Shay Patrick Cormac

Character: Conviction: Shay is a man of his own convictions who questions dogma. Not impulsive: He is not impulsive and is generally more calculating, although he could sometimes listen to others. Rebelliousness: He was initially a rebel, but this trait became less pronounced as he got older. Purposeful: He ultimately chooses the path of a hermit to better understand the world and ancient artifacts rather than participate in the eternal war between the Assassins and the Templars. Skills: Hunter: He was a capable hunter, able to track and kill both wild animals and sea creatures. Eagle Vision: Shay possessed the ability "Eagle Vision", which helped him identify enemies. Weapon Use: He used an air rifle that fired tranquilizers, berserker darts, and firecrackers, and later, an underbarrel grenade launcher. His character combined rebellion and determination: he strove for knowledge, leaving the Assassins to join the Templars due to his internal conflicts and beliefs.

After Shay took the Precursor box and killed Charles Dorian, he returned to the colonies and continued his search for artifacts. He was now 35 years old.

Shay infiltrated the Palace of Versailles, where he found Charles Dorian and killed him, taking the Precursor box. Before his death, Charles remarked that Connor's Assassins and the American Revolution had thwarted the Templars' plans in the New World, though Shay countered, suggesting that perhaps the Templars should start their own revolution.

Haytham soon defeated Achilles during a fight, but Shay stopped the Grand Master of the Templars, who was about to finish off the Mentor of the Assassin Brotherhood. He believed that Achilles already knew the danger of these Precursor Temples, and if he died, the Assassins would blindly continue their search for the Temples. Reluctantly, Haytham agreed with Shay's arguments and did not kill Achilles, but so that Davenport would forever remember this encounter, he shot him in the knee. Afterwards, Haytham and Shay had a serious conversation: the Master of the Templars announced that Christopher Gist would remain in America and hunt down the remaining Assassins, assisted by Jack Weeks and the other Templars. He said the search for the Forerunner relics was complete, but he needed the Forerunner box, so he asked Shay to find it for the Templar Order and for himself. Shay replied that it could be anywhere and that it would take years to find. Kenway replied that it might take his entire life to find it and asked if he was ready for that, to which Shay agreed. In 1776, Shay was in Paris, France, where he received information that the Precursor box was in the possession of the French Assassin Charles Dorian. Shay assisted Benjamin Franklin, who was in Paris as ambassador to the French royal court. In gratitude, Franklin provided Shay with infiltration into the Palace of Versailles, although he was unaware of the Templar's true mission.

Shay reported his findings and actions to Haytham Kenway, who joined him en route to the Precursor Temple in the Arctic. Upon arrival, Haytham ordered Christopher Gist to remain on the ship to guard it and prepare for the onward journey. Once they reached their destination, Shay and Haytham found Achilles Davenport and Liam O'Brien examining a Piece of Eden identical to the one Shay had found in Lisbon. Achilles admitted he had been wrong about the artifacts and that Shay had actually been right, but Liam still condemned Shay for betraying the Assassin Brotherhood. Shay responded by blaming Liam for shooting him in the back at the Davenport estate in 1756. Liam clarified that it wasn't he who shot Shay in the back, but Chevalier de la Vérendrye, who prepared to shoot Shay but was stopped by Achilles. After a brief struggle, Liam fell on the artifact, disturbing its normal position and causing an earthquake. During the escape from the collapsing cave, Shay pursued Liam, while Haytham pursued Achilles along a different route. The former friends finally met in combat when the ice beneath them suddenly began to crumble, sending them plummeting. Shay suffered moderate injuries, while Liam was mortally wounded. Before he died, Liam revealed that the Chevalier had hidden the Precursor box where neither Shay nor the Templars could find it. Liam was also angry that Shay had killed Hope, to which Shay bitterly admitted he had no choice. As a sign of respect for his dead friend, Shay hooded him, retrieved the manuscript, and returned to his ship, where he witnessed the battle between Haytham and Achilles.

Shay managed to infiltrate Hope Jensen's mansion, where he witnessed a repeat of Franklin's experiment with the Precursor box. Liam O'Brien then went to inform Chevalier de la Vérendrye of the location of another First Civilization temple. After Liam left, Hope spotted Shay and fired a shot through the window, causing him to fall near her. She then took his handkerchief, released toxic fumes into the room, and fled. Shay, with extreme caution, managed to escape the room and find Hope, but she shot Cormac with a poison dart, which affected his heart rate. To keep himself alive, Shay pursued Hope throughout the city without stopping, eventually killing her and consuming the antidote she had in her possession. He expressed remorse for killing her, to which Hope replied that she had stalled for time so Liam could escape and that Chevalier de la Vérendrye would soon depart for the Forerunner shrine. Hope acknowledged Shay's talent. Afterward, Shay, on his ship, the Morrigan, arrived in the North Atlantic, where he and Gist again met with Captain Cook to learn the location of Chevalier de la Vérendrye's expedition. At Cook's suggestion, Shay infiltrated the fortress on Anticosti Island to steal Chevalier de la Vérendrye's maps. With Cook's help in decoding the maps, Shay discovered de la Vérendrye's location. Soon, the Chevalier lured the Morrigan into a snowstorm, but Shay was able to sink the enemy ships and destroy the Gyrfalcon, boarding it and killing de la Vérendrye. Before his death, the Chevalier said that he was merely a decoy and that Achilles Davenport and Liam O'Brien were already on their way to the Forerunner Temple site in the Arctic.

