Age of Empires III character sheets
"Blood", "Ice" and "Steel" | "Fire" and "Shadows" | "Japan", "China" and "India" | Deathmatch/Skirmish AI | Major Civilizations (European | Non-European) | Other Civilizations
"Blood", "Ice" and "Steel" | "Fire" and "Shadows" | "Japan", "China" and "India" | Deathmatch/Skirmish AI | Major Civilizations (European | Non-European) | Other Civilizations
Characters introduced in the regular Age of Empires III campaigns: Blood, Ice and Steel.
The Black family
- Awakening the Sleeping Giant: The Circle does this to them thrice over, as the Black family usually doesn't really try to stop them until they make it personal for them, then they make the Circle pay dearly.
- Badass Family: The most notable members are great fighters, even Stuart Black.
- Been There, Shaped History: Tend to find themselves smack dab in the middle of various important events on American soil.
- Beware the Nice Ones: If you mess up with them or their beloved ones, they'll make you pay. HARD!
- Doom Magnet: They have a tendency to attract problems wherever they go, however they always find a way to solve said problems.
- Family Business: Eventually, the Black family gets one in the form of Falcon Company. It also becomes wealthy enough to not only support a sizable workforce but also a small army.
- Generational Saga: The campaigns in III and The Warchiefs focus on them.
- Going Native: A recurring motif is how each successive generation of the Black family becomes progressively removed from their Scottish origins, eventually becoming part-Haudenosaunee and part-Lakota.
Morgan is one of the Knights of St. John. He is Scottish, and proud of his heritage. The son of a village smith, Morgan joined the Knights at an early age. Unmarried, with no family ties to bind him, he is devoted to his order, but knows their best days are behind them. Morgan is passionate, and his temper has often landed him in hot water.
Morgan attacks with a sword. He has a lot of hitpoints and a special overhand sword attack, Oberhau, that he can use once every couple of minutes. If he falls in a fight, he collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Morgan can collect Treasures and build Trading Posts near Native settlements and Trade Routes.
In Blood, he's defending the last bastion of the Knights on the island of Malta from the soldiers of the Ottoman Empire, led by Sahin the Falcon. After driving them out of Malta, he and his superior, Alain Magnan, discover records of the Circle of Ossus, who sought eternal life. Believing that the Ottomans were after the "Fountain of Youth", Morgan is sent to the New World to thwart them. On his way there, he tangles with Elisabet "Lizzie" Ramsey, Sahin's entourage, and the Spanish, before unearthing a plot far more sinister than he'd originally suspected.
- Awful Truth: After discovering that Alain is a member of the Circle of Ossus, he swears his revenge for the traitor's manipulation."This is Knights' business now. Alain made me a pawn in the Circle's game. He has betrayed the Knights of St. John, and he'll answer for it."
- Babies Ever After: After all's said and done, Morgan and Lizzie have another encounter and have four sons, two of which were Phillippe (father of John) and Stuart Black.
- Badass Boast: "We are Knights of St. John. We do not surrender!"
- Brave Scot: Born and raised in Scotland, with many valorous deeds under his belt. Even as a very old man in Amelia's time, he retains a noticeable Scottish accent.
- Character Development: Morgan is introduced showing his devotion to the knighthood, but believes everything he does is in the knighthood's best interest. He realizes he has been fooled and loses this trait at the end of Act I.
- The Cameo:
- He does a brief appearance at the first cutscene of "Fire" as an eyewitness of Nataniel leading the colonial militia.
- The Scottish Marshal portrait for the Maltese civilization in Definitive Edition is modelled after him.
- Cool Ship: An upgraded galleon with unique navy blue sails — The St. Elmo.
- Cursed with Awesome: After drinking the water of the Fountain Of Youth, he gains eternal life at the expense of becoming a very old manby the time he meets his own descendants.
- Enemy Mine: He fights alongside Lizzie's pirates and the Ottoman Turks against Alain, who was working for the Circle of Ossus.
- Fatal Flaw: Much of the first act has him blindly trusting Alain Magnan's orders, believing they are in the knights' s best interests. He gets called out for it a lot by Sahin.
- Hero Unit: One of three, appearing only in the Blood campaign.
- I Gave My Word: He actually seemed fully intent on paying Lizzie for bringing him and the men to Florida. Seeing Alain order him to renege on his agreement is the first step to him overcoming his Fatal Flaw of blind obedience.
- Knight in Shining Armor: An honorable, loyal knight.
- The Lancer: To Alain. Up till the end anyway.
- Odd Friendship: He seems to strike an odd friendship with Sahin the Falcon, despite the fact that the two were mortal enemies, and he seems to develop romantic feelings for Lizzie.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: He is a proud Scottish knight.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: At the end of Act I, he's believed to have returned to his native Scotland with his family. He eventually encounters his descendant, Amelia Black, as the "Old Coot."
- Spanner in the Works: Morgan's decision to destroy the Fountain was completely unexpected, and the Circle's failure to plan for such an event sets them back two centuries.
- Spin Attack: His Oberhau attack, which basically murders everything around him.
The frontiersman John Black is Morgan's grandson, son of Phillip Black, and the protagonist of the Ice campaign.
A loner, he prefers the company of his Iroquois friends to that of European colonists, and the quiet of the backwoods New England countryside to the bustle of Boston and Philadelphia. John keeps a cool head even under the worst of circumstances, but pursues harsh vengeance when wronged.
John attacks with a rifle and bayonet. He has a lot of hitpoints and a special ranged attack, Hawkeye, that he can use once every couple of minutes. If he falls in a fight, he collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. John can collect Treasures and build Trading Posts near Native settlements and Trade Routes.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: While John is implied to be somewhat annoyed by Stuart's paranoia (though he does sympathize with the colonists) and at first appears to be motivated by money, when Warwick kidnaps Stuart, John drops everything to get revenge, especially after Warwick kills him.
