|
I wanted to ask you something. Which is… what's your name? The title of this article is conjecture. Although the subject of this article is canon, no official name for it has been given. |
The liberation of London took place during the Industrial Revolution, in which the city of London was freed from the iron fist of the British Rite of the Templar Order under Crawford Starrick through the actions of the British Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye, Jayadeep Mir, and the Rooks gang.
Context[]
Fall of London under the Templars[]
In the early 18th century, the British Assassins had a strong influence in London's high-society and the underworld. Their nemesis, the British Templars, led by Reginald Birch, ordered the assassination of their leaders, Edward Kenway in 1735[1] and Miko in 1754.[2] Without a strong leadership, the Assassins fled the city and the Templars took control of London for over a century.[3]
Starrick Industries[]
By 1860, London had fallen under the control of the Templar Grand Master Crawford Starrick, who used his network of Templar agents to control the city and oppress the working classes to keep the Templars in power. With Starrick Industries, the Templars had an influence on the industrial sphere of London. Starrick Telegraph Company had a near-total monopoly on telegraph communication throughout the city. The Templars placed Dr. John Elliotson at the head of the Lambeth Asylum, while Earl James Brudenell influenced the House of Parliament.[4]
The Blighters
Starrick also hired the criminal Maxwell Roth to form a gang for the Templars, the Blighters.[5] Roth trained seven Templars to became the leader of the Blighters in every borough of London. Beginning in Devil's Acre, the Blighters spread in all London, taking down every gang which opposed them.[6] They installed gang stronghold across the city and used child labors in their factories.[4] With his payment, Roth installed himself in the Alhambra Music Hall, using the building as a legal front for his criminal activities.[5]
In 1864, the businessman Malcolm Millner acquired the Greater London Omnibus Company and renamed it the Millner Company. To assure his monopoly, he sabotaged other bus companies using arson and murder.[7] Three years later, Starrick bought the Millner Company and inducted Millner himself into the Templar Order.[7]
Also in 1867, the Templar Philip Twopenny became the Governor of the Bank of England with Thomas Hunt Newman.[8] Twopenny was to run things day to day for Hunt while secretly organizing heists in the Bank every fiscal quarter under the alias "Plutus", transferring the stolen money to the Templars.[9]
War for London[]
The Ghost[]
In 1860, the Indian Assassin Jayadeep Mir, who had been exiled to England by his Brotherhood, was sent by his mentor Ethan Frye to spy on the activities of the Templars in London, without the sanction of the Assassin Council. He took the name of Bharat Singh and blended in with the poor, taking residence in the Thames Tunnel and becoming the guardian of its other residents. To maintain Jayadeep's true identity secret, he only communicated with other Assassins under the alias "the Ghost".[10]
In 1862, the Templar Cavanagh was involved in the construction of the world's first underground railway; a cover for his attempts to unearth an Apple of Eden. Jayadeep worked on the site to spy on the Templars. As Ethan interrogated the Templar courier "Boot", the Templar Robert Waugh shot Boot and killed an innocent girl as he targeted the Assassin. Ethan killed Waugh and ordered Jayadeep to dispose of the body on the construction site to infiltrate the Templars.[10]
Later, when the police constable Frederick Abberline came to investigate Waugh's body, Jayadeep took the defense of Cavanagh, beginning to ingratiate himself with the Templar. Abberline continued to investigate with the constable Aubrey Shaw after Waugh's corpse was stolen by street urchins paid by Ethan. Shaw was beaten by the Templars as the two policemen were meddling with their plot.[10]
After interrogating the Indian Assassin Ajay, the Templars discovered Jayadeep's true identity. Cavanagh killed Charles Pearson, the underground railway's solicitor, who had unknowingly found the Apple of Eden, and tried to frame Jayadeep for the murder. Ethan and Abberline saved Jayadeep while Cavanagh was killed by his fellow Templar Marchant on the order of Starrick, who had learned of Cavanagh's plans to overthrow the Grand Master using the Apple. Later, Jayadeep discovered that the Templars had killed his friend Maggie, a resident of the Thames Tunnel. Feeling guilty, Jayadeep decided to live isolated from the Brotherhood for several years.[10]
