Morrigan

This article is about the ship. You may be looking for Morrigan, the Isu.

Chevalier: "Morgane (Morrigan)... The silly fairy queen who ruined Merlin the Wise. Oh oh... she's perfect for you, Shay."

Liam: "The Morrigan was an old goddess, she's the queen of War and Darkness. She harvested the souls of fallen warriors. Perfect indeed."

—The Chevalier de la Vérendrye and Liam O'Brien discussing the Morrigan's name, 1752.^[src]^-[m]

The Morrigan was a heavily modified sloop-of-war, captained by the Assassin-turned-Templar Shay Cormac, during the Seven Years' War.^[1]

History[]

Procurement[]

"She's a mess, but she's still afloat. And her name's the Morrigan."

―Shay naming his new ship, 1752.^[src]^-[m]

Prior to her capture by Shay Cormac, the Morrigan served as a smugglers' vessel in the North Atlantic. In January 1752, the Morrigan's crew met with the Assassin Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye, at Port-Menier, where they were attacked by the Royal Navy. While the smugglers were captured by British soldiers, de la Vérendrye and his men were left stranded on the island. With the aid of his fellow Assassins Shay and Liam O'Brien, de la Vérendrye freed the smugglers and retook their ship from the British soldiers. Shay then decided to claim the vessel as his own, naming her the Morrigan, after the Irish goddess.^[2]

Way the Wind Blows 10 — Shay acquiring the *Morrigan*

The Morrigan saw action almost immediately, when she was used by Shay, Liam, and de la Vérendrye to sink several British schooners attacking the latter's Man O' War, the Gerfaut.^[2] Shay then sailed his new ship to the Davenport Homestead, where she remained for two months, until Shay was tasked by the Colonial Brotherhood's Mentor, Achilles Davenport, to recover a Precursor box and the Voynich manuscript stolen by the Templars.^[3]

Assassin service[]

Shay: "Where to?"

Liam: "Wherever Templar affairs lead us."

—Shay and Liam, prior to embarking on their mission, 1752.^[src]^-[m]

With Liam as his quartermaster and a crew of Assassin-affiliated sailors, Shay sailed the Morrigan to Port la Joye to pick up de la Vérendrye, who had a lead on the artifacts' whereabouts. After attacking a British schooner and looting its cargo to upgrade the Morrigan, the Assassins arrived at their destination, Anticosti Island, where they met with their smuggler ally, Le Chasseur.^[4]

By Invitation Only 9 — The *Morrigan* escaping from the Templar fleet

Le Chasseur revealed that the artifacts were in possession of the Master Templar Lawrence Washington, prompting Shay and Liam to sail to Two Bends in the River Valley to report to their compatriots. From there, the two Assassins used the Morrigan to tail a ship delivering a package to Washington at his Mount Vernon estate, where Shay assassinated the Templar. However, he failed to recover the Precursor box and the Voynich manuscript, which had been entrusted to Samuel Smith and James Wardrop, respectively, and had to sail the Morrigan to safety when she came under attack by the Templars' fleet.^[5]

In April 1754, the Morrigan met up with the Gerfaut at Anticosti, where Shay, Liam, and de la Vérendrye learned from Le Chasseur that Samuel Smith's schooner Equitas had been spotted nearby. With the Gerfaut damaged from an earlier engagement, de la Vérendrye joined Shay and Liam aboard the Morrigan as they chased after the Equitas, during which the Assassins made use of their new armaments received from Le Chasseur: Puckle guns, burning oil, and an ice-breaker. Eventually, Smith beached his ship at Terra Nova, where Shay assassinated him and recovered the Precursor box.^[6]

The Morrigan next carried her captain to Albany, where Shay assassinated James Wardrop to recover the Voynich manuscript.^[7] After Benjamin Franklin's experiment with the manuscript and the box produced a map of the locations of several Isu Temples,^[8] Shay was tasked to investigate one such site in Lisbon, Portugal. During Shay's absence, Hope Jensen volunteered to look after the Morrigan, keeping her safe at the New York City harbor.^[9]

Templar service[]

Gist: "She's a fine ship. And true to my word, I've found a crew for her. I did leave one position unfilled, though. Tell me, Shay, do you have a first mate?"

Shay: "He's... long gone."