- Back-to-Back Badasses: With Kanyenke/Ká:nien. The player spends the entire campaign (sans the last mission) controlling both of them.
- Bash Brothers: He has Kanyenke/Ká:nien as a combat partner for years.
- Beware the Nice Ones: He is said to hold grudges for a long time, and nowhere is this more apparent when he tracks Warwick all the way across the North American landmass in retaliation for killing his uncle Stuart and attempting to kidnap Nonakhee."Nonakhee goes home. This will end badly, and I don't want her to see it."
- Cold Sniper: His special ability allows him to kill an enemy in one shot.
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: John is a marksman rather than a melee warrior, and all of the main Blacks that are after him are gunmen. He is a leader like his grandfather but not of a Crusader branch but a mercenary group.
- Friendly Rivalry: With Kanyenke/Ká:nien.Kanyenke/Ká:nien: Too slow, John Black. You were faster once.
John Black: And your eyes were better once. Your arrow missed the mark. My shot was the one that took him down. - Going Native: Compared to his uncle, John feels far more at home with his Iroqouis/Haudenosaunee friends and frontier mercenary crew than in the "civilized" colonies.
- Hero Unit: For the entirety of Ice.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Since he gets cornered in the mountain by Warwick and his troops, he blows the mountain and dies in the process. Amelia, her granddaughter, mentions that he died as a hero.
- Nice Guy: Despite the fact that he is a mercenary, John is a genuinely nice person who cares deeply for his friends and the soldiers under his command.
- Private Military Contractors: He leads a company of these guys.
- Taking You with Me: In the climax of Ice, he takes with him Warwick's soldiers, most of the Circle's troops present in the mountains, and most of the Russian army with him. As Amelia said in the narration, he made a lot of enemies in life, but he died as a hero, and the Circle took a hit so hard that it took decades for them to recover.
The only member of the Black family who appears in a campaign but isn't the main character of it. John's uncle, Morgan's forgotten son, and a keen businessman. Stuart has devoted his life to making money, eating well, and staying out of danger. An expert at navigating the murky political waters in England, he was recently sent to govern a new colony in the Americas, but found that he was unprepared for the harsh realities of the frontier. He has had to rely on John's band of mercenaries for protection.
He leads a small colony which has recently come under attack from the Natives, causing him to call for John's mercenaries, which kicks off Ice.
Stuart attacks with his hands when he has to fight at all. He has a lot of hitpoints, but if he falls in a fight, he collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Stuart can collect Treasures, but is usually too scared to venture beyond his colony to find them. Stuart cannot build Trading Posts.
- Bus Crash: He doesn't return alive. His corpse is seen impaled in a lance. In Definitive Edition, only his body is present, the implication being that Warwick took the head as a trophy rather than impaling it.
- Collateral Angst: He is kidnapped and killed by Warwick, which makes John decide to fight and go after Warwick to the bitter end.
- Crying Wolf: Given how dryly and annoyed Kanyenke/Ká:nien sounds in the opening cutscene of Ice, Stuart has summoned John several times over false alarms.
- Fish out of Water: Unlike his father, Stuart Black was more at home jostling with British merchants and gentry than managing a frontier colony far away from Europe. As a result, he's forced to rely on John and his mercenaries to help keep his holdings secure.
- Good Old Fisticuffs: He fights with his bare fists.
- Informed Flaw: An apparent coward, in the first mission he's a playable character who can hold his own in a fight due to his large pool of hit points.
- Oh, Crap!: The unmitigated horror in his voice when he hears Warwick discuss the location of the Fountain of Youth as he suddenly realizes the Circle of Ossus has returned.
- Sacrificial Lamb: He dies halfway into Ice.
- The So-Called Coward: He's a total wimp in every manner imaginable and has nowhere near the esteem of the rest of his family. But he will fight for you if you order it, and it's implied that he resisted the Circle's torture for a fair while before they finally killed him.John Black: Stuart may not be the commander my grandfather Morgan was, but if he thinks the colony is threatened, I believe him.
- The Unfavorite: Morgan's least favorite kid.
The protagonist of Steel, and the narrator of all the campaigns in both III and The WarChiefs, Amelia is the daughter of Nathanial Black, the granddaughter of John Black, and mother of Chayton Black. A determined, fiery young woman in her late twenties, and competitive industrialist, she hopes to make Falcon the first railroad company to lay track all the way to the west coast. All too familiar with the dangers of the frontier, Amelia is a crack shot, and her gun is never far from her hand.
She runs the Falcon Company as it falls on hard times following the expensive battles waged by her father. She seeks to regain some of the family fortune by building a railroad straight to the west coast, but gets caught up in the Mexican War. While helping to defend a fort, she meets a French woodsman named Pierre Beaumont, who promises her a cut of his claim to a gold mine in exchange for the cooperation and use of her workers and equipment. Little did she know of what lay in store for her...
Amelia fights chiefly with a shotgun. She has a lot of hitpoints and a special Double Barrel attack that she can use every couple of minutes. If she falls in a fight, she collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Amelia can collect Treasures and build Trading Posts near Native settlements and Trade Routes.
Her husband is a Sioux, but he does not appear at all in any campaign, only being mentioned by her.
- Action Girl: She is skilled with her gun, and is just as capable of leading her men as her forefathers had been.
- Benevolent Boss: Amelia Black is both much more talented at running a business than her father, and is shown to genuinely care for the plight of Falcon Company's workers and guards, who in return are fervently loyal to her.
