The fight between good and evil is one of the most prominent themes in fiction, video-games included; and in the Assassin's Creed series it is a subject that several times is explored within a multi-faceted prism. Quite a few of its characters, both heroes and villains, sometimes reach a point where they may cross the line between the two sides, even if it is not completely and consciously intentional from their part. While it is more usual for a villain to momentarily express a more mild attitude, it is the good guys who eventually either turn evil or act in ways that could be characterized as such, that are more fascinating to examine. But how much evil a good character has to do so as to be considered a villain - and, similarly - when does a villain reach that point which will make him look less evil? In this article, I will elaborate on this theme, going through the evolution of Shay Cormac, Achilles Davenport, Charles Lee and Haytham Kenway, who all play a most important part in Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed: Rogue, either as protagonists and antagonists or as supporting characters.

Although initially we did not know yet about Shay Cormac in Assassin's Creed III, as Rogue was released at a later date, we could still see all the consequences of his actions in the course of the game, which means that Shay's story was already part of the Assassin's Creed lore, even before the appearance of him as a character and his game as a complete story; similarly to how, when III was released, we were introduced to Haytham Kenway without knowing about Edward, yet there were several features that our hero had, hinting to all the facts that were revealed in Black Flag: in spite of being a Templar, Haytham had two hidden blades, one of which also proudly featured the Assassin symbol on its cuff; he also had the eagle vision and the ability to swan dive from extreme heights into haystacks or heaps of snow. So clearly Edward's story had already been set as a background to that of Haytham, long before we had the chance to know about it with Black Flag. 

Similarly, Shay's story had apparently been planned out already as a later release, and quite possibly as a much longer and richer game, but it got sped up to co-incide with Unity for all the technical and practical reasons that we know. This could also explain why the open world in Rogue is so vast with so many areas to explore and with so much extra stuff to discover, when the plot itself is limited to only six sequences and does not take long to complete; while covering the full map (to be more precise, the three full maps) of the game takes considerably longer, and it involves way too many areas that we do not have the opportunity to visit during the progression of the story. Assassin's Creed: Rogue is very unique in the series, not only because its protagonist is a Templar, but also because it gives us the chance to witness the other side of things through the eyes of someone who joined the Templar Order consciously, following his own free will, without having been brainwashed beforehand.  

Shay starts off as an extremely gifted Assassin who, however, seems to be looked down upon by his fellow Assassins, even by his good childhood friend Liam. Being Irish, he is considered an outsider by default, although noone blatantly tells him in the face; but Le Chevalier, for example, never loses the chance to belittle him. Incidentally, Liam is Irish too, but it looks like he is respected in the Brotherhood a lot more than Shay is, probably because he does not express his objections as often as his younger friend. It becomes clear from very early in the game that Shay has his own perception of things, and it is hinted that many times he would disagree with the tactics of the Assassins. However he truly and sincerely believed in their cause, which is why he kept on serving the Brotherhood the best way he could. Shay was an excellent Assassin, showing great skill, insight and intelligence; he could successfully carry out any mission he was tasked with in spite of his young age, and he would always be willing to do even more. However, he was not only an efficient killer; Shay was also interested in the procedural works of the Brotherhood, a subtle detail which hints that, if things had not turned out for him the way they did, he would undoubtedly had made a fine potential leader in the future. When the other Assassins leave to train or pass the time, he stays back to listen to the crucial information that Adewale has brought for Achilles; not out of curiosity, but because he is deeply interested in the mechanics of the Assassin cause and its deeper motives and complex strategies.

Being a thinker, he had a trait that would always distinguish him from the other Assassins in his circle. Not that the others were not thinkers as well; but Shay had a tendency to keep things to himself and contemplate quite often, being rather solitary as a person, although it is clear than he had a strong bond with Liam and was in good friendly terms with Hope as well. But as it becomes clear later, neither Le Chevalier nor Kesegowaase liked him; something that had already been hinted early on in the story. Shay respected Achilles, but felt that the leader of the Colonial Brotherhood did not trust him enough, making him feel even more an outsider. This condition, however, had an unexpected positive side-effect: thanks to it, Shay was able to make his observations objectively and discern both the good and the bad side of things. Because for the Assassins under Achilles's leadership, all the decisions and actions of their leader were correct and could never be questioned; but Shay, as an outsider, could instantly see something that was wrong.

 

 

The tragic incident in Lisbon, which marked Shay's decision to go against the Assassins and subsequently betray them by joining the Templar Order, was a most crucial example of this. Causing the ravaging earthquake that destroyed the city and killed so many people was a tragedy that would scar him for the rest of his life, even when, years later, he felt that he had somehow made amends. Shay was convinced that Achilles was somehow aware of the destruction that would follow by removing the artifact from the foundation of the temple and that regardless he did not care, because his superior aim was to keep the artifacts away from the Templars, no matter the cost. Although he was not exactly right, because Achilles, at that point in his life at least, would never deliberately cause the loss of innocent lives, he did have a point, in that the Colonial Assassins and their leaders would most of the times choose to act with regard to how they would weaken the Templars, ignoring other factors and consequences that could prove devastating. When he confronted Achilles about the Lisbon incident, the leader's reaction did not help ease the young man's mind, neither did the aggression with which both he and the other Assassins chased Shay when they found out he had stolen the manuscript and was going to destroy it. 

 

Shay was a good man, and he remained good even after joining the Templar Order, when he typically switched to the side of evil, given the circumstances, proving that, at the end of the day, good and evil are very fluid notions. As a Templar, he was a ruthless killer; but he was so as an Assassin too. As an Assassin, he would kill people who were harming humanity, but this did not make the act of murder less of an act of extreme violence. We can see how he starts having moral doubts when, during his time as an Assassin, he is sent to murder a man who is dying due to an illness, and then another one who is too powerless and weak to be able to defend himself. Then it was a Templar who saved his life, when the Assassins left him for dead in the freezing cold ocean; Colonel Monro took him under his wing and helped him get back on his feet, offering him a second chance in life. 

 

The limits of good and evil almost cease to exist in Shay's case, because, as contradicting as this may sound, he never loses his humanity, even when his actions look evil. For what it's worth, his decision to abandon the Assassins was the result of him feeling responsible for the loss of innocent people. One could argue that he cannot be good when he kills good people like Adewale and Charles Dorian; but he does what he does consciously, following the guidelines of the Templar Order which he serves. As an Assassin, he would have done the same, acting against his Templar enemies. And he did maintain a certain amount of respect and love towards Achilles, considering how he convinced Haytham to spare his former mentor's life, a development that, in the long run, affected the lives of many people.

 

When the main plot of Assassin's Creed III starts, after the introductory memories with Haytham are completed, we find Achilles crippled but alive, as a result of Shay intervening at just the last moment, and saving him from Haytham's fatal blow, while the Brotherhood of the Colonies is almost non-existent. All this, we had the chance to know later, watching the finale of Rogue, but now, having at our disposal the linear timeline of the events, we can put the pieces of the puzzle together easily and without confusion. After his dramatic confrontation with Shay and Haytham in North America, which resulted in him becoming crippled after Haytham shot him, Achilles returned to his homestead while the Assassin Brotherhood had been dismantled, since Shay had killed all of its leaders. He locked himself in the manor, refusing to communicate with the locals, while from time to time he was being targeted by poachers, some of whom may have been even sent by the Templars to rid of him. 

