Aguilar de Nerha

Aguilar de Nerha (1455 – 1526) was a Master Assassin of the Spanish Brotherhood of Assassins during the 15th and 16th centuries. He is an ancestor of Callum Lynch, who relived his genetic memories in the year 2016, through the maternal line.

Early years
Aguilar de Nerha was born in 1455 to two members of the Assassin Order. Despite this, Aguilar did not officially join with the Spanish Assassins until after his parents were burned at the stake as part of Tomás de Torquemada's Spanish Inquisition.

Aguilar was trained by Mentor Benedicto before being formally inducted into the Order in 1492. As part of the ceremony, he had his ring-finger amputated as was traditional among the Assassins of old. During his training, Aguilar also grew close with his sparring partner, Maria, and the two began a romantic relationship.

Rescuing the Prince
Aguilar's first mission was to ensure the safety of Prince Ahmed of Granada, the son of Sultan Muhammad XII of Granada, whom the Templars were searching for in order to ransom him against the Apple of Eden they knew to be in the Sultan's possession. Together with Maria, Benedicto, and a number of other Assassins, Aguilar ambushed a Templar force led by Ojeda - Torquemada's top enforcer - in a small Andalusian village where the Prince had been hiding.

Despite the Assassins being outnumbered and eventually overpowered, both Aguilar and Maria managed to escape the village with the Prince, though they were quickly pursued by Ojeda and a number of his soldiers. The pursuit lasted some time, but eventually Aguilar was cornered and imprisoned by the Templars.

Escape through Seville
Following their arrest, the surviving Assassins were transported to Seville, where they were denounced as heretics and sentenced to burn at the stake by Torquemada. In the presence of the king of Aragon and queen of Castille, Aguilar watched as Ojeda lit the pyre beneath Benedicto’s feet, burning him alive. Despite this however, Aguilar was able to escape his bonds and engaged the Templars as they closed in. He eventually managed to also free Maria and together, the two Assassins made their escape through the streets of Seville.

Once more pursued by Ojeda and his soldiers, this time across the rooftops of the city, the Assassins made their way to Seville Cathedral, which was under construction at the time. They managed to eliminate several of their Templar pursuers in the process, before finally making their escape by climbing the cathedral’s scaffolding and performing a Leap of Faith into the streets below.

Retrieving the Apple
On 2 January 1492, at the urging of the Italian Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze - who also happened to be in Spain at the time - Muhammad XII surrendered his capital, Granada, to Torquemada's forces. As the Templars entered the city both Aguilar and Maria made their way to the Sultan's palace, where they stood watch as the Sultan reluctantly handed over the Apple in exchange for his son's safety, before they made their move.

Dropping smoke bombs into the room, both Assassins quickly eliminated many of the Templars, before Aguilar captured Torquemada and claimed the Apple. Unfortunately for the Assassin however, Ojeda had managed to apprehend Aguilar’s lover, Maria. Ojeda promised to release his captive once Aguilar returned the Apple to Torquemada; Aguilar reluctantly agreed, but before he could act, he witnessed Maria take her own life with Ojeda's blade to prevent him from betraying the Creed to save her life.

Enraged by her death, Aguilar engaged Ojeda in combat but was gradually overcome by his opponent's sheer strength. It was only after he had been knocked to the ground that Aguilar managed to gain the upper hand, using Maria’s launchable Hidden Blade to attack Ojeda and render him defenseless to Aguilar's strikes. With Ojeda dead, a heavily wounded Aguilar was forced to make his escape through the tunnels beneath the palace as Torquemada opened the locked door of the room to the rest of his men.

Aguilar was eventually surrounded on one of the bridges leading from the city, but once more escaped by performing a Leap of Faith into the river far below.

Securing the Apple and later years
Following the events in Granada, Aguilar realized that the Apple would never be safe from the Templars if it remained in his possession. He made his way to Cadiz, where he charged Christopher Columbus, an ally of the Assassins in Spain, with protecting it.

Aguilar continued to serve the Assassins, eventually gaining the rank of Master Assassin. He later died in 1526.

Personality and characteristics
Aguilar was a firm, driven and committed member of the Assassin Brotherhood, dedicated to preserving free will and fighting against the Knights Templar. He also possessed a deep understanding of the political climate in 15th century Spain and knew Tomás de Torquemada and the Spanish Inquisition had to be stopped.

Equipment and skills
As a Master Assassin, Aguilar was extensively trained in the methods of stealth, combat, swordsmanship, observation and pickpocketing. Through the years, he gradually rose through the ranks and became a notable member of the brotherhood alongside Maria whom together the pair proved to be a skilled team.

A capable combatant, Aguilar was able to engage multiple opponents simultaneously in both armed and unarmed combat, and thus was able to wield a range of weapons including swords and spears with great skill. Aguilar also proved to be a skilled marksman as he was able to utilise a bow with great precision and accuracy.

A skilled Freerunner, Aguilar was able to scale the tall buildings with relative ease, his agile speed and dexterity allowed him to transverse through the streets and rooftops of 15th century Spain.

In terms of equipment, he primarily wielded dual Hidden Blade which one was equuiped with a rope launcher which allowed him to grapple onto high-distanced areas. Additionaly he possessed throwing knives and smoke bombs.

Aguilar wore robes bearing Moorish influence and wielded two, of which at least one appeared to be equipped with a mechanism similar to the rope launcher used by Jacob and Evie Frye.

Trivia

 * Aguilar, and his modern day descendant, Callum Lynch, are both portrayed by Michael Fassbender in the Assassin's Creed motion picture.
 * "Aguilar" is a Spanish surname meaning "relative to eagles". "De Nerha" is potentially a misspelled form of "De Nerja", which means "From Nerja", with being an Andalousian city.

Appearances

 * Assassin's Creed: The Movie (First appearance)
 * Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization