American Brotherhood of Assassins

The Colonial Assassins were the Brotherhood of Assassins located in the British colonies of North America, which later became the United States. They were based at the Davenport Homestead in Massachusetts.

During the American Revolutionary War, the Assassins largely supported the colonies' bid for independence and helped them win many battles, though they were not beholden to them, assassinating Templars in the Continental Army or preventing casualties in the British Army.

Early history
Not much is known about how or when the Brotherhood was formed. Sometime between 1501 and 1503, the Italian Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze sent a group of Assassins to find a map to the New World, and they decided to establish a presence in the colonies before the Templars did.

Establishment
Around 1740, the Mentor of the Caribbean Assassins, Ah Tabai, sent his student Achilles Davenport to establish a Brotherhood in the North American colonies. There, Achilles met John de la Tour, an Acadian Assassin operating on behalf of the French Assassin Council. De la Tour was attempting to build a network of information which would help identify threats against the colonies. De la Tour theorized that the New World would contain various Precursor sites and artifacts.

During the Battle of Louisbourg in 1745, de la Tour sacrificed himself to save Achilles from the attacking British troops. Before Achilles left, de la Tour appointed him Mentor of the Colonial Brotherhood. Under Achilles' direction, the Davenport Homestead was built, serving as the headquarters of the Brotherhood. By this point, the Brotherhood had gained allies in the English and French empires as well as the indigenous tribes. Achilles maintained correspondence with other Assassin guilds across the colonies and the globe, including the British, Caribbean, French and Haitian brotherhoods.

By 1746, the Brotherhood strengthened in their ranks with the recruitment of several colonists, especially Liam O'Brien, who became Achilles' first student and protégé. With his help, Achilles managed to induct several prominent members into the Brotherhood. Among the first was Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye, a French naval commander who had strong connections with the French Army. Through Chevalier, the Assassins gained allies among smugglers as well as pirates. Le Chasseur, an informative spy, became acquainted with the Brotherhood at this point, lending his aid in their efforts.

Another recruit was Kesegowaase, a native mercenary whose influence aided the Assassins in gaining several warriors, hunters and scouts into the Brotherhood, further strengthening their forces. Hope Jensen was recruited in 1747 and tasked with creating a network of organized crime in New York, nearly controlling most districts in the city. By 1748, Shay Cormac, a former sailor, was inducted for his knowledge of seamanship, and in time became renowned as the second best sailor in the Colonial Brotherhood. Later that year, Achilles extended an invitation to join the Order to Maria van Antwerpen, however, she declined due to her commitment to serving the Dutch Army.

The Colonial Brotherhood was aided by the French Council, who by 1749, had constructed a ship named the Aquila which was primarily meant to serve as the Assassins' naval fleet. Around 1750, Achilles served as captain of the Aquila, during which he subsequently rescued Robert Faulkner, a veteran sailor; grateful for his help, Faulkner offered his services in creating a shipping route which would connect the Colonial Brotherhood with the European branches of the Order, with the aid of Chevalier. By 1753, Faulkner was appointed quartermaster of the Aquila.

In 1751, Miko, a member of the British branch of the Order, wrote a letter to Achilles, in which he stated his approval of the Colonial Brotherhood, while simultaneously giving Achilles a warning of the threat the British Rite of the Templar Order posed to the American colonies.

Precursor search
The same year, François Mackandal, Mentor of the Haitian Brotherhood, came into possession of two First Civilization artifacts, the Precursor box and manuscript. With both artifacts in hand, the Assassins were able to pinpoint the locations of several First Civilization temples, including one in Port-au-Prince. Vendredi, one of Mackandal's students, was sent to investigate the site, but indirectly triggered a defense system, which caused a massive earthquake to occur. Vendredi himself was caught under a falling debris while attempting to escape the temple, and approached by the Master Templar, Lawrence Washington, who took possession of the artifacts and slit Vendredi's throat.

