A list of characters appearing in Assassin's Creed Rogue.
Returning characters from Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag are marked with asterisk (*) and have links in their folder.
open/close all folders
The Templars
Shay Patrick Cormac
Shay Patrick Cormac
"I make my own luck"
- Voiced by: Steven Piovesan (English)note
The main character of the Animus portion of the game, an Assassin turned Templar who hunts his former brothers.
- The Ace: Of the Templars, being their best fighter, spy, and altogether more morally sound than any of them except perhaps Monro. It's implied he might have been this of the Assassins too; he is given several extremely critical missions and multiple people comment on his skills and potential.
- All for Nothing: Shay spends much of his Templar career dismantling the Assassin Brotherhood in Colonial America and building up the Templar Order to its strength by Assassin's Creed III. When Charles Dorian tells him of Connor's actions and the decimation of the Templars in North America he's very upset to learn that his life's work was undone.
- Alternate Company Equivalent: Is basically the Darth Vader of Assassin's Creed. He was a member of an ancient group who sought to protect the freedoms of others, but despite all his accomplishments was often dismissed and distrusted by others. Then after feeling betrayed by this group he joined their enemies as The Dragon and hunted down his former allies after pulling an Evil Costume Switch from a gray and white outfit to a black and red one, and while interacting with his former allies has a Never My Fault attitude while ignoring how his new allies are just as bad.
- Ambiguously Evil: Shay himself. Despite the fact he doesn't de-synchronize if you kill innocent people, he seems to be the Assassin (later Templar) most concerned with the morality of what he's doing. Only Connor rivals him since he too criticized Achilles for his manichean obsession in killing the Templars and rubbishing any attempts at forming a truce.
- He becomes much less ambigious in the epilogue, where he thinks nothing about sacrificing thousands just to get back at the Assassins via starting a revolution (the French Revolution.)
- Anti-Villain: A rare Villain Protagonist example. A mixture of Type I, Type II and Type III. He becomes a villain out of the purely heroic motive of saving the world from the Assassin heroes' unthinking actions.
- Animal Motifs: His first name means "hawk", and the Morrigan has numerous wolves on its sail and figurehead. The Morrigan of mythology also most often took the form of a crow and Cormac means "Raven".
- The Anticipator: His Aura Vision gives him the special ability to sense who is stalking him where and how, making it harder than usual for others to sneak up on him.
- Apologetic Attacker: Shay regrets having to kill most of his former comrades and usually asks for forgiveness in their final moments.
- The Atoner: Shay's reasons for joining the Templars. He wishes to help people in order to make up for his role in the Lisbon Earthquake.
- Aura Vision: Possesses Eagle Vision, making him the second Templar aside from Haytham Kenway confirmed to have the ability. His is much more powerful: His version has the same abilities that Edward's displayednote and in addition, it passively warns Shay of nearby Stalker characters like a Spider Sense, and when activated directs him towards the vicinity of the nearest one. It does, however, have the same weakness in that Shay can't run while it's active.
- Badass Cape: Shay's Assassin Killer outfit (Available from U-Play) adds a cape emblazoned with the Templar cross.
- Badass Longcoat: Most of his outfits have one of these, in particular his Assassin and Templar uniforms.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Wields two Hidden Blades, seeming standard Assassin issue as of the American Colonial Period.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: How Hope sees him at the start of the game, noting that his lack of discipline means his full potential can't be reached. It turns out she was right, as after joining the Templars he becomes far more serious and a far greater threat than when he was an Assassin.
- Brooklyn Rage: Was born in New York to Irish immigrants, and happens to be fairly badass. He himself jokes about this when Gist states that New York has been restored to order:Shay: I don't think New York was ever orderly.
- Catchphrase: "I make my own luck.", which he invokes anytime anyone mentions luck in his presence.
- Combat Pragmatist: Double-teams Adéwalé with Haytham Kenway. Uses a Puckle Gun to kill Kesegowaase. Murders a group of Assassins individually before they're going to mass on attacking Benjamin Franklin's house in Paris. We also see him shoot an Assassin who's downed in the trailer rather than approach him directly. Shay knows how the game works, and more importantly, how to make it work for him.
- Conflicting Loyalty:Shay: Life's hardest choices are ones that force you to question your own moral code.
- Cool Boat: The Morrigan, which has flame cannons and machine guns and is faster/more maneuverable than any of the previous playable ships (Aquila, Jackdaw, and the Experto Crede).
- Cool Sword: Like previous Assassins, he has quite the large collection by the end (Which can include a Viking Sword and a Katana), but his first sword is notable in that it's an old school hand-and-a-half sword that wouldn't look out of place in the first Assassin's Creed, unlike the styles previously shown in the Colonial Period games.
- Dark Is Evil: Most of his clothes are dark shades or black and he happens to be a Villain Protagonist.
- Deadpan Snarker: Quite possibly the most snarkiest Assassin in history, prior to his defection.Shay: Maybe Le Chasseur has [the manuscript] figured out for us.Shay: Ave, Caesar!
- Death by Childbirth: His mother died giving birth to him.
- Determinator: To the extent, he surpasses even Connor Kenway. This man will simply not give up and stay down.
- Defector from Decadence: In his eyes, he defected from an order whose blind obedience has led to nothing but the deaths of thousands.
- Disappeared Dad: Shay originally joined the Assassins due to his father dying.
- The Dragon: Shay starts out as this to Achilles, being his best hatchet-man. Then he moves onto Colonel Monro. Then becomes Co-Dragons with Charles Lee under Haytham Kenway.
- The Dreaded: Shay is described as being the most feared Assassin hunter in history. Even Charles Dorian, a French Assassin, can recognize him by sight.
- Dual Wielding: Seems to prefer using a sword and main-gauche in hand to hand combat. Makes sense, as this was the Assassin fighting style during the Colonial Era.
- An Entrepreneur Is You: By establishing Templar control over various forts, settlements, and New York neighborhoods and building or renovating businesses in those areas, he can build up a sizable stream of income.
- Evil Costume Switch: After defecting to the Templars, Shay replaces his white Assassin robes with a black colored Templar longcoat.
- Evil Counterpart:
- To Connor. Both started out idealistic only to be exposed to the uglier side of the conflict, both were Achilles's prize students, and both were The Dreaded (Connor was this for the Templars, Shay this for the Assassins) for their role in wiping out the other side. Additionally both were the targets of Haytham's manipulation. Connor saw through it immediately, while Shay never really figured out that Haytham was using him. Also, while both were exposed to the positives and negatives of the two ideologies, Connor stayed with the Assassins because he believed in freedom above all else; Shay cared more about protecting people, which aligned nicely with the Templars' beliefs.
- He's also one for Edward Kenway. While Edward initially worked for the Templars, he quickly became neutral and later became one of their greatest foes. In contrast, Shay started as an Assassin, but by the epilogue of Rogue, he has become one of the most feared Templars of his time.
- Evil Mentor: According to supplemental materials, in later life he went on to teach his son and grandson the Templar business.
- Fallen Hero: Subverted during the story, as he only defected in order to stop the Assassins from doing something horrible. Played straight at the end of the story however, as he becomes a full fledged Templar and is likely responsible for the French Revolution.
- Famed In-Story: Juhani Otso Berg holds him in very high esteem in the modern day.
- Fighting Irish: A darker version of the trope.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: He was once an average Assassin who while liked by his fellow recruits wasn't considered to be anything special. He became the most feared Templar of all time and was responsible for destroying the Brotherhood's influence in the colonies.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation:
- Shay can kill civilians unlike other protagonists in the series. Oddly enough, he never displays any requirement to do so in game and there's no indications he ever did so.
- Shay's potential piracy can lean into this. The story more or less treats him like he's a Privateer working in service of the Templars and the English army, but he's still more than able to attack British vessels and even soldiers in the city.
- Gas Mask, Longcoat: After taking out the first Assassin Den, Shay will get a mask that will allow him to breathe in poisoned environments. While everyone around him is suffering the effects of a poison barrel or smoke bomb, he can simply walk by. It isn't a helmet, however; it folds into his jacket.
- Greater-Scope Villain: It is implied that after killing Charles Dorian, he would go on to help instigate the French Revolution, thus making him partially this to Unity.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a prominent scar above his right eye.
- Hazy-Feel Turn: It's actually ambiguous whether Shay does anything wrong by turning against the Assassins. Even those who believe them to be in the right note this could all be chalked up to a colossal series of misunderstandings. By the time of the epilogue, however, he seems to have gone through a genuine Face–Heel Turn, willingly engaging in the more morally questionable actions of the Templars.
- Hero Killer: He's responsible for killing Adéwalé. He also destroys an entire Assassin Brotherhood, leaving only one man left as a form of Cruel Mercy and out of Pragmatic Villainy regarding the temples.
- He Who Fights Monsters: Implied in the end. Adéwalé outright tells him he's become a monster, and Shay doesn't disagree.
- Hidden Depths: Shay turns out to have been a case of this for the Assassins. His fellow Assassins, even his friend Liam, thought of him as The Load of the group since he was a Brilliant, but Lazy thuggish street-brawler from New York who was only brought in because of his Heterosexual Life-Partners relationship with Liam. Shay proves to be the most talented of the recruits and a great deal more philosophical than all of the rest put together.
- High Collar of Doom: His outfit has a very high collar.
- Hypocrite: Shay's motivation of joining the Templars is to stop Precursor artifacts from failing into the wrong hands and to prevent unnecessary deaths, ignoring that the Templars tend to cause even more deaths than the Assassins and they always abuse the power of the Piece of Edens. Many years later, he could've just stole the Precursor Box from Charles Dorian without killing him, leaving Charles's son an orphan. Moreover, he tells Charles that the Templars are planning to start the French Revolution that will lead to the deaths of thousands of people.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Shay accuses the Assassins for messing with powers beyond their understanding with the Pieces of Eden when the Templars are guilty of the same.
- I Did What I Had to Do: His sole reason for becoming a Templar and betraying the Assassins was to stop Achilles from messing with artifacts he had no business messing with, as he does have genuine regret for his actions but sees them as necessary to prevent catastrophe.
- In the Hood: Played straight earlier in the game as an Assassin, and even as a Templar he continues wearing a hood with several outfits (Namely the Dark Assassin gear), though similarly to Edward Kenway, he doesn't wear it all the time. His Templar outfits subvert this.
- Important Haircut: Shay has a rough-cut hairstyle and stubble until after his betrayal of the Assassins wherein he shaves his stubble and slicks his hair back.
- Karma Houdini: He has not been shown suffering any kind of consequences for his actions as a Templar. In particular, Arno never learns that he was the one to kill Charles Dorian or his implied role in starting the French Revolution (by which point Shay has fully embraced the Templars' ways, even the morally questionable ones that are similar to what prompted him to leave the Assassins), and he apparently gets off scot-free.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: Ultimately a Downplayed Trope as unlike Haytham, Shay never suffers any direct consequences for his actions. In fact, he lives into old age training both his son and grandson to become Templars. The only blow he does suffer is Connor and Arno completely undermining and subverting his efforts to grant the Templars a stranglehold on Colonial America and France respectively.
- The Load: Downplayed at first as he is still an Assassin, but out of the recruits in the game he was considered the least skilled and dedicated. However it's then subverted as he proves to be much smarter and skilled than they thought, with Achilles implying that he had hoped that with time Shay could have grown into being a better Assassin.
