Warlord Era

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"If they want to come here to and see all the squabbling nation-states we have to deal with... the warlords in the countryside—the communists and gangsters in the back alleys... Let them see how bloody easy it is to keep order in this cesspool, I say!"

―Master Templar Coxworth, ranting about the Inner Sanctum, 1927

The Warlord Era (軍閥時代; Mandarin: Jūnfá shídài, Cantonese: gwan¹fat⁶ si⁴doi⁶) was the turbulent period in the early 20th century when China was fragmented into a multitude of military cliques. Each clique controlled their own region and vied for international recognition as the legitimate government of the Republic of China. In practical effect, the cliques were independent states in their own right claiming the same official name.

So chaotic was the political situation that the Shanghai Rite was powerless to maintain control to advance the Templar Order's objectives in China. Discontent with their failures, the Inner Sanctum dispatched the Black Cross Albert Bolden to Shanghai to personally salvage their operations.

Behind the scenes

Although not mentioned by name, the Warlord Era is the time period in which Black Cross, the first volume of Assassin's Creed: Templars, is set.

Appearance

• Assassin's Creed: Templars – Volume 1: Black Cross