Adéwalé

"To fight beside a man so driven by personal gain and glory is a hard thing, Edward. And I have come to feel the Assassins - and their creed - a more honourable course."

- Adéwalé to Edward Kenway, 1721.

Adéwalé (1692 – 1758) was a former slave-turned-pirate from Trinidad, and later a member of the Assassin Order. He was the father of Babatunde Josèphe, grandfather of Eseosa, and is an ancestor to Milton Jones.

During the early 18th century, Adéwalé served as Edward Kenway's quartermaster aboard the Jackdaw before eventually assuming the captaincy of his own vessel, the Victoire, and later the Experto Crede in 1735. That year, he briefly set aside his duties as an Assassin in order to aid the Maroon rebellion in Saint Domingue.

Early life and meeting Edward Kenway
"I was born in Trinidad, a slave from my first breath."

- Adéwalé to Edward Kenway, on his early life, 1717

Born into slavery on Trinidad, Adéwalé recognized the oppression visited upon those who worked the sugar plantations, and frequently dwelt on means of achieving his freedom. However, the life of a fugitive slave was difficult and perilous, and Adéwalé was anxious about committing to such an existence.

However, a unique opportunity for escape presented itself in 1708, when pirates arrived at the plantation where Adéwalé worked and raided the storehouse. Killing his master and grabbing a crate of sugar, Adéwalé joined the pirates in their pillaging; while initially surprised at his presence, the pirates were nonetheless pleased to have his help, and welcomed him among their number. For several years Adéwalé continued to sail with this crew, learning the skills of a proper pirate and seafarer. However, in 1715, the ship ran aground off the coast of Havana and he was captured by Spanish authorities.

Due to Adéwalé being fluent in English, French and Spanish, his captors eventually decided to send him to Spain to be an interpreter, and had him imprisoned aboard a ship in the Spanish Treasure Fleet for passage. Adéwalé found himself chained alongside the pirate Edward Kenway, who was also destined for Spain. Together, the two broke free of their bonds and, after incapacitating a number of guards, procured themselves a ship, in the process freeing a number of likewise captured pirates.

Adéwalé chose a relatively small brig named El Dorado to make their escape, which was made all the more difficult by a sudden, powerful storm that struck the fleet. Ultimately, they managed to escape, while the remaining eleven ships in the fleet sank to the bottom of the sea.

Life of piracy
With a ship in their possession, which Edward renamed the Jackdaw, the two pirates decided to head to Nassau, a town that played host to a large number of their kind. Upon the pair's arrival, Adéwalé met with the pirates Benjamin Hornigold, Edward Thatch and James Kidd, before returning to the ship in order to organize the crew his captain recruited.

During his time on the Jackdaw, Adéwalé served Edward diligently, ensuring the ship was in a seaworthy condition, keeping the crew organized and, wherever possible, pointing out locations and ships of interest. However, he became disillusioned with his captain's behavior over time, as Edward was more interested in the pursuit of spoils than in the democratic ideals of the Pirate Republic. Adéwalé was also distrustful of Bartholomew Roberts, whom Edward began interacting with regularly in his search for the legendary Observatory.

In 1719, after four years as the Jackdaw’s quartermaster, Adéwalé accompanied Edward on a voyage to Long Bay, Jamaica led by Roberts, who claimed it was the location of the Observatory. While Edward and Roberts took to land, Roberts' crew attacked the Jackdaw and attempted to overtake her. Adéwalé took control of the ship and sailed her to safety, regretful for abandoning his captain, but believing he made the right choice.

Joining the Assassins
Adéwalé had first encountered the Assassins in 1716, when Edward visited the Assassin headquarters in Tulum on the request of James Kidd. He saw in them a kind who fought for something greater than themselves, which he greatly respected.

It was only in 1719 that Adéwalé returned to Tulum and requested a meeting with the Mentor of the Caribbean Assassins, Ah Tabai. After speaking with the Mentor about the nature of the Assassin Order, Adéwalé began to believe it to be a calling that suited him. He then joined the Assassins, becoming a student to Ah Tabai, and began searching for the whereabouts of his old captain.

Several months later, word reached Tulum that Edward had been imprisoned in Port Royal, along with Mary Read and Anne Bonny. Adéwalé helped Ah Tabai to plot their rescue; while Mary died inside the prison, Ah Tabai was able to rescue both Edward and Anne. Adéwalé then traveled to Kingston to hand control of the Jackdaw back to Edward, and push his former captain onto a new path. From there, Adéwalé returned to Tulum.