- Made of Iron: Over the course of the game, he's been shot in the back, poisoned, runs through a burning building and takes two hard falls, the second of which ends up killing Liam, but still manages to come back for more.
- Meaningful Name: Shay is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic Séaghdha, which means "Hawk", "Patrick" comes from the Latin "Patricius" (Nobleman) and "Cormac" means Raven.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: In the beginning of the game, it is fairly obvious that the majority of his Assassin brethren do not think fondly of him. Which is greatly exemplified by how many times he is derided, belittled and undermined for his skills and character. This becomes more blatant when the other Assassins are shown to have no trust or respect for Shay, despite all of his accomplishments and already pre-established loyalty to the Creed. After the Lisbon earthquake however, his belief in the Assassins' ideology was shattered. But the final straw was when they tried to kill him for attempting to prevent further disasters, and likely to cover up their involvement with the Lisbon earthquake.
- Moral Myopia: Shay has a lot of objections to how the Assassins do things. He, oddly enough, fails to bring up any objections to how the Templars operate. By the epilogue (set more than a decade after the start of Rogue), it's implied that he's happy to resort to mass murder to serve Templar goals.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Shay has this reaction when he realizes that his actions led to the earthquake destroying Lisbon and killing thousands of innocents in the city.
- Never My Fault: He accuses the Assassin's order for the Lisbon earthquake as they sent him there, but had he actually not touched the Piece of Eden when he felt it was off, nothing would have had happened. Contrasts this with Achilles, who after seeing that there are Pieces of Eden which are different from what he thought they were, suggested that the Assassins just leave them be and acknowledged that maybe Shay was right. If Shay didn't start blaming him and calling him a murderer, Achilles would have probably agreed.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: His plea to Haytham to spare Achilles, seeing his defeat and the loss of the Colonial Brotherhood as a Cruel Mercy to him, bites him hard when Achilles takes Connor under his wing. Achilles' tutelage aids Connor in destroying the Templar Rite in Colonial America that Shay spent his life building.
- Noble Demon: Despite his ruthlessness, he does have a conscience.
- Nothing Personal: States this as he assassinates Charles Dorian, as he only had the box that Chevalier managed to get away from the Colonies.
- Not Quite the Right Thing: Keeping the Manuscript out of the hands of the Assassins was probably a good idea. Joining the Templars to exterminate the Colonial Assassins, help the British defeat the French (after spending years doing the reverse), and give Haytham Kenway the Pieces of Eden is probably not the best course of action Shay could have undertook.
- One-Man Army: Like all Player Character he is this, though Shay takes it a special level in that he's this for the Assassins and regarded as a dangerous "Assassin hunter" who can counter and defy all their tactics and methods.
- Poor Communication Kills:
- He doesn't do a great job of conveying the danger of the Precursor sites upon his return from Lisbon, being too shell shocked and shaken up to do more than hurl accusations that Achilles knew full well what would happen. Considering Achilles realized Shay was right with a mere few seconds look at another site, a simple description on Shay's part might have convinced him and prevented his defection.
- A more subtle example is that it's implied Shay is among the best and brightest of the American Assassins. He's the one sent to secure the extremely important Precursor artifacts and multiple people comment on his potential. However, perhaps to keep him from getting overconfident, much of his work is downplayed and his flaws are emphasized in conversation. Part of what fuels Shay's betrayal and siding with the Templars is how he felt like an errand boy for the Assassins.
- Privateer: Shay is interestingly in the middle ground between Connor and Edward in that while he is able to engage in acts of piracy with his ship like Edward, the story treats him as acting in service of both the Templar Order and the English efforts.
- Protagonist Journey to Villain: The game has Shay start off as an Assassin and follows him as he slowly becomes disillusioned with their cause and switch sides to the Templar Order.
- A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: To Achilles, though Shay's probably the most moral Templar in the series.
- Rage Against the Mentor: Towards Achilles and Adéwalé, both of whom he trains under before betraying the order.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Wears a red and black outfit upon joining the Templars, and his own ship the Morrigan also has this color motif.
- Remember the New Guy?: He was a collaborator of Haytham Kenway during his tenure as Grand Master of the Colonial Rite and a former Assassin who played a role in The Purge, operating in the North Atlantic no less, all of which makes the lack of any prior mention of him in Assassin's Creed III or Assassin's Creed : Forsaken stick out a fair bit. According to
Word of God, in the latter case this was due to the book focusing on Haytham's life, and in the former case it was unlikely the game-makers had him planned out yet. - Scarily Competent Tracker: The premier trailer shows him tracking an Assassin through a city, a grassy field, and finally catching him on an ice bank in the Grim Up North. He's explicitly tasked with hunting down his own Parental Substitute and all his old allies.Shay: I reach the end of the trail. The air is still, and I am a hunter. The hunt has lead me to the forgotten edges of this world. Seasons pass, draw me deeper into the darkness, where I have found the truth; that my redemption is found in ashes. That I must burn away the past to set things right. Once an Assassin, now their pursuer, I must destroy those who I once called brother. *Dramatic Gun Cock* The air is still, and I am a hunter.
- Spider-Sense: He can detect when Assassins are hiding nearby, though he still has to actually find them.
- Team Killer: He personally kills, for understandable reasons, all his former team-mates except Liam, who dies from a fall, and Achilles, who he spares.
- Token Good Teammate: So far, the only Templar who joins the Order for a genuinely heroic motivation, rather than seeking to grab power, feeling slighted by the Assassins, or to further his career. He also tries to reason with his Assassins targets and genuinely regrets going after them. He was also the one who insisted on sparing Achilles — and in doing so, he cites a pragmatic motivenote second, and a moral onenote first. Compared to him, even Haytham comes off as a thug.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Shows shades of this in the epilogue where he smugly brags to the dying Charles Dorian that the Templars plan to kickstart the French Revolution, an event which will cause many innocent deaths, in order to undo the damage Connor did to them. A far cry from the Shay who joined the Templars because he wanted to save innocent lives.