- Best Served Cold: She succeeds in crushing the Circle of Ossus once and for all. Which impresses her own ancestor, Morgan Black, who remarks how she did it "in one lifetime, too."
- The Bus Came Back: In the original The WarChiefs, she makes an appearance on Shadows, talking with her son Chayton.
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: All the other main Blacks were men, but she is a woman. Her main occupation is more of the leader of a railroad company rather than a general or a captain. She has the happiest ending.
- Hero Unit:
- Appears throughout her campaign as one. Has Double-Barrel Attack and Hot Air Balloon as her abilities.
- In Definitive Edition she can replace the General for the United States civilization.
- Narrator All Along: She is the narrator of the III and The WarChiefs campaigns.
- Precision F-Strike: She utters the only swear word in the entire game, saying "that damn Beaumont" in the final cinematic.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: What she seeks after Cooper's death.
- Shotguns Are Just Better: She fights with a shotgun, and has a special attack with it which has a damage area.
- Silver Vixen: Amelia's brief appearance in the original game's version of Shadows shows her to be grey-haired but otherwise good-looking. She casually mentions that Billy Holme might have made a pass at her.
- Writers Cannot Do Math: Original The WarChiefs onlynote . Her father, Nathaniel, died in 1812 according to the WarChiefs campaign, meaning that Steel takes place in 1817 (five years after Nathaniel's funeral). She's also in her late twenties at that time, meaning she was born c. 1788-1792. At the end of Shadows, she discusses the unclear fate of her son Chayton: either he went into hiding in the Black Hills of South Dakota with his wife and children, or he died at Wounded Knee (but not before taking 12 horsemen down with him). The Battle of Wounded Knee took place in 1890, which would make Amelia about 100 years old by the time she tells Chayton's story. Most people back then didn't live that long.
Their allies
Sahin the Falcon
Sahin, known as the Falcon, is a high-ranking officer in the Ottoman army. Extremely intelligent and cultured, he is a wily adversary. An expert in the art of war, he inspires unmatched loyalty in his men. While he has sometimes underestimated the Knights of St. John in the past, he has won many battles for the Ottoman Empire. Sahin hopes to add the island of Malta to his long list of conquests, but he may have other motives there as well.
In Blood, he led the Ottoman army which invaded the last bastion of the Knights of St. John. After he is repulsed by Morgan Black, he sets sail for the New World, in search of the Fountain of Youth.
Sahin attacks with a musket and sword. He has a lot of hitpoints, but if he falls in a fight, he collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Sahin can collect Treasures, but cannot build Trading Posts.
- Back-to-Back Badasses: Turns out he was Good All Along, and he ends fighting alongside Morgan in the last mission.
- Badass Boast: When Lizzie says that she's running out of powder:"I am Ottoman. I have more than you could possibly ever use."
- Badass Bookworm: Knowledgeable about the world, talking reason to each and every character except for Grandmaster Alain Magnan, who would have had him killed immediately, and providing exposition while still a strong fighting unit; apparently skilled in fencing, judging from his special attack and in-game art.
- Big Bad: He is set up as the main villain. Turns out he is Good All Along, with the Circle of Ossus being the main antagonists.
- The Cassandra: No one believes him, even when they should.
- Enemy Mine: He fights alongside Morgan in the final mission of Blood, and seems to befriend him outright by the end.
- Good All Along: It turns out that he was a hero trying to stop the Circle.
- Hero Antagonist: He's actually a good guy. He is fighting the Circle to prevent them of taking over the world.
- Hero Unit:
- He's present as one in the last level of Blood.
- The Hero Cosmetic Pack Vol. 1 DLC for Definitive Edition adds him as an alternative for the Ottoman Explorer.
- Impossibly Cool Clothes: Among the finest combat-capable wear the Ottomans have to offer.
- Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: Zig-Zagged. He exchanges insults with Morgan and although initially defeated, ultimately achieves the goal of his invasion, which is finding the library set in stone, hidden in the caves of Malta. He then travels to the New World first, after which he complains to himself and is easily defeated, with some of his men being slain, while others, himself included, immediately end up captured by the Spanish treasure fleet to be eventually burned alive in Spain. He only escapes this fate by being rescued by Morgan, who happened to be raiding the treasure fleets at the time. He still proves to be a badass later on, though.
- Know When to Fold Them: Sahin eventually realizes that, as powerful as the Ottoman Empire is, colonizing the New World is a fool's errand.
- The Musketeer: He is able both in ranged attacks and hand attacks. He has a special attack with his sword.
- Noble Bigot: Sahin calls Morgan a Frenk (Turkish for "Frankish" and a common derogatory term for "Crusader") even after the latter retorts he's Scottish. For Sahin, it makes no difference as the otherwise culturally varied Knights of Malta are all Frenk to him.
- "Not So Different" Remark: According to Amelia, in the ending of Blood, he realized that both him and Morgan were working for military "relics of the past".
- The Rival: Initially to Morgan, being his equivalent amongst the Ottomans.
- The Stoic: Never drops his composure even upon capture.
- Red Baron: Sahin "the Falcon".
- Walking Spoiler: Sahin is a key element of the plot twist; he has been protecting the water from the Circle all along.
- What the Hell, Hero?: He calls out Morgan for blindly following Alain Magnan's orders, before the reveal."Open your eyes! The Circle wants the lake because they think it is the Fountain of Youth! All I have been trying to do is keep it out of the hands of the Circle! And Alain Magnan!"
The daughter of an English nobleman, Elisabet Ramsey fled her home at an early age rather than face an arranged marriage. The new colonies in the Caribbean offered her the freedom she sought, and more. Elisabet made a name for herself in the privateer fleets of the British and Dutch, and soon commanded her own pirate fleet, led by her flagship, Paris Burning. Flirtatious and cheerful, her lust for the finer things in life is often her undoing.
