Lucy Thorne

"You are so short-sighted. You'd hoard power and never use it, when we would better the condition of humanity."

- Lucy to Evie, 1868.

Lucy Thorne (1837 – 1868) was a British Templar and the second-in-command of Grand Master Crawford Starrick. Operating out of London, she was the Order's resident expert in the occult, dedicating her time to studying and locating Pieces of Eden.

In 1868, Lucy began looking for a Shroud of Eden. As a result, she frequently came into conflict with the Assassin Evie Frye, who also hoped to acquire the artifact in an effort to keep it out of Templar hands.

Early life
Born to a successful tea merchant and the daughter of a minor noble house, Lucy grew up in a middle-class home. A clever child, she received an education that should have ensured a successful marriage when she was older. Instead, the young Lucy immersed herself in books, particularly those that dealt with obscure religious knowledge, magic and occult philosophy.

During her teenage years, her father's business began to struggle financially, with much of the money going towards paying off debts. Although Lucy was encouraged to find a husband who could provide for her, she instead chose to work in her father's shop and gradually took on more of the management.

In her spare time, Lucy continued researching occult objects such as the Shroud of Turin and began collecting rare manuscripts, frequently overspending at auctions to acquire them. At one such event, she outbid Crawford Starrick, who later tracked her down and attempted to buy the rare papers in her possession. Lucy refused his offer, but her enthusiasm for them convinced Starrick to introduce her to the Templar Order.

Brewster's Apple
"I will return tomorrow. If you have not unlocked the device's secrets, forget your dogs and horses. I will leave you to the wolves. Good day."

- Lucy to Brewster, 1868.

In serving the Order, Lucy proved her worth and became Starrick's second-in-command, as well as the local specialist when it came to the Pieces of Eden. In 1868, she traveled to Croydon to speak with David Brewster, who was experimenting on an Apple of Eden in an effort to activate it.

Pointing out that his abduction of workers would alert the authorities sooner or later, Lucy threatened him to achieve results quickly or face the consequences, following which she departed. The artifact was destroyed in a lab explosion shortly thereafter, as a consequence of Brewster having pumped too much electricity into the Piece of Eden; however, Lucy had already set her sights on a new Precursor relic.

The Shroud
Back in London, Lucy focused her efforts on the Shroud of Eden, an artifact that was supposedly hidden somewhere in the city. To determine its whereabouts, she had a collection of Assassin documents shipped to her and personally went down to the docks in the City of London borough to oversee its transportation. However, when Lucy briefly left the carriage with the documents unattended to deal with some administration, Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye drove off with it.

Lucy's men relentlessly pursued the Frye twins, eventually forcing the two Assassins to abandon the carriage and escape. Though most of the documents in the crate had been left untouched, a notebook had been taken, much to Lucy's consternation. She later returned to her study in the Kenway Mansion, which she used as an office of sorts.

Unbeknownst to Lucy, Evie and Henry Green had been led to the Kenway Mansion as well, having followed the clues in the stolen notebook. They infiltrated the manor and discovered a hidden passage below the piano room; however, the mechanism involved music, which alerted a nearby Templar. Lucy was subsequently informed of the Assassins' presence, but arrived too late to stop them from blocking the passage. While she angrily attempted to break into the secret chamber, Evie and Henry made their escape.

Undeterred by the setback, Lucy continued her research into the Shroud and later joined Starrick while he was meeting with Philip Twopenny and the Earl of Cardigan. The banker and the politician expressed their frustration at John Elliotson's assassination, but Starrick dismissed their worries. Lucy assured him she was nearing the end of her investigation into the artifact, before boasting that both Jacob and Evie would be dealt with in the near future.

Later, Lucy followed a lead to the very top of St. Paul's Cathedral, but found that Evie had beaten her to it and acquired a necklace with a key to the vault that contained the Shroud. After chiding the Assassin for her Order's refusal to utilize the power of the Pieces of Eden, Lucy took out a dagger and attacked Evie. However, her strikes were repeatedly blocked by Evie, who managed to push Lucy back.

Hurling a smoke bomb at her opponent to disorient her, Lucy continued her onslaught, rapidly slashing at Evie, but was eventually disarmed. In a last desperate attempt, she charged at the Assassin. Although Evie side-stepped Lucy's attack, the Templar managed to grab onto the necklace as she crashed through a pane of stained glass.

Hanging onto the chain, Lucy attempted to drag her nemesis down with her, but Evie sliced through the chain to prevent herself from being impaled on jagged glass. As a result, Lucy plummeted down to the balcony below and, while the Assassin was regaining her bearings, fled the cathedral with the necklace.

When fellow Templar Pearl Attaway was later assassinated, Lucy mourned with Starrick and promised him she would seek vengeance against the Frye twins for her death. The Grand Master complied, though he stipulated she could not do it openly, and then told her to increase the Templar presence throughout the city.

Death
"So, you have murdered me after all. But what good will that do you? The Shroud isn't here."

- Lucy during her final moments, 1868. Finding evidence that led her to believe the Shroud was located in a casket at the Tower of London, Lucy forced her way into the fortress, imprisoned the local constable and replaced several Royal Guards with men of her own. With these precautions in place, she and her men began scouring the Tower for the artifact, but could not find anything. While she was searching St. John's Chapel, Lucy was informed that Evie had been captured by one of the guards.

Welcoming her nemesis into the chapel, Lucy questioned Evie on the Shroud's location, but received no answer, prompting her to turn her back on the Assassin and return her attention to the books on the altar. At this, Evie leapt forward, brandishing her cane-sword. Lucy grabbed a nearby candlestick in an attempt to defend herself, but Evie dodged the strike and assassinated the Templar by plunging her sword into her enemy's shoulder, piercing her lung.

In her final moments, Lucy berated Evie for her ignorance, claiming the Templars would have used the Shroud to "better the condition of humanity". The Assassin pressed her for more information on the Shroud, but Lucy refused, taking whatever knowledge she possessed to her grave.

Trivia

 * Of the unique kills that Evie and Jacob can perform on their targets, Lucy's is the only one where the target does not die by Hidden Blade; she is instead assassinated with Evie's cane-sword.
 * Lucy possessed a small scar on her upper lip, similar to Aveline de Grandpré.
 * Lucy is the feminine form of Lucius, a name that is ultimately derived from the Latin lux, meaning "light". Thorne is a surname of English origins, originally referring to a thorn bush.