Establishing a network[]
In 1865, Jayadeep received a visit from his parents Arbaaz Mir and Pyara Kaur. His mother gave him his Hidden Blade and convinced him to resume work for the Brotherhood. Taking on the name of Henry Green, he bought a curiosity shop in Whitechapel to serve as the headquarters of the London Assassins, which he was now the leader and sole member of.[10] Jayadeep then began building up a network of allies, becoming acquainted with the then Sergeant Abberline, as well as the urchins of Babylon Street led by Clara O'Dea who subsequently became the Assassin's eyes and ears in the city.[11]
In the high-society, Jayadeep entered into contact with his great-uncle and last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Duleep Singh, and even had a guard of the Tower of London among his allies.[12] Jayadeep also became friends the inventor Alexander Graham Bell who was trying to break the monopoly of the Starrick Telegraph Company.[13]
Creation of the Rooks[]
Jacob and Evie meeting Jayadeep
By February 1868, the Templar Lucy Thorne had acquired Edward Kenway's journal and searched for the Shroud of Eden hidden by Kenway in London. Jayadeep led his own research but Rexford Kaylock, the leader of the Blighters in Whitechapel, tried to take his studies.[11] It was during this time that Ethan Frye passed away from pleurisy[10] and his children, Jacob and Evie, decided to complete his mission of liberating London from Templar control.[14] Against the orders of the Assassin Council, the twins travelled to the city and quickly ran into Jayadeep, whereupon the three Assassins decided to work together to find the Shroud and fight the Templars' influence in London.[11]
The Assassins began to liberate Whitechapel, killing Templars, liberating child laborers on Clara O'Dea's behalf,[15] and arresting Blighters for Abberline.[16] They liberated the stronghold of the Clinkers, the last gang resisting to the Blighters. Allying with the Assassins, the gang became known as the Rooks. As the borough was disputed, a gang war was settled between the Frye twins and Kaylock. Following Kaylock's death during the battle, the Assassins took over Whitechapel and the remaining Blighters in the borough joined the Rooks.[17] The Fryes also seized Kaylock's train, which became the mobile headquarters of the Assassins in London.[17]
Eliminating the Blighters[]
Jacob and the Rooks capturing a Blighter stronghold
Over the following months, the Fryes continued to reduce the Blighters' influence in the city, much through the same tactics they had employed in Whitechapel. They assassinated high-ranking Templars, took over Blighter strongholds, freed child workers and helped Abberline arrest Blighters. Over the course of multiple gang wars, the Rooks managed to take control of all seven boroughs of London while the Fryes killed the Templars leading the Blighters in each borough.[4]
At some point, the teenager Nigel Bumble joined the Rooks and, in an effort to prove himself, stole a gatling gun for the train hideout from the Blighters. As the train came under attack by the vengeful Blighters, Jacob used the gun on the enemy gang's train before the weapon eventually exploded.[18]
The Frye twins later worked with Graham Bell to break the monopoly of Starrick Telegraph Company. Evie fixed fuses for the independent telegraph lines of Westminster.[13] Later, the twins recovered cables stolen by the Blighters and took a sample of poisonous gas from them.[19] The Assassins finally ended Starrick's monopoly over London's communication network by destroying his transmitters.[20]
Jacob and Evie also became associated with London underworld figures. The businessman and crime boss Ned Wynert contacted them as the Blighters were foiling his operations and proposed a partnership, tipping the twins off about various Blighter operations. The Rooks then attacked the carriages, ships and trains of the Blighters, stealing various goods and sharing their profits with Wynert.[17]
Race for the Shroud[]
Evie and Thorne fighting over the key to the Shroud's cache