Gist: "Then I apply for the post, Captain!"

—Shay and Christopher Gist, after recovering the Morrigan from the Assassins, 1756.^[src]^-[m]

A Long Walk And A Short Drop 5 — Shay and Gist looking at the *Morrigan* docked at Fort Arsenal

Following Shay's betrayal of the Brotherhood and presumed death, the Morrigan remained in the possession of the Colonial Assassins. By June 1756, the ship was stationed at Fort Arsenal, where members of Hope's criminal gang were preparing to execute the Templar Christopher Gist. Shay, at Colonel George Monro's request, saved Gist and, in the process, found the Morrigan in the fort's harbor. Gist helped Shay reclaim his former ship from the Assassins and found new crew members for her, while he himself took up the position of first mate.^[10]

After Shay took down the Morrigan's Assassin flag, which he replaced with a British ensign, and installed new sails, the ship sailed away from New York and traveled to Albany, where Monro had asked Shay and Gist to meet him. From there, the Morrigan engaged Fort La Croix, disabling its defenses and allowing Shay to infiltrate the stronghold and kill Le Chasseur.^[11] Having learned from his target that the Assassins were planning to use poisonous gases against the British authorities in New York, Shay sailed the Morrigan back to the city to foil the plot.^[12]

Over the next few years, as Shay became affiliated with the Colonial Templars, he used the Morrigan to further Templar interests by helping the British Empire win the Seven Years' War against the French. He took down additional French forts in both the River Valley and the North Atlantic, allowing the British to occupy them,^[1] and participated in several naval clashes, where the Morrigan sank a number of formidable vessels, including the Storm Fortress, the flagship of the Assassin navy.^[13]

Scars 1 — The *Morrigan* arriving in Albany

In August 1757, the Morrigan was used to save George Monro and his men from an ambush by the Assassin Kesegowaase and his Abenaki allies in the aftermath of the Siege of Fort William Henry.^[14] Later, Shay also used the ship when he rescued an Oneida tribe held hostage by the French and Kesegowaase's men,^[15] and when he traveled to Albany to protect Monro during an assault on the city led by Kesegowaase. Shay succeeded in eliminating the Assassin, but Monro was killed by Liam.^[16]

In June 1758, the Morrigan sailed to the North Atlantic to meet James Cook's Man O' War, the HMS Pembroke, which Shay captained during the Siege of Louisbourg.^[17] Later that year, Shay and the Colonial Templars' Grand Master, Haytham Kenway, used the ship in their hunt of the Assassin Adéwalé. The Morrigan engaged Adéwalé's vessel, the Experto Crede, which was eventually beached in Vieille Carrière, allowing Shay and Haytham to assassinate Adéwalé.^[18]

Cold Fire 3 — The *Morrigan* engaging the Assassin ships

In 1760, the Morrigan traveled to the North Atlantic once more in pursuit of an Assassin expedition headed to the Arctic, where the Assassins had located an Isu temple. However, Shay and his crew fell into a trap and were ambushed by the Gerfaut and a small Assassin fleet, which acted as a decoy to lure the Templars away from the actual expedition. Nevertheless, the Morrigan prevailed and sank the entire fleet before disabling the Gerfaut, allowing Shay to board the Man O' War and kill the Chevalier de la Vérendrye.^[19]

Following the Templars' expedition to the Arctic Temple, which resulted in the defeat of the Colonial Assassins, Shay was assigned the task of recovering the Precursor box from the Brotherhood. He subsequently departed for Europe to search for the artifact, while the Morrigan presumably remained in North America, under the command of Christopher Gist and the other Colonial Templars.^[20]

Armaments[]

Shay: "She's mine, ain't she? My own ship."

Chevalier: "Your own pile of garbage, yes."

Shay: "Ah, with a lick of paint and a few new cannons, she'll look as fine as anything on the seven seas."