She first meets Morgan Black as he's making his way to the New World. After her band was defeated, she escapes with the remnants of her forces to Cuba, where she encounters Morgan again.
Lizzie attacks with a brace of pistols. She has a lot of hitpoints and has a special ranged attack that she can use every couple of minutes. If she falls in a fight, she collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Lizzie can collect Treasures, but cannot build Trading Posts.
- Arranged Marriage: She escaped from one in her backstory.
- Babies Ever After: It's implied by both the events after the Circle's defeat in Blood and by the narrator herself (Amelia) that she's the mother of Morgan's children. Several sources also tell that Lizzie kept with her two of them, while Morgan kept with him both Philippe and Stuart Black.
- Cool Ship: "Paris Burning", a powerful galleon with unique black sails bearing Lizzie's emblem. It's named so for the city she hates the most. It can train Buccaneers.
- Deadpan Snarker: About the knights and their errands in the New World.
- Defeat Means Friendship: The second time Lizzie and Morgan meet, Lizzie is willing to help Morgan... if he does heroic things in Havana.
- Enemy Mine: She assists Morgan in the last two missions of Blood to get the Spanish treasure and take revenge on the Circle of Ossus.
- Guns Akimbo: She fights with a pair of pistols.
- Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: When teaming up with Morgan, she uses her two pistols while Morgan uses his sword.
- Hero Unit:
- Appears as one in the last two levels of the Blood campaign.
- She's a free DLC alternative for the British Explorer in Definitive Edition.
- Impossibly Cool Clothes: Among the finest combat-capable wear the Ottomans have to offer.
- Mugging the Monster: Attacks a galleon and its convoy only to find out that it is full of crusaders from a military order that lately specializes in pirate hunting. She is initially amused.
- Pirate Girl: She became the leader of a group of pirates to escape from an Arranged Marriage.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: She has noble blood.
- Runaway Fiancé: She became a pirate to escape from an arranged marriage and to get freedom.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: At the end, most of the Spanish gold was sunken in the Moon Lake, to Lizzie's annoyance. She resents Morgan for that.
Kanyenke/Ká:nien is an Iroquois/Haudenosaunee warrior, and John Black's best friend; the two have faced many dangers together over the years. He is motivated by fierce protectiveness toward the members of his tribe, especially his younger sister Nonahkee. Not a big man, Kanyenke/Ká:nien is deceptively strong and his reflexes are lighting-fast. A loyal ally, he always speaks the truth.
Kanyenke/Ká:nien attacks with a bow and knife. He has a lot of hitpoints and a special ranged attack, Red Buffalo Arrow, that he can use once every couple of minutes. If he falls in a fight, he collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Kanyenke/Ká:nien can collect Treasures, but cannot build Trading Posts.
In the Definitive Edition, he is renamed Ká:nien, as "Kanyenke" is not an accurate Iroquois/Haudenosaunee name.
- Back-to-Back Badasses: Appears alongside John Black in all but one of the missions of the Ice campaign.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: As an old man, Kanyenke/Ká:nien dons a crisp Western suit with some native touches.
- Badass Native: He has a big line of sight and great ability with the bow and the knife. He is still an awesome archer despite his advanced age.
- Bash Brothers: He has been John Black's fighting partner, and both are very talented with long range weapons. For most of the Ice campaign, both fight together.
- Big Brother Instinct: He's very protective of Nonakhee, and only lets his friend John Black have something with her.
- Braids of Action: At his oldest, he has a pair of braids, since he let his hair grow fully.
- The Bus Came Back: He returns in the third act to warn Amelia about another character.
- Cool Old Guy: He takes this role in Ice, becoming the Number Two to Amelia and later warning her about the Circle of Ossus.
- Friendly Rivalry: With John Black.Kanyenke/Ká:nien: Too slow, John Black. You were faster once.John Black: And your eyes were better once. Your arrow missed the mark. My shot was the one that took him down.
- Hero Unit:
- Appears in three campaigns as one: Ice, Steel (except the first two levels) and the first levels of Fire.
- The Hero Cosmetic Pack Vol. 1 DLC for Definitive Edition adds him as an alternative for the Haudenosaunee War Chief.
- It's Personal: Why he still hunts the Circle of Ossus well into advanced age. He still clearly feels the need to avenge John's death and ensure the Circle is destroyed for good.
- My Sister Is Off-Limits: Discussed after Stuart's death. He would've preferred Nonakhee to have someone more economically stable than John. However he respects the feelings of his sister.
- Nephewism: He is the paternal figure of Nathaniel, since John sacrificed his life to prevent the Russians from invading the Colonies.
- Not in This for Your Revolution: In Fire, he's initially hesitant about taking part in the War for Independence, viewing it as a "white man's war." He eventually agrees with Nathaniel Black, however, though only because it's better to join a side on his people's terms than have it imposed on them.
- Old Soldier: In Fire and Steel. In the former, he is still very skilled despite being in an advanced age; he still has his wide line of sight and his hand attack is only slightly weaker.
- Older and Wiser: In Fire and Steel, he's older and more experienced, as his reservations about American government show.
- Put on a Bus: In Fire, he goes to his village and it's told offscreen that he supports the American cause.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Original game and The WarChiefs onlynote . In his youth, he was always shirtless unless he had to deal with cold weathers. Zigzagged when he is present with Nathaniel (his fighting model is shirtless, but otherwise he wears a white shirt) and fully ditched when he becomes old.
