johnson had managed to acquire the neccessary funds to purchase the Iroquois' land, setting up a meeting with various tribe leaders at his personal estate, Johnson Hall. However, perceiving Johnson's actions as an act of oppression, the tribe leaders refused to sell their land. In frustration, Johnson decided to take more drastic actions and ordered his men to open fire on the natives. However, his attempt to intimidate the Iroquois was thwarted by Connor, who assassinated the Templar, putting an end to his plans.^[8]

Preventing war

Connor: "Why them and not the Redcoats?"

Pitcairn: "Do you not think we asked the same question of the British? These things take time. And it would have succeeded, had you let me play my part."

—Connor and Pitcairn discussing the revolution, 1775.^[src]

In 1775, a Templar recruiter in the British Army drafted citizens for training to become regulars and other citizens were under prison escort, however, some citizens volunteered to fight. During these operations in southern Boston, the Templar recruiter also organized for a ship to pick up recruits for Templar training. Connor ended these when he infiltrated one operation and ordered his assassination with the aid of Clipper Wilkinson, who fired from a nearby roof. Additionally, the four Templars that patrolled Boston was assassinated and the Templar Captain in charge of the Fort Independence.^[8]

In April 1775, John Pitcairn hoped to end the budding Revolutionary War before it truly began. With a British Army, the Templar went to Lexington to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock and negotiate with them. But the meeting of the British Army and the Patriots turned in a armed conflict. In Concord, Pitcairn retreated after his troops suffered heavy loss by the militia commanded by Ratonhnhaké:ton. With the began of the Siege of Boston by the Patriots, the war was declared.^[8]

With the creation of the Continental Army, Templars placed many men on the rebel side. Charles Lee, who wanted to become the Commander-in-Chief, was made the second-in-command as George Washington was elected as the Commander of the Continental Army. Church became the Surgeon General, Hickey a private guard of Washington and Biddle a captain of the Continental Navy. During the Battle of Bunker Hill, Pitcairn tried to negotiate the peace but was killed by Ratonhnhaké:ton who believed he wanted to assassinate Adams and Hancock. At the end of the year, Church was arrested for intelligence with the British and expulsed from the Templar Order.^[8]

War plans

"'Ere is 'ow it's gonna work. First we bind ya and bring ya to your cell. Then, tomorrow, you go before the court, accused of plottin' to kill good ol' Georgie. Maybe we could pin the murder of the Warden on you too. You did kill 'im, after all. And who wouldn't take the word of Charlie over here? Once that's all squared away, well then..."

―Hickey revealing their plan to Connor, 1755.^[src]

During the revolution, the British Army officer and Templar, Matthew Davenport, fought fiercely and with equal skill to that of his strategizing. Matthew also sent his daughter, Eleanor Mallow, on Templar-related missions of the most sensitive caliber against the Assassins and Eleanor also hid her identity. The Templars also hired the Hessian soldier and fellow Templar, Gerhard von Stantten, for the British Army to carry out Templar missions. A group of Templars also attacked friends of Caleb Garret, Garret joined the Assassins afterward.^[8]

In 1775, the former slave and Louisiana Templar George Davidson abandoned the Patriot cause to serve in Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment and reunited with Titus Cornelius to fight together against slavery once he was informed that Lord John Murray Dunmore, Governor of Virginia, had issued a proclamation offering freedom to any slave who would join the Loyalist forces.^[12] The Templars also tried to kill Lord Dunmore, however, the operation was thwarted by Assassins.^[8]

The Templars wanted to kill Washington thereby Lee could take his charge. Haytham tasked Thomas Hickey to accomplice the mission. In June 1776, Ratonhnhaké:ton tried to kill him in New York but was arrested with his target for forgery, as Hichey trafficked false money in the city. Send in Bridewell Prison, Hickey and Lee managed to charge the prison director's murder on Ratonhnhaké:ton and also the conspiration of assassinated Washington. The next day, Lee put the Assassin on the scaffold but Haytham, who had understood Ratonhnhaké:ton was his son, threw a knife on the rope. With the panic, Hickey tried to kill Washington but was assassinated by Ratonhnhaké:ton. Templars were also hunted by the Assassin Joe in New York and the French Assassin William de Saint-Prix fought along with the revolutionaries against them.^[8]