—Shay and the Chevalier de la Vérendrye, shortly after acquiring the Morrigan, 1752.^[src]^-[m]

One Little Victory 3 — Liam and a crewmate installing a Puckle gun on the *Morrigan*

With the ship's armaments and equipment funded by the wealth of the Templar Order, the Morrigan was one of the most advanced warships of her time; she was equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry such as Puckle guns, carronades, and burning oil. She also possessed the standard armaments including 34 broadside cannons, mortars, and an ice-breaker ram.^[1]

Despite her smaller amount of cannons on board compared to the 46 guns on the similarly-sized brig Jackdaw, the Morrigan made up for this with the ability to fire twice in quick succession before reloading, allowing her to possess more speed and firepower. Due to the Morrigan's sleek design, she was much faster and more maneuverable than several other ships while still maintaining above average firepower for a ship of her size.^[1]

Notable conflicts[]

During the Seven Years' War, the Morrigan sank several ships under the command of the Assassins, pirates and the French Navy. Among them were several legendary ships.

Argonaut – Sunk during a skirmish.
Cauldron – Sunk during a skirmish.
Couronne – Sunk during the Battle of Labrador.
Equitas – Beached while pursuing Samuel Smith.
Experto Crede – Beached while pursuing Adéwalé.
Formidable – Sunk during the Battle of Quiberon Bay.
Gerfaut – Sunk while pursuing Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye.
Pilgrim – Sunk during a skirmish.
Sceptre – Sunk during a skirmish.
Storm Fortress – Sunk during a skirmish.

Crew[]

Shay Cormac – Captain (1752 – 1755; 1756 – unknown)
Liam O'Brien – First Mate (1752 – 1755)
Christopher Gist – First Mate (1756 – unknown)

Behind the scenes[]

Upgrades[]

Through crafting, Shay could upgrade the Morrigan in a number of ways to enhance its weapons strength, hull durability, speed, cargo hold, and crew capacity, as well as whaling equipment.

Ship cosmetics[]

A wide variety of figureheads, sail designs and wheels are available for the Morrigan.

Figureheads[]

Name	Description	Availability
The Morrigan's figurehead	The first figurehead to grace the bow of Shay Cormac's signature ship, the Morrigan.	Crafting
Wolf figurehead	A figurehead representing a wolf, one of the forms taken by Morrigan, a goddess from Irish mythology.
Black Shadow figurehead	A figurehead representing a succubus, a shadowy demon from folklore.	Crafting
Mermaid figurehead	A figurehead representing a mermaid.	Crafting
Harpy skull figurehead	A figurehead representing a harpy, standard symbol of elite warships.	Crafting
Experto Crede figurehead	A figurehead of the Experto Creed, a ship that once belonged to the famed Assassin and former pirate Adewale.	Crafting
The Falcon figurehead	A figurehead representing a falcon. Rumored to have belonged to Le Gerfaut, one of the most dangerous ship to ever sail the North Atlantic.	Crafting
The Kraken figurehead	A figurehead that once belonged to the Storm Fortress, one of the most feared warships in the North Atlantic.	Completing all legendary battles.
The Jackdaw figurehead	A figurehead that once graced the bow of the legendary Edward Kenway's ship, the Jackdaw.
Blackbeard's figurehead	A figurehead that once belonged to the Queen Anne's Revenge, flagship of the dread pirate Blackbeard.	Crafting
Navigator's figurehead	A figurehead representing a navigator.
Aveline figurehead	Through a bit of Animus trickery, we fashioned a figurehead in tribute to Aveline, our first Abstergo Entretainment hero.	Completing the Louisiana fleet mission
Explorer's figurehead	A figurehead representing the conquering explorers of the new world.
Commander's figurehead	A figurehead representing a commander in battle.
British Lion figurehead	A figurehead representing a lion, traditional symbol of the British Empire.	Completing the Mediterranean fleet mission
The Aquila's figurehead	A figurehead which would one day belong to Connor's ship, the Aquila.	Crafting

Sails[]

Name	Description	Availability
White sails	A set of white canvas sails.
Wolf sails	A set of red canvas sails emblazoned with a wolf pattern.
Red-striped sails	A set of white canvas sails adorned with red stripes.
Gray sails	A set of gray sails.	Crafting
Black Shadow sails	A set of dark black sails.	Crafting
Black and Red sails	A set of black sails adorned with red and white stripes.	Crafting
The Queen Anne's Revenge sails	A set of sails that once belonged to Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge.	Crafting
The Jackdaw's sails	A set of sails that once flew on the legendary Edward Kenway's ship, the Jackdaw.
Kraken sails	A set of sails representing the mythical Kraken.	Completing all legendary battles.
The Aquila's sails	A set of sails that would later propel Connor's ship, the Aquila.	Crafting
Templar's sails	A set of black and red sails emblazoned with the Templar cross.
British Lion sails	A set of sails patterned with the lion, a symbol of the British Empire.	Completing the Rio de Janeiro fleet mission.
Gilded French sails	A set of gilded sails from France.	Completing the Isle de France fleet mission.
Elite sails	A set of sails bearing the symbol of an Elite ship.
Navigator's sails	A set of sails with the pattern of a master navigator's golden sextant.
Officer's sails	A set of sails featuring a pattern of crossed swords.
Explorer's sails	A set of sails with an anchor pattern, representing the conquering explorers of the New World.