 

 

Achilles is, by default, on the side of good; but he abruptly switches to the side of evil when he allows his personal bitterness to overcome him. After Connor finds him, and Achilles agrees to take on his training, we are presented to the secret Assassination wall in the homestead's basement, which features the portraits of all the important Templars that have to be eliminated for the Colonial Rite to be defeated for good. Normally, Shay's portrait would have also been among them, but we do not see it anywhere, probably because, deep down, Achilles felt that he owed Shay his life. Haytham, from his part, being so smart and perceptive, takes care to never mention Shay to Connor, not only because Shay is an extremely valuable member of the Order who needs to stay alive, but also because Haytham knows that, no matter how determined or strong Connor may be, chances are he would never get alive out of a fight with a killer so skilled and experienced as Shay. He was essentially protecting both from each other. In a similar manner, he took care to keep Charles Lee away from Connor, not only because Charles was the one whom the Templars wanted to plant as the US President - which was the main, typical reason - but also because he wanted to avoid a confrontation between the two, which could possibly end in Connor's demise. Knowing Connor's obsession with killing Charles and the latter's spite against the boy, Haytham wanted to keep both of them away from each other, again to ensure, for as long as he could control it, that they would be safe. Although he went to Fort George presumably determined to kill Connor and save Charles for good, he was all the while divided between his duty as the Grand Master of the Colonial Rite and his instinct which would constantly withhold him from killing Connor.

 

Achilles holds a grudge against Haytham for crippling him by shooting his knee as well as for taking Shay in the Templar Order, and his feelings are justifiable up to a point; but they cease being justifiable when he starts poisoning Connor's heart, brainwashing the boy into killing Haytham while cruelly dismissing the blood bond between the two and acting as if it does not matter at all, going as far as to literally arm Connor's hand, essentially turning him into a mercenary and sending him to kill Haytham because he is unable to do it himself due to his condition. Mind you, when Connor confessed that he wants to kill the Templars so as to avenge the destruction of his village, Achilles scolded him for being motivated by his personal vendetta instead of merely wanting to fight for justice; and then we see how Achilles himself is guided almost entirely by his own personal vendetta against Haytham. It is interesting, however, that Connor, in spite of looking rather determined to take his own revenge, is quite reserved and reluctant when it comes to actually doing it, considering how he did not want to kill William Johnson after destroying his merchandise, pretty much to Achilles's disappointment; and when later he did it because he felt he had no choice, he still had regrets about it. His only weak point was his hatred for Charles Lee, whom he was hunting relentlessly due to the false belief that Charles was responsible for the burning of his village, a belief that gradually turned into an obsession for Connor.

So it looks like history is repeating itself for the Kenway boys, as Connor is being brainwashed by Achilles almost like Haytham had been brainwashed by Reginald Birch. After losing his wife and son, Achilles never let anyone in his life again; and he finally accepted to help Connor because he realized that the boy was in fact the only one capable of eliminating the Colonial Templar Rite. Not because he was stronger than the local Templars, but due to the blood bond that connected him with Haytham: Achilles was experienced and insightful enough to realize that the only person who had any luck in killing Haytham would be his own son, because there was a 50/50 chance that Haytham would literally allow Connor to kill him, refusing to end his son's life. And in the end this is exactly what happened: Haytham removed his hidden blade so as to not kill Connor, sacrificing himself instead. He had long before realized that the path he had taken in life was essentially a constant point of no return, and even if he wanted to change route, it would have been impossible after all that has happened.

 

Connor is at a very innocent state when he sees Haytham for the first time in Boston, and you can clearly see in his eyes that he would love to go talk to him; for a few fractions of seconds their opposite alliances do not matter for Connor, neither does the fact that Haytham is a ruthless killer, responsible for the chaos in Boston. Yet Achilles keeps on the same cold, blunt attitude, not empathizing at all with the boy's confusion. Connor is too young at that point to think with logic; he has just left his village, finding himself in a big city that he had never seen before nor imagined that could exist, and on top of that, he sees his father for the first time in his life, just a few steps away from him. As the story progresses, there are a few scenes where we literally see how Connor instinctively longs to get closer to Haytham - at some point, he grabs Haytham in an attempt to push him away from an imminent attack, in a manner that simulates an awkward hugging; and Haytham is the only person whom Connor allows to touch him without the slightest sign of displeasure. 

If it was not for Achilles's spite, and maybe if Zhiio was alive, Connor might have been able to outsmart his destiny and eventually reach a point of compromise with Haytham. But every time that he mentioned this possibility to Achilles, the latter would dismiss it with absolution, leaving no space for an alternative solution other than killing Haytham. Of course all this does not mean that Achilles was not a good man; on the contrary, while he was the leader of the Colonial Brotherhood and his mind was still clear and just, he acted with mildness, caution and care. This is evident in how he treats Shay at the start of Rogue, even gifting him his favorite pistols. Still, he made a mistake in not trusting Shay with vital information concerning the Brotherhood and its missions, making the young man believe, and quite possibly rightly so, that he was not being considered an equal among his brothers. This was a constant thorn that bugged Shay, since he felt that while he was offering his services unconditionally to the Brotherhood, he was being treated with mistrust and skepticism in return. 

Although Shay is not present in Assassin's Creed III and he is not mentioned at any point throughout the game, the story is in fact incomplete without factoring him in. If he had not intervened and instead had let Haytham kill Achilles in North America, Connor's story would have taken a different route. Similarly to how if he hadn't killed Charles Dorian, things would have unfolded much differently for Arno in Unity. This means that Shay's role had been crucial and determinant in both stories, functioning like a train track switch, and setting the paths of Connor and Arno off route, subsequently forcing both boys to remain subjugated to a forced destiny during their childhood and their early youth; but while Arno used his wits to carve his own path even though he was following the commands of a rather headstrong branch of the Brotherhood, Connor was unable to find his way until it was too late to change his fate, because he lacked the proper guidance in his early years. Arno might have lost his dear father at a very tender age, but he was lucky to grow up under the care of François de la Serre, who was an honest and just Templar and never attempted to brainwash Arno into joining the Order, even protecting him by keeping him away from Templar gatherings so as to avoid exposing the boy's gifts and thus putting him in danger. And then Bellec, until he chose to violently purge the French Brotherhood, had been a fine and just mentor for Arno and provided him with all that was necessary so as to always depend on himself and on his own instinct. But Connor switched abruptly from the calm, untainted state of his native village to the environment of an embittered man who partly used the Assassin cause as a means to fulfill his revenge.

Arno learned to think on his feet from a very early stage, and while he maintained the innocence in his heart, he was able to discern evil in its root. Which is why he was quick to confront Pierre Bellec as soon as he realized that the latter was not operating on the side of good; and although it was painful for him, since Bellec was his mentor, he eventually killed him, because what Bellec was doing was harmful not only for the Brotherhood but for Arno himself as well. Contrary to Connor, who let himself get wholly affected by Achilles's obsessions and from a point and on, he would marginally sway to and fro, almost not acting out of his own will. Even after killing Haytham, he refused to let himself express how he truly felt; although we see him shaving his head as a sign of mourning for his deceased father, and back at the homestead, he has written "Sakataterihwáhten" under Haytham's portrait which means "I made a mistake", having also added three question marks beside it, clearly unable to find a reason why Haytham had to die except for the never-ending feud between the Assassins and the Templars, still then while facing a devastated Charles Lee at Haytham's funeral, he again put on a cold facade, as he was still under the influence of his mentor's poison. Even his own obsession with hunting down and killing Charles Lee, which proved to be unjust and pointless after a certain point, had also been reinforced by Achilles's brainwashing. 

Charles, on the other hand, worshiping Haytham for years, feels that he has nothing left to hope and live for after his death; and although he seems to want to save himself from Connor's rage, in the end he literally begs the boy to end his life, not with words but with his bitter smile in one of the most powerful and heart-breaking scenes of the series. Charles was never an evil man by default; he had a trait that made him tend to bow to, flatter and serve authority, but we can't be sure if this was an inherent feature of his character, or it was born when he saw Haytham for the first time at Boston's harbour. It is more than clear that he was instantly mesmerized by Haytham's charm as soon as he met him, and from that moment and on, he spent the rest of his days following him around and blindly serving him, eventually turning himself into the ideal future puppet politician that the Templars wanted for the US Presidency.