Nonahkee is the sister of Kanyenke/Ká:nien and John Black's "unofficial" girlfriend. Soft-spoken and gentle, she has always been a calming influence on both her brother and John. Underestimated by her adversaries, her quiet demeanor masks a determined inner strength. With her knowledge of the medicinal properties of herbs, Nonahkee has mended John Black's wounds on more than one occasion.
Nonahkee attacks with a bow and knife. She has a lot of hitpoints and can heal nearby units like a Priest or Surgeon. If she falls in a fight, she collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Nonahkee can collect Treasures, but cannot build Trading Posts.
- Adaptational Modesty: Nonahkhee's appearance in the Definitive Edition is redesigned to be a lot more sensible and not as theme parky as her original look.
◊ - Badass Native: She is good at fighting, but not to the extent of his brother.
- Damsel in Distress:
- Discussed at the end of the second mission of Ice, where John and Kanyenke/Ká:nien get worried about her being attacked by the Circle's forces.
- The second mission of Fire has her being caught by Hesse's Mercenaries, and the whole mission is about rescuing her.
- Hero Unit:
- Appears as one for some levels of Ice prior to Stuart's assasination.
- The Hero Cosmetic Pack Vol. 1 DLC for Definitive Edition adds her as an alternative for the Haudenosaunee War Chief.
- Impossibly Cool Clothes: Among the finest combat-capable wear the Ottomans have to offer.
- The Medic: She has a special area-of-effect healing skill. It is mentioned that she healed John more than once.
- Put on a Bus: Twice. In the mainstream campaign, she is sent back to her village because the mission will be scary. In Nathaniel's act, she doesn't even participates in the combat and returns to her village after being rescued.
- Underestimating Badassery: It has happened to her, as shown in the history.
Amelia's ally during most of Steel, Cooper is a cavalry commander in the U.S. Army, a veteran of the frontier, and a career military officer. He has tangled with everyone from the Lakota to the Mexican army and has always come out on top. Cooper is everything an officer should be: brave, smart, and certain where his loyalties lie. His only flaw is a touch of overconfidence; he never admits he's made a mistake.
Cooper attacks with a pair of cavalry pistols and prefers to fight from horseback. He has the ability to train Hussars as if he were a moving Stable. Cooper has a lot of hitpoints, but if he falls in a fight, he collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Cooper can collect Treasures, but cannot build Trading Posts.
- The Cavalry: His soldiers in the second mission; himself quite literally, as a major in US Cavalry.
- Collateral Angst: His death makes Amelia become vengeful and take Beaumont's death as a personal task.
- Decoy Protagonist: More like decoy deuteragonist, but it still counts. He is set up from the level select image and the first few levels as Amelia's Number Two who will play a similar role. Even when Kanyenke/Ká:nien arrives on the scene, it appears as though he will stay with Kanyenke/Ká:nien getting too old. Instead, Kanyenke/Ká:nien takes the Number Two role, while Cooper ends up dying.
- Guns Akimbo: Fights with a pair of cavalry pistols.
- Hero Unit: For several missions in Steel. This ends after Beaumont sics his pets on him.
- Majorly Awesome: His rank in the game is a major and he is one of the main characters in the campaign.
- Mook Maker: He can train Hussars on the spot.
The only U.S. President elected unanimously, George Washington was born in Virginia in 1732 to wealthy, land-owning parents. He served in the First Virginia Regiment (part of the British military) as a lieutenant colonel. While trying to drive the French out of Ohio Country, Washington set off a series of events that eventually ignited the Seven Years' War, also known as the French and Indian War. In 1759 he left the military, married, and settled back in Virginia with his wife and family. In later years Washington would go on to have a significant role in the founding of the United States of America.
As a general, Washington was greatly admired by those who served under him. Never one to remain on the sidelines, he led the charge into action time and time again. During the French and Indian War, Washington survived many battles, even having a horse shot out from under him on two occasions.
As commander in chief of the Continental army, Washington faced the great challenge of maintaining his troops’ morale during the bitter winter at Valley Forge.
Washington attacks with his officer's saber. He has a lot of hitpoints, but if he falls in a fight, he collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Washington can collect Treasures, but cannot build Trading Posts.
Washington appears twice in the game: as a Colonel in the British Army and ally of John Black and Kanyenke/Ká:nien during III, and as a General of the Continental Army, and Nathaniel's superior in Fire.
He also reappears as an AI personality in the United States DLC for Definitive Edition. For tropes regarding the AI, check the AI opponents page.
- Big Damn Heroes: His navy makes an appearance fifteen minutes onto the "Great Lakes" mission.
- The Bus Came Back: After his minor role as Colonel in Ice, he becomes more active upon returning as the leader of the Colonies' independence in Fire.
- Colonel Badass: During Ice he assumes the role of Colonel, due to the colonies not undergoing independence from the British Empire.
- Four-Star Badass: During Fire he assumes the role of General, as the campaign is set during the Independence Wars.
- Hero Unit: For several missions in Fire.
- Historical Domain Character: Needless to say, he was real.
- The Mentor: To Nathaniel in Fire after Breed's Hill.
- My Greatest Failure: While not said aloud in Fire, it is indicated that Washington does feel a lot of remorse for not being able to prevent John's death back in Ice.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Towards Nathaniel Black, during Fire. Washington advises Nathaniel not taking his revenge too hard. Of course, given that the desire for revenge led to John dying, it is not so subtly implied that Washington is trying to prevent Nathaniel from suffering the same fate as his father.
- Young Future Famous People: While Washington's already gained a reputation as a competent officer when first introduced, he's still in his twenties as a Colonel in the British military. His greatest claims to fame have yet to occur.
