Aguilar de Nerha (1455 – 1526) was a Master Assassin and later the Mentor of the Spanish Brotherhood of Assassins during the Reconquista. He is an ancestor of the 21st century Assassin Callum Lynch through the maternal line.
Aguilar played a prominent role in the Brotherhood's fight against the Spanish Inquisition, who acted under the direction of the Templar Order. He thwarted an attempt by the Grand Inquisitor and Master Templar Tomás de Torquemada to acquire an Apple of Eden in order to bring Spain completely under Templar control, and subsequently entrusted the artifact to the Brotherhood's ally, Christoffa Corombo.
In 1498, Aguilar and his fellow Assassins also foiled Torquemada's plans to use the Shattered Staff of Eden's powers to subjugate Spain, eliminating the Grand Inquisitor in the process. After destroying the Staff to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands again, the Assassins continued their fight against the Inquisition, during which Aguilar was eventually elevated to the rank of Mentor; a position he held until his death in 1526.
Biography[]
Early life[]
- "His family were Assassins. They were burned at the stake by the Templars, Torquemada... and the black knight you saw, Ojeda."
- ―Sofia Rikkin to Callum Lynch on Aguilar's past, 2016.[src]
Aguilar was born in 1455 to two members of the Assassin Order. Despite this, Aguilar did not officially join the Spanish Brotherhood until his parents were burned at the stake by Tomás de Torquemada and his enforcer Ojeda as part of the Inquisition.[1] Even so, he was initially rejected by the Brotherhood, as they felt he was too angry and full of vengeance to properly begin training.[2]
Eventually, the Brotherhood's Mentor Benedicto and the Master Assassin María saw something in Aguilar and convinced the Brotherhood to accept him.[2] During his childhood, Aguilar was a close friend of Máximo Barrosa, whom he later recruited into the Brotherhood after his own training.[3]
Aguilar being formally inducted into the brotherhood
Aguilar was trained by Benedicto before being formally inducted into the Brotherhood in 1492. As part of the ceremony, he had his left ring finger ceremonially amputated, as was the former tradition among the Levantine Assassins[1] before reforms made it no longer a necessity.[4] During Aguilar's training, he regularly sparred with María and the two began a romantic relationship.[2]
Investigating the Templars[]
- Aguilar: "Worry not, Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I will grow our ranks and make Torquemada pay for what he's done to the people of Spain."
- Ezio: "María and I will chase leads on Borgia. You must discover Torquemada's intentions with these 'artifacts' he covets. Good luck!"
- —Aguilar and Ezio during their meeting, c. 1489.[src]-[m]
Aguilar's first mission for the Brotherhood was to spy on a meeting between Torquemada and Ojeda, during which he learned that King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile had given command of the Spanish army to the Grand Inquisitor and that the Templars were about to set a new plan in motion. Meeting with María and the Italian Assassin Ezio Auditore, who had traveled to Spain to investigate the link between the Inquisition and Rodrigo Borgia, Aguilar was tasked by the two senior Assassins to gather more recruits and establish a new base of operations in an abandoned fortress of the Sierra de Cazorla.[5]
After recruiting Tariq al-Nasr and Hamid al-Jasur and setting up their new headquarters, Aguilar and his fellow Assassins investigated a chapter house that was being used by Ojeda as a dread drop to communicate with the corrupt merchant Hassan.[6] Tracking Hassan to Murcia, the Assassins killed him and found his accounting books, which revealed a series of payments made to a scribe of the Inquisition.[7] After assassinating the scribe in Casas-Ibáñez, the group retrieved his journal, learning of Inquisitor Gustavo Ramírez's involvement with the Templars.[8]
Ramírez's stronghold
Infiltrating the Abbey de la Fuensanta, Aguilar and the others stole supplies destined for Ramírez's stronghold and learned that part of the Templar's garrison would be transferred to another location soon.[9] Deciding to seize this opportunity to eliminate Ramírez, the Assassins infiltrated his fortress, only to fall into a trap set by the Templar, who had been alerted to their arrival by Ojeda. The Assassins managed to eliminate the guards that attacked them but Ramírez escaped during the confusion.[10]
Continuing their hunt for Ramírez, the Assassins traveled to Zaragoza and infiltrated an outpost, recovering documents which alerted them to Torquemada's plans to acquire a Piece of Eden.[11] They also learned that Ramírez had ordered his executioner to kill dozens of innocents in the town square and proceeded to assassinate the man, who with his dying words revealed that Ramírez had already found the Piece of Eden at St. Rafael Abbey and was going to deliver it to Torquemada.[12] The group subsequently decided to search the abbey for clues and learned that the artifact was a piece of a broken Staff of Eden, as well as that Torquemada was searching for another relic: an Apple of Eden.[13]
Aguilar and his companions decided to deal with Ramírez first and assassinated his lieutenant, Cadavid, learning from him that Ramírez was at Sádaba Castle, waiting to transport the Staff piece to the Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás.[14] Infiltrating the castle, the Assassins confronted Ramírez, but he escaped once again while the group battled and defeated Captain Ordóñez.[15] Despite Ramírez's escape, the Assassins managed to learn that the second Staff piece was held at the Monastery of St. Lucia and traveled there to retrieve it before the Templars. Although Ojeda arrived first, the group defeated him and secured the artifact while the Templar ran away.[16]
Fighting the Inquisition[]
- "You think you have struck a great blow by killing me? Fools! *cough* Your obsession with finding me has blinded you to the greater plan. While I engaged you here, the army moved against Baza. *cough* It has already fallen by now. You... cannot... stop... us..."