- Undying Loyalty: Shay develops this to Colonel Monro and later Haytham Kenway.
- Villain Protagonist: As an anti-villain, Shay has sympathetic reasons for going against his former brothers, and genuinely thinks he's doing the right thing.
- Walking Armory: Shay, with the skills of an Assassin and the resources of the Templars, surpasses every other protagonist in the series here. He carries multiple pistols, an old school hand-and-a-half Templar sword, and a prototype Air Rifle, capable of quietly killing from a distance and launching a freaking grenade!
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: A Downplayed Trope. Shay's one-man war on the Assassins and assistance to the Templars results in a lot of deaths which really don't relate much to his desire to protect the innocent. What is more relevant to his goal of protection is his renovation of run-down buildings so as to improve the economic sitaution of the various locales.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Gives an epic one to Achilles after returning from causing the Lisbon Earthquake due to his orders.
- Receives them in turn by the truckload by most of his targets.
- What the Hell Is That Accent?: His Irish accent is atrociously awful, rivalling Richard Gere in The Jackal for worst attempt at an Irish accent. It's particularly jarring when contrasted with Liam, who was at least voiced by a native born Irishman.
- Wild Card:Shay: History may brand me traitor, rebel or renegade. But in the end, it doesn't matter how history remembers me...what matters is that I followed my own creed.
- Wish-Fulfillment: By the end of the game, he's a renegade Master Assassin who wears a Badass Longcoat, carries an Ace Custom air rifle with an underslung Grenade Launcher, captains the most powerful Cool Boat in the hemisphere, pals around with historical figures, is a leading figure in the Ancient Conspiracy that runs the Colonies, and draws a sizable income from his New York City holdings. He only had to suffer massive trauma and kill most of his closest friends to get there.
- Would Hit a Girl: Has no issues fighting and/or killing female Assassins.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Shay joins the Templars and plays a major role in the destruction of the Colonial Assassins because rather than listen to his warnings about the dangers of Isu artifacts like the one he accidently activated that caused the Lisbon earthquake, they try to kill him after he tries to steal the manuscript containing their locations from Achilles.
- Working-Class Hero: A rare version for a Templar. But as a first-generation Irish Immigrant and the son of a sailor, Shay is especially keen on making things safe for ordinary people.
- You Monster!: Adéwalé calls Shay this as he dies, and it actually appears to have an effect on him.
- Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Shay has no problem killing armed men or acting as a privateer but his first two assignments for the Assassins are killing helpless old men, one of whom is already dying and is George Washington's brother. He has this reaction when the Assassins all but high-five him.
Christopher Gist
Christopher Gist
- Voiced by: Richard Dumont (English)note
Shay's quartermaster, an accomplished surveyor and frontiersman who has connections to some of the most powerful men in Colonial America.
- Affably Evil: Gist displays none of Colonel Monro's more noble qualities. He also twists the knife about Shay's Assassin past, bringing up his Templar victims. Gist, otherwise, acts like Shay's best friend.
- The Alcoholic: Likes to drink a lot and judges other people by their company when drunk.
- All There in the Manual: Gist doesn't reveal his Templar allegiance to Shay until they've been working together for a year, but this trivia was actually available to the player earlier on. During Shay's time as an Assassin, you unlock an Animus Database entry on Jack Weeks that reveals Gist as a Templar long before you even meet the man.
- Boisterous Bruiser: A rare example for a Templar.
- Consummate Liar: Despite being a former Assassin and living with him for a year on a ship, Shay never picks up Gist is a Templar until told otherwise.
- The Dragon: To Shay. Played with as it seems very likely Gist is there to watch over Shay, at least until he formally joins the Templars.
- Historical Domain Character: He was a famous surveyor who in the early part of the French and Indian War saved George Washington's life.
- Large Ham: Every time he talks you'd think he was proclaiming things to the entire ship.
- The Mole: Played with. Gist's position as Quartermaster on Shay's ship with him picking the crew is awfully suspicious in hindsight. Alluded to when Gist mentions he would have killed Shay if the latter hadn't joined the Templars.
- Secret Test of Character: Gist was Shay's friend for over a year before revealing his Templar allegiance.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Wears a slightly battered suit underneath that longcoat of his.
- The Man They Couldn't Hang: Shay first meets him when he saves Gist from being hanged by Assassins, canonically by shooting the rope.
- Worthy Opponent: Sees Hope Jensen as this, telling Shay he admired her for her loyalty when they discuss her following the mission "Caress of Steel."
Colonel George Monro
Colonel George Monro
- Voiced by: Graham Cuthbertson (English)note
A Colonel in the British Army and a member of the Templar Order who takes an interest in Shay.
- Anti-Villain: He is easily the nicest Templar in the series, and is utterly sincere in his efforts to establish a beneficent One World Order that will protect people from chaos.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Shay is exceptionally loyal to him because George went out of his way to save his life and give him a second chance.
- Colonel Badass: A colonel of the Royal Army who leads from the front and is quite capable in holding his own in personal combat. Of course he's nowhere near the One-Man Army Shay is due to not being as young, but what normal man is, anyway?
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Shay rescues him from a burning building but he ends up dying after a brief exchange.
- Excessive Evil Eyeshadow: He sports this; it makes him look quite sinister, but he's actually one of the nicer Templars.
- Foil: Monro seems to be designed to be the complete opposite of Achilles when it comes to his relationship with Shay. Achilles is cold and distant, having almost no personal relationship with Shay, and only appearing to him when he has a mission to send Shay out for. Monro by comparison is A Father to His Men, quite warm to Shay, and trusts him without fail. Monro inspires so much loyalty out of Shay that his death is the final push Shay needs to join the Templars.
- Historical Domain Character: His unsuccessful defense of Fort William Henry in 1757 served as the inspiration for The Last of the Mohicans.
- The Mentor: To Shay after he joins the Templars up until his death.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Given that he's Shay's mentor and dies in Last of the Mohicans, his death shouldn't be too surprising.
- Patrick Stewart Speech: A rare example given by a villain. Colonel Monro talks about how the Templars are fighting for freedom too, freedom from hunger and want and disease. It's pretty convincing if you're an economist, and also if you grew up in poverty like Shay did.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: His coat has a similar design and motif to that of Shay's Templar outfit. As the latter is described as a uniform, this may be justified.
- Stealth Mentor: From his very first scene, Monro goes out of his way in trying to mold Shay into the ideals of becoming a Templar, right down to encouraging him revitalizing the colonies in a way that would directly increase the Templars' influence.
- Villains Never Lie: Colonel Monro never directly lies to Shay. However, everything he says is designed to put him at ease despite being in the hands of the Assassin's worst enemies.
- Visionary Villain: Speaks of the Templar way as paving a bright new future for humanity.
- Vocal Dissonance: For a grizzled officer of his age, experience and build, his voice is surprisingly soft and gentle. He sounds more like a preacher than someone whose job revolves around shouting orders over the din of battle.
- Worthy Opponent: He speaks of General Montcalm in these terms, chiding Shay for insulting him, stating that Montcalm gave him good terms and treated him with honor.
Jack Weekes
Jack Weekes
- Voiced by: Ralph Prosper (English)note
A member of Haytham Kenway's Inner Sanctum. He's a high ranking African-American Master Templar.
- Agent Provocateur: He and Shay serve as this to shut down the gangs of Hope Jensen. They stage several heists while wearing gang colours, forcing the English to move their militia against them.
- Batman Gambit: Comes up with a smart plan to shut down Hope Jensen's organized crime support base.
- Black and Nerdy: Has this sort of personality.
- Black Guy Dies First: Averted. Jack is first seen at Lawrence Washington's garden party at Mount Vernon, in a conference with Washington, Samuel Smith, and James Wardrop, making it seem like he will be one of Shay's targets along with the other three. Jack's the only one of the four to live until the end of the game.
- False Flag Operation: Frames Hope's gang for robbing the military of their payroll.
- Cool Shades/Sinister Shades: Sports a gold-rimmed green tinted pair of spectacles.
- The Smart Guy: Has this role in the Templars, despite all of them being geniuses of one fashion or another.
- Token Minority: Jack's position is undoubtedly earned but his race is rather noticeable in a group of otherwise upperclass white 18th century Englishmen. A Justified Trope as the Templars have been depicted as race-blind as early as the original Assassin's Creed.
Lawrence Washington
Lawrence Washington
- Voiced by: Harry Standjofski (English)note
A Virginia businessman, landowner and slaveowner, Lawrence Washington is a Master Templar who laid the foundations of the Order in the British American colonies. He is the elder brother of George Washington.
- Big Brother Instinct: Dearly loves George and insists to his fellow Templars that they exclude him from Templar business.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: How he's presented to Shay, special emphasis is placed on him being a slaveowner(a business that his brother inherited only to end by manumission in his will).
- Commanding Coolness: Aside from having a pretty successful military career, Lawrence also managed to use the distraction of the 1751 Haiti earthquake to sneak into a Assassin camp and steal two Precursor artifacts without being spotted. Note he was suffering from tuberculosis at the time.
- Face Death with Dignity: He's actually grateful to Shay to give him a quick death rather than the prolonged illness of tuberculosis. While still an Assassin, Shay laments to Liam how unsatisfying it was to kill a frail, sick man.
- Historical Domain Character: Lawrence Washington was George's brother and the two had a close relationship. In his retirement, Washington kept a portrait of Lawrence in his study, a place of honour excluded to other close friends and relatives.
- Incurable Cough of Death: He is dying of tuberculosis (his cause of death in real-life) when the Assassin Shay Cormac descends on him).
- Kick the Dog: While in Haiti in 1751, he followed the Haitian Assassin Vendredi to a cave, but soon after the earthquake struck the island. He found Vendredi pinned under a rock and promised to free him in exchange for the location of Assassin Mentor François Mackandal. Vendredi agreed, but Lawrence slit his throat instead after learning the location of the Assassin's base.
- No-Respect Guy: Although he is the original head of the Templars in the American Colonies, he feels that he isn't respected by Reginald Birch for his accomplishments in recruiting and setting up the Colonial Rite simply because he has not found a Piece of Eden, which Birch is obsessed with. Birch even berates him in one letter for basically being a massive idiot and that he is sending Colonel Monro to assist him while telling him that Monro is his better in every way. After stealing the Precursor Box and manuscript from the Haiti, Lawrence hopes that Birch will finally acknowledge his accomplishments.
- Values Dissonance: Lawrence is a slave-owner but seems to be, otherwise, like a decent person. His brother, at least, ended the family business.
- You Are Too Late: Lawrence tells Shay that the other Templars have already scattered and he anticipated his arrival as a distraction for them to make an exit.
Samuel Smith
Samuel Smith
- Voiced by: Alain Goulem (English)note
One of Shay's Templar Targets in his time as an Assassin. He serves as the Colonial Templars treasurer.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Is the Templar's treasurer and staggeringly wealthy.
- Meaningless Villain Victory: Reversed in that it's a meaningless Assassin victory. Killing Samuel Smith does nothing as the Templar's assets just go to someone else. The Assassins still attempt to play it off as a great victory.