During the year, the Templars continued to attack the Nantucket with British ships to force the Continental Congress to give more ships to Biddle. With his ship the USS Randolph, Biddle was tasked to escort La Belladonna to supply the Continental Army but he sent Templar ships to attack La Belladonna. Ratonhnhaké:ton defended the ship with the Aquila and killed the Templar Admiral. At the end of the year, Lee was captured by the British Army and gave information on the Continental Army to weak Washington's position as commander. During the surprise attack of Trenton, the German colonel and Templar Johann Rall was killed by Assassins.^[8]

Losing influence

Jacob: "Who was he, really?"

Connor: "There are powerful organizations who seek control, nothing more. This man belonged to one."

—Connor explaining the Templars to Jacob, 1777.^[src]

In the winter of 1777, Officer George Davidson operated in a fort located in the New York Frontier. However his collaboration with the "Company Man" attracted the attention of the Louisiana Assassin Aveline de Grandpré, and Ratonhnhaké:ton who helped her seeking a Templar called "Officer Davidson". While Davidson and a few of his men was in the watchtower of the fort, Aveline infiltrated the fort and Ratonhnhaké:ton created distractions against Davidson's reinforcements.^[12]

When confronted by Aveline, who questioned Davidson's allegiances. Davidson replied that his freedom had been guaranteed by the Loyalists in return for his service. They subsequently engaged Aveline in battle until a sudden explosion set off by Ratonhnhaké:ton could be heard. Following this, Davidson locked Aveline inside the watchtower and attempted to escape the fort in a gunpowder carriage until fired at one of the barrels inside Davidson's carriage as he rode by, mortally wounding the Templar in the process. Davidson revealed her stepmother, Madeleine de L'Isle, was the "Company Man" before passing away.^[12]

The same year, a local Templar Hoarder that controlled northern New York used his military influence to hoard food and ordered the attack of any resisting farmer, other citizens had their families evicted. This operation was undermined when Connor protected these people and attacked the Templars distributing the food in the market, his fortified camp built around the main water supply in the area where everything was moved before being sold, was later attacked with the help of Dobby Carter that created a distraction while Connor assassinated the Templar Hoarder.^[8]

In western New York, the district was controlled by another Templar Mercenary who distributed blankets for the poor that contained smallpox, these mercenaries were killed and the blankets were burned by Connor. After having killed the rabbit dogs and taken the ill citizens to the local doctor, the Templar Mercenary ordered his men to attack the clinic of Jamie Colley. They failed the attack and the Templar was killed during their defense of the clinic with the help of Connor and his other Assassins that ambushed them.^[8]

The eastern district of New York was under the control of a Templar Commander in the British Army in had put a bounty of Connor and gone into hiding while he ordered a curfew, he had his agents infiltrate patriots to list their local leaders and publicly executed patriot leaders. Connor swapped the lists they had with fake documents and ended the public executions while local British leaders that patrolled the city were attacked and interrogated to find his hideout. Once his location was discovered, Connor with the aid of Jacob Zenger disguised themselves as British Regulars, Connor was escorted onto the Templar Commander's ship during his official speech until they dropped the pretense and assassinated the Templar.^[8]

Attempted unity

Connor: "Come to check up on Church? Make sure he'd stolen enough for your British brothers?"

Haytham: "Benjamin Church is no brother of mine. No more than the Redcoats or their idiot king. I expected naiveté. But this... The Templars do not fight for the crown. We seek the same as you, boy! Freedom. Justice. Independence."