As Thorne continued to search for the Shroud, Evie and Jacob stole Edward Kenway's journal from her.[21] Following the clues written down in the book, Evie and Jayadeep went to the Kenway Mansion where they found a secret room.[22] Inside, Evie collected a medallion that led her to the Monument to the Great Fire of London. Placing the medallion on the top of the tower, she saw an image of St. Paul, so she went to St. Paul's Cathedral. Activating another mechanism on the cathedral's roof, Evie opened a secret room where the key which opened the Shroud's cache had been hidden. As Thorne had followed Evie, the two women fought but the Templar ultimately managed to flee with the key.[23]
Later, Thorne went to the Tower of London to collect the Shroud after determining it was hidden there, but eventually deduced the artifact had been moved elsewhere. Evie infiltrated the building not long after and, by posing as a prisoner with the help of the guard working for Jayadeep, approached Thorne and assassinated her, recovering the key.[12] Later, Evie and Jayadeep tried to recover the plans of the Buckingham Palace vault, where the Shroud had been moved by Victoria's husband, Prince Consort Albert. However, Jayadeep was captured by the Blighters during the mission, forcing Evie to save him and allowing the Templars to seize the plans first.[24]
Destruction of Starrick's Soothing Syrup[]
The destroyed Starrick Brewing Company distillery
In early 1868, Starrick Brewing Company had begun the production of Starrick's Soothing Syrup, a concoction elaborated by Dr. Elliotson containing distilled opium and datura stramonium, a powerful hallucinogen and deliriant which ravaged the mind of the people who drank it.[25] Jacob investigated the syrup which led him to a distillery where he met the naturalist Charles Darwin who also investigated the Syrup. Together the two destroyed the distillery, ending production of the Syrup.[26]
As Jacob and Darwin discovered that batches of the Syrup had been sent to Lambeth Asylum, the two interrogated Richard Owen who informed them that it was Dr. Elliotson who produced the Syrup.[27] Jacob subsequently infiltrated the asylum and assassinated Dr. Elliotson.[28]
Without Dr. Elliotson, the Lambeth Asylum was closed to the public with only Florence Nightingale and a few doctors running the place. Thieves stole medical supplies from the asylum and began to sell false syrup in the borough to raise the price of the true syrup. Many children began to fall ill as a result, including Clara O'Dea. Evie brought her to the asylum and recovered the stolen medical supplies for Nightingale. The Assassins subsequently began to sponsor the Lambeth Asylum to help the borough.[29]
Rivalry for London buses[]
Jacob forming an alliance with Attaway
During this time, Malcolm Millner entered into a ferocious competition against the Templar Pearl Attaway, Starrick's cousin and owner of Attaway Transport, for control of London's transport industry. As the Grand Master supported Millner in his tactics to sabotage her company, Attaway allied with Jacob, who was oblivious of her true allegiance. Jacob sabotaged Millner's buses[30] and stole from him an internal combustion engine for Attaway.[31] After Jacob assassinated Millner, Attaway negotiated a deal with Starrick, offering him the engine in exchange for allowing her company to run the city's transport industry.[32]
When Jacob discovered Attaway's true nature as a Templar, he infiltrated her train at Waterloo station, killed her and stole back the engine. After the death of his cousin, Starrick ordered that the Templar presence in London be increased to stop the Assassins.[33] Meanwhile, with the leaders of the only two omnibus companies in the city dead, the Blighters took the deed of Attaway Transport and tried to force Edward Bayley to constructed buses for them. Evie saved Bayley and took back the deed, permitting Bayley and his associates to found the London General Omnibus Company to serve the common good.[34]
The Bank of England heist[]
Jacob assassinating Twopenny
As the robbing of the Bank of England under Philip Twopenny's direction continued, Abberline investigated undercover as "Dredge". His actions attired the attention of the Templars, but also Jacob, who was surprised to discover Dredge was Abberline.[9] Together, the Assassin and police sergeant then investigated "Plutus" and learned that it was Twopenny's alias.[35] Abbeline ordered Jacob to infiltrate the Bank of England during one of Twopenny's robberies to catch him in the act, but Jacob killed the Templar instead. The death of the bank's Governor soon led to inflation; to counter it, Starrick granted a significant rise to his staff.[36]