Not long after his arrival, he was once again joined by Edward, who had elected to entertain the possibility that he could better himself as a member of the Assassins. Together, the two pirates fought alongside Ah Tabai and his Assassins to repel the latest Templar attack.

Two years later, Adéwalé traveled with Ah Tabai to the Observatory, where Edward had journeyed in order to eliminate the Templar Grand Master, Laureano de Torres y Ayala. Upon their arrival, they found Laureano dead, and Edward standing before the Observatory's armillary sphere, with the Crystal Skull that powered the device in hand.

Sometime later, Adéwalé, Ah Tabai, Anne, and Edward met once again on Great Inagua. There, Adéwalé informed Edward that one of his previous targets, Woodes Rogers, had survived the attempt on his life and returned to England. Before his own departure to England, Edward granted the Assassins full access to the manor on the island, as compensation for exposing the location of the Assassin camp in Tulum to the Templars.

Crash on Saint-Domingue
Throughout the years, Adéwalé became a skilled and feared seafaring Assassin. In 1735, Adéwalé was captain of the brig Victoire. He was tasked with eliminating a French admiral and Templar, whose ship was passing by Saint-Domingue. The Victoire engaged the French galleon and disabled it. Boarding the ship, Adéwalé assassinated the admiral and obtained a parcel meant for Bastienne Josèphe, which contained an artifact known as the Precursor box. Shortly thereafter, the Victoire was surrounded by a French fleet and forced to flee through an approaching storm in order to escape.

Despite her crew escaping in time, the Victoire was wrecked and Adéwalé found himself washed ashore near the town of Port-au-Prince. It was here that he found himself confronted once again with the realities of the slave trade, which was increasingly prevalent in the French colony.

Within moments of waking, Adéwalé was forced to save a fleeing slave from her pursuing overseer, cutting him down with a machete found on the beach. Saved, the woman told Adéwalé where he could find Bastienne, the Madame of a local brothel, the La Dame en Rose. Upon locating her, Adéwalé was reluctant to hand over the Templar parcel, and so she directed him to find Augustin Dieufort, who could be found by speaking with her contact on a nearby plantation.

Locating the contact, Adéwalé was directed to the headquarters of the Maroon rebellion; upon his arrival, he found the resistance fighters being cut down by a contingent of overseers who had managed to locate them. Adéwalé killed the overseers and managed to prevent any from escaping with knowledge of the hideout's location. Dieufort then offered the Assassin new equipment and upgrades in exchange for helping liberate any slaves he could before returning to the Brotherhood.

Supporting the Maroon rebellion
With the aid of a number of recently freed slaves, Dieufort convinced Adéwalé to capture a docked slave ship, the Experto Crede, in order to free the slaves held beneath its deck en-masse. After completing the task, Adéwalé claimed the ship as his own, after which he agreed to train Dieufort, his new quartermaster, in the ways of navigation and sailing so that he might captain the ship following Adéwalé's departure.

Returning to Bastienne, Adéwalé was tasked with infiltrating Governor Pierre de Fayet's mansion, in order find out why the governor had recently become so strict in his enforcement of the Code Noir. Infiltrating the manor's grounds disguised as a slave, Adéwalé discovered that the governor had hired a scientist named Louis Godin to map the circumference of the Earth, so as to provide the French with accurate geographical knowledge far surpassing that of its national rivals.

Adéwalé was intrigued; as a sailor, the knowledge of navigation fascinated him, and he knew well that if the Assassins possessed such information, they would hold a significant advantage over their Templar rivals. Bastienne, however, was disgruntled with what little Adéwalé had learned about the expedition, and dismissed him.

Eventually, Bastienne's anger subsided. In order to help the Maroon and fulfill her promise to Augustin, she supplied a forged manifest listing the names of three literate slaves, with which the expedition needed to take notes. Adéwalé swapped the manifest and saw the French merchant ship, the Vautour, off from port. He quickly noticed the waiting pirate fleet however, and was forced to defend the expedition ship from them.