- They do, however, recover the box. Which is a much bigger deal.
- Non-Action Guy: Shay complains to Liam about how killing a guy who can barely hold a sword is hardly heroic. Liam merely insists that it has to be done.
- This Cannot Be!: States this verbatim as Shay assassinates him.
- Zero-Effort Boss: Just stands there cowering while Shay murders him.
James Wardrop
James Wardrop
- Voiced by: Vincent Hoss-Desmarais (English)note
One of Shay's Templar Targets in his time as an Assassin and according to Kesegowaase, responsible for several war crimes against Native tribes.
- Asshole Victim: Is presented as such to Shay by Liam. Subverted by the fact his dying thoughts are worries about the Colonies and its people.
- Evil Colonialist: According to the Assassins, Kesegowaase and Liam, Wardrop had a reputation for rooting out native peoples from their ancestral land, the Assassins also have proof of his involvement in "countless massacres".
- Hidden Depths: Is presented as a monster by Liam. James, if nothing else, seems to be worried about the (European) people of the Americas.
- Jerkass Has a Point: His last words really stick with Shay because they're fairly hard to refute if you take a literalist view of the Assassin's creed:James Wardrop: If everything is permitted, then no one is safe.
- Motive Rant: A dying one which says the Templars are the only people who actually give a shit about ruling people decently versus every other ruler out there. Also, that the Assassins are doing nothing but harm to the innocent. His Last Words disturb Shay greatly.
Haytham Kenway*
Haytham Kenway
William Johnson*
William Johnson
Charles Lee*
Charles Lee
The Assassins
Achilles Davenport*
Achilles Davenport
Adéwalé*
Liam O'Brien
Liam O'Brien
- Voiced by: Julian Casey (English)note
A member of the Assassins and childhood friend of Shay who originally introduced him to the Order.
- Artistic License – Gun Safety: His gun tutorial begins with him pointing a flintlock pistol right at Shay's chest, with his finger on the trigger. Ladies and gentlemen, your firearms instructor.
- Deus Exit Machina: He accompanies Shay on most of his missions in the early parts of the game. However, when it comes time to go to the Precursor site in Lisbon, he is away on business. This leaves Shay to go alone and therefore have no one share his perspective of the danger of the Precursor sites.
- Disney Villain Death: Dies after falling off a glacier with Shay in the Arctic Precursor Temple.
- The Dragon: To Achilles, after Shay's defection. By the time Achilles is able to mount an expedition to the Arctic Temple, Liam is his only surviving lieutenant, and even he doesn't survive the events there.
- Dragon-in-Chief: Shay's final opponent in Rogue, rather than Achilles himself, who ends up dealing with Haytham instead. Liam is also a lot more enthusiastic about the Arctic Temple than Achilles is, who by this time has realized that Shay was right about the Precursor sites all along.
- Due to the Dead: Shay puts his hood up after he expires.
- Fighting Irish: A more straightforward and affable version than Shay.
- The Gunslinger: While concept art has him wielding a very large axe, and a British soldier even describes him as "a man with a big axe" within the game, in the game proper, however, he seems to favor pistols at long range, being the one to teach Shay about guns and the final encounter involves him trying to snipe Shay from a distance.
- Hero Killer: Mortally wounds George Munro and leaves him to die in a burning house and makes off with the Manuscript while Shay is busy dealing with Kesegowaase.
- The Knights Who Say "Squee!": It's brief, but Liam holds Adéwalé in high regard; considering him a Living Legend for all of the work he's managed to accomplish in the West Indies.
- Number Two: To Achilles: he was his first recruit to the Colonial Brotherhood, and Shay even tells him that everyone thinks he will be Achilles successor as Mentor.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Nothing good, for the Assassins and Shay, resulted from Liam bringing Shay into the fold.
- Villain's Dying Grace: While not a villain per se, before dying he tells Shay that he hopes the world he's fighting for is a good one, and even appears to give up the book in his death throes.
- We Used to Be Friends: He and Shay were very close to one another before he joined the Templars.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Is particularly angry at Shay for what he perceives as a betrayal of their Order.
Kesegowaase
Kesegowaase
- Voiced by: Danny Blanco-Hall (English)note
A First Nations Abenaki mercenary turned Assassin. Kesegowaase is heavily involved in the war effort against the British during the French and Indian War. He is ruthless, even by Assassin standards, and has a massive number of allies.
- Asshole Victim: Kesegowaase did once hold an entire Oneida village hostage for the sake of getting special armor, broke a promise to let the British go after they were defeated and attempted to massacre them, and pillaged Albany because he got scarred by Shay.
- Badass Native: To be more exact he's a member of the Abenaki Algonquin tribe and is fairly badass.
- Braids, Beads and Buckskins: His Assassin outfit evokes all of these.
- "Get Back Here!" Boss: Kesegowaase attempts to be one of these by constantly keeping his distance from Shay. Canonically, Shay Took a Third Option and gunned him down.
- Dual Wielding: Dual wields two tomahawks.
- Expy: Considering his nature as a brutal Native American antagonist who supports the French in the Seven Years War, Kesegowaase could be called this game's answer to Magua from The Last of the Mohicans. Just as Magua did, he leads a surprise attack on the British as they're leaving Fort William Henry in defeat, and while he doesn't kill Col. Munro himself, he ensures that Liam does. This is alluded to in his database entry with Violet saying that his story would make a nice movie, to which Melanie quips that it's been done. Many times.
- Four-Star Badass: Shay says Kesegowaase has a gigantic number of Native American warriors under his command, more or less every one allied to the French, and some more besides. He uses them to devastating effect.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Kesegowaase is heavily scarred from Shay dropping a barrel on gunpowder on his face.
- Hired Guns: Was a mercenary for the French before joining the Assassins.