Notably, until he is officially accepted in the Templar Order and when he is not running after Haytham, Charles can be seen discreetly standing at the side whenever he is present during a meeting, most of the times with his back to the Templars, as they discuss crucial details about their missions. On a few occasions, Haytham himself nods to him to move to the side, and Charles obeys without protesting, essentially accepting his limited role in all this and waiting patiently for his loyalty to be properly recognized. Something that happens much sooner than even he would expect, and it is also worth mentioning that, although he was a smart and efficient man in his own merit, he was happy to just exist by Haytham's side, acting the part of his henchman if necessary, keeping an enigmatic silence and a rather reserved nobleness up to a certain point before transforming into a ruthless man, led by his frustration and despair. 

Charles Lee goes through a very complex transformation as a character, which, interestingly enough, is reflected in his physical appearance as well. While for the rest of his partners the years pass in a most normal way, leaving natural marks on some of them (Benjamin Church, John Pitcairn and William Johnson just age without losing their physiognomy), not affecting others much (Thomas Hickey maintains the same drunk face of a rascal, only older) or even favoring them (Haytham gets even more charming and attractive as years pass), time seems to gradually take its toll on Charles - a change that is much more symbolic than it is physically meaningful. The clarity and light of his eyes are replaced by a foggy, blurred gaze; his rich, shiny black hair gets thinner; transformations that go hand-in-hand with the change in his once mild and mellow demeanor that gradually tears off, letting out a cruel, sadistic and marginally paranoid side. His harsh and relentless manner is first shown during his very first meeting with little Connor at the Mohawk village, then we see an even more cruel version of it when he visits the boy in prison, and it is fully exposed, together with his overwhelming desperation, while confronting Connor at Haytham's funeral. 

 

What is the real cause of this change, never becomes too clear; the most obvious explanation could be that deep down he always wanted to do something grand, but lacked the self-confidence and maybe the means to achieve it; therefore when Haytham and the Templars of the Colonies picked him as the best choice for the position of the future US President, he felt that luck finally smiled at him and from that point and on, he did not care anymore about showing a good face to the world; he just waited patiently until the time came for him to rise to glory. But maybe things were not that simple for Charles, as apparently he had more personal issues to deal with. The real Charles Lee was quite temperamental, and this feature is aptly depicted in the game with the obviously unstable and insecure character of his fictionalized version. His constantly growing and unhealthy emotional attachment to Haytham could explain a good deal (if not all) of this gradual change and his physical transformation, considering that he probably saw no reciprocation whatsoever - or at least not to the degree or of the kind that he desired. His resentment for Zhiio and, later, for Connor as well, together with his glaringly obsessive devotion to Haytham, are more signs that this could very well be the case. 

Haytham's good looks and his charismatic personality are vital elements in the way that he affects the people around him, just like Edward did with his brilliance and physical gifts. But while Edward was too innocent and too focused on other things to use his attractiveness to achieve his goals, and he charmed others without even realizing it, Haytham did so very consciously, to the extent that after a certain point, this "strategy" became for him as natural as breathing. Charles Lee was his most obvious "victim", but at least Haytham was planning to reward him with a grand office, so all the emotional turmoil that Charles had been going through for so many years would have found some kind of compensation. But this never happened, due to Haytham's death and the elimination of the Colonial Rite. And this development again goes back to Shay Cormac who, by stopping Haytham from killing Achilles, inadvertently caused Haytham's death years later, affecting Charles Lee's fate as well in a crazy domino effect.

Although Haytham is not a villain / antagonist by nature, he obtains that role in Connor's story, since he belongs to the Templar Order; because in Rogue's story, where we see everything through Shay's point of view, Haytham is on the side of good. In spite of his extreme cruelty, however, he is character whom you can easily love, because of his captivating and compelling personality; also because his more positive elements are also shown, and especially after you get to know the tragic story of his family and his own dramatic path in life. Having inherited both the noble grace of his mother and the stunning looks of his father, he trained to become a ruthless killer under Birch's never-resting eye; the fact that he is as handsome as he is cruel, is a murderous combination, which makes him even more intimidating and fearsome.

Haytham was born in a loving environment, growing up under the guidance of a father who adored him and offered him everything, but whom he lost too soon, while his own character was still unshaped. He confesses in his journal that he loved Edward fiercely, something that indicates that if his father hadn't met his tragic premature end, Haytham would have moved on in his youth following Edward's guidance with devotion, before setting out to the world to carve his own path as a just and honorable Assassin. But even for this, we cannot be completely sure. He was too young when he was left alone, and Birch's influence had been so defining then, that even Haytham himself could not tell with certainty what his true nature was. Haytham's case is very interesting, because although it is clear that he was not born evil, for most part of his childhood, adolescence and early youth he grew in conditions that he could not control and which were irreversibly leading him to a path that he probably wouldn't have chosen himself, but this is something that neither he nor we will ever know. His character was shaped in an environment that was forced on him, so whether he would have chosen the side of good or the side of evil following his own free will, is something that noone can tell for sure. 

What is certain, however, is that for a big part of his life the two opposed elements, the good and the evil, were always in conflict in his heart and mind, and we can see these contradicting sides as soon as his story begins: he rushes to save the sailor who is about to fall in the stormy sea, while moments before he intimidated the ship's captain by coldly exposing his hidden blade towards him, and earlier he looked more than convincing when he assured Mr Smythe that he would cut his head off the next time that the captain would dare to threaten him. During his part of the plot, there is a constant switch from one side to the other, as we watch him treating Zhiio with gentleness or being very kind to Charles, while at the same time he kills his enemies or suspected adversaries in cold blood and without the slightest remorse. 

When we come across him again in Connor's part of the story, his good side seems to have shrunk so much that it is practically non-existent, showing only extremely feeble sparks of kindness the few times that he calls Connor "son" and during his final moments when he admits that, in a way, he is proud of what Connor has become. And again, we can never be sure if he is being sincere in these moments or he is once more attempting to manipulate Connor. Haytham is extremely intelligent, and throughout his life he made use of his brilliant mind to achieve malicious ends. But this was not a development that happened overnight and with a light heart: earlier, he had learned that Birch was responsible for Edward's death and the gloomy fate of his sister, and he had taken his revenge on him after having freed Jenny as well; he had also gone through the painful incident involving his friend Jim Holden, which triggered another extremely vindictive but justified action from his part. It is crucial to consider such events when examining Haytham's character, as they further intensified his conditioned cruelty and gradually diminished his good elements, eventually turning him into the cold-blooded murderer that Birch always wanted to make him, his most characteristic habit being to ruthlessly kill his victims just as soon as they stopped being useful to him.

 

The incident with the three officers at Fort George depicts Haytham's cruelty and relentlessness more accurately than any other, even before we see him in plain action in that sequence. Haytham and Connor have just attacked a group of soldiers who had been keeping guard, securing the meeting of three British officers in the grounds of a burned church. After eliminating the guards, Haytham captures the three officers, but as he is tying the hands of the last one, the first manages to escape. Haytham orders Connor to run after him, which the boy does, not with much willingness, somehow sensing, albeit very vaguely, what will follow. He then chases the officer and catches him, leading him to Fort George, as Haytham commanded earlier. As they are approaching the entrance of the Fort, the officer starts panicking; although moments before he cursed at Connor, he now begs him to set him free, adding with a trembling voice that if he steps inside the Fort, he will be a dead man. Unaware of the extent of his father's murderous nature, Connor tells the officer that they will just ask him a few questions, so there is nothing to worry about. Right then, Haytham shows up, and the panic in the officer's eyes and the way he steps back terrified although he knows there is no way out of this situation, all this shockingly contrasting with Haytham's stunning figure and his noble beauty as he grabs the officer's arm with an enigmatic grin while the officer instinctively leans towards Connor, literally make time freeze at that point. It is obvious that the guard knows very well who Haytham is, and he also knows how merciless and remorseless he is, which is why he attempted to escape in the first place.

Once inside the Fort, the terrified officer is put to sit between his two colleagues who look suspiciously quiet and not moving at all, and soon we realize why, it's because while Connor was out in the streets chasing the last officer, Haytham did not waste any time; he inquired the other two, got the information that he wanted from them and immediately after, he summarily cut their throats. Still fostering the vain hope that he might survive the same nightmarish ordeal, the officer gives Haytham all the details that he wants to know, which are the same things that his dead colleagues have already told him. Promising that he will then set him free, Haytham instantly cuts the man's throat as well with his hidden blade, much to Connor's shock.

Occurring at a crucial point in the story, this chilling incident confirmed - because we had been given hints up to that point anyway - that Haytham had already been notorious for his ruthlessness and cruelty. There was nothing that could stop him, and he was afraid of nothing; noone could mess with him and make it out alive, and once he blacklisted a person, that person was sure to meet their death. The only times when he actually showed mercy were the moments when he killed his victims, as he made sure their deaths were instant and quick. And the only person who could actually defeat him was Connor, but not because he was stronger than Haytham. Connor was very strong, but Haytham had incredible physical strength in spite of his delicate build and light movement; and there was no way Connor could have matched him; but by removing his hidden blade during their final, fatal confrontation, Haytham ensured that he would give Connor a fighting chance. And proud as he was until the end, he would have never allowed himself to succumb to any other blade, than that of his own son; in any other case, he would surely have succeeded in cheating death.

 

In the long course of the Assassin's Creed Saga, these four characters are probably the most fascinating in terms of how they balance between good and evil, either due to the circumstances or because of their own perception of the world. Their evolution is extremely interesting, as is the way in which the actions of each one of them affect, directly or indirectly, the development of the others - especially how Shay Cormac's choices practically defined the fate of the other three, as well as the future of Connor and Arno, either directly or indirectly; and they all prove that nothing is ever absolute or clear-cut and, most of all, that good and evil are relative notions and much closer to one another than one would imagine. 

The Artifacts That Hold The Earth Together

Some say they are a legend, others may believe it is all true about them. There are several myths concerning them, from all around the world; and through the ages, literature has several times referenced them and made use of their magical world. In any event, the artifacts that hold the Earth together can easily become fascinating pieces of narrative that most of the times (if not always) act as an axis or even a driving force in the progression of a plotline. For what it's worth, Shay Cormac in Assassin's Creed Rogue and Lara Croft in Shadow Of The Tomb Raider definitely have great stories to tell about their almost identical experiences with such magical objects, and especially what happens when they are removed from their sacred resting places.

Shay's story takes us back to 1755, when our hero is sent on a mission arranged by the Colonial Assassins, to locate and retrieve an artifact of great power and utmost importance from the depths of a temple in Lisbon. Before that, he was able to decipher a riddle of sorts, involving a Precursor box (another magical object) and a manuscript written in an unknown language (it is the Voynich Manuscript in fact, playing a vital role in the story), which were both used in an experiment carried out by Benjamin Franklin, and the result of which revealed to Shay the exact location of the artifact in question. Shay arrives in Lisbon on a joyful day, with the city celebrating the Feast of All Saints; and the temple, which is his destination, is aptly decorated with flowers and colorful flags.

Once inside the church, he starts looking for clues that will lead him to the exact location of the artifact. Somewhere around there, probably buried deep in the foundation of the historical building. Shay has fond memories of Lisbon, as he had confessed earlier to Liam, his fellow Assassin and childhood friend; he had been there before, quite possibly on a mission again, and he met some lovely girls who were preparing to become nuns. So this is not just another place for him; he is emotionally attached already. But since he is a professional after all, his focus now is strictly set on locating the artifact. With his eagle vision, he spots four symbols on the walls of the church, each one representing an element: fire, water, earth, wind. 

With parkour and acrobatics, he reaches them one by one, unlocking a key mechanisms each one with his hidden blade. Notably, the four elements, albeit very much real and existing, often obtain a magical quality in fiction, including video games. It is thanks to them that Earth and humanity can live and breathe, and their eternal presence, although it accompanies human existence since forever, always holds an amount of mystery and unpredictability. When all mechanisms are unlocked, an underground passage is revealed in the center of the church.

Shay follows the passage going down below the ground floor of the church, which leads to some kind of bridge that seems to be floating, forming itself little by little towards a pedestal where the artifact is sitting. Our hero stands in awe as he approaches the mythical object which looks like a spiked star, illuminated with strange bright symbols. Following the orders of his superior Assassins, he reaches out to take the artifact from its resting place.

Just then, the ground starts to shake and the walls around him begin to tremble and slowly collapse. It is obvious that removing the artifact from its pedestal was not a good idea after all. Somehow, doing so unleashed a destructive, unearthly power, a force that humans were unable to predict, let alone control. Shay is at a loss; all he knows is that he has to escape the collapsing church as quickly as possible.

Once on ground level, all he encounters is chaos and panic as the earthquake is in full swing. What follows is a mad run across the collapsing city, during which Shay has to find alternative paths every now and then as the streets are not always accessible. As he goes, people are running in panic, screaming and praying loudly; buildings are falling down, the ground breaks and collapses. The city, which was flourishing with festive joy just minutes before is now completely defenseless against one of the most destructive forces of nature.

After an agonizing race against time, he finally manages to reach the harbour where his ship and crew await. Once he is safe on the deck, he watches the destruction from a distance, realizing that he is partly responsible for the doom that befell that beautiful city and its innocent people. It is at that moment that he seriously questions the actions and decisions of his fellow Assassins, leading to his dramatic rift with them soon after and his subsequent accession in the Templar Order.

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider brings us to contemporary Cozumel, a Mexican village, where Lara arrives with her friend Jonah, following the leads of one of her father's maps. It is the Day of the Dead, so the whole place is decorated with flowers and candles, and there are festive activities all around; there is singing, a small bazaar here and there, and the cemetery, usually a place of grief, is now a joyful haven of remembrance, as the locals are communicating with their deceased loved ones in a ritual that aims at exorcising death.

But Lara is on a mission; as much as she loves the festivities, since they are also part of her own field of knowledge and research (being an archaeologist who is also interested in folk culture), she disguises herself as one of the locals so as to locate and follow the trail of Dr Dominguez, a fellow archaeologist and former associate of her father's, who is also looking for the same artifacts that she wants to find. Of course he does not want them for anything good - at least this is what Lara believes in the beginning; Trinity, the order of which he is the leader, seeks such artifacts around the world in order to gain more power and control humanity.

Lara's path to the artifact is not as straightforward as Shay's; she has to stealthily follow Dr Dominguez and his men for a while, then outrun them towards the location in question, which is a precipitous area just outside the village; and climb some rather unfriendly rocks above raging waters until she finally gets to a huge cave where she has to move several objects around so as to reach a series of otherwise inaccessible platforms. Eventually she gets to the top of the cave, where she discovers a dagger of incredible craftsmanship hidden under a riddle pedestal resembling a Mayan calendar. Lara solves the puzzle, revealing the dagger which is majestically sitting on a receptacle, in such a way that all the details of its design are fully visible.

On the wall above the pedestal, there is an ominous primordial mural depicting a series of catastrophes, which Lara understands that are connected to the dagger. It is definitely wise to just leave the valuable artifact there, but knowing that Trinity is close behind and that they are surely going to take the dagger for their own dark purposes, she has no other choice but to remove it from its resting place. As soon as she does so, there is a shaking, and parts of the rocks around her collapse. However she has the time to escape the cave, as the first catastrophe has not started yet; and once outside, she has to fight a group of angry Trinity soldiers before she comes face to face with Dr Dominguez himself. The mysterious archaeologist attacks her with the help of his soldiers before violently taking the dagger from her and just then a most destructive flood is set in motion.