With both artifacts in the Templars' possession, the Assassins worked to reclaim them. In 1752, Achilles assigned his Assassins to locate them. In the same year, Shay and Liam had been assigned a mission to aid Chevalier and his men. However, the group was ambushed by British soldiers, with some smugglers being taken as hostages. While Chevalier tended to his troops, Liam and Shay infiltrated the enemy camp, saving the hostages. With the threat dealt with, the Assassins gained a ship called the Morrigan, which Shay commandeered as his personal vessel, strengthening the Assassins' naval capabilities.

In March 1752, Achilles assigned Shay to locate the artifacts stolen by the Templars. As Shay, Liam, and Chevalier met with Le Chasseur, they've learned Lawrence Washington was supposedly in possession of them. The Assassins traveled to Mount Vernon to intercept a package meant for Washington, which contained a prototype air rifle, rather than First Civilization artifacts. Shay claimed the weapon and subsequently infiltrated Washington's manor, just as the Precursor box and Voynich Manuscript were entrusted to the Templars Samuel Smith and James Wardrop. Following the meeting, Shay assassinated Washington and escaped.

In 1754, the Assassins hired a group of mercenaries to steal a chest owned by the Templar William Johnson, containing his research on the First Civilization sites in the region. A group of Templars led by the newly arrived Haytham Kenway attacked the fort where the research was being held and recovered it. Before departing, Haytham warned a surviving mercenary to inform his masters their time was over.

By May of that year, the Assassins located Samuel Smith after his return from Europe, tracking him down and pursuing his ship, the Equitas, to the island of Terra Nova. Heading ashore, Shay manged to assassinate Smith and reclaim the Precursor box. Two months later, James Wardrop had been located in Albany during the Congress taking place there, and was assassinated in Fort Frederick. Following his death, the Assassins recovered the manuscript, and enlisted the help of Benjamin Franklin in order to figure out how to operate the Precursor box. After recovering Franklin's confiscated tools, Shay and Hope helped him to conduct an, which powered the Precursor box and caused it to project a holographic display of the globe with several First Civilization temples marked on it, including one in Lisbon, Portugal.

The following year, Achilles lost his wife Abigail and son Connor to typhoid fever, weakening his resolve. In 1755 The Assassins devised their next move at Two Bends Achilled tasked Shay Cormac to travel to Lisbon where the first Precursor site was located.

Decline
In 1763, the Templars launched an attack on the Assassins in the colonies and the Brotherhood was all but destroyed. All members of the chapter were hunted down and killed, except for Achilles, who was captured and tried by the Templars. However, confident that they had broken his spirit, the Templars set Achilles free on the condition that he abandon the Assassins' cause and live quietly in his manor. Five years later, the Templars destroyed the Aquila, and first mate Robert Faulkner had the ship towed into the Homestead's bay.

Revival
In 1769, the Kanien'kehá:ka boy Ratonhnhaké:ton was directed by Juno to join the Assassins. He convinced Achilles to begin training him after preventing mercenaries from seizing the Davenport Manor, and after a year of training – including how to captain the Aquila with Faulkner as his first mate – Ratonhnhaké:ton joined the Brotherhood. He also invited civilians like Godfrey, Terry and Lance O'Donnell to live and work on the Homestead, providing materials and crafting equipment he would need.

By 1773, Ratonhnhaké:ton, who had adopted a name of Connor upon Achilles' suggestion, began to recruit locals and immigrants into the Order, starting with Stephane Chapheau – a chef from Boston during the time that William Johnson had his men exorbitantly tax the people of the city. Both Chapheau and Connor participated in the Boston Tea Party, where they deprived the Colonial Templars of certain funding.

He also recruited Duncan Little and Clipper Wilkinson, after helping them respectively stop a gang terrorizing North Boston and forceful military drafters. Following this, Connor sent his men to stir up rebellion in other colonies, staging tea parties in New Jersey and Maryland.