- In the Hood: Wears a hood like most Assassins, though he only has it on while on a mission.
- Kick the Dog: Kesegowaase sets up an ambush with the French to massacre a bunch of British troops which had been allowed safe passage after surrendering. This would be forgivable if not for the fact it's implied this was their plan all along. Kesegowaase also arranges for the Oneida tribe to be attacked in hopes of finding some First Civilization armor, likely partially due to the Iroquois/Algonquin mutual emnity, but still pretty dickish. He also sacks Albany in revenge for his face. Really, as Assassins go, he's kind of an asshole.
- Meaningful Name: Kesegowaase means "swift" in Algonquin and he's indeed pretty fast in battle.
- No Kill like Overkill: Shay, canonically, used a Templar Puckle Gun (a.k.a a 18th century Machine Gun) to kill him.
- The Savage Indian: He fits every requirement of the trope to a T. He's a brutal former First Nations Abenaki/Algonquin mercenary turned Assassin with a violent streak that's extreme even by Assassin standards.
- Tribal Facepaint: His upper face is painted red.
- The Unfettered: He can be pretty ruthless, as shown when he has British troops massacred and an Oneida village held hostage. The Assassins turn a blind eye to his actions despite his blatant violations of the Brotherhood's tenets due to not wanting to harm relations between the Brotherhood and the natives.
- You Monster!: Kesegowaase drips with hatred for Shay with his dying breath.
Hope Jensen
Hope Jensen
- Voiced by: Patricia Summersett (English)note
Personally trained by Achilles, Hope Jensen is a sly, resourceful Assassin who has control over New York's underworld.
- Apologetic Attacker: Apologizes to Shay before taking his gas mask and leaving him in a room filled with poison gas to die.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: In an Alternate History universe when Sufficiently Advanced Technology objects and conspiracy theories are accepted by both Assassins and Templars, Hope finds the notion that messing about with some Artifacts can cause an earthquake to be ridiculous, stating men don't cause earthquakes. This is absolutely true for the real world and the Muggles within the Creed Universe, but it makes no sense for either Assassins or Templars to reject the possibility.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: After shooting Shay out of her skylight, she could have killed him easily, but instead she takes away his gas mask and unnecessarily starts a puzzle chase where she throws several chemicals towards Shay. Though it's noted that may have been been because she was reluctant to commit to actually killing him.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Has a Hidden Blade in her concept art, but will only use it if Shay catches up to her at the end of their chase.
- Book Ends: When we first meet her, she says that it's a shame Shay is always late, because he has so much potential. The last thing she says to him after he kills her is it's a shame he betrayed them, because he had such potential.
- Brooklyn Rage: Like Shay she was also born in New York.
- Friendly Enemy: Seems to understand why Shay left the Assassins, and seems to hold no grudge against him during their fight.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: Wears a lot of purple.
- Guns Akimbo: Briefly wields dual pistols to shoot out the skylight Shay's spying on her from, making him fall into the room.
- Happily Adopted: Hope was adopted by a German family when her parents died as a baby, and she was quite happy with them.
- In the Hood: Her outfit has a hood, but she rarely has it on.
- Master Poisoner: She is quite knowledgeable about chemistry and comes up with several deadly poison gases which she mixes in factories in New York, she uses them against you when you come after her, including one that slows down your heart beat if you stand still.
- Neighbourhood-Friendly Gangsters: What her job is in New York City. She's managed to bring most of the city's underworld under her control. Subverted in the fact the gangsters under her control are decidedly less than friendly to the common people.
- The Queenpin: She runs the New York Criminal Underworld and uses it as an information network and as a poison gas factory. Unfortunately her goons are a bunch of cutthroat criminals who torment the populace, while she herself does nothing to stop them.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Talks in much more formal and eloquent fashion than her fellow Assassins. Given she's the smart one, it's almost certainly intentional.
- Self-Made Man: Her adoptive parents became rich from her stepfather's business ventures, but they were never truly accepted amongst the wealthy and after he died Hope and her stepmother were left with nothing.
- Sexy Mentor: To Shay.
- Ship Tease: There are a few sparks that fly between her and Shay. Steve Piovesan, Shay's voice actor, believes that Shay does have feelings for Hope, which is why he took her death the hardest out of his former comrades, even more so than Liam.
- The Smart Girl: She is the brains of the Colonial Assassins, being able to talk shop with Benjamin Franklin and later reconstruct one of his experiments. In addition, she knows a lot about chemistry and crafts poisons for the Assassins.
- The Smurfette Principle: Is the only important female character in the past era. Downplayed Trope as we see many female Assassins in her employ.
- So Proud of You: After being mortally wounded by Shay, she comforts the grieving Templar by assuring him that the success of his assassination only meant that she has taught him well as a teacher, and that he is a student she can be proud of. Unlike Haytham Kenway's backhanded final compliments to Connor, the kindness and pride of these last words were quite genuine.
- Hope: I trained you to do this; I expected nothing less. You had so much potential... Oh such a pity...
- Undying Loyalty: To Achilles and the Assassins.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: There's an implied attraction between herself and Shay.
Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye
Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye
- Voiced by: Marcel Jeannin (English)note
A Quebecois nobleman and fur trader out of his element, Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye explored and tamed the American wilderness and later joined the Assassin Brotherhood.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: From Shay's perspective, since he is a pretty big jerk.
- Badass Bookworm: Badass and well-educated.
- Bold Explorer: Captain Cook holds him in high regard for this reason.
- The Captain: Is the captain of the Gerfaut.
- Combat Pragmatist: He makes his stand in the middle of a dense field of icebergs that's covered in thick fog, to boot. The former doesn't affect the Gerfault which, unlike the Morrigan, is massive enough to ram her way through without slowing downnote . The latter also doesn't affect the Gerfault and her mortar batteries, but makes it difficult for the Morrigan to return fire due to bad visibility. In other words, he maximizes his own advantages while neutralizing his opponent's greatest strengths: speed and agility.