Simón Bolívar was born in Caracas, a Spanish town on the Caribbean in present-day Venezuela. He led soldiers and settlers in their revolt against Spain. He was called "the Liberator," and was responsible for leading the present-day nations of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panamá, Perú, and Venezuela to freedom from Spain. In 1821 he was named president of Gran Colombia, but the fractious nations splintered apart, despite Bolívar's rash efforts to keep them together by declaring himself dictator in 1828. After a failed assassination attempt, and no real improvement in the stability of his rule, Bolívar resigned his presidency and died of tuberculosis in 1830.
Bolívar attacks with a rifle and sword. He has a lot of hitpoints, but if he falls in a fight, he collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Bolívar can collect Treasures, but cannot build Trading Posts.
Tropes related with him:
- Gameplay Ally Immortality: Though if he goes down in battle the advance will halt until he's healthy again.
- Hero Unit: Becomes one for the Gran Colombia and Perú revolutionary nations in Definitive Edition.
- Historical Domain Character: Simón Bolívar was a real figure.
- One-Shot Character: He only appears in an act where they have to fight the Spanish.
- Rebel Leader: He is fighting against the Spanish domain, just like his real life counterpart.
Their enemies
The Circle of Ossus
- Ancient Conspiracy: The "Religion of the Circle", which the Circle of Ossus is implied to follow, is a common name for the ancient Celtic faith, or druids.
- Arch-Enemy: They are this for the Black family, being the reason they came to the New World, and are usually trying to have them murdered to prevent them from interfering.
- Back from the Brink: Both of the first two defeats the Circle suffered at the hands of Morgan and John left them so badly defeated that both John and Amelia assume that the Circle is just a myth. They manage to recover far more openly and become more stronger and open.
- Beard of Evil: The Boneguards are the elite soldiers of this evil organization and have rather long beards.
- Cornered Rattlesnake: By Act III, the Circle decides to stop playing the puppet master and starts acting openly against the Black family, not even trying to hide the vast amount of resources they possess.
- Cosmopolitan Council: The Circle of Ossus has members from various European powers.
- Cultural Posturing: The Circle prides itself as representing the apex of European culture, and looks down on both colonial settlers and indigenous peoples with disdain. This eventually backfires with said natives and colonials (as the United States) come to aid the Black family in defeating it once and for all.
- Death by Genre Savviness: Their defeats in the remaining two acts occur because they try to kill members of the Black family, either failing or merely sending them irate, and leading to their defeats.
- Elite Mooks: The Boneguard, which come in melee and ranged versions.
- Familial Foe: The original campaigns have three generations of the Black family facing their biggest enemies, the Circle of Ossus, a powerful N.G.O. Superpower with enclaves in many cities whose leaders want to Take Over the World.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen:
- In the first two acts, they were masters at deception, able to play the various great powers openly against one another, and had near unlimited resources, with their leaders being in high profile positions of power. In Steel, while still highly formidable with a lot of resources, it is now implied that the world is at least aware of their existence, and they have to start acting more openly. They ultimately get destroyed by the United States navy once they find out the Circle has returned.
- Their leaders in the first two acts were already powerful men, a Grandmaster of the Knights of St John, and a British governor of the American colonies. But in Act III, they attempt to keep a low profile, with their leader being, as far as anyone knows, a common prospector.
- Knight of Cerebus: Every time they appear in the campaign, the mood darkens considerably. In Blood, any time they're mentioned is treated with an ominous tone and score, and the last level is much darker in comparison to the rather light levels of the rest of the act. In Ice, once they are officially confirmed to be present in the halfway mark, things turn out far more serious than the rather ambiguous actions of the first half. In Steel, the revelation of their involvement in the beginning makes the act the darkest of the original three acts.
- Light Is Not Good: They have white animals at their service and their ships allude to White, but they are an evil organization.
- The Man Behind the Man: Their first leader, Alain calls them the most powerful men in Europe in the first act. Given Sahin's comments about how they have agents in Prague, Alexandria, Spain, with their main stronghold in Cuba, near Havana, and being able to pit the great powers of Europe against each other to fulfill their goals along with considerable influence in Russia, and with their first two leaders powerful figures in European society, this definitely backs up the claim.
- N.G.O. Superpower: Capable of fielding large fleets, building stone fortresses in the New World and dominating the city of Havana.
- No-Nonsense Nemesis: After Morgan destroys the Fountain of Youth, the Circle's leaders in the following two acts immediately try to capture or kill members of the Black family to prevent another such debacle.
- Not So Weak: Initially, the game sets them up as a group playing behind the scenes manipulation, so it is expected they are rather weak. Instead they turn out to have resources to rival European kingdoms, with fortresses and armies that can easily turn certain maps into nightmares.
- Omniscient Council of Vagueness: It's about as vague as is possible for the main antagonists of an entire game. Outside seeking the Fountain of Youth and broad aspirations of accumulating power, it's never made clear what its ultimate end-goal is.
- Playing Both Sides: In the first two acts, the Circle stays behind the scenes, manipulating the dominant powers into fighting each other, allowing them to fulfill their objectives in secret.
- Rule of Three: It takes three defeats at the hands of the Black family for the Circle of Ossus to stay down for good.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: While the Circle does have its own army, it's also as likely to use its myriad connections throughout Europe to have others do their dirty work, including Russians in Act II.
- Secret War: The Circle has discreetly been waging one against both the Catholic Church and Ottoman Empire. Eventually, it finds itself in one against not only the Black family but the United States.
Alain Magnan
Morgan's mentor and the commander of the Knights of St. John, Alain has devoted his whole life to the order. Though he can sometimes seem haughty and dismissive of his lessers, he is a superb tactician and an excellent horseman whose personal bravery in battle is unquestioned. Decades spent fighting his Ottoman foes have only strengthened Alain's resolve. Alain is a man of many secrets and seems to know what is going on in every corner of the world.
