Edward Kenway

"He's a fearsome dog that feeds off trouble and turmoil... I've seen him clear the deck of a Spanish galleon like it were nothing. Fighting like a devil, dressed as a man."

- Blackbeard speaking of Edward Kenway.

Edward Kenway (unknown - 1735) was a British privateer-turned-pirate, and a member of the Assassin Order. Early in his life, he joined the British Royal Navy, and once accepted, Edward was stationed in the West Indies. However, the end of war and the lure of gold, glory and fame eventually seduced him into a life of piracy; it was as a pirate that Edward first encountered the Assassin Order, and became enamored with their struggle.

Edward was also the father of Haytham Kenway and the grandfather of Ratonhnhaké:ton; through this line, he was an ancestor of Desmond Miles.

Biography
Born in relative poverty to an English father and a Welsh mother, Edward was a charming and charismatic individual who aged to become a fairly reckless and selfish young man with a penchant for drinking.

By the time Edward was in his early teens, his family moved to, in south-west England, where he eventually met and married Caroline Scott, a woman two years his senior, and with whom he had a daughter, Jenny Kenway. Although a lively marriage by all accounts, Caroline soon grew tired of Edward's inability to find steady work or take his responsibilities as a husband seriously, though it was Edward's grandiose ideas about sailing as a privateer in the West Indies and earning a fortune in gold that eventually disrupted the marriage.

Following this, Edward pursued his dreams of being a privateer, and in late 1712, he boarded a ship and chartered for Jamaica to sail with the renowned privateer,. He remained in Jamaica for six months until the in early 1713, which effectively ended all conflict between the major empires, and as such, British privateers were no longer needed or indeed tolerated in the West Indies, causing Edward to find himself out of work. By 1715, Edward had already been a sailor for two years, an experience that had made him deft with a ship and able to climb under unorthodox conditions.

Some time afterwards, Edward wed his second wife, Tessa Stephenson-Oakley. Through Tessa's family connections, she assisted him in purchasing a manor in in London, and the two had a son, Haytham, in 1725. Edward trained Haytham to become an Assassin from an early age, through things such as swordsmanship tutelage, despite Haytham barely being six years old at the time. Edward would also encourage his son to think for himself, and dispute others' opinions.

On December 4, 1733, on Haytham's eighth birthday, the Kenway family was walking home from a trip to on Chesterfield Street, when the group was attacked by a mugger. Reginald Birch, an associate of Edward's who also accompanied them, threatened to kill the man, whose attempt to rob Tessa of her necklace had failed. However, he was dissuaded by Edward, who was infuriated at Reginald's harsh vigilantism. When the family returned home that night, Edward asked his son whether he thought that the thief should have been allowed to go free. Haytham replied that he had initially held feelings to enact revenge, but would have offered the man clemency; Edward then presented Haytham with a steel short sword.

During one of Birch's visits, the two men engaged in a loud argument some time after Reginald had Haytham unknowingly reveal the location of Edward's most prized and hidden possessions. This argument ended with Birch storming out of the office.

On 3 December 1735, the Kenway household was infiltrated by masked men, who kidnapped his daughter, Jenny, and killed several of the servants. After making sure that his wife and son were safe, he raced to the games room and was confronted by two of the intruders; after a prolonged fight, the men managed to kill the Assassin, with one of them impaling Edward through the chest with his sword.

Personality and characteristics
Edward Kenway was initially a greedy, albeit brave individual who was so infatuated with gold and greatness that he divorced his first wife to become a privateer in the British Navy, scouring the Caribbean to seek his fortune. After the Treaty of Utrecht effectively made all privateers redundant, many turned to a life of piracy; Edward was one of them. He quickly became feared for his skill at the helm of a ship and his combat prowess, with even the great Blackbeard respecting his ability.

However, once he joined the Assassin Brotherhood, Edward had many conflicts between his position as a pirate on a quest for treasure and infamy, and a dedicated Assassin, sworn to his duty.

Trivia

 * Edward was the first member of the Kenway family to join the Assassins.
 * Edward once took his son, Haytham, to  at the Theatre Royal in London.
 * During his time as a privateer, Edward has been shown to have had at least four flintlock pistols and two swords on him at one given time
 * In addition, Edward was the first character shown to dual-wield swords.
 * Edward's flintlock pistols had sea serpent or mythical dragons engraved onto their handles.
 * As well as this, on the inside of his Hidden Blade, there is shown to be a small skull, referencing the fact that he was both a pirate and a Assassin.
 * "Edward" means "rich guard", derived from the Old English elements ead "rich, blessed" and weard "guard."
 * "Kenway" is an Old English name meaning "brave royal fighter."
 * Unlike many known Assassins, Edward did not wear a beaked hood.
 * In Assassin's Creed: Forsaken, Edward is described as having dark hair, though he has been shown to have blonde hair in trailers for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.
 * Edward has been shown to bear multiple facial scars: one through his right eyebrow and the corner of his eye, another across the bridge of his nose, and a third from his right ear through his cheek.
 * However, unlike other Assassins such as Desmond Miles, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze and Aveline de Grandpré, Edward did not possess a scar across his lip, much like his son, Haytham, and his grandson, Ratonhnhaké:ton, who too did not possess scars on their lips.