When the news of Twopenny's death and the theft of currency printing plates from the bank reached the public, people began to lose faith in the Bank of England. With the British economy nearly collapsed and counterfeit money spreading through London, Abberline asked Evie to recover the stolen currency printing plates and destroy the counterfeit money. Evie did so, restoring faith in the Bank of England and preventing the collapse of the British economy.[37]
Assassination attempt on the Prime Minister[]
Jacob protecting the Disraelis during the assassination attempt
As Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli introduced a bill to stop the election rigging in the House of Commons, the Earl of Cardigan planned to assassinate him and have him replaced by his rival William Gladstone to impeach the bill.[38] Jacob discovered the plot and protected the Prime Minister and his wife Mary Anne Disraeli from the Templars.[39]
Grateful for the rescue, Mrs. Disraeli offered to tell the Assassin who was responsible for the plot in exchange for escorting her during a visit to Devil's Acre.[40] Jacob did so and Mrs. Disraeli informed him that the Earl of Cardigan was the man he sought, leading to the Assassin killing him inside the Palace of Westminster.[41]
Rooks-Blighters alliance[]
As the Rooks began to take control of the boroughs of London, Maxwell Roth sent an invitation to Jacob. The Assassin went to the Alhambra Music Hall where Roth proposed to him an alliance to fight Starrick as the leader of the Blighters was bored by the Templars' plot to control everything. Jacob accepted and the two gang leaders began their partnership by blowing up a stock of explosives and stealing a train from the Templars.[42] Later, Jacob helped Roth to capture three of Starrick's associates in The Strand.[43]
Jacob refusing to allow Roth to kill child workers
However, Jacob and Roth's partnership came to an end when the former discovered that the latter planned to destroy a Templar factory with child laborers inside. Although Jacob failed to prevent the factory's destruction, he did manage to save the children from the fire, which angered Roth.[44] The crime boss later organized a show at the Alhambra Music Hall in honor of his short-lived partnership with Jacob and invited the Assassin to attend. Once Jacob arrived, Roth set in the Music Hall on fire in an attempt to kill every person inside. Jacob assassinated Roth, leaving the Blighters leaderless, and escaped from the burning building.[45]
Confrontation at Buckingham Palace[]
As Queen Victoria organized a ball at Buckingham Palace, both the Assassins and Templars decided to use the event to infiltrate the palace and recover the Shroud. Although the Frye twins were in disagreement over each other's methods, they agreed to collaborate one last time to prevent Starrick from obtaining the Shroud. Jacob stole the invitations and the carriage of the Gladstones,[46] and acquired a Royal Guard uniform for Abberline to smuggle the Assassins' weapons and outfits into the ball.[47] Meanwhile, Evie drove Duleep Singh through London to meet politicians who could help him to defend the rights of his people. In return, the Maharaja informed her about another set of plans of the Buckingham vault located in the White Drawing Room at the palace.[48]
Jacob and Evie killing Starrick
During the ball, the Templars infiltrated the palace and captured the Royal Guards to replace them with snipers to eliminate the Queen and other members of the London elite. After he recovered his equipment, Jacob killed the Templars and liberated the guards. As Evie recovered the plans, she was approached by Starrick who stole the key of the cache from. Entering the vault, the Grand Master donned the Shroud and confronted the twins. Initially outmatched, Jacob and Evie were able to overpower Starrick thanks to the timely intervention of Jayadeep, and kill him. The Assassins then decided to return the Shroud to the vault and were initiated into the Order of the Sacred Garter by the Queen for their actions.[49]
After Starrick's death[]
Bombing attacks[]