- ―Captain Ordóñez's dying words, c. 1490.[src]-[m]
The Templar warehouse in Seville
After entrusting the Staff piece to their scholar allies at the University of Salamanca,[17] the Assassins resumed their fight against the Inquisition and destroyed the Spanish army's supplies to sabotage their siege of Fort Baza.[18] Later, learning that Captain Ordóñez was still alive and waiting to receive a new shipment from Seville, the Assassins intercepted the supplies and killed Lieutenant Nuñes, from whom they discovered Ordóñez's whereabouts.[19]
Arriving in Jaén, Aguilar and the others infiltrated Ordóñez's quarters and confronted him. After mortally wounding him, the captain revealed that he had merely acted as a distraction and that the Spanish army had captured Fort Baza, bringing the Templars one step closer to conquering Granada itself.[20]
For the next several months, the Assassins defended Granada, sabotaging the enemy's supply line[21] and eliminating a traitorous Royal Engineer who planned to meet with Ojeda and inform the Templars of a secret entrance into the city.[22] In addition to protecting Granada's citizens, their reason for doing so was because the city's ruler, Sultan Muahammad XII, was safeguarding the Apple of Eden desired by Torquemada.[1]
Rescuing the Prince[]
Aguilar and the Assassins preparing to ambush the Templars
In 1492, the Spanish Assassins tried to ensure the safety of Prince Ahmed of Granada, the son of Muhammad XII, whom the Templars were searching for in order to use as a ransom for the Apple of Eden in the Sultan's possession. Together with María, Benedicto and a number of other Assassins, Aguilar ambushed a small Templar army led by Ojeda in an Andalusian village where the Prince had been hiding, eliminating the Templar Ramirez in the process.[1]
Despite the Assassins being outnumbered and eventually overpowered, both Aguilar and María 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, Maria, and Benedicto were apprehended and imprisoned by the Templars.[1]
Escape from Seville[]
Following their arrest, the surviving Assassins were transported to Seville, where they were denounced as heretics and sentenced to be burned at the stake by Torquemada. In the presence of the King of Aragon and Queen of Castile, Aguilar watched as Ojeda lit the pyre beneath Benedicto’s feet, burning him alive. Despite this, Aguilar was able to escape his bonds and engaged the Templars as they closed in. He also freed María and together, the two Assassins made their escape through the streets of Seville.[1]
Aguilar performing the Leap of Faith
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 many 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.[1]
Retrieving the Apple of Eden[]
On 2 January 1492, at the urging of Ezio Auditore, Sultan Muhammad XII surrendered Granada to Torquemada's forces.[23] As the Templars entered the city, both Aguilar and María made their way to the Sultan's palace, watching from above as the Sultan reluctantly handed over the Apple in exchange for his son's safety before they made their move.[1][24]
Dropping smoke bombs into the room, both Assassins quickly eliminated many of the Templars, before Aguilar captured Torquemada and claimed the Apple. Unfortunately, Ojeda had managed to apprehend María. Now in a stand-off, Ojeda promised to release Maria once Aguilar returned the Apple to Torquemada. Aguilar reluctantly agreed, but before he could act, he witnessed María take her own life with Ojeda's blade to prevent him from betraying the Creed to save her life.[1][24]
Aguilar killing Ojeda
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. In her final moments, María signaled to Aguilar and using her launchable Hidden Blade, struck Ojeda in the chest, giving Aguilar the advantage he needed to defeat and kill him. 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.[1][24]
Escaping through the tunnel and making his way outside to a bridge, Aguilar was eventually surrounded. Torquemada stood above him, trying to convince him the fight was over and that he should surrender the Apple of Eden, but the Assassin escaped by performing a Leap of Faith into the river below.[1]
Securing the Apple[]
- Aguilar: "Assassins have died for this. Protect it with your life."