- Curbstomp Battle: Canonically he didn't land a single hit on Shay during their final duel, and neither did any of Chevalier's crew. Before that, the Morrigan managed to outmaneuvre the Gerfaut so deftly she didn't hit any of the many, many icebergs in the dense field they were fighting in.
- Defiant to the End: When Shay assassinates him he simply laughs and calls him "cabbage farmer" one last time while telling him he was just a distraction for Liam and Achilles, before trying to attack him one last time.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: He's a pretty big jerk alright.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": As per the historical record, everyone refers to him as "Chevalier."
- French Jerk:
- Belittles Shay nearly all the time, referring to him as "a cabbage farmer", and at the beginning of the game they even get into a fist fight.
- He also refers to the Morrigan as a piece of junk compared to the Gerfaut.
- During their fight after Shay becomes a Templar, Vérendrye spends it mocking Shay by stating that he'll be forgotten by history while he'll be remembered forever for his deeds.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Is very ill-tempered, with Shay easily capable of pushing his buttons.
- Hidden Depths: He may be an elitist, abrasive Jerkass, but he's still an ardent Assassin who believes in their cause. Unlike young Shay, he takes his duties very seriously and has deep reverence for the ancient Creed. He is also disgusted by royal ships firing on civilian fishing boats, and eager for Shay to attack them. Had Shay not rubbed him the wrong way, Chevalier could perhaps be perceived as a more noble, albeit harsh, figure.
- Historical Domain Character: Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye was a fur trader who may have been one of the first Europeans to see the Rocky Mountains in present day Wyoming alongside his father and brother.
- In the Back: Shoots Shay in the back when he attempts to leave the Homestead with the Manuscript, and tells him as such during their fight, though since Shay can't speak French he doesn't realize it until Liam tells him so before their fight.
- In the Hood: Has his on while on Assassin business.
- It's Personal: Shay loathes Verendrye and while the other Assassins he likes and regrets opposing, Verendrye is someone he looks forward to killing. He personally spites him by throwing his body into the Arctic Ocean.
- My Master, Right or Wrong: One of the first things he says is declaring that as an Assassin he must obey his mentor without question.
- Ramming Always Works: Seems to subscribe to this mindset. His ship, the Gerfaut, is one of only a handful of Man o' Wars that mount a naval ram, and in his Boss Battle you'll be spending as much time dodging his vessel's charges as you'll be running from its mortar barrages.
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: A commandant in the French Navy capable of slaughtering an entire deck of British soldiers with sword and gun alone.
- Sword and Gun: Uses a sword in conjunction with a pistol in combat.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Up until Shay joins the Templars, it's pretty clear that there's no love lost between them.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: When all of the Homestead Assassins are after Shay, most of them are shooting at him or sending their guards in. Louis is mortaring the hillside.
- Underestimating Badassery: Considers both Shay and the Morrigan to be beneath him, which proves to be a big mistake.
- We Need a Distraction: The whole point of his final battle with Shay is to keep the latter busy while Achilles and Liam forge ahead to the Arctic precursor site. It's unknown if he Got Volunteered or actually volunteered himself, but either way he pulls a Heroic Sacrifice of sorts from the Assassins' perspective.
- Xanatos Gambit: His final encounter with Shay is one. If he wins, Shay and the Templar Grandmaster are dead and the Assassins just chalked up a huge victory. If he loses, he still bought his comrades valuable time to complete their objectives without Templar interference.
The Last Target (Unmarked Spoilers)
Charles Dorian
Other Characters
Captain James Cook
Captain James Cook
- Voiced by: Shawn Campbell (English)note
One of the greatest travelers and explorers of the 18th Century.
- Bold Explorer: He's most famous for his exploration of the Pacific Ocean and its islands.
- Broken Pedestal: Minor case with Chevalier. Cook knows him only as a famous explorer and is slightly let down when someone who's actually met the man describes him as a "cantankerous bastard."
- Cannot Tell a Lie: The main reason he hasn't been offered with Templar membership is that he's incapable of keeping a secret.
- The Captain: Of a highly impressive Man-O'War that makes Shay jealous.
- Entertainingly Wrong: Being Locked Out of the Loop regarding the Templar-Assassin conflict, he guesses that Shay and his companions are agents of the Board of Admiralty. They say they couldn't tell him even if they were, which he takes as confirmation.
- Historical Domain Character: James Cook was the first recorded European to map the eastern coastline of Australia, visit Hawaii, and circumnavigate New Zealand.
- The Smart Guy: His knowledge of codes and ciphers proves valuable to Haytham and Shay in tracking down Assassins.
Benjamin Franklin*
Benjamin Franklin
Le Chasseur
Le Chasseur
- Voiced by: Chimwemwe Miller (English)note
An Afro-French spy working for the French government, and an ally of the Assassins. He ends up being Shay's first major kill upon joining the Templars.
- Black Guy Dies First: Is the first Assassin-affiliated target to die at Shay's hand.
- Dual Wielding: Wields a sword and dagger in tandem in combat.
- French Jerk: Subverted, unlike his acquaintance Chevalier he's not that unpleasant a guy.
- Puzzle Boss: Turns into one if you're out for 100% Completion. His mission's optional objective is to defeat him without taking damage, which requires a very specific sequence of attacks and counters. You're unlikely to succeed without multiple reloads, unless you realize the easiest way to get it done is to simply shoot him dead.
- Sadistic Choice: He forces one on Shay, see below.
- Undying Loyalty: To the Assassins, telling Shay that he has to kill him or else he'll inform Achilles and the others of his survival.