After the death of their Grand Master, a new faction of the Templars arose in London, planning to bomb the city. Queen Victoria tasked the Fryes to help Alfred Fleming stop the plot. They arrested the Templars' leader who arrived from Boston with dynamite.[50] Interrogating him, the Assassins discovered the Templars planned to destroy a train in Southwark. The Fryes detached the locomotive, allowing the bomb to detonate without harming any civilians.[51]
Queen Victoria thanking the Frye twins for stopping the Templars
Later, the Templar leader escaped from prison. The twins followed him and hijacked a carriage containing explosives, but the Templars ignited the dynamite, forcing the Fryes to drive the carriage to a safe area before it exploded.[52] Shortly after, the Templars infiltrated the Palace of Westminster, placing explosives and taking Prime Minister Disraeli hostage. The Assassins intervened, saving Disraeli and disarming the bombs. Afterwards, the Queen personally thanked the Fryes for their services and suggested that they could continue working together in the future, but the Assassins politely refused, as they did not wish to further Britain's imperial interests.[53]
The B.I.C. conspiracy[]
Some time later, another faction of Templars associated with the British India Company (B.I.C.) to stop Duleep Singh's claim to India's throne. Brinley Ellsworth, a long-time friend of the Maharaja in India and secretly a member of the Templars, went to London to organize Singh's assassination in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. The Frye twins protected the Maharaja,[54] and decided to help him in his fight against the B.I.C after he discovered that the Templars had intercepted his private correspondences.[55] As the Templars attempted to steal Punjabi gold from the Bank of England, Evie stopped them[56] before she and Jacob helped Singh to send the gold back to India.[57]
Later, the Templars organized an attack on the Fryes' train hideout but the Assassins repelled them.[58] To counter the Templars, the Maharaja and Jacob attended a party at the Tower of London to steal the Koh-i-Noor, a diamond which rightfully belonged to the Sikh Empire. The Templars tried to sabotage their plan by stealing the diamond first and placing it on Singh to frame him for the crime before Queen Victoria, but Jacob stealthy recovered the Koh-i-Noor before a diplomatic incident could happen.[59]
At his curiosity shop, Jayadeep revealed to the Fryes and Singh that the diamond they had stolen was a fake and that the real Koh-i-Noor had never left India. The twins then infiltrated a factory where the Templars developed sleeping gas for their conflicts in India. The Assassins destroyed the stock and discovered Ellsworth's implication.[60] As Singh learned about his friend's betrayal and Templar affiliations, he decided to confront him at Lambeth's cemetery. Evie protected the Maharaja from Ellsworth's men during the meeting and tried to kill the Templar, but Singh stopped her. The Maharaja then thanked the Fryes for their assistance and decided to continue his fight for India's independence alone.[61]
Attacks against Charles Darwin[]
The Fryes agreeing to help Darwin
The Templars also targeted Charles Darwin, trying to undo his scientific work in London. The Frye twins helped him, recovering the Berlin Specimen which had been stolen by the Blighters[62] and destroying hallucinogenic pots that the Templars spread through the parks of Westminster.[63] As the Templars tried to defame Darwin's work through newspapers and posters, the Fryes destroyed the printing shop behind this propaganda campaign.[64] When several Blighters abducted Darwin, Florence Nightingale contacted the Assassins who saved his life, ending the Templars threat.[65]
Aftermath[]
Thanks to the Frye twins and Jayadeep's actions, the British Templars were severely weakened and forced out of London, allowing the Assassins to rebuild their presence within the city, under the leadership of Jacob. With the Blighters all but wiped out and the Rooks in control of London's underworld, the city knew a period of relative peace for two decades, until the Whitechapel murders of 1888.[66]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (first appearance)
- The Last Maharaja
- Jack the Ripper (indirect mention only)
- Assassin's Creed: Underworld
- Assassin's Creed: Rebellion (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game (indirect mention only)
References[]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||