Owen Meyers (born 2001) is a teenager attempting to clear the name of his late father, as well as a descendant of the Chinese Assassin initiate Zhang Zhi, the Spanish conquistador Alfonso del Castillo, and the American Assassin Varius.
In 2016, Owen was recruited by Sebastian Monroe, who sought to bring together a group of other teenagers that had Templar or Assassin ancestors, in order to find the Trident, a powerful Piece of Eden. The group, which was composed of Owen, his friend Javier Mondragón, Sean Molloy, Natalya Aliyev, and the siblings Grace and David Collins, accepted after Monroe told them about the Assassin-Templar War.
Biography
Early life
At some point during Owen's childhood, his father was arrested for the hold-up of a branch office of the Malta Banking Corporation. Owen believed him when he maintained his innocence but his father, who had a tumultuous youth, was nevertheless convicted and later died in prison. Following his father's conviction, Owen and his mother went to live with his maternal grandparents. Owen had a difficult time with his grandfather, who was convinced that Owen would eventually follow his father's path.[1]
Meeting Monroe
In 2016, despite the fact that they eventually grew apart, Owen asked his childhood friend, Javier Mondragón, to help him prove the innocence of his late father. Owen wanted to use a clandestine Animus owned by the mysterious Monroe to relive the memories of his father's supposed bank robbery. However, as the pair met with Monroe, the man told them that he could not help them as Owen only had access to his father's memories from before his own conception and did not have any DNA of his father taken from after the robbery.[2]
Despite Owen's disillusionment and for the sake of curiosity, they still decided to use the Animus and experienced the memories of two of their ancestors who met during the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.[3] Owen's ancestor, Alfonso del Castillo, was a conquistador who unknowingly witnessed Hernán Cortés using a Piece of Eden—in fact a prong of the Trident of Eden—to brainwash Javier's ancestor,[4] a Tlaxcaltec commander named Chimalpopoca.[3]
Following this discovery and after Monroe disappeared without answering their questions, Owen and Javier unknowingly became persons of interest for both the Assassins and the Templars.[5] Indeed, a Templar agent tried to approach Owen on the street some days later, but an Assassin killed him from a nearby roof, prompting the teenager to flee. He ultimately escaped the Assassin with the help of Monroe.[6]
After Monroe told them about the Assassin-Templar War and convinced them that the best course of action was to find the artifact first and hide it from the belligerents, Owen and Javier joined Monroe's team of teenagers. Recruited by Monroe, they all shared in their DNA the ancestral memories of the same event: the 1863 draft riots in New York City, where the prong had also been present.[7]
Choosing a side
Under the guidance of Monroe and thanks to his modified Animus, which allowed multiple users to share their session, Owen relived the memories of the Assassin Varius while the others looked for clues into the memories of their own ancestors. In 1863, Varius was instructed to recover the prong and deliver it to General Ulysses S. Grant,[8] but was later hunted by Cudgel Cormac, Javier's ancestor.[9] The group eventually discovered that, thanks to Varius' new recruit and Grace Collins' ancestor, the gifted Eliza,[10] the prong managed to reach General Grant, who kept it until his death.[11]
However, the use of the Animus did not go unnoticed, and a Templar strike team captured the teenagers, with only Owen and Javier escaping thanks to the skills they had learned from their ancestors, while Monroe disappeared. As they were debating about their options, the Assassin whom Owen had previously met, Griffin, found them again thanks to the tracking device in their stolen Abstergo motorcycle.[12]
Griffin convinced Owen to trust him, and the teenager in turn convinced a reluctant Javier to work with the Assassins, explaining that Pieces of Eden were always abused and that Monroe may suffer the same fate. The two boys then revealed to the Assassin the prong's location in Grant's house. After Griffin prompted them to use Eagle Vision to see if he was truly trustworthy and after he promised to secure the Brotherhood's help to prove the innocence of Owen's father, he brought them to his safehouse. Noticing the boys' disappointment in their dilapidated surroundings, Griffin told them about the Great Purge that had driven the Assassins to the edge of extinction and how ruthless the Templars truly were.[13]
After equipping themselves and receiving a call from Gavin Banks, Owen, Javier, and Griffin took a private plane to New York and from there drove to Grant's house. However, someone had arrived there first and left with the artifact beforehand, the stash being empty. Before the group could leave, three helicopters filled with Templar agents arrived at the house. Acting quickly, Owen destroyed two of them with an EMP grenade, allowing the trio to escape.[13]