- Columbus: "I am a friend of the Creed."
- Aguilar: "Take it to your grave."
- Columbus: "I swear."
- —Aguilar entrusting the Apple to Columbus, 1492.[src]
Aguilar handing the Apple to Christoffa
After the events in Granada, Aguilar realized that the Apple would never be safe from the Templars if it remained in Spain. He made his way to Palos de la Frontera in Huelva, where he charged the navigator Christoffa Corombo, an ally of the Brotherhood, with protecting the Apple.[1]
Following this major event, Aguilar returned to the Brotherhood's headquarters to report the success of his mission to Granada, despite María's death. With Ojeda dead and the Apple safe in Christoffa's hands, the Assassins resolved to continue their fight against Torquemada, who had resumed his search for the pieces of the Shattered Staff of Eden.[24] Around this time, Aguilar was elevated to the rank of Master Assassin for his achievements.[25]
Search for the Staff of Eden[]
After learning that Gustavo Ramírez had traveled to northern Spain, Aguilar and his fellow Assassins decided to seek out Diego de Alvarado, an Assassin who headed a bureau in Burgos, due to their unfamiliarity with the region. Discovering Diego had been captured by the Templars, the Assassins rescued him, whereupon he informed them that Ramírez was searching for the last piece of the Staff of Eden.[26] He also provided the group with the name and location of one of Ramírez's lieutenants, Chacon, allowing them to assassinate him.[27]
Sobroso Castle
From Chacon's body, the Assassins recovered a note revealing that another lieutenant, del Salto, had a villa in León, which they proceeded to infiltrate. There, they found several documents which revealed that Ramírez had ordered the capture and torture of a sect of monks from the Asturias mountains, whom he suspected to be in possession of the final Staff piece.[28] Traveling to Oviedo, the Assassins rescued the monks and their abbot who, in gratitude, informed them that they had given the artifact to the nobleman Pedro Madruga.[29]
Infiltrating Pedro's former residence, Sobroso Castle, Aguilar and the others searched for the Staff piece, only to discover that Diego had found it and had betrayed the Brotherhood, acting as a spy for Torquemada. After observing a meeting between Diego and the Templars, the Assassins were confronted by Lieutenant del Salto, whom they managed to kill. However, del Salto's attack had allowed Diego to escape with the Staff piece.[30]
Determined to eliminate the Assassin turncoat and recover the artifact, the group followed his trail to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where Diego had gone to meet with Ramírez in order to deliver the Staff piece. To their surprise, however, they witnessed Diego double-cross and kill Ramírez, intending to wield the Staff's power himself.[31]
Diego's hideout
Realizing that Diego knew the location of the Staff piece in the Brotherhood's possession, the Assassins rushed to the University of Salamanca to warn their allies, but were too late; Diego had killed the scholars and stolen the artifact.[17] After searching for Diego for months while carefully avoiding Inquisition patrols, the Assassins eventually found his hideout and confronted him. Although the traitor had anticipated their arrival, the Assassins survived his trap and killed Diego, who with his dying words revealed that he had delivered all the Staff pieces to Torquemada.[32]
Defeating Torquemada[]
- Luis: "For now, let us savor our victory over our foes. The Staff and Apple of Eden are out of their reach. They have no more horrors with which to threaten us."
- Aguilar: "And as long as they still hold power in Spain, we will continue our fight. For the innocents. For peace and freedom. For the Creed!"