—Haytham presenting his ideals to Connor, 1777.^[src]

In late 1777, Benjamin Church was liberated and stole Continental Army supplies. Ratonhnhaké:ton was charged by Washington to find the stock and met his father, who wanted to kill Church for his treason. After an argument where Haytham exposed the true goals of the Templars to his son and offered a truce out of their common interests to kill Church, something Connor accepted,^[8]to Lee's dissatisfaction.^[9] The two went to New York but it was only a trap. Church had flown to the Martinique. With the Aquila, Ratonhnhaké:ton and Haytham aboard the Welcome and killed Church.^[8]

17 March 1778, Biddle patrolled the Caribbean where he had prepared a trap for Connor during the truce. The attack lead by the Randolph attacked the Aquila with the aid of two Men-of-War. They were unable to successfully defeat the Aquila and destroyed the Men-of-War and successfully disabled Randolph's mast with a single broadside of chained cannonballs. Ratonhnhaké:ton boarded the Randolph and defeated Biddle and allowed him to sink with his ship.^[8]

On 17 June 1778, continuing their alliance, Haytham and Ratonhnhaké:ton learned that the British would attack from New York. Haytham wanted to inform Lee but his son decided to reveal this information to Washington. Arrived in Valley Forge, to show Washington's true face, Haytham revealed that Washington burned Ratonhnhaké:ton's village eighteen years before. Washington also ordered a new attack on Kanatahséton, due to his suspicions of them allying with the British. Ratonhnhaké:ton understood that his father hid this information for a long time, then he decided to cut his ties with Haytham and Washington.^[8]

Lee informed Kanatahséton of the attack and convinced them to join the British. He also persuaded Ratonhnhaké:ton's friend, Kanen'tó:kon that the Assassin betrayed his people. During the Battle of Monmouth, Lee sabotaged the preparation of the Continental Army but Ratonhnhaké:ton helped the soldier to retreat. Afterward, Lee was judged as a traitor and was suspended from duty.^[8]

Collapse

"I never knew him. Not really. I thought I had, but it wasn't until I read his journal that I realized I hadn't really known him at all. And it's too late now. Too late to tell him I misjudged him. Too late to tell him I'm sorry."

―Ratonhnhaké:ton after reading his father's journal.^[src]

In July 1778, the Continental officer and Templar George Dorrance was killed by Assassins while fighting against the joint forces of the British Army and the Iroquois during the Battle of Wyoming. The next year, the Templar ally and British Colonel John Boyd was assassinated during the Battle of Kettle Creek. A few months later, the Patriot soldier in the Continental Army, Hugh Jackson was assassinated during the Battle of Stono Ferry for his Templar connections. In August 1780, the major general and Templar Johann de Kalb was killed by the Assassins during the Battle of Camden.^[8]

In September 1781, Ratonhnhaké:ton, seeking out Charles Lee, who was in Fort George in New York. The Assassin infiltrated the Fort during the bombing raid by French ships but was hurt by an explosion. Ratonhnhaké:ton confronted his father, who let Lee flee with the Grand Temple Key. After a brutal fight, the Templar Grand Master forced his son to kill him, and Charles Lee rose to hold the position in his stead.^[8] Haytham`s Journal was also recovered by Ratonhnhaké:ton afterward.^[8]

At least three months later, in 1782, a funeral was held for Kenway and presided over by Charles Lee, but it was interrupted with the arrival of Ratonhnhaké:ton. Charles had the Assassin detained, before making preparations to travel to Boston. Eventually, the Assassin caught up with Lee once more, and after a rugged pursuit, tracked the man down, killed him at the Last Drink Inn in Monmouth, and took the Grand Temple Key. Lee's death marked the collapse of the Colonial Rite, and the end of Templar influence in North America, for a time.^[8]

By 1784, Edmund Judge had left the Templars, living and working by his own rules to the day he was killed by Aveline de Grandpré with the help of Patience Gibbs.^[13] In August 1785, the Governor of Connecticut and Templar Jonathan Trumbull was killed by Assassins.^[8]

The American Rite

"She gave me two hours with them. It was enough time to read them and form questions of my own. To know that there was another way. A third way."

―Élise's observation of Haytham Kenway's ideals, 1788.^[src]

By 1788, the reorganized American Rite had most likely been contacted by the exiled Parisian Templar, François-Thomas Germain, that contacted them and convinced them that overthrowing the De la Serre family was necessary before Germain initiated his coup d'etat of the Parisian Rite. The same year, Élise de la Serre was given Haytham Kenway's letters by his step-sister, Jennifer Scott.^[1] The Coyote Man was a Native American Templar and Assassin Hunter that killed of one of the Mentors of the American Assassin at some point during the 18th century.^[8]

In 1794, the American Rite was contacted by Frederick Weatherall, who sent appeals asking them to support the overthrown De la Serre family against François-Thomas Germain and his extremists. Though they lent their sympathies, they offered no support, as the Parisian Rite ran smoothly, making Élise de la Serre's request for support of marginal interest.^[1]

The Inner Sanctum presumed the Black Cross Tavis Olier was dead following his investigation of the Koh-i-Noor, a piece of Eden, being possessed of the Ottoman sultan Selim III, The mantle of Black Cross was passed to the American Templar Solomon Bolden.^[14]

In 1805, Solomon traveled posing as a slaver to Libya to save Olier imprisoned in Tripoli and met the Flemish spy Jan van der Graff, who also searched for the diamond for the French Emperor Napoleon I. After surviving a pirate attack sent by Selim, the two men decided to work together: Solomon would protect Graff during the trip while the spy would help the Black Cross to infiltrate Olier's dungeon. They were ambush by the Libyan Assassin Ahkbar who killed Bolden and sent Graff in Olier's prison.^[14]

By 1808, Graff, trained as a Black Cross by Olier who died during their escaped, killed Ahkbar and took the Koh-i-Noor. He went to the United States to entrust the artifact to the Rite. He also met Solomon's wife and told her the fate of her husband. The two had a relation and a child who continued the Bolden family and the Templar lineage.^[14]

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Templars of New York struggled to maintain their control of the city against a single Assassin. The Templar Cudgel Cormac was in his youth trained by his grandfather, Shay Cormac, to hunt Assassins like his father before him.^[15]

Early modern era

American Civil War

During the 1860s, at the start of the American Civil War, the American Rite of the Templar Order was under the control of Grand Master William M. Tweed. Tweed was the "boss" of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party political machine, through which he directly influenced the Confederate States of America. In order to regain a stronger position over the Assassins since their eradication during the American Revolution, the Templars hoped to create chaos in the political climate to reclaim power.^[15]

To this end, Tweed orchestrated the New York City draft riots with the aid of Templars controlling the police and the army. Templar agent Cormac managed to influence the New York gangs to instigate chaos and mayhem. The Grand Master knew the rioters would eventually turn against the black citizens of the city, which conflicted with his own opposition to racial segregation, but was deemed a necessary evil to realize their goals. Additionally, the Templar Charles W. Sandford purposefully hindered the efforts to stop the rioters, by holding back the State Militia under his command. Cormac nevertheless decided to save the children of a black orphanage after it was set ablaze by rioters.^[15]

After Tweed received intel the Assassins intended to locate a Dagger of Eden, one of the prongs of the Trident of Eden, the Grand Master sent Cormac to intercept them and acquire the artifact. Cormac was unable to succeed in his mission and was stopped by the Assassin Varius and his ally Eliza, Tweed's maid. The Assassins handed the Dagger of Eden to General Ulysses S. Grant to turn the civil war in the favor of the Union against the Confederacy.^[15]