Pursuit of the slave ship
Two years after Adéwalé's arrival, the French were in a panic over the increasingly strong Maroon resistance, and the number of slaves being liberated by them. The French began to impose stricter curfews, as well as harsher and more frequent punishments. Adéwalé considered this a small price to pay, however, for the ultimate goal of Maroon independence. Angry, he left Port-au-Prince and set to sea in order to liberate another slave ship. This time however, the ship's French escort opened fire on her, disabling the ship and forcing her into a slow sink.

Adéwalé went aboard the severely damaged ship and rescued as many slaves as he could. Eventually, the ship sank with Adéwalé still below deck, and he was forced to swim and climb his way through the vertical ship in order to escape.

On nearby Cumberland Bay, Adéwalé joined Augustin and Bastienne in burying those slaves that had not escaped the vessel's sinking. Adéwalé vowed to kill de Fayet, claiming his Creed demanded it, and that it would give an entire generation of warriors hope.

Assassination of de Fayet
In 1737, Adéwalé located the French governor on the grounds of his manor, torturing slaves in order to locate the Maroon hideout and the man freeing the slaves - Adéwalé. As he approached, Adéwalé was spotted and the governor fled through town.

Despite the overwhelming number of French soldiers and overseers in pursuit, Adéwalé eventually caught up with the governor and killed him with the very branding iron he had previously used to torture his slaves.

With de Fayet dead, Adéwalé was forced to leave Port-au-Prince, since remaining would call both his own safety and the safety of the Maroons into question. Before leaving, he said goodbye to Bastienne and finally gave her the package. He decided he must devote his energy to those who struggle for freedom, using his conviction in his Creed to defend them along with anyone who helped him.

Later life
"I feel a tide changing within me. I am no longer young. I must devote my energy to those who struggle for freedom. I will use my conviction in my Creed to defend them, alongside anyone who will help me."

- Adéwalé to Bastienne, 1737.

During his time in Port-au-Prince in 1737, Adéwalé shared a night of passion with Bastienne; she became pregnant and eventually bore a son. Adéwalé continued to serve the Assassin Order and, at some point, was assigned on a mission alongside Liam O'Brien, whom the latter came to respect greatly. Adéwalé returned to Port-au-Prince to offer aid following an earthquake in 1751. There he met his son, Babatunde, and thereafter took him to join the Brotherhood.

Discovering that Master Templar Lawrence Washington had stolen the Precursor box and Manuscript from the Haitian Assassin Mentor François Mackandal, Adéwalé sailed after him at sea. After reaching New York, he lost the Templars' trail. In 1752, at the suggestion of his son, he visited Achilles, Mentor of the Colonial Brotherhood of Assassins and another of Ah Tabai's former students. While there, he collected supplies for survivors of the Port-au-Prince earthquake, and warned Achilles that the Precursor box had been stolen by the Templars.

At the onset of the Seven Years' War, Adéwalé lent his support to the Assassins' French allies, launching several campaigns against the Royal Navy. During the Battle of Louisbourg, Adéwalé attempted to destroy British reinforcements with fireships, but the HMS Pembroke was able to destroy them, forcing Adéwalé to retreat. However, his actions at Louisbourg had made him a target of the Templars.

Death
Later that year, the Experto Crede engaged a Templar ship, the Morrigan, near Vieille Carrière. Outmaneuvered, Adéwalé was forced to beach his ship to save his crew. Preparing for a final stand, Adéwalé was confronted by Edward Kenway's son and Grand Master of the Colonial Templars, Haytham, along with the Assassin-turned-Templar Shay Cormac.

Adéwalé and Haytham had a brief exchange over Edward, and that he would be ashamed in Haytham for being a Templar. However, this distracted Adéwalé, allowing Shay to get close to the Assassin and engage him in battle. Fatally wounded during the ensuing struggle, Adéwalé told Shay that his death would do little to stop Achilles, who had found the means to locate the First Civilization sites. Before succumbing to his wounds, Adéwalé lamented how far Shay had fallen to serving the Templars, declaring him a monster. Shay lamented that the claim may have been true.

Babatunde himself had a child named Eseosa in 1757, who also joined the Assassins and became an influential participant of the Haitian Revolution.

Personality and characteristics
"Once again I almost felt overpowered with admiration for him."

- Edward Kenway, regarding Adéwalé.

Born in a life of slavery, Adéwalé was a stern and hardened individual. Unlike his captain, Adéwalé was more serious and less brash, acting as the voice of reason to Edward's grandiose ambitions. Nonetheless, he had a small sense of humor, as shown when he jokingly called the Observatory 'Captain Kenway's folly', due to Edward's selfish actions to seek the precursor site. He was also a humble individual, deciding to have Edward captain the Jackdaw, despite Edward's inexperience as a captain.

