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. 

Uncanny Chemistry, Mysterious Energy

A most unexpected character match made in Heaven happens in Assassin’s Creed Rogue as late as in Sequence 5 (given that the game comprises of just 6 sequences), which is I think one of the story’s biggest highlights, because it brings together and ties with an uncanny chemistry the mysterious protagonist Assassin-turned-Templar Shay Cormac and our most favorite villain, Haytham Kenway. 

When Shay becomes officially a Templar, he participates in an initiation ceremony led by the Grand Master himself and this is where the two of them meet for the first time in person. This is apparently a routine ritual, carried out for every new recruit, but you can tell how Haytham is instantly intrigued by Shay due to his ex-Assassin status, as he subsequently goes on to treat him with a curious and occasionally hilarious mix of respect, caution and a kind of twisted flirting – if deliberately splattering that poor guard’s blood on Shay’s face with his known murderous grace is not that exactly, then I don’t know what it is.

This intriguing chemistry between Haytham and Shay is due partly to the fact that they have a lot of things in common, the most obvious being that both are in a place for which they were not originally destined. For another part, however, it is their personalities that match so perfectly, although their idiosyncrasies do have their differences. Having passed through Assassin training himself, albeit for a brief time and at a very tender age, Haytham watches Shay as a sensational curiosity, undoubtedly thinking how it would have been for himself had he become an Assassin instead of a Templar, and wondering what could have happened in Shay’s life that made him switch sides so dramatically and devote himself to the Templar cause with such passion. Of course with time he had the chance to get to know more details about Shay’s past, possibly noticing common patterns with his in the course of the events. 

Haytham’s path in life had been somehow predetermined, but all was violently changed the night that Edward was murdered. Witnessing his father’s death at such a tender age was a huge shock from which he needed a lot of time to recover, something that gave Birch the chance to corrupt the young boy’s heart. In Birch’s hands, Haytham was a white canvas; and the ruthless man succeeded in giving him an upbringing that would perfectly place him in the highest Templar ranks. Growing up, however, a man with Assassin roots and Templar beliefs, like he describes himself in his journal, Haytham was able to form a mind of his own, in spite of Birch’s inevitable brainwashing, and he could discern the grey areas in the ideology of the Templars, just like Edward before him was able to discern the grey areas in the creed of the Assassins; as well as several points where the two opposite sides overlapped. 

 

By the time that Shay and Haytham are about to cross paths, Haytham had just gone through a most dramatic succession of events, culminating in facing Birch and subsequently killing him with Jenny, thus finally avenging Edward’s murder. Earlier, he had already left behind the – very unlikely anyway – possibility of a more normal life with Ziio, something that he does not regret, however. In her own brief interlude speech in Assassin’s Creed III, Ziio confesses that she doubted if Haytham even loved her; and if he did, it was in his own way, because he always had his eyes set to the future where there was no room for a conventional family life. In spite of how he chose to present himself, Haytham shared Edward’s free spirit and also that tendency to gain experience from everything and everyone that crossed his path. 

A similar free spirit he saw in Ziio, and this was what attracted him, as well as her uncorrupted heart; but most of all he was led by his own curiosity to see how it would feel like to live free of strict rules of any kind, in a possible attempt to somehow relive Edward’s constant longing for absolute freedom. Haytham was never inherently evil; Ziio, a woman with great instinct and insight, fell in love with him because she did discern the good in him after all. Not to mention his physical charm, to which noone could resist anyway; he admits himself in his journal that he enjoyed being compared to his father, because Edward was so striking. Haytham is an English rose, like Jacob and Evie, although one with many thorns, and many lethal thorns as well. In the first sequences of Assassin’s Creed III, when he is younger, we can literally see him switching between his more human self and the cruel Templar persona in seconds. Maybe as an instinctive way to protect himself by keeping a distance from everyone around him. That phrase that he says to Ziio, “you showed me great kindness” is revealing and heart-wrenching, if you think about it: the strict upbringing that Birch offered him had definitely been a struggle for Haytham in his childhood and teenage years, especially after all the love and tenderness that he had received from his father. Growing up under Birch’s surveillance made him a cold and ruthless murderer, practically eliminating almost all of his good elements. He is just like Estella, the beautiful and cold-hearted heroine of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations, who had been trained by Miss Havisham to be a heartless destroyer of men, but she did have some kindness which needed the right trigger to come to the surface. 