Reconstruction Era

In April 1865, during the American Reconstruction, the Templars ordered John Wilkes Booth to kill the President of the Union, Abraham Lincoln. Booth himself was killed by the Assassins the same month.^[16] After Grant's 1868 election as President of the United States, Templars infiltrated his administration and helped Grant master the powers of the Dagger, by granting him access to a Precursor box and pages of the Voynich manuscript.^[17]

Years later, Tweed`s corruption was brought forward by the Assassin Eliza and Tweed was arrested in 1871.^[15] By 1782, the Templar Alice was tasked to recover the Precursor box and Manuscript from Grant`s opponent during the election that Horace Greeley had taken from Grant's office. They poisoned Horace, later Alice posed as a nurse and infiltrated Greeley's house in New York City, where she succeeded in recovering the box but failed to eliminate Horace, being stopped by the Pinkerton Agent Tommy Greyling. Afterward she traveled to London after getting word that several of the Manuscript's pages were stored in the British Museum, she managed to recover the pages and boarded a ship to return to the States until confronted by Tommy. Rather than letting the pages fall into the hands of the Assassins, she threw the Voynich pages into the sea and warned Tommy that his actions wouldn't go unnoticed by her fellow Templars, before committing suicide by jumping into the sea.^[17]

Founding Abstergo

"In 1937, we founded this company, this enterprise, with a purpose. The time to nurture it to fruition is upon us."

―An Abstergo employee, in a message to Templars around the world, 1944.^[src]

In the early 20th century, the Templars created capitalism as a means to keep the working population in line and under their own tight control. The Templars Henry Ford and Ransom Eli Olds created the assembly line, and economist John Maynard Keynes created several new theories and forms of economics based on capitalism. Harvey Firestone, founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, was also a member. Throughout the 20th century, the Templars made use of puppet regimes and rulers to spread capitalism throughout the world, with the ultimate goal being the eventual collapse of democracy, creating an ideal situation for the Templars to introduce a New World Order.^[16]

In the 1900s, Nikola Tesla, a former employee of Templar Thomas Edison, invented the alternating current of electricity, which was more efficient than Edison's direct current. In addition, Tesla was also in possession of an Apple of Eden, which he planned to use to create a free information network across the entire world.^[16]

The Templars, however, most prominently Edison himself, opposed his ideas, as they would be a serious impediment to the Templar goals and Edison's own ideals. To this end, Edison demonstrated a series of experiments, such as the electrocution of a circus elephant that he released, as proof of Tesla's power being dangerous, causing public disapproval towards Tesla's invention. Along with his smear campaign, Edison also influenced his fellow Templar J.P. Morgan to cut funding for Tesla's famous Wardenclyffe Tower. As Tesla's credibility began to falter, Edison rose to prominence, with his innovations outshining his competitor's.^[16]

In November 1910, the Templars Frank A. Vanderlip, Paul Warburg, Charles Norton, Benjamin Strong, Jr., Henry Pomeroy Davison and Nelson W. Aldrich met in secret on Jekyll Island, where they designed the "Plan", a plot to control the capitalist market.^[16]^[18]

In December 1913, the Federal Reserve was established, and was secretly the first part of the "Plan".^[19]^[18]

Sometime later, Edison came into possession of the Apple after Templar agents had stolen it from Tesla's lab, and used it to help him create several commercially successful inventions. He later allowed his fellow Templar Henry Ford to use the Apple. On 5 January 1918, Ford announced that his company would pay its workers $5 per day. However, the supposed pay rise was actually a pay cut, as Ford has used the Apple to convince his workers otherwise.^[16]

After World War I, Albert Bolden had joined the Templars and becoming the new Black Cross. Bolden also posed as the leading trumpeter in the jazz group Albie Bolden and the Harlem Hotsteppers, became feared among Templars as he traveled around the world killing corrupted Templars, eliminating Assassin cells and finding pieces of Eden.^[14]

World War II

"H. has [the Apple of Eden], so I assume the war will begin as soon as he can take over. We'll let him have his fun (Lord knows, that kind of purge will be good for Europe) and then end it with a bang, as planned. Out of the chaos of war a new order will emerge!"

―Henry Ford in a letter to Thomas Edison, 1930s.^[src]

In 1933, Ford shipped the Apple to Germany to pass it onto Adolf Hitler, who would go on to become the leader of Nazi Germany, laying the groundwork for the Second World War. During the war, the Templars used Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was the U.S. President at that time, as their secret puppet. Their intention for the company was to act as a global conglomerate secretly dominating the capitalist market in the wake of the war, and to dismantle communist governments.^[20]

In 1937, the formulators of the Plan established Abstergo Industries as a front for their activities. This enabled them a means to accumulate wealth and accelerate scientific progress, and largely anonymous, Abstergo's leadership claimed their duty was to "shepherd those beneath us through life, even if force is required".^[20]

However, by 1943, the Templars had lost control of Roosevelt and their other puppets, who each had their own ideas for the world's future. As a result, the Inner Sanctum decided to develop an atomic weapon to give victory to the Americans. However, Templar physicist John von Neumann proposed a more peaceful solution with the Rainbow Project. Using his theories on Die Glocke, an early version of the Animus, von Neumann believed it could allow them to alter the course of history and kill Hitler before his rise to power.^[21]

Agreeing to a temporary alliance with U.S. Colonel and Assassin Boris Pash, the Templars allowed von Neumann to subsequently work with Pash and Nikola Tesla on the USS Eldridge on Project Rainbow. However, the rogue Assassin Eddie Gorm killed Tesla on board the ship, setting the project back. It was ultimately a failure, and the Templars moved von Neumann to the Manhattan Project to improve the Allies' position over the Axis.^[21]

By 1944, Abstergo and the Templars were prepared for the inevitable post-war era, where they would "ensure the development continues in the proper direction", and used the Bretton Woods Conference in July of that year as a cover for a meeting between their economic agents, including John Maynard Keynes and Harry Dexter White. On the last day of the conference, a speech was given to Abstergo Industries employees, economists, and world leaders, mentioning the formation of the "Plan" by Henry Ford and Ransom Eli Olds in 1910 and the threat presented by the communist system, as well as the efforts of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin to create the "turmoil and fear necessary" for the implementation of the new economic systems.^[20]

In 1945, Abstergo sanctioned the Manhattan Project's tests of the atomic bomb, and on 6 and 9 August of that year, two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan.^[16] Amidst the resulting chaos of the war, the Templars were able to guide the world's economic rebuilding towards the goals of their New World Order.^[20]

Cold War

"Democracy must die to ensure the stability of the world. Capitalism will end it. [...] The capitalists will do whatever we tell them to. We print the dollars they worship after all."

―An unknown Templar regarding their plans to dismantle democracy.^[src]

Following the war, White betrayed the Templar Order in order to warn the Soviet Government of Abstergo's capitalist plans, making him a top target of the company. In 1948, Abstergo operatives killed him in his home.^[20]

On 17 June 1952, agents from Abstergo Industries discovered that American rocket propulsion researcher Jack Parsons had solved a secret formula from occultist Aleister Crowley. To stop Parsons' research, they orchestrated the explosion of his laboratory in Pasadena, with Parsons himself still inside. Parsons died soon after of his injuries, and Abstergo agents kidnapped undercover detective Thomas Sean Morgan to cover their tracks.^[22]

During the 1950s, the Templars and Abstergo manipulated the CIA's actions in favor of their plans for a New World Order, notably through toppling democratic governments around the world and replacing them with Templar-influenced dictatorships. This resulted in the orchestration of the 1953 coup against the Iranian prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in order to place Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi into absolute power as well as the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état in order to depose democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz.^[19]

Vietnam War

"HQ has given the go-ahead to extract the resource. Negotiations are over. F. is planning to give the vote to everyone. Reason just doesn't work with someone like that."

