Eliza
Eliza (born c. 1846) was an Afro-American servant who, along with her father, Abraham, was employed by William M. Tweed during the American Civil War. When her father was killed during the New York City draft riots, she vowed to avenge him and joined the Assassins, whom she had learned about through Varius. She was an ancestor to the 21st century teenagers Grace and David Collins.[2]
Biography[edit | edit source]
Early life[edit | edit source]
Eliza lost her mother when she was eight years old. Afterwards, her father raised her alone while in the service of William M. Tweed, whom Eliza would also be employed by once she was old enough.[1]
Assisting Varius[edit | edit source]
In July 1863, through Eagle Vision, Eliza discovered the contents of a letter detailing the Templars' plans for the draft riots and, worried for her father's safety, went to find him, as Abraham had been sent to deliver that same letter. With the document mentioning the Aztec Club, she went there and witnessed a fight between the Assassin Varius and the Templar Cudgel Cormac for a dagger—a part of the Trident of Eden. Cormac ultimately emerged the victor and escaped with the artifact, while Eliza came to the aid of Varius, who had been paralyzed. In exchange for his help in locating her father, Eliza told the Assassin what she had learned about the Templars' plans.[2]
The pair left for Tweed's house, with Varius teaching Eliza the basics of freerunning after noticing she was naturally gifted. He also offered to introduce her to the Brotherhood. Arriving at Tweed's house, a distraught Eliza discovered that while also looking for her, Abraham had been beaten by thugs during the riots and was on the brink of death; ultimately, her father passed away in her arms, leaving Eliza devastated.[2]
At that moment, Cudgel appeared to hand the stolen artifact to his Grand Master, but Varius interfered and the two became embroiled in a fight once more. Following them on the city's roofs, Eliza witnessed Cudgel using the Trident prong's powers to overpower Varius, stabbing the confused Assassin in the stomach. However, before he could deliver the final blow, Eliza used Cudgel's own air rifle to hit him with a paralyzing dart and took the prong. Although she ended up sparing Cudgel, she vowed to join the Assassins and stop the Templars' machinations. Eliza subsequently brought Varius to a hospital with the help of Tommy Greyling and Adelina Patti.[2]
Eliza later fought during the Civil War and completed Varius' original mission, giving the Trident prong to Ulysses S. Grant. She also completed her Assassin training with Varius, after which the two Assassins spent a lot of time together as a team and became close. Eliza was the one who brought forward evidence of Grand Master Tweed's corruption, leading to his arrest in 1871.[2]
Legacy[edit | edit source]
Eliza's actions during the Civil War were of great importance to the Assassin Brotherhood, as she successfully delivered the Prong of Eden to Ulysses S. Grant, who secured a decisive victory for the Union.[2]
Eliza's bloodline continued into the 21st century, enabling her descendant, Grace Collins, to access her genetic memories in a shared Animus simulation with her brother, David Collins, to search for the modern resting place of the Prong of Eden. However, Eliza’s devotion to the Brotherhood had largely no influence on Grace, whose loyalty was solely to her brother. She joined the simulation solely to protect them from Assassins and Templars trying to exploit their genetic memories to locate the artifact.[2]
Despite several weeks passing since her New York simulation, and Dr. Victoria Bibeau keeping her as far away as possible from Eliza's memories, Grace experienced a mild Bleeding Effect when around the teenager Owen Meyers. His ancestor, Varius, had been well acquainted with Eliza and trained her personally. As a result, she instinctively coordinated with Owen, enabling them to easily overpower an Abstergo agent. When her brother asked where the idea had come from, Owen responded that their ancestors had known each other well, making their cooperation feel natural.[3]
Skills and equipment[edit | edit source]
From a young age, Eliza was able to call upon her Eagle Vision, which guided her toward people. For example, when searching for Varius, she used her special sight to make the search easier, allowing her to locate him more quickly.[2]
Due to her Isu DNA, she had a natural talent for freerunning. Aware of this, Varius decided to train her that same evening, mentoring her as they traveled across the rooftops of New York. Although she was not as skilled as Varius, who had more experience, he convinced her to make a large jump by telling her to ignore her fear and that it was "in her blood."[2]
Eliza was also somewhat familiar with using a long range rifle, having handled one at least once before. As a result, she used Cudgel Cormac's air rifle to accurately hit and incapacitate him from a long distance, allowing her to steal the Prong of Eden from him for the Brotherhood.[2]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]