 

Shay, for his part, had been an Assassin for all his early youth, but was forced to abandon the Brotherhood after the disastrous events in Lisbon which made him realise that sometimes the decisions and actions of the Assassins do not lead to the best possible outcome and are not always for the common good. His dramatic confrontation with Achilles and his fellow Assassins resulted in him feeling betrayed by the very people that he used to love and care about, and nearly led to his own death. Being orphaned as a child, and in spite of being self-sufficient and resourceful on his own, he was emotionally vulnerable for a good part of his life, and was in need of someone with authority to guide him. His childhood friend Liam first served as an older brother figure, and then Achilles assumed the role of a father figure, offering him a safe haven in his homestead. 

After the tragic events that forced him to escape, hunted by Achilles and his former associates, he found a much stronger and much more emotionally powerful father figure in Colonel George Monro, whose demise took a very heavy toll on Shay. So when he was officially accepted in the Templar Order, he saw in the compelling and brilliant Grand Master the older brother figure that he so much needed in his life. Being young enough to be considered a trusty companion but at the same time intimidating enough to be seen as a symbol of power and order, Haytham became a beacon of balance for Shay, in spite of and contrary to his own marginally unhinged personality.

Carrying his emotionally heavy past as a burden and a constantly open wound, Shay is often overwhelmed by melancholy; but he is charming, trusty and efficient, giving off a mysterious energy that makes him fascinating – it is not random that this is the last thing that Hope says to him before leaving him to die in the poison-filled room. These are elements that Haytham appreciates in a man, especially a Templar under his command. He listens to Shay, respects his decisions, follows his advice without objection, accompanies him on difficult missions. Partly to make sure, at the beginning at least, that Shay will remain loyal to the Templar cause, but also partly because he sees so many elements of himself in Shay. His bloodthirsty side enjoys how Shay mercilessly kills everyone, from random gang members to ex-colleagues, but his more human side is thrilled to have found a partner in crime, close to his age, with a calm, unaffected mind, albeit more compassionate than himself. Being a gifted former Assassin and a promising Templar, Shay is literally the best of both worlds; and he is also experienced enough to treat Haytham with due respect - he is the Grand Master, after all - but without sucking up to him, something that Haytham undoubtedly admires a lot.

What Shay experienced in his early youth was like a distorted version of what Haytham experienced in his childhood: Haytham adored Edward, like Shay looked up to George Monro; Haytham’s father and Shay’s father figure were murdered, and they were both (Haytham as a child and Shay as a young man) left lost and numbed for some time. But while Shay consciously enrolled in the Templar Rite, Haytham was literally forced into it when he had no say in this decision, and there seemed to be no way out of it. He learned to adapt to his new life as the only way to make it through, and even made some good out of it. Unsuspecting about Birch's true nature and the fact that he was the mastermind behind Edward's murder, Haytham was able to make use of the good elements from his new mentor's teachings, although he would always recall what Edward had taught him and treasure all that past knowledge while still learning new things, confident - and rightly so - that Edward would be proud of him for questioning his ideals and carving his own path. This is a confession that he makes in his journal, and an acknowledgement that he prefers to keep to himself, choosing to snap back at the world with a cynicism that is indeed a most prominent part of his temperament, but it is not the only one; his bitter-sounding replies against Adewale's scathing comments during their face-to-face confrontation is maybe the most characteristic instance of this, as he seems to deliberately respond in a provocative way, knowing that he will infuriate his enemy, thus distracting him and making it easier for Shay to kill him.

This cynicism, however, was never part of his interactions with Shay, whom he apparently viewed as a friend and a trusty ally, and obviously admired for his skills. Although we do not have the chance to witness the full blooming of their alliance, it is certain that it lasted for a long time, as we see Shay ultimately retrieving the much sought for precursor box years later after killing Arno's father in Versailles, and was cut abruptly only because of Haytham's untimely death. When their parallel paths crossed for the first time back in New York, it was in a conjuncture that – we could say poetically – was written in the stars. We do not have evidence about how Haytham generally dealt with other recruits, but it is obvious that Shay stood out among the rest with his personality and his qualities, which is why the Grand Master held him in such high esteem; and vice versa, for similar reasons.