―An Abstergo agent sanctioning Operation: New Frontier, Kennedy's assassination, in a letter, 1963.^[src]

On 8 February 1957, while von Neumann was in Walter Reed Medical Center, his guards were beaten unconscious by the Assassin Alekseï Gavrani under the command of Pash. Afterward, Pash went into his chambers, von Neumann had died and his Apple of Eden had been taken.^[23]

During the Vietnam War, Templars had infiltrated the US military and the Vietnamese regime with President Ngô Đình Diệm being their puppet in Vietnam, their Templar agent Cooper, was captured and interrogated by the secret Bloodstone Unit founded by Assassin and director, William King Harvey, under the authorization of their Mentor. The Templar puppet was later disposed during the coup orchestrated within the CIA by the leader of the unit, Boris Pash.^[23]

In 1963, Abstergo Industries aimed to remove President John F. Kennedy of the United States, as Kennedy did not serve Abstergo's interests. As a result, the company sanctioned his assassination, with the intent to install their puppet, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, as the new President.^[16] Unbeknownst to the Templars, Assassins under the leadership of the Assassin extremist Boris Pash had infiltrated their ranks to hijack the conspiracy.^[23]

The Assassin Harvey eventually betrayed the Assassins and served as a double agent for the Templars. Afterward, Assassins from the Bloodstone Unit killed Kennedy and framed the Templars' shooter Lee Harvey Oswald.^[23] The Assassin William Greer – a CIA agent whom Abstergo trained for the mission with Apple of Eden #2 to bring them Kennedy's Apple^[16] – took the artifact to secretly bring it to Pash, but was halted by his former colleague Alekseï Gavrani, who took the Apple. Harvey received the Apple from Gavrani who was unaware of his Templar allegiance. He convinced Alekseï to hunt down the unit and stop Pash for breaking the the Creed and escalating the conflict in Vietnam.^[23]

Other activities

Kennedy's assassination paved the way for NASA, one of Abstergo's puppet companies, to organize the Apollo 11 spaceflight and allow Templar Buzz Aldrin to retrieve another Apple of Eden from the Moon's surface.^[16]

In 1973, Abstergo Industries wanted to overthrow the communist government of President Salvador Allende of Chile to maintain control over Chile's corporations, which Allende wanted to nationalize. In a plot devised by Abstergo's puppet Henry Kissinger, Allende was overthrown and killed, and the Templars' puppet Augusto Pinochet was installed as the leader of a new military junta.^[20]

In 1983, Abstergo Industries orphaned and kidnapped a young boy, who they brought to their facility in Philadelphia, where Warren Vidic took the boy as the Animus Project's "Subject 4" and experimented on him, later giving naming him "Daniel Cross." Placing Daniel in the Animus to relive the memories of his ancestor Nikolai Orelov,^[24] Warren used a replicated Piece of Eden^[20]^[24] and embedded Daniel with a subconscious impulse to assassinate the Assassins' Mentor, were he ever presented with the opportunity.^[24]

During the late 1990s, the Templars and Assassins were engaged in a solely political war for the Presidency, with the Templars using George W. Bush as their puppet and the Assassins supporting candidate Al Gore.^[24]

Modern times

The Great Purge

On 6 November 2000, Daniel Cross was granted an audience with the Mentor of the Assassin Brotherhood and, in a split moment, acted upon his impulse and murdered him.^[24]

On November 21, Daniel eventually made his way back to the Abstergo research facility in Philadelphia. As soon as he arrived there, Daniel demanded that he be returned to the Animus; though it was only after an attack on an unfortunate secretary that Warren Vidic became convinced of his urgency. Daniel was placed into the Animus to freely explore the memories of his ancestor, Nikolai Orelov, which had a calming effect on Daniel himself.^[24]