Though Adéwalé had chosen a life of piracy, he found that when serving under Edward, he lacked the conviction to partake in an industry of dishonest work. After being introduced to the Assassins and the failure of Nassau, Adéwalé was opened up to the wisdom and nobility of the Assassins, and served them dutifully.

Due to the harsh treatment he had experienced as a slave, Adéwalé notably spoke out against it and even lost his composure. He was unwilling to cooperate with Edward once he realized he was bartering with Laurens Prins, a known slaver. Moreover, he also warned Edward not to fire at slave ships, worried about the lives below deck and was appalled at how reckless Charles Vane was, who fired blindly at the same. He also gave de Fayet a slow and painful death, when the latter disregarded the slaves as mere animals.

Despite having many disagreements with Edward over the latter's selfish actions, Adéwalé nonetheless held the captain in high regard, even towards the end of his life. He managed to convince Edward to turn to the Assassins as a way to amend his mistakes. When confronting Edward's son, Haytham, Adéwalé expressed disappointment in Haytham for becoming a Templar, and likewise mentioned that Edward would feel the same.

Equipment and skills
"You have the brand of a slave, the eloquence of a scholar... hands of a sailor... and an Assassin's hood."

- Bastienne Josèphe, 1735.

From his early years as a pirate Adéwalé acquired the skills required to survive aboard a ship, and was trained in terms of swordsmanship where he eventually became a capable swordsman and he was taught how to wield firearms.

He possessed a high knowledge of seamanship far greater than most others which helped him gain the position of Quartermaster on-board the Jackdaw, throughout the passing years he acquired skill in captaincy and proved able to pilot various ships across the Caribbean including the Victoire and Experto Crede with exceptional ease and was capable of fending off against rogue waves and storms.

Additionally, Adéwalé proved to be a capable swimmer as he was able to hold his breath for a relatively long period of time, and was capable of fending off against various hostile sea creatures during his underwater explorations

Upon joining the Caribbean Brotherhood his skills increased immensely as he was personally mentored by the legendary Ah Tabai, where he was trained in the methods of stealth, combat, swordsmanship, freerunning, eavesdropping and pickpocketing. He was able to wield a variety of weaponry including Hidden Blades, swords, pistols, throwing knives, axes, muskets, smoke bombs, rope darts and a blowpipe, he proved able to Dual-wield several combinations of these weapons with excellent proficiency.

Through his training he grew to become a skilled freerunner as he was able to transverse through cityscapes as well as climb natural elements including branches with relative ease, a skill which managed to retain in his later years.

Adéwalé proved to be a highly adept hand-to-hand combatant as he was aided by his heavy muscular build after years of vigorous training he was able to take down multiple opponents in battle with minimal effort, and could also utilize the environment to his advantage.

During his time in Saint-Domingue, Adéwalé became accustomed to using a machete and blunderbuss in combat, while he also added firecrackers to his other tools. By 1752, he opted to carry a flintlock pistol and a knife instead. In addition, Adéwalé possessed the extra-sensory ability known as Eagle Vision.

Legacy
"That's Adéwalé. He was a slave who freed himself and hundreds of his brothers in the West Indies. That man's a living incarnation of the Creed."

- Liam O'Brien describing Adéwalé to Shay Cormac, 1752.

Adéwalé had become a legendary figure among the Assassins, with his actions aiding the Caribbean and Colonial Brotherhoods during the 18th century. He also became a key participant in the Maroon rebellion, freeing several slaves and recruiting people to the Maroon cause against the French Army.

Through his grandson, Eseosa, Adéwalé is an ancestor of Milton Jones, an Abstergo Industries employee and donor of genetic material for Abstergo Entertainment.

Trivia

 * Adéwalé is a variant of the Yoruba name Adebowale, suggested to mean "crown has come home".
 * Adéwalé is the second playable character to not be related to Desmond Miles, the first being Aveline de Grandpré.
 * Even after his departure from the Jackdaw, Adéwalé can be heard exclaiming the size of captured harpooning targets as they are lifted from the sea by the ship's crane.
 * Adéwalé was originally scripted as having been born in Martinique, but this was changed to honor voice actor Tristan D. Lalla's Trinidadian heritage.