Initially Morgan's superior, he sends him to the New World in order to prevent the Ottoman Empire from obtaining the Fountain of Youth. His true colors, however, are eventually revealed, as Morgan makes quite the allies in the New World that help him open his eyes.
Alain attacks from horseback with a sword. He has a lot of hitpoints, but if he falls in a fight, he collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Alain cannot collect treasures or build Trading Posts.
- Ambition Is Evil: Wants the Fountain of Youth for himself.
- The Cavalry: He arrives in the first act to make short work of Sahin's bombards.
- Cool Old Guy: Was Morgan's mentor and the leader of the Knights of St. John.
- Cool Sword: He's a cavalry swordsman.
- Evil All Along: He was the true Big Bad of Blood. He manipulated Morgan and the Knights to get the water of the fountain.
- Evil Mentor: A self-serving man who used Morgan to get immortality.
- Foreshadowing: There are several hints to his revelation as the Big Bad.
- His ability to translate the writing on the library of stone in Malta, along with his knowledge of the Circle, immediately alerts savvy viewers that he knows more than he lets on.
- Furthermore, his willingness to have Morgan ally with natives who most certainly were not Roman Catholics, (the crusading orders were notorious for being very strictly Roman Catholic, they barely tolerated the Orthodox Byzantine Empire) the second he reads the writing on the library would cause a savvy player to realize there might be an ulterior motive.
- In the scene when he and Morgan meet up in the New World, he proceeds to warn Morgan about his choice of friends. At first glance, it might just be due to Lizzie, but the threatening tone in his voice makes it clear he intends to kill Morgan.
- French Jerk: His name Alain implies some French origin. He is racist and also a traitor to the Knights.
- Gameplay Ally Immortality: In the first two levels, he's subjected to the same treatment as Morgan. He cannot be killed, and if he falls on battle he needs to recover.
- He Knows Too Much: He planned to kill Morgan if he rendezvoused with him at the Lake because it was becoming obvious that Morgan could have revealed his scheming.
- Hero Unit:
- During the first two levels of Blood.
- The Hero Cosmetic Pack Vol. 1 DLC for Definitive Edition adds him as an alternative for the Maltese Grand Master.
- Impossibly Cool Clothes: Among the finest combat-capable wear the Knights have to offer.
- Manipulative Bastard: He manages to masterfully play on Morgan's loyalty to the knights, sending him to the New World to get the location of the Lake of the Moon, and then has Morgan fight the Spanish while securing the Lake.
- The Mentor: Towards Morgan, before he's revealed to be Evil All Along.
- Near-Villain Victory: At the end of Blood, Alain has managed to secure the Lake of the Moon and the Fountain of Youth, is very close to immortality, and the base is far too strong for Morgan to destroynote . Morgan is forced to destroy the Fountain to stop him.
- Old Soldier: He is old and a potent cavalry unit. He is stated to have belonged all his life to the cavalry.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He treats the Incas as savages, and asks Morgan to kill them even if they have cooperated against the Spanish.
- The Reveal: Near the end of Blood, he's revealed to be a member of the Circle of Ossus.
- Running Both Sides: He led both the Knights of St. John and the Circle.
- The Strategist: Stated to be a magnificent strategist. In the beginning of the campaign he tells Morgan how to control the Ottomans. He also planned how to deceive him and the other Knights into leading him to the Fountain of Youth.
- Ungrateful Bastard: The Incas indirectly helped Alain against the Spanish obstacle, but Alain treats them as nothing more than savages and asks Morgan to kill them (which he doesn't).
- Walking Spoiler: He keeps his "good guy" façade during most of Blood. It's only prior to the final mission that he reveals his true colors.
The Big Bad of Ice, Warwick is an arrogant British nobleman who considers himself a refined gentleman, and looks down his nose at the colonists he was sent to govern. Uninterested in negotiations or diplomacy, he prefers to use force and intimidation to achieve his goals. Warwick's parents drowned under mysterious circumstances; it's rumored he may have had a hand in their demise.
Warwick prefers to fight with a sword, but is also known as a deadly shot with a rifle. He has a lot of hitpoints, but if he falls in a fight, he collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Warwick can collect treasures, but cannot build Trading Posts.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: A British governor among the Colonies, though he prefers force and intimidation to diplomacy and subtlety.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: He is not a mentor or boss to the hero like Alain, but is still a rogue leader. Warwick is a middle-aged aristocrat, while Alain was an old commander. Alain's membership in the Circle is hidden for most of the campaign, but Warwick's antagonistic role is discovered as early as the second mission.
- Decapitation Presentation: Original game onlynote . He shows Stuart's body without the head, which was impaled in a lance and put near the rest of the body.
- Disproportionate Retribution: His response to Nonakhee refusing to give John Black over to him is to promptly order his men to destroy the village and kidnap her.
- Faux Affably Evil: Warwick, befitting his aristocratic pretensions, acts aloof and condescendingly polite but without any warmth or sincerity in any of his appearances.
- Hero Unit: The Hero Cosmetic Pack Vol. 1 DLC for Definitive Edition adds him as an alternative for the British Explorer.
- Impossibly Cool Clothes: Among the finest combat-capable wear the English have to offer.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Attacking John's village and kidnapping Stuart exposes him as a traitor.
- Kick the Dog: Attacks villages and colonies to capture John Black, who is away. When he sees that John isn't in Stuart's colony after all, he seizes the colony, kidnapping Stuart Black in the process, only to later kill him, and attempts to burn Nonakhee's village to the ground.