Wheels[]

Name	Description	Availability
The Morrigan's wheel	A wheel that once belonged to Shay Cormac's signature ship, the Morrigan.
Wolf wheel	A wheel embossed with a wolf's head. The wolf is one of the forms taken by Morrigan, a goddess from Irish mythology.
Black Shadow wheel	A wheel with a thick, dark wood stain.	Crafting
Ivory wheel	A wheel made of carved ivory.	Crafting
Blackwood wheel	A wheel made of sturdy blackwood.	Crafting
James Cook's wheel	A wheel once used by the legendary explorer, James Cook.	Crafting
Officer's wheel	A wheel made of bronze and wrapped with leather.
Golden African wheel	A wheel made entirely of gold.	Completing the Luanda fleet mission.
Templar wheel	A wheel engraved with the iconic Templar cross.
Navigator's wheel	A golden wheel with a sextant engraved upon it, the symbol of a master navigator.
Elite wheel	A wheel made of dark brown wood with metal diamonds.	Crafting
British Lion wheel	A wheel representing the British Empire.	Completing the Brest fleet mission
Jackdaw's wheel	A wheel that once turned the rudder of the legendary Edward Kenway's ship, the Jackdaw.
Kraken wheel	A wheel with the tentacles of the mythical kraken carved into it.	Completing all legendary battles
The Aquila's wheel	A wheel that will one day belong to Connor's ship, the Aquila.	Crafting
Blackbeard's wheel	A wheel that once belonged to Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's revenge.	Crafting

Trivia[]

In real-life, with 34 cannons, the Morrigan would be classified as a fifth-rate frigate by the standard classification of the Royal Navy.
The Morrigan's default sails and figurehead feature intricate wolves in their design, as befits a ship named after the Irish goddess Morrigan, who is often associated with the wild canines.
The quotes and dialogues of the Morrigan's crew change when Shay reclaims the ship from the Assassins, showing that the crew members recruited by Gist replaced those serving the Assassins. Also, the uniforms and appearances of the crew members change.
Like the Jackdaw, the Morrigan's equipment at Elite level, including Puckle guns and mortars, are plated gold, but the cannons' appearance does not change. The burning oil barrels become reddish-brown. The Elite hull upgrade gives the Morrigan a crimson colored hull with silver plating on the hull and deck.
Like with the Jackdaw and the Aquila, the Morrigan presents cannons on her top deck despite this being historically inaccurate due to the hazards they present during sailing. The inconsistency helps to display upgrade progression.
In the memory "A Long Walk and a Short Drop", the flag Shay cuts down from the Morrigan's mast bears the Assassin insignia even though the flag he flew during his Assassin years did not have such an insignia. Also, despite being a privateer ship working for the French Navy, it flies the Royal Navy flag in its foremast.
If the Morrigan is fully upgraded with her default wolf sails and figurehead, her appearance becomes very similar to pirate hunter brigs that Edward Kenway faced during the Golden Age of Piracy.
Despite promotional materials referring to the Morrigan's weapons as "advanced Templar weapons", all of her armaments are acquired during her time as an Assassin vessel while the carronades were already equipped when she was a Royal Navy vessel.
Although not possible to see the Morrigan's levels throughout the game, they can be estimated. As the player upgrades the ship, the level highlighted on an enemy ship changes colors from red to white to green. When using the spyglass on a level 49 Man O' War with a fully upgraded Morrigan, the level is highlighted in red; but when a spyglass is used on a level 38 frigate, the level is highlighted in white. Therefore, it can be deduced that the Morrigan's maximum level is between 38 and 40.