- —Luis Chico and Aguilar following Torquemada's demise, 1498.[src]-[m]
With Torquemada in possession of the complete Shattered Staff of Eden, Aguilar and his fellow Assassins were determined to stop him before he could use the artifact's power to subjugate Spain. Aware that Torquemada had fortified himself inside the Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás, the Assassins decided to enlist the help of their mercenary contacts to storm the monastery. After ambushing a Royal Armory caravan to steal rare Toledo swords, the Assassins gave them to the mercenaries to secure their support.[33]
On 16 September 1498, while the mercenaries battled the Inquisition's forces, Aguilar and the others infiltrated the monastery and made their way to the basement, where they encountered and defeated a soldier made out of light – one of Torquemada's creations made using the Staff of Eden.[34] Heading deeper into the tunnels underneath the monastery, the Assassins fought more holographic soldiers and eventually arrived at the Forge.[35]
Torquemada inside the Forge
As the group confronted Torquemada, the Templar explained that the Forge was the site of the Staff of Eden's creation and that he had used the technology inside the repair the artifact. He then unleashed its powers against the Assassins, summoning more illusions to attack them, but the Assassins ultimately prevailed and mortally wounded Torquemada. As the Templar succumbed to his injuries, Aguilar and his companions decided to destroy the Staff to prevent it from being misused again, causing the Forge itself to be destroyed and buried underground.[35]
Escaping the vault's destruction, the Assassins returned to their headquarters, where they reported the success of their mission to their brethren. Despite Toquemada's demise, the Brotherhood knew that the Inquisition would not stop and that another Grand Inquisitor would be simply appointed in his place, so Aguilar and his compatriots resolved to continue fighting in the name of their Creed until peace and freedom were restored to Spain.[35]
Later life and death[]
Aguilar continued serving the Spanish Brotherhood for the rest of his life and was eventually bestowed the title of Mentor.[25] He died in 1526 at the age of 71, having fathered at least one child during his lifetime.[1]
Legacy[]
Aguilar's actions ensured that the Apple of Eden would remain hidden for many centuries, having given it to Christoffa Corombo who kept the Apple with him until his death.[1] He and his fellow Assassins also eliminated Tomás de Torquemada and destroyed the Shattered Staff of Eden, weakening the Spanish Inquisition and ensuring the Staff could not fall into the wrong hands again.[35]
In 2016, Abstergo Industries began a search for Aguilar's Apple, which they believed to have been buried with the Assassin. To this end, they searched his burial site but were unable to find it. The Templars recovered his equipment in the process and brought it to the Abstergo Foundation facility in Madrid.[1]
Aguilar appearing as a ghostly vision to Callum
In October of the same year, Abstergo located the last known descendant of Aguilar, Callum Lynch, who was currently a death row inmate in Texas, and had his execution faked so they could appropriate him to relive his ancestor's genetic memories through the Animus 4.3. Callum was outfitted with Aguilar's Hidden Blades so as to enhance his synchronization rate, and through several Animus sessions eventually revealed the Apple's location, causing it to fall into the possession of the Templar Grand Master Alan Rikkin.[1]
At the end of the Animus session, Aguilar appeared as a ghostly, Bleeding Effect-induced vision to Callum along with his other Assassin ancestors, including Arno Dorian and his mother Mary Lynch, ultimately convincing Callum to embrace his Assassin heritage. Callum then utilized Aguilar's equipment, assisted by fellow Abstego inmates Lin and Moussa, and was able to escape the facility, later assassinating Alan Rikkin and reclaiming the Apple at a Templar meeting in London.[1]
Around the same time, Abstergo Entertainment used Aguilar's genetic memories to create an expansion for their Identity Project featuring content themed around the Reconquista-era Spanish Assassins.[36]
Personality and traits[]
Aguilar unhooded
Aguilar was a 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.[1] Aguilar was a firm believer of the doctrine of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, and followed his most fundamental teachings to the best of his abilities.[37]
Skills and equipment[]
A capable fighter, Aguilar could handle himself against multiple enemies in both armed and unarmed combat, wielding a range of weapons including swords and spears with great skill. Additionally, he proved to be proficient at archery, using a bow and arrow to deadly effect in both long and close range combat.[1] Aguilar was also proficient with throwing knives, and when thrown could create opportunities for striking first. Owing to his agile reflexes, Aguilar could also strike twice in one attack.[37]
Aguilar fighting Inquisition soldiers while exhausted
Like many Assassins, Aguilar was also adept in freerunning, being able to move across the rooftops of Seville quickly and creatively, ducking in and out of buildings and dashing across ropes in an effort to lose his pursuers. He also mastered the Leap of Faith, using it on at least two occasions to escape his enemies.[1] In addition to freerunning, he could also use construction lifts to propel himself to higher ground, navigate ziplines to reach lower ground, and climb walls.[37]
Equipment-wise, Aguilar possessed dual Hidden Blades as his primary weapons, one of which was equipped with a grappling hook. He also had a dagger, throwing knives, and smoke bombs at his disposal.[1] With his Hidden Blades, he could assassinate enemies from the air or from concealed hiding spots.[37] As Mentor of the Spanish Brotherhood, Aguilar possessed a personal sword he used in combat.[38] The robes Aguilar wore showed Moorish influences, being adorned with beads and embroidery.[39]
Behind the scenes[]
Aguilar de Nerha is a fictional character created for the 2016 Assassin's Creed film, where he is portrayed by Michael Fassbender. His story was later expanded upon in the 2018 mobile game Assassin's Creed: Rebellion. The film's director Justin Kurzel has stated in an interview that Aguilar and María are not lovers, [citation needed] directly contradicting information from Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization.
Etymology[]
"Aguilar" is a Spanish name meaning "relative to eagles." "De Nerha" is potentially a misspelled form of "De Nerja," which means "From Nerja," which is an Andalusian town.
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed film (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization
- Assassin's Creed: Identity – Movie Update
- Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
- Assassin's Creed: Freerunners
References[]
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