Daniel was soon taken out of the Animus and tied to a medical bed. Under the supervision of Alfred Stearns and other high-ranking Abstergo employees, Dr. Sung was forced to extract information from Daniel by administering SK-345 to him. Daniel subconsciously revealed the locations and secrets of the Assassin hideouts he had visited over the past two years, allowing Abstergo to initiate the "Great Purge", which nearly annihilated the entire Assassin Brotherhood.^[24]

During the Great Purge, Assassin compounds in South Dakota, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas were located and destroyed by Abstergo.^[25] Nearly all Assassins within their camps, including children, were massacred by military agents under order of Abstergo Industries.^[24]

Without the Assassins' interference, the Templars were able to steer the election in their desired direction and Bush was assigned as President of the United States.^[24] Following the controversial 2000 presidential election, the Supreme Court heard the case Bush v. Gore, where the Court was asked to decide whether to allow a recount of the votes in the State of Florida or order the certification of the election in favor of Bush. Templar ally Justice Antonin Scalia convinced fellow Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the swing vote on the Court, to rule in favor of Bush, appealing to her desire to retire under a Republican president.^[20]

The Templars spent the next several years routing out Assassin cells and safe houses. By 2002, various Assassins, including Paul Bellamy, were captured by Abstergo. Abstergo induced the subjects into a coma and bound them to Animi in the company's Philadelphia facility, where they explored the genetic memory of their ancestors.^[26]

In 2003, the Templars manipulated the Bush administration into starting the Iraq War in order to pave the way for Dick Cheney's military contractors to accept jobs from the government and escalate the war further. As a result, Templar's influence spread, and Cheney was able to strengthen the American armed forces, ensuring the war would continue. Abstergo also utilized the administration's loose regulation of the private sector to gain more influence.^[20]

Upon the resignation of O'Connor in 2005, Scalia ensured that President Bush was given the name of Templar John Roberts as her replacement. However, following the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist less than two months later, Bush renominated Roberts to the position of Chief Justice. In 2010, the Roberts-led Court ruled against limitations on corporate contributions to political campaigns. This decision ensured the ability of Abstergo Industries to elect their chosen candidates to Congress and, eventually, the presidency.^[20]

Second Gilded Age

Sometime before October 2011,^[27] in an underground Abstergo Industries facility beneath Denver International Airport.^[28] Daniel Cross^[29] was the Project Lead on an experiment involving the Eye-Abstergo satellite, however Daniel fell under the influence of the project's Apple of Eden and killed everyone in the facility before the company's clean-up crew had arrived and the artifact was ultimately destroyed. Dr. Warren Vidic was responsible for preparing the final report of the incident.^[28]

In 2012, Daniel tracked Desmond out of frustration that Abstergo had lost him, Daniel caught him in an office in Manhattan stealing a First Civilization battery. Holding him at gunpoint until he was disarmed by him before he escaped.^[8]

As of 2014, there was a Grand Master operating in the United States. That year, Alan Rikkin sent a memo to Gramática informing him that, if they proceeded with his plan to excavate the Observatory located in Long Bay, Jamaica and retrieve the missing blood vials, which Gramática considered being of critical importance to the Phoenix Project, he would contact the Grand Masters in Cuba, Mexico, and the United States to get a read on the situation.^[30]

In 21 October 2016, Dr. Sophia Rikkin had Callum's execution staged and brought him to the Abstergo Foundation. A Templar run initiative led by Sophia Rikkin in Madrid, Spain.^[31]^[32]

Members

Colonial Rite of the Templar Order

Nicholas Biddle
Benjamin Church
Shay Cormac
Templar Commander (New York)
Coyote Man
Templar Mercenary (New York)
Matthew Davenport
George Dorrance
Christopher Gist
Thomas Hickey
Templar Hoarder (New York)
Barry and Cassidy Finnegan's son
William Johnson
Edmund Judge (left)
Johann de Kalb
Haytham Kenway (Grand Master; 1754 - 1781)