Lara runs frantically across the village, which is now fully overtaken by the force of nature. As she goes, either jumping from roof to pole or swimming through flooded buses and stores, everything around her gets gradually swept by the hostile waters as streets become torrents, houses flood, people try in vain to save their lives and the only way to possibly survive seems to be to attempt to reach a higher ground. And that is what she does, eventually reaching a safe terrace, marginally making it alive but ever so devastated for involuntarily causing this tragedy. 

These parts of Shay's and Lara's stories are very similar, and not only as far as their progression is concerned. It is worth the while to watch the sequences side by side, so that we can see in real time how things unfold for both of them, in the following comparison video. On the left, we see Shay's part and on the right there is Lara's part. 

Although their initial intentions are different, since Shay is tasked with taking the Precursor artifact by order of the Assassins and Lara is looking for the Dagger of Chak Chel following her self-assigned mission, they both seek to hide the magical objects from the opposing forces, namely the Templars and Trinity respectively. Interestingly enough, however, there is a similar twist in both stories. In Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, Dr Dominguez secretly wants to protect his native city, the mythical Paititi, and thus use the dagger for this purpose; similarly in Rogue, the Templars wish to keep the Precursor artifacts protected, knowing what would follow the removal from their resting places. Even so, the motives of the "villains", so to speak, in both stories still remain somehow dark and foggy, and we can never be sure about the sincerity of their own intentions. It is notable however that in Shay's story we witness a rather rare instance in the Assassin's Creed saga where the "good guys" not only seem to be completely in the wrong (albeit this is due to ignorance and not to malice), but they also act with unusual hostility towards Shay, who dared question their creed. In both stories, the setting is pretty similar. Lisbon in Rogue, Cozumel in Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, places of Latino heritage and on very fateful occasions as well: the Feast of All Saints in Lisbon and the Day of the Dead in Cozumel, both create a magical, unworldly atmosphere; although this is more evident in Lara's story, because there we have the chance to spend more time in the festive grounds and even interact with the locals; while Shay's route is mainly solitary.

 

The most prominent common element however is the quality of the artifacts themselves. They are both found buried in practically inaccessible places, and they seem to be placed at neuralgic spots, as if they are literally connectors in some kind of circuit that holds parts of the Earth together. Just like the crucial pieces of a Jenga tower, which, if removed, cause the collapse of the whole installation, in a similar manner objects like the Precursor artifact in Rogue and the Dagger of Chak Chel in Shadow Of The Tomb Raider act like key items of a power that the human mind is unable to conceive. From a scientific point of view, we could assume that, in the case of the Mayan artifact, there could be some realistic explanation to back the legend up. The Mayans, like the Aztecs or the Egyptians, had developed a massive and impressive expertise. Their architectural achievements are miraculous, even with today's standards. It is very likely that they had come up with ways to control the unstable grounds of their earthquake-prone lands by constructing mechanisms and key elements that were able to somehow hold neuralgic connecting axes together. Of course this could never work fully, as nature is unpredictable; but it could act as an indicator or a regulator of an imminent disaster. The fictional Isu of the Assassin's Creed saga share elements of civilizations like the Mayans, so their own expertise is pretty similar as well. Humanity - even in the case where it is half-divine, like the Isu - will always seek ways to understand the complex mechanics of the Earth and all it involves; because as much as we want to believe that we know it well enough, it still retains and undoubtedly will always be full of unexplored and unexplained mysteries. 

The Fortune Of Edward Kenway

The story of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag takes place during the time of the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730), an era of legendary pirate activity around the Caribbean, when several pirates and privateers, mainly from Great Britain, Spain and France, would sail to the beautiful islands of the West Indies either in search of fortune and fame, if they were acting on their own account, or following the orders of their governments in cases where they were official "employees" tasked to attack and conquer ships of rivaling countries. Edward Kenway is our hero, the beautiful, charismatic and adventurous young man from Swansea, who got married at the tender age of eighteen to his sweetheart Caroline Scott, but less that two years later, sick of the deprived life that he was forced into, and wishing to provide better living conditions for his wife and himself, he decided to leave his home for a set period of time and become a privateer at the West Indies.

 

Our hero's journey in both the seas and life is fascinating, to say the least. Filled with danger, but also with thrilling, exciting experiences and valuable lessons. He makes new friends, is reunited with past companions, loses beloved people from his life; he also succeeds in becoming rich and gaining notoriety at first, but also eventually fame. In short, he makes an ambitious manifestation at the start of his journey; and everything he wishes for, he achieves it progressively. Of course nothing comes easy, and not without big, painful costs. But first he becomes a pirate captain, with his own brigantine which he calls The Jackdaw; and he returns to Nassau, the island where a group of pirates, previously his comrades during his privateering era, had established their own Republic, which they are now governing themselves having achieved a relative independence, free of all superior power and laws. Historical figures like Laureano de Torres y Ayala, Ed Thatch aka Blackbeard, Benjamin Hornigold, Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts, Woodes Rogers, Stede Bonnet and Mary Read play a most important role both in the story and in Edward's development as a character, some of them being quite defining as personalities as far his emotional growth and self-awareness are concerned.

 

 

Edward's story unfolds amidst a gripping narrative; and in the lush and colorful paradise of the Caribbean islands, our golden-haired pirate hero rises as one of the most memorable characters of the Assassin's Creed series and maybe the most perfectly shaped and compelling of all. Evoking the life and legend of real-life pirate Samuel Bellamy, Edward is not simply one more well-designed character; he is a hero of fiction who stays with you, somehow finds his way into your heart and once this happens, he becomes part of your own being. Debonair but also blunt, beautiful and at the same time raw, innocent yet ingenious, unstoppable and fragile, he balances traits that are opposite to each other with the same agility with which he is equally sturdy and graceful. In spite of his weaknesses and imperfections - or, maybe, exactly thanks to them, he is the most inspiring and heart-warming hero of the saga. 

 

 

There is a lot of background when the story begins in medias res, but in the process enough information is being offered so that we get to know our hero soon enough and familiarize with his passionate and captivating character. Edward has all the traits of the Assassins (perception, eagle vision, high intelligence and instinct), but he does not even learn about the Brotherhood until Sequence 4, and he does not become an Assassin until the very end of the game, which renders his story even more powerful, interesting and unique. The references to the series' backstory concerning the First Civilization are minimal, something that helps keep the focus on Edward himself and his own view of everyone and everything around him. More specifically, the Assassins as a unit of interest only essentially come to the foreground during the very brief Sequence 4, which is practically the necessary path that Edward has to follow, guided by Mary, so as to essentially understand that he is a gifted man and has all the traits that could allow him in the Assassin Brotherhood, and similarly in the segment of memory To Suffer Without Dying where Mary, upon dying, urges Edward to help the Assassin cause, which he then considers doing in the follow-up memory Everything Is Permitted. The rest of the story is mainly independent, dealing mostly with Edward's emotional growth and the several stages from which he passes as some kind of unofficial ritual in order to finally find himself and realize that what in fact urged him to abandon his original stagnant life was not so much the promise of riches and fame, but his inner need to break free and live beyond limitations and obligations imposed by society. Edward always aspired to something greater, but in the beginning he did not realize that the privateer's life ahead of him was only a first step towards something much more important than wealth; it was the unique chance that he had to leave behind a predetermined, conventional life that would soon make him an unhappy man. 

 

On a theoretical level, Edward's idea of freedom which was pretty much the same with what the pirates had in mind for Nassau, co-incided with the ideals of the Assassins; something that Edward himself points out to Mary as she analyzes the philosophy of the Brotherhood in memory Overrun and Outnumbered. But in practice, and in their essence, the mechanics behind the Assassin Brotherhood are quite different, not to mention the several gray areas in which sometimes the Assassins tread, marginally identifying with the Templars. When Mary starts explaining the Creed's goals to Edward, the first thing she mentions is that "we kill people", meaning of course the Templars and those seeking to use power for evil purposes. This is something that, in theory, sounds solid and good, but when put to practice it can never remain pure and clean as a way of action, as it involves taking lives. Which is why Edward is so reluctant to join the Assassins, although he is sympathizing with them and their cause and acknowledges that, to a certain extent and as far as their ideals are concerned at least, they are in the right. 

 

As a lead character, Edward is essentially making his own story, either going with the flow or playing by his rules, according to how each situation commands. When he finds himself stranded on the beach of Cape Bonavista, with only the extremely dangerous Duncan Walpole as a surviving companion, he attempts to make a deal with him; when this fails and Duncan threatens to kill him, Edward kills him in self-defense and assumes his identity. Then in Havana, he goes through the brief initiation ceremony that Governor Laureano Torres holds and accepts the Templar ring, curious to see where all this will lead. During the meeting that follows the initiation ceremony, he is informed of the existence of the Observatory, the sacred site that holds a mythical treasure and the location of which is only known to Bartholomew Roberts aka The Sage; and finding the site with the latter's help immediately becomes Edward's ultimate goal. When his identity fraud is revealed and he is found chained in the hold of a prisoner ship, he manages to escape, he steals a Spanish brig and becomes a pirate captain. Edward is an adventurer, taking things as they come but also carving his own path, always alert to seize opportunities and change route if necessary.

 

With no time to lose, he names his newly-acquired brig 'The Jackdaw'; a choice of name that feels - and is - very significant at that point. There are a few very interesting references to the jackdaw throughout the story, culminating in Woodes Rogers' speech during Edward's nightmare in Delirium, in which the now ex-governor narrates Aesop's fable about the jackdaw and the eagle. The Jackdaw and the Eagle as stand-alone entities and symbols represent Edward versus the Assassins: the Eagle being the Assassins' own unique symbol and the Jackdaw standing for Edward, since it is the name of his ship, as well as a bird species much loved in Great Britain, his homeland; in a connection that is very similar to that between Jacob Frye in Assassin's Creed Syndicate and the Rooks - his gang and the actual rooks that are the symbols of London. There is however another parameter which concerns the jackdaw and its connection to Edward. In one of my replays of the game, I noticed how much the features of Benjamin Hornigold, Edward's mentor in piracy and best-friend-turned-worst-enemy, evoke the image of a jackdaw: the way his ebony hair is tied back that resemble the bird's tail, his sideburns that remind the jackdaw's wings, the look and color of his eyes, the shape of his eyebrows and nose, his dark and mysterious personality. 

Benjamin is charismatic, handsome and smart; but he can also be sly and conniving - exactly like the literal jackdaw: a beautiful and intelligent bird which can be very cunning. The real Benjamin Hornigold was an intriguing historical figure, although little is known about his life. If anything, he must have been a man with a brilliant strategic mind and although he did not reach the legendary levels of fame that other pirates did - like, for example, Ed Thatch - he definitely played a major role in establishing the ambitious Republic of Pirates at Nassau, which was his own ideal - and, in the long run, utopian - vision of a land free of kings and strict laws. The motive that urged him to become a pirate in the first place is foggy, as is his later decision to eventually betray his comrades and become a pirate hunter, shifting to the other extreme. What is certain is that he envisioned a paradise of freedom for Nassau, and he got deeply disappointed when this vision eventually failed to succeed, at which point he did not want to have anything to do with it anymore - exactly how it is depicted in the game. Additionally, his rather reserved approach while he was a pirate captain, not resorting to violent acts unless it was absolutely necessary, and his insistence to never attack British ships, resulted in him being down-voted by his lieutenants, losing much of his allure among his sailors, in spite of his skills. The conditions of his death are blurred as well: his ship was caught in a hurricane while on a special mission and he was forced to run it aground on an uncharted reef. Although a few of his men managed to survive and leave the island on a boat, Hornigold himself died on the wreck site under mysterious circumstances. 

Although not openly evident, as we essentially watch the story via Edward's eyes, it is more than hinted throughout the story that Benjamin's relationship with our hero is neither light nor simple. Even though their main interactions are discussions and bantering concerning their common past as privateers and their current situation as pirates, there are subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) layers in their dialogues that indicate a rather strong and complex bond between them that possibly went beyond the limits of friendship and comradeship, although to which extent, remains deliberately lost in the mist. It is notable that when Edward arrives in Nassau in memory Now Hiring, Benjamin makes it very clear in the hearing of everyone and in a rather spicy way that he is extremely happy to see his old friend again, exclaiming "You are a sight for salty eyes", something that is received with reserved but obvious delight by Edward, judging by his subtle but hearty grin. 

In the next series of scenes in memories Prizes and Plunder and Raise The Black Flag, Benjamin has his eyes fixed on Edward and his stare keeps following him wherever he goes; and this is something that he seems to be doing quite consciously in front of others as well. Not really a surprise though; our Edward is such a stunner. Obviously not fully aware of the effect he has on people, something that makes him even more attractive. In another scene, when Ed Thatch does as little as to barely touch Edward friendly on the shoulder, Benjamin rushes to distract him, asking him for a docket so that he will have to take his hand off Edward to give it over. Although the old salty dog Thatch seems to be quite suspicious of what is going on at that point. Also his comment that he prefers "the Spanish stuff" when talking about ships, in the context that Edward's brigantine is Spanish, gets a quite spicy undertone. Benjamin is a smart man, we know it. Smart and cunning, just like the jackdaw.

Making the connection is not that far-fetched; Edward would watch the jackdaws in Swansea as a child and developed a love for them, like he says; then he went off to become a privateer, met Benjamin who reminded him of the jackdaws and the rest is history. Without having seen Benjamin yet, Adéwalé calls the jackdaw "a dark little creature", as if he senses something in the air (which he probably does, in fact). Benjamin is older than Edward by a bit more than a decade (he is in his early thirties at the beginning of the story), but he has a slim, delicate figure and although still a tall man, he is slightly shorter than the statuesque Edward. On a metaphorical, literary level, he matches Adéwalé's description of the jackdaw more than perfectly. There is also one more possibly missable detail that connects Benjamin to the jackdaw: upon learning the name of Edward's newly acquired ship, the pirates have different reactions: while Jim/Mary is completely indifferent and Ed Thatch teases Edward about how he named his ship "after a poxy bird", Benjamin just turns to look at Edward with obvious content. It is a blink-and-you-will-miss-it frame, but if you stay focused on Benjamin and Edward, you can clearly see them looking and smiling at each other right after the name of Edward's ship becomes known to the group.

Next up, another blink-and-you-will-miss-it frame shows Ben leaning back with a calmly triumphant look in his eyes just while the brief discussion about the name of Edward's ship is concluding. It is as if he is meaning to say, of course Edward would name his ship Jackdaw, what else could it be. And it is quite intriguing to consider how exactly Edward could have made the connection between his friend and the bird in the past. Obviously in a way that became known to Benjamin as well, judging from his reactions, either directly or indirectly through conversations or reminiscences during their privateering days. It is more than evident that Edward was open to all kinds of life's experiences anyway, given also his way of life as a pirate.

Benjamin was clearly an inspiration for Edward during their common privateering era; his skills and intelligence played a good part in forming the young man's perception and personality. But equally, it is more than obvious that Edward, who could very easily charm people with his graceful figure, his golden hair and bright blue eyes, his indomitable spirit and storming personality, had caught Benjamin under his own spell, although his raw innocence somehow did not let him realize this fully. Taking the flashbacks with Caroline into consideration, it gradually becomes clear that what Edward really wanted was a life of freedom - exactly what Benjamin envisioned by establishing the Republic of Pirates on Nassau. Benjamin's seemingly playful but on a second level quite serious advice to forget about Caroline and just enjoy life in Nassau, tells more than is obvious at that point. 

 

Things of course do not unfold very pleasantly, as Benjamin begins to reconsider his idea of the utopian Paradise on Nassau, which, in his eyes, starts to show as exactly what it is: a utopia. An illegal state is very hard to maintain, and more so with so limited resources available. He gradually distances himself from the Pirates Republic, attempting to make his comrades realize how vain their dream turned out to be and how badly it is going to end if they keep on that path. As Thatch strongly opposes him and Edward tries to find a solution somewhere in between, since he can clearly see what Benjamin means but at the same time he does not want to give up that dream so easily and partly backs Thatch up, Benjamin begins to seriously consider yielding to the Governor's proposal for a pardon, which means leaving his pirate days behind him. But what he eventually does is switch to the opposite extreme by becoming a pirate hunter, subsequently betraying his old friends by taking on missions to hunt them down, while accepting to become a Templar and aid the West Indies Rite in locating the Observatory. The process is not that simple though, as the route to the sacred site is a secret that only Bartholomew Roberts knows, so both Benjamin and Edward go on a race against time - and later against each other - to find Black Bart, each one for his own purpose.

 

 

After several chapters in which Benjamin is nowhere to be found, he appears again, side by side with the new Governor Woodes Rogers, although at that point his real intentions are not very obvious. Later on, while looking for Bartholomew Roberts, Edward overhears a conversation between Benjamin and the Governor and subsequently one more that his former friend has with Grand Master Laureano Torres and realizes Benjamin's ultimate betrayal. While confronting him about it during their brief and heated dialogue that follows, Edward yells out "pox on you, traitor", obviously a "curse" that was popular at the time due to life's conditions, but it sounds like a targeted choice of words at that point, again connecting Benjamin to the jackdaw, as it goes back to the comment that Thatch made earlier, when he teased Edward for naming his ship after a poxy bird. So Benjamin, being the living incarnation of the jackdaw, has all its fair and good elements when he is on Edward's side, then abruptly acquires all its negative attributes when his betrayal is revealed. But it is notable that his connection to the jackdaw, albeit negative from that moment and on, still remains till the end.

Although on a deeper level Edward and Benjamin had a common ground, it was in the details that their paths somehow diverted from each other. Benjamin's theory of an ideal utopia was too good to be true in literal, practical terms; this, combined with the fact that, in spite of his radical views, he was way less revolutionary in practice, resulted in him backing down from his own dream when things started to get stressing. Edward, on the other hand, had nothing to lose so he went on; and even if he did have things to lose, he was willing to take risks. What he always wanted was to be wealthy and free; and basically be wealthy as to be able to be free. Edward's longing for absolute freedom is also highlighted by how he tends to strip off uniforms and move around with as little covering as possible. This is part of certain activities in the game, but I always felt that it was incorporated also as a more obvious and symbolic indication of Edward's inner need for liberation. In Assassin's Creed Rogue, Haytham comments at some point that Edward had no sense of shame, something that hits as an insult if you just take it lightly, but in fact Edward, as a person, was completely free of social barriers; in which sense what Haytham says is true and, considering also how much he loved Edward, is anything but negative. We know what a master our beloved villain was with words; his fiendish mind would never operate on one level only. 

There is a twist in the main story about Bartholomew Roberts, but it is connected to the Modern Day sequences as well as the background of the Assassin's Creed saga; in Edward's story itself, Black Bart is a dominant character, who turns out to be a significant antagonist and eventually the only villain that Edward has to exterminate who does not belong to the Templar Order. As such, Roberts is essentially a character who serves as an important driving force in the story, being hunted by Edward, the Templars and the Assassins, as he is the only one who knows where the Observatory is. Edward wants to find the Observatory believing it holds mythical amounts of gold, the Templars want it because they know that with its secret they could rule all the governments and the population of the world, and the Assassins want to get to it so as to protect it by sealing it shut. Roberts himself is heading to the sacred place for his own purpose, but knowing that the path leading to it is extremely dangerous, he agrees to allow Edward accompany him there, seemingly because he trusts him enough to do so, but in reality because he senses that Edward, with his intelligence and skills, is the only one capable of overcoming all danger and clearing the path for him. When Roberts embarks on the first journey with Edward, it is just then when our hero starts suspecting what is going on; but still his mind is fogged as he is focused on finding the Observatory. Roberts essentially holds Edward and his crew hostages; just like he has the Portuguese captain whom he captures in Black Bart's Gambit in order to use as bait and camouflage. The only difference is that Edward and his sailors do not have their hands tied or a gun against their temples. 

I have played many games with fantastic narrative but I can hardly think of a more dense and compelling progression set-up than the one that unfolds in sequences 9 and 10 (Muddied Waters and Dead Reckoning) of Black Flag. Set exclusively around Edward, Hornigold and Roberts, the five episodes that comprise the two sequences are a succession of emotionally loaded scenes and fascinating gameplay, in a progression that is raw, mysterious and chilling without any unneeded bells and whistles. Having already lost his soul-mate Thatch in a most dramatic way, and having been betrayed by Benjamin who has meanwhile become a pirate hunter and a Templar, Edward finds himself at the start of Sequence 9 in a state where he still has control over himself but feels emotionally vulnerable. Realizing the actual extent of Benjamin's betrayal in Imagine My Surprise is a severe shock, so he furiously rushes to Africa in Trust Is Earned to find and rescue Roberts before the Templars get to him. Not only because he wants to get to the Observatory, but also in a spite of vengeance against his former friend and his betrayal. He achieves this, but Roberts puts him to the test by demanding he carries out a series of favors starting with Trust Is Earned and moving on to Black Bart's Gambit and Murder and Mayhem. These favors are in fact trials to prove his loyalty, but Edward is not able to clearly see that yet. Or even if he does see it, he stays focused on his, goal, which is reaching the Observatory. Among these trials, is a cunningly veiled mercenarial order to kill Benjamin Hornigold who is also on the hunt for Roberts and the Observatory by command of the Templars. Upon realizing that Benjamin is after both him and Roberts for this specific purpose, Edward goes off to kill him, while Adéwalé attempts to make him see sense. At the start of the hunt for Benjamin, Edward seems determined to kill his friend no matter what, but as the time draws near for their fatal encounter to take place, he is less and less inclined to carry out the painful deed. 

When he does so, he is clearly devastated; and in this state of emotional turmoil, he is the most vulnerable and thus goes on to act without thinking much first, something that would be quite unlike him under normal circumstances; but Roberts, who had calculated everything beforehand and knows that Edward would end up emotionally wrecked and with his morale shattered after killing Benjamin with his own hands, lures him now to the Observatory, knowing that Edward will just follow along, aiming at the mythical prize inside the shrine with his instinct, which would otherwise warn him of the imminent danger, in a numbed state. The title of  Sequence 10 is Dead Reckoning, a nautical term which describes the process of calculating the position that a moving object has at a given time, by using a position that had been determined previously, while considering also its speed and direction and the remaining time until it reaches its destination; in the story's context, it refers to how Roberts manages to entrap Edward by following a series of carefully set steps, based on Edward's previous actions and reactions. Roberts is a cruel, calculating mind; he knows exactly how Edward will react and what will be his subsequent move every time. From the very first second that he saw Edward in Havana, after our hero helped the Templars re-capture Roberts following his attempted escape, until the time when Edward successfully tracked him down in Principe, Black Bart was able to study his temperament every time he had the chance to. Even when things just happened for him without a plan, he was able to direct them in ways that suited him best. 