Once they made it to safety, Griffin scolded Owen for disobeying his order not to engage the Templars, and threatened to renege on his promise to exonerate his father if it happened again. He then reminded him and Javier that Abstergo would not rest until the other pieces of the Trident were found, and that they and the other teenagers were the key to finding them. Offered a choice to carry on, Javier considered dropping out but Owen, determined to find the truth, agreed to help the Assassins.[13]
Search for the second prong
Owen and Javier spent the next few weeks being trained in basic combat and freerunning by Griffin, before being forced to scuttle their storage locker safehouse when the Assassin informant Rothenburg warned Gavin Banks that the Templars had found them.[14] After evading the Templars by taking a series of taxi cabs, they arrived at their new safehouse, where Rebecca Crane had set up an Animus for Owen, informing him that his Chinese ancestor, Zhang Zhi, may lead them to the second Trident prong.[15]
While in the Animus, Owen noticed similarities between himself and Zhi.[15] Ultimately, Zhi's memories proved to be a dead end, as she was crippled after assassinating Möngke Khan and failed to recover the prong he had in his possession.[16][17] After he exited the Animus, he learned that Javier had broken into a police warehouse and stolen his father's casefile. Looking through the evidence, Owen found a spit sample containing his father's DNA from after the robbery. However, Griffin stated they first needed to decode and upload his father's memories to the Abstergo Cloud and use Helix. Nonetheless, Owen became filled with hope that he could finally prove his father's innocence to his family, the world, and himself.[17]
Infiltrating the Aerie
With Owen's DNA a dead end, Griffin's only recourse was to extract his friends from the Aerie.[17] Owen and Javier insisted on coming with him, reasoning that their friends may not trust the Assassin. Javier's argument over Griffin's uncertainty of succeeding on his own ultimately won him over.[18]
While infiltrating the Aerie, Owen and Javier got separated from Griffin when an alarm went off.[18] The two teenagers managed to get in by threatening a Templar named Cole with a pain grenade before sedating her. When they reached the garage, they found the Templars firing on David, Natalya, and Monroe. Pinned down by gunfire, Owen chose to stay behind to allow the others to escape. Subsequently, a Templar named Isaiah showed up and, believing Owen to be an Assassin, revealed that he was not fooled by Griffin's diversion and that he was outnumbered. Monroe, who had stayed behind, surrendered himself and urged Owen to do the same.[19]
Guest at the Aerie
Owen was taken to Isaiah's office,[19] where Grace and Sean were brought to him. Isaiah tried to convince him he was on the wrong side, claiming that the Assassins had set up his father for the robbery that sent him to prison. Owen refused to believe him and revealed the spit sample he had on his person, demanding access to Helix to verify Isaiah's allegations. The Templar asked that he wait a day until Abstergo decoded his father's DNA.[20]
The next morning, Owen argued with Sean over which side of the conflict was in the right, as the latter had begun to sympathize with the Templars. Immediately afterwards, Owen accessed his father's memories, which seemed to confirm Isaiah's allegations. After getting out of Helix, Owen obtained Isaiah's promise to speak with Monroe.[20]
Owen later learned in a group meeting with Dr. Victoria Bibeau that Isaiah had lied to him, as Victoria claimed no knowledge of such a deal. After being told that Isaiah was preoccupied, Owen and Grace deduced that he was heading to Mongolia to find the second prong. Owen then mentioned that he had seen the artifact, which got Victoria's interest, before telling her that his DNA could not help the Templars find it.[21]
After Victoria left the room, Owen plotted with Grace to free Monroe and head to Mongolia,[21] while Sean decided to stay and promised not to rat them out. After creating a fake pain grenade, they were caught by Cole, who brought them directly to Monroe, revealing that she was helping them escape the Aerie. Owen asked her if she was Rothenburg, the Assassin informant inside Abstergo, which she denied. Cole then sealed the trio in a shipping crate, and Owen turned to Monroe for confirmation of his suspicion. The ex-Templar stated that Cole had helped him infiltrate the Aerie for his own independent rescue attempt and told him not to ask questions that might put Cole in danger. [22]
During the journey, Owen caught up with Grace and Monroe on what had been happening with them, during which he learned that Monroe did not have the first prong as he had assumed. Monroe then asked if Isaiah had mentioned the Ascendance Event and, at Owen's request, explained what he knew of the Ascendance Event and the sub-DNA, revealing that all six teenagers made up the whole of the sub-DNA.[22]
Trouble in Mongolia
Upon their arrival in Mongolia, Owen, Grace, and Monroe were quickly discovered and captured by Isaiah after trying to infiltrate the Abstergo camp. Subsequently, the Templars spotted survivors from a crashed Assassin plane and prepared to kill them when Grace, fearing that her brother was there, told Isaiah to set off a series of lights to lure David in so he could give Isaiah the location of Möngke Khan's tomb. Letting Grace do what she had to, Isaiah had the three of them escorted back inside their container.[23]