American Revolution
In 1775, with the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, the Assassins primarily sided with the Patriots. Initially, they aided in the capture of Fort St-Jean, but soon recognized the people of Quebec did not want independence and worked to prevent the misguided generals Richard Montgomery and William Thompson from conquering Canada. The Assassins also worked to relieve Boston during the city's, providing food and protection for civilians while helping Henry Knox transport artillery to , ending the British occupation of the city.

The Assassins also came to New York City when Connor was being executed on false charges for a plot to kill George Washington. One of the Assassins fired an arrow, helping to sever the noose, which later allowed Connor to escape and assassinate Thomas Hickey. Afterwards, the city fell to the British despite the Assassins' help in winning the.

Around this time, Connor visited and aided Jacob Zenger in ending martial law, and stopped a conspiracy to spread in the area damaged by the Great Fire with Jamie Colley, further assisting Deborah Carter in ridding the countryside of a Templar merchant hoarding food supplies to later sell them at inflated prices; as a result, the Brotherhood was strengthened greatly by these three recruits.

In 1778, Connor broke ties with Washington after learning that he ordered an attack on Connor's village, and a few days later, the Assassins killed George Dorrance after learning he was responsible for displacing several Iroquois villages. Regardless, the Assassins continued to aid the Patriots as the war shifted to southern colonies like North Carolina and Georgia. They became particularly wary of a dangerous cavalry officer named Banastre Tarleton, and did everything they could to protect American officers who risked engaging him in battle.

The Assassins also remained active up north. Connor aided the French Navy in the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781, allowing him to enlist their help in the attack on Fort George in New York: Stephane, Deborah, Duncan and Jacob came to aid the Marquis de Lafayette in clearing the tunnels to the fort where Charles Lee was hiding. They were also sent to, where they infiltrated and sabotaged British fortifications to ensure a relatively quick surrender with limited casualties.

The following year, Connor assassinated Charles Lee, who had been attempting to build his own army to surprise the Founding Fathers in the wake of the armistice.

Post-American Revolution
After the resolution of the American Revolutionary War, Connor shifted his efforts towards strengthening the Colonial Brotherhood, in order to bolster the Assassins' presence of the newly liberated colonies.

With this in mind, Connor attempted to recruit Patience Gibbs into the Assassin Order, a marooned slave leader who escaped from her former master, the Templar doctor Edmund Judge. However, Patience's stubborn attitude proved too difficult for Connor to handle, to which he later asked his fellow Brother Aveline de Grandpré from New Orleans to assist, due to her familiarity with and reputation for liberating slaves.

While an arduous process in of itself, Aveline succeeded in this affair, leading to the assassination of Judge and Patience's agreement to join the Assassin Brotherhood, following which the pair traveled to Connor's manor on the Davenport Homestead.

Members

 * Deborah Carter
 * Stephane Chapheau
 * Jamie Colley
 * Shay Cormac
 * Michael Crawley
 * Achilles Davenport
 * Robert Faulkner
 * Caleb Garret
 * Patience Gibbs
 * Hope Jensen
 * Joe
 * Kesegowaase
 * Duncan Little
 * Liam O'Brien
 * Ratonhnhaké:ton
 * William de Saint-Prix
 * Benjamin Tallmadge, Sr.
 * John de la Tour
 * Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye
 * Clipper Wilkinson
 * Jacob Zenger

Allies:
 * Adéwalé
 * Alsoomse
 * Atasá:ta
 * Samuel Adams
 * Pierre Bellec
 * Gérald Blanc
 * Emily Burke
 * Le Chasseur
 * Aveline de Grandpré
 * Kaniehtí:io
 * Henry Knox
 * Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
 * Fillan McCarthy
 * Duncan McGill
 * John O'Brien
 * Israel Putnam
 * Benjamin Tallmadge, Jr.
 * James Mitchell Varnum
 * Gaspar Velasquez
 * George Washington
 * Otho Williams