After Edward falls in the cunning trap that Roberts set for him inside the Observatory, and manages to make it back, at which point our hero's crew has already abandoned him taking also his ship, Black Bart cruelly teases him by saying "Your Jackdaw has flown", a comment that refers to the obvious (his ship that is gone), but also comes right after Edward has killed Benjamin (the human incarnation of the jackdaw) following the order given by Roberts himself. Benjamin was a dangerous enemy for Roberts, and the latter wanted him out of the way; but although Benjamin was a Templar already, Edward might have dealt with him in a less fatal way if the search for the Observatory had not taken such monstrous extents under Black Bart's influence. It is obvious that, in spite of his smartness and intuition, Edward was deceived by Roberts's compelling personality and his way with words, and was unable to read between the lines until it was already too late.  

It's a recurring tragedy in Edward's life, that he is unable to prevent the loss of the people that are important to him: Thatch dies heroically during a battle where Edward is present but is unable to reach him in time as he is too far away and there are too many obstacles between them; Mary succumbs to her illness in jail in front of his eyes and again he cannot offer a helping hand; Stede is captured and hanged, and Edward only finds out while attempting to escape from prison, after accidentally overhearing a group of guards chatting; again he was unable to help his friend because he was not even there. Later in the story, he learns about Caroline's death during his absence. And worst of all, he is forced to kill Benjamin with his own hands - a devastating twist that also hints at how important Benjamin had been in his life and how much he could possibly be able to affect our hero overall. And vice versa, for that matter. Edward can see the honorable part of the creed that the Assassins represent, but he can also see the grey areas and all those elements that are heavily debatable about it. Which is why it takes him so long to finally become an official member of the Brotherhood. Edward may have the merits and gifts of the Assassins but for the most part in his story he is a civilian, and a particularly insightful and perceptive one. In fact he is a bit like Arno Dorian, who may have become an Assassin very soon after learning about his own gifts and abilities, but throughout the course of his first tumultuous years in the Brotherhood he often clashed with his superiors, most often than not disagreeing with their tactics and their rules. 

Both Edward and Arno view free will as the most important axis in their life, at which point we could say that their perception identifies with that of Shay Cormac. Shay as well operated through the path of free will, something that was frowned upon but his fellow Assassins. Like Edward, Shay was able to discern those grey areas that could easily render the decisions and actions of the Assassins questionable. Of course here we have to take into consideration the different approaches that individual Brotherhoods had by default. The British Brotherhood, for example, was way more balanced and just; acted with caution and flexibility although its members had to deal with extremely dangerous and intimidating adversaries. This is something that we can clearly see, judging by how Jacob and Evie approached their missions, as well as by their overall clear-minded and objective judgement. The French Brotherhood was much more strict and unforgiving, even having in its council Assassins that crossed so many permitted lines. The Brotherhood of the Colonies would often resort to nasty extremities in the name of their creed, actions that were not much different from those of the Templars, something that, in a sense, justifies even more Shay's decision to switch sides. 

Edward had the gifts of the Assassins without realizing that they made him special - one more element that he had common with Arno; in a most revealing scene in This Old Cove, he innocently confesses that he felt how all this - the eagle vision, essentially seeing through things, his high perception - was natural, connected to his dreaming, as he had it since he was a child. He would watch nature around him through his eagle vision, believing it was something that happened casually. He interpreted it as some kind of momentary vision, "like moonlight on the ocean". Later in his travels, which were many, he had seen several things; so all these experiences were stored as a few more wonders in the world that he witnessed around him. Yet this is one more indication that he would have never been able to go on living a conventional life, and even if he did, he would suffer and probably would make the people around him suffer too, because it would have been impossible for him to come to terms with an uneventful daily routine. This becomes even more clear during the final segment of Edward's nightmare in Delirium, when he has a brief vision of himself and Caroline on his ship, with Caroline wondering, in tearful anger, how it was not enough for him that he had her - meaning, a loving wife and a nice home. But Edward always felt that he was made for more. He was doomed to die young, but at least he led a fascinating life until then; with many sacrifices, but fascinating nonetheless.

 

There are so many events that mark his path as he goes; he is constantly on a rollercoaster of emotions as he navigates (literally and metaphorically) the turquoise waters and the green islands of the Caribbean; he risks his life many times, even more times he puts his good fortune to the test. The last words of the people that die by his blade seem to affect him much more than he lets on, as he always looks very thoughtful and concerned upon hearing them. Du Casse's "curse" (May the hell that you find be of your own making), Laurens Prins's sarcastic remark that, just like Edward, he was only after a bit of coin, Charles Vane's furious comment that Edward did not have the courage to live with no regrets, the bitter statement made by John Cockram and Josiah Burgess that, unlike them who had found a family in the Templar Order, Edward was left alone, Benjamin's painful warning that if he went on the path he had taken, he would end up alone at the gallows, all seem to vaguely foretell his future one way or another. And when Torres, upon dying, tells him that "You wear your convictions well; they suit you", it is as if he describes Edward's subsequent Assassin status. Witnessing the death of his good friend Ed Thatch leaves a scar that can never be healed. Edward was emotionally attached to Thatch; something that is only hinted at the start, but becomes more and more evident as the plot progresses, and especially during the beach gathering in North Carolina, where Edward is overwhelmed by sorrow knowing that his friend's decision to retire is final, moments before Blackbeard's tragic death. 

 

His silence when Adéwalé asks him about Blackbeard's fate, and his subsequent reply "he drinks Damnation" has me in tears every time. As does the part where, in the end, Anne sings the line from the "Parting Glass" that says "Of all the comrades that e'er I had / They're sorry for my going away" and a bit further down "But since it fell unto my lot / That I should rise and you should not / I gently rise and softly call / Good night and joy be to you all" as Edward had just had a "vision" of all his dead friends sitting around a table, drinking and being merry. Benjamin is also among them, looking back at him with a genuine smile on his face; which basically hints that Edward never truly wanted to kill him, and he still holds in his memories the good times that they shared together. The lines of that deeply emotional song that accompanies the story's final scenes practically describe Edward's nostalgia of the times that passed without return, all that he had gone through with his beloved friends, the good times and the bad times as well; the fact that he was destined to outlive all his comrades and painfully watch them go one way or the other, and he is now alone, raising a glass as a tribute to them and as one last libation.

The final segment of Sequence 10 where Edward, after managing to escape the Observatory, arrives back at the beach, heavily wounded, bleeding and unable to defend himself against Roberts and his mob of angry sailors, when the only prompt that you get there is plainly "survive", is one of the most compelling and numbing scenes of the story. It is when Edward comes to the bitter and painful realization that all was for nothing in the end, as he is almost dead at that point. He suffers a lot more after this, but manages to make it through and emerge partly healed, and with the knowledge that the secrets of the Observatory should remain unknown to the world forever. But this is what the Observatory essentially is, what it stands for: the higher goal, the elusive dream. What keeps us going on, even if we can never reach it. And if we do, is it worth all the struggle, all the pain, all the sacrifices? Is it what we truly expected to find? And how much do we really deserve it in the first place? Edward started off as a young man in search of a grand prize that would set him for life; he saw his one big chance in the hunt for the Observatory, but on the way he made a fortune and gained fame and notoriety alike. The Observatory itself proved to be a forbidden place, something to be kept sealed, unknown to the world. He managed to reach it but it nearly cost him his life, and meanwhile he had lost all the people that he loved and cared for. Considering also his own fate and the tragedy that hit his daughter and his beloved son later, it looks like the Observatory put a curse on him - or maybe it was Black Bart's curse, those words that he spelled like a mantra: A merry life and a short one. That is all. The world owes us nothing more than this.