Once David was captured and interrogated by Isaiah, he claimed that the tomb was south of the Templar camp. After Isaiah left, Monroe asked David why he would betray the tomb's location, to which Owen retorted that it was a better alternative than the Assassins getting their hands on it. He then told Monroe of how he had accessed his father's memories, to which the latter claimed that Isaiah was a master manipulator and had falsified the memory to show Owen what he wanted to see. However, the teenager stubbornly refused to believe it.[23]
After David got a guard to let him use a portable toilet, Owen and Grace felt a strong Bleeding Effect between them, enabling them to use their ancestors' skills to incapacitate several Templars.[23] When they found David, he revealed that he had misled Isaiah and led them to the tomb's real location, where they found Javier and Natalya, the latter having sedated Griffin and Yanmei. As they excavated the Khan's tomb together, Owen told everyone what Monroe had said to him, and Javier agreed with the ex-Templar that Isaiah had tricked him.[24]
Once they finished the excavation, Isaiah appeared, having pretended to be deceived so he could follow the group. As the Assassins recovered and attacked the Templars, Owen and Javier pursued Isaiah into the tomb, but were unable to stop him from getting his hands on the second prong, rendering them helpless before its fear-inducing powers. After Isaiah fatally wounded Yanmei, he announced his defection from the Templar Order and took the assembled Templars away, leaving Owen and his friends alone.[25]
With Griffin carrying Yanmei's body, the group made their way back to the Templar camp. Subsequently, Victoria arrived at the camp, having just learned of Isaiah's betrayal, and informed everyone that he had also acquired the first prong. When Victoria's bodyguards raised their weapons in alarm upon hearing that the Assassins were present, the teenagers reasoned that Isaiah was the bigger threat. Thus, Victoria and Griffin agreed to a ceasefire until they found the third prong and stopped Isaiah.[25]
Working against Isaiah
The Collective Unconscious
Regrouping back at the Aerie, Owen watched as Victoria received reassurance from her Templar superiors while talking with Natalya about what had happened in Mongolia.[26] Both he and Natalya were then approached by Monroe after Victoria explained that the Collins and Javier were the only ones with ancestors connected to the third and final Trident prong. Monroe told the two teenagers that he needed them to go into the collective unconscious to access the Ascendance Event. After a moment of consideration, they agreed to help.[27]
After Monroe explained the dangerous uncertainty, Owen and Natalya ventured into the memory as themselves. They soon came across a configuration of a forest and were attacked by "The Snake."[28] They managed to avert it until Natalya allowed it to swallow her whole, only for it to disappear. Moving forward to a new path,[29] they were joined by Grace and followed the path to an elderly man and his dog.[30]
When the man asked for help finding a new owner for his dog, Owen instantly agreed. After the man passed away, the dog did not want to leave. As it began to snow, the girls, feeling cold, left while Owen stayed with the dog. With this gesture, Owen survived the cold and gained the dog's loyalty.[31] Regrouping with Grace and Natalya, they waited on the road for the dog's new companion. After some people failed their expectations, they came across a "wanderer", who initially rejected the dog. However, after Owen pleaded with her, she accepted the dog and took him along on her journey. Together, Owen, Grace, and Natalya then proceeded to their final test, that of faith.[30]
Venturing towards the apex of a mountain, the trio discussed which of the two paths to take. They all followed Grace, who chose an abyss to walk by, and trekked the long path. Despite her fear of heights, she led and even saved Owen and Natalya from falling. Keeping it all together, they made it to the top and came across a dome rising from the ground.[32] Entering a corridor, they met Minerva, who explained her race's and the Trident's history and claimed that they must destroy the artifact to ensure the world's safety. After Minerva told the teenagers that she had given them a "shield" to protect them from the Trident's powers, the simulation ended.[33]
Race for the Devotion Prong
Owen woke up first and helped Monroe remove Natalya and Grace from the Animus.[33] After Javier's and David's simulations revealed that the third prong was in Västerås, Sweden, Owen, Grace, and Natalya were chosen to accompany Griffin there and recover the artifact.[34] With Victoria's help, they traveled to Sweden on a commercial flight to avoid detection by Isaiah. Upon arrival, they all followed Grace, who used her ancestor Östen Jorundsson's memories to determine the prong's precise location.[35]