- Manipulative Bastard: He's all too happy to manipulate the French and his own British countrymen into war for his own gain to say nothing of the Russians. Given he's head of the Circle, he couldn't care less, so long as everyone plays to his tune.
- The Quisling: He is exploiting the war between the French and the British in order to deliver the territory to the Russians.
- Self-Made Orphan: In his backstory, it's implied that he was involved with the death of his parents.
- This Cannot Be!: He exclaims this when his stronghold in the mountains is destroyed.
- The Unfought: Despite being the main antagonist of Ice, he never confronts John actively in any mission of the campaign.
The trapper Pierre Beaumont's past is shrouded in mystery. His accent is French, but hard to place; is he from Quebec, Paris, or New Orleans? In any event, it has been many years since he was near a city - or a bathtub. Clever and bloodthirsty, Beaumont is deadly in a fight, wielding his twin knives with skill and precision.
In Steel, he helps Amelia to defend a fortress from the Mexican armies while claiming to have a gold mine in the mountains. Having no means to mine it out himself, he offers Amelia a cut of the gold in exchange for the use of her equipment. With his sinister manner and fondness for knives, however, he's not as he appears...
Beaumont attacks with a pair of throwing knives that he can use to make surgical kills against almost any type of opponent. If he falls in a fight, he collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Beaumont can collect Treasures, but cannot build Trading Posts.
- Bad Boss: He threatened one of his men with mutilating him if he didn't find the Spanish gold quickly."Find the Spanish gold quickly, or I will take more than fingers from you."
- Beard of Evil: His beard helps him look more scary.
- Beneath Notice: In contrast to the other main antagonists. Whereas his predecessors invoked their connections and high titles to disguise their true allegiances, Beaumont instead does the exact opposite, as no one would suspect a mere prospector of being the Circle's leader.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist:
- Serves as this in comparison to Alain Magnan and Warwick. He is a French Jerk, unlike them. He serves as a deceptive temporary ally, which contrasts him with Alain (who was unmasked in the latter acts) and Warwick (who was blatantly antagonistic). His preference for knifes is another difference with the horseback swordman Alain and the pistol and sword Warkick. Finally, Beaumont was a prospector, not a rogue military leader or a treacherous aristocrat.
- He's also this in relationship to Colonel Kuechler from The WarChiefs's campaign Fire. While both of them are involved with an enemy faction (the Royal forces for Kuechler, the Circle of Ossus for Beaumont), Kuechler was Only in It for the Money, whereas Beaumont has more sinister intentions.
- Card-Carrying Villain: Appears in the second mission of Steel... as an unplayable character. He's never playable across the campaign, so from the beginning it's clear that something's wrong about him."Pierre Beaumont is what I'm called. The Mexican army chased me all the way up here, and now we are trapped together, non? I will show you the way I like to kill."
- Evil Smells Bad: He hasn't taken a bath in a long time.
- Faux Affably Evil: He initially tries to feign friendliness despite being otherwise sinister-looking. The moment he reveals his true colors, however, he largely alternates between mocking disdain and pure spite.
- French Jerk: There is a lot of focus on his French origins and he often uses some French words. The chapter in which his true plans is revealed is called "Never Trust a French Prospector".
- Impoverished Patrician: It's implied that Beaumont hails from French nobility, possibly among the aristocratic families of New Orleans, but chose to live as a grimy frontier prospector. This also serves as a convenient cover for his actual activities as leader of the Circle.
- Lightning Bruiser: In-game. Despite only having a knife, he has high damage, and can take a massive beating in return. He can tear through a small army by himself. And if you manage to put him down and his forces rescue him, he'll immediately get back up with a good portion of his health back. Since he's only one man with a knife, though, he can't attack large forces all at once, and can't stop a large enough force before they defeat his fortress in the last mission.
- Obviously Evil: He has very sinister looks, with red eyes and a face that suggests a homicidal man.
- Psycho Knife Nut: He is very skillful with knives, when he drops them or fights hand to hand, and is a proudly evil sadist.
- Sadist: He told Amelia that he would show her how does he like to kill while posing as an ally.
- Smug Snake: He's always certain that his traps and soldiers will be able to kill Amelia. They never do.
- Trash Talk:"Your soldiers raise a stench worse than this pathetic bog."
- Villainous Breakdown: When the battle is brought to the Circle's main fortress at the Havana:"So, Havana has turned against us. Fine ... you will die alongside Amelia Black!"
Other
Francisco Juan Delgado de Leon was second in command on an expedition to Yucatan from Cuba under Pedro de Alvarado. His successes under Alvarado earned him royal permission to participate in the conquest of the Aztec. He received a ship, a complement of rodeleros, crossbowmen, and the goal of plundering the New World for personal and political gain.
He appears in Blood wanting the native tribes' treasures for himself and the Spanish Empire. He's offed for good in the penultimate mission of the campaign.
Delgado attacks with a rifle and sword. He has a lot of hitpoints, but if he falls in a fight, he collapses and has to regenerate enough health to be recovered by allies. Delgado can collect Treasures, but cannot build Trading Posts.
- Beard of Evil: A smaller beard, but a greedy villain.
- Hero Unit: The Hero Cosmetic Pack Vol. 1 DLC for Definitive Edition adds him as an alternative for the Spanish Explorer.
- Historical Domain Character: Albeit rather uncommon, such a conquistador really existed. His adventures in the game are completely fictional, though.
- Impossibly Cool Clothes: Among the finest combat-capable wear the Spanish have to offer.
- Lone Wolf Boss: One of the few named enemies of the original base game who's not affiliated to the Circle of Ossus.
- One-Hit Kill: Can kill most soldiers with a single hit.