Owen and Natalya stayed back while Grace and Griffin went towards an irrigation spring building, where they saw the prong on display. Reconvening with them, Griffin told the teenagers to wait while he ventured back at night to retrieve the artifact. However, Isaiah and his men ambushed Griffin during his mission,[35] prompting Owen and Grace to come to his rescue and knock out the Templar agents with their shovels. With Griffin having been shot, the teenagers carried him to safety, but it was futile, as the Assassin succumbed to his wounds after telling Owen to give his Hidden Blade to Javier. Taking the blade, Owen, Natalya, and Grace waited until it was silent and prepared to make their escape, reluctantly leaving Griffin's body behind.[36]
As they reached Griffin's car, the teenagers were caught by Isaiah, who determined that Grace was holding the prong. Promptly seizing it, Isaiah began insulting the teenagers and ordered their deaths after learning that they had accessed the Ascendance Event and concluding that they posed a threat to his plans. Fortunately, Owen and the others were rescued by Sean and the AI-controlled van Poindexter and taken to Victoria's colleagues. Traveling back to the Aerie, they informed their team of Isaiah's impending arrival as Owen gifted Griffin's Hidden Blade to Javier.[37]
Defeating Isaiah
Preparing along with his friends, Monroe, and Victoria, Owen installed defenses around the Aerie against Isaiah's forces. Waiting together, they soon heard a helicopter incoming, and Owen and Javier raced to the roof, where the former took down the helicopter with an EMP grenade. However, its destruction nearly killed Owen and caused considerable damage to the Aerie, forcing the group to retreat into the garage.[38]
There, Owen and his allies made their final stand against Isaiah's forces and soon became overwhelmed by their numbers. Cornered, the group saw Isaiah enter the garage and order his men to kill everyone. However, Sean challenged Isaiah to a duel, asserting that he knew what the latter feared. Contested, Isaiah used the Trident's fear prong against Owen and his friends, who were instantly faced with their worst nightmares. At that moment, Owen realized that the "shield" given by Minerva was metaphorical and a method to counter the Trident's power. Overcoming his nightmare, Owen told the others to accept their fears, which they did, making them immune to the Trident's effects.[38]
As Isaiah used the other prongs against the teenagers, they overcame the visions and confronted Isaiah. Fighting him together, they were able to disarm him, allowing Javier to deliver the final blow with Griffin's Hidden Blade. They all then took hold of the Trident together and, after a surge of power pulsated through them to the Trident, the weapon was rendered seemingly powerless.[38]
Following the fight at the Aerie, the teenagers were taken back to their homes after Victoria gave her word that the Templars would no longer trouble them. Unlike the others, Owen had no viable excuse for his weeks-long disappearance and had to think about what he would say to his mother and grandparents. Thinking about his father, Owen realized that he no longer cared what the truth was regarding his innocence, as he had made peace with his past and would no longer let it hold power over him. After taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door and found himself home.[39]
Personality and traits
Since childhood, Owen's singular focus was his father's innocence,[1] which made him easy to exploit, as seen with the first Templar agent he encountered,[6] and then again with Isaiah.[20] By the end of his journey with his friends, he learned to overcome his obsession and let go of the past, determining that the truth did not matter if it held so much power over him.[39]
Skills and equipment
Thanks to the Bleeding Effect, Owen acquired the abilities of his Assassin ancestor Varius, making him a capable fighter and freerunner and skilled in espionage, stealth, infiltration, disguise, and eavesdropping. He also became an expert marksman and had various gadgets at his disposal, courtesy of Griffin, who trained Owen to further refine his skills.[14] Additionally, whenever he was in Grace's presence, they both felt a strong Bleeding Effect between them that enabled them to fight well together. This connection was a result of the bond that Varius and Grace's ancestor Eliza had shared.[23]
Upon joining the Assassins, Owen made use of knives and a variety of grenades, including smoke, flash, sleep, and EMP bombs.[13][38][14] Later, after synchronizing with his ancestor Zhang Zhi, he added a laser array and a crossbow pistol to his arsenal.[18] Owen was also skilled in makeshift craftsmanship, constructing a crude fake pain grenade to escape the Aerie.[22]
Gallery
Behind the scenes
Owen Meyers is a character introduced in the 2016 young adult novel, Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants, from the series of the same name written by Matthew J. Kirby.
Etymology
Owen is a welsh name which comes from either the old Welsh for "young warrior" or is a Welsh variant for the Greek name Eugenios, meaning "well born".
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan
- Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods
References