In June 1758, Shay arrived in the North Atlantic to meet with Royal Navy Captain James Cook and took command of his ship, the Pembroke, to halt the French fleet's advance on Louisbourg. During the battle, Shay spotted Adéwalé aboard his ship, the Experto Crede, assisting the French. Shay followed Christopher Gist's advice and concentrated on the fireships, allowing the Experto Crede to escape, after which the British fleet arrived to engage the French fleet. Shay and Haytham Kenway eventually tracked Adéwalé to the River Valley, and after a protracted battle, they severely damaged the Experto Crede, forcing Adéwalé to disembark. The two Templars then split up: Haytham was to distract Adéwalé, allowing Shay to assassinate him. Before his death, the Assassin revealed that Achilles Davenport already possessed everything necessary to find more First Civilization temples. Shay then traveled to New York City, where he located and tracked Achilles and other Assassins, who were planning to replicate Franklin's experiment on the Precursor box. Determined to stop his former comrades, Shay, along with Jack Weeks, set out to wrest control of the city's organized crime from Hope Jensen. To achieve this, the Templars stole Hope's gang uniforms and, under their guise, staged a robbery of a military outpost, giving the British a pretext to target the criminals. Shay met with Haytham Kenway after the successful robbery, while the Grand Master of the Templar Order interrogated a gang member for Hope's location.

Some time later, Shay arrived in Albany, which was under siege by the French army and their Abenaki allies. After fighting his way through the city, Shay reached the fort and, together with Monroe, fought off a wave of attackers. At one point, Shay spotted Kesegowaase and pursued him. After a lengthy pursuit, Shay killed Kesegowaase with a Puckle gun. Before dying, the assassin told Shay that he was a traitor and that Achilles would find him, and that Monroe was dead. When Shay asked him about the colonel, Kesegowaase uttered the name "Liam" with his last breath. Fearing for Colonel Monroe's life, Shay fought his way to downtown Albany, where soldiers reported their commander had been captured inside. Shay entered the burning building and carried the mortally wounded Colonel out. Before dying, George Monroe told Shay that Liam O'Brien had taken the Manuscript from him, then removed his Templar ring and handed it to Shay. Sometime later, Shay was inducted into the Templar Order at a ceremony by Grand Master Haytham Kenway, in the presence of Christopher Gist, Jack Weeks, William Johnson, and Charles Lee. Shay subsequently informed Haytham of the search for Precursor artifacts and that Achilles was endangering innocents with his continued search for the Temples.

In August 1757, Shay received a package from Colonel Monroe containing the Voynich Manuscript and a letter. In the letter, Monroe wrote that he had rescued Shay and entrusted the Finnegan family with his care, as their late son had been a member of the Templar Order. He also wrote that Shay had helped the Order greatly over the past year and earned their trust. He also wrote that the Grand Master of the Templar Order had tasked him with deciphering the Manuscript, so he asked Shay to help him. From the same letter, he learned that Monroe had departed to command troops at Fort William Henry and that the fort was doomed. After reading the letter, Shay and Gist set out for the island where the fort was located. Upon Shay's arrival, he was met by Jack Weeks, who informed him that an alliance between the French army and the Abenaki tribe threatened the fort's security, and reinforcements led by William Johnson had not yet arrived. Shay, suspecting his former ally Kesegowaase was involved, traveled to Monroe's location in the wilderness. After fighting off French troops and Assassin snipers, Shay found Colonel Monroe and escorted him to safety. However, Kesegowaase soon appeared and was enraged that Shay had survived and allied himself with the Templars. Shay escorted Monroe and his men to the Morrigan, killing the Assassins along the way. Before sailing, Shay detonated a barrel of gunpowder, wounding Kesegowaase. During their conversation, Shay thanked Monroe for saving him and handed him the Manuscript, saying it would be safer. Shay soon turned his attention to William Johnson's regiment, which was surrounded by French forces and the Oneida tribe, whose village had been captured by the French. Shay aided both sides by reinforcing Monroe's army and allowing him to ride back to Albany to defend the city from the looming French army.

Afterwards, the "Hunter" died from his wounds. Determined to stop the criminals, Shay returned to the city. Finding Monroe again, Shay discussed the "Hunter"'s words with him. The colonel told Shay that an unknown woman controlled criminal operations in the city, including the production of large quantities of poison to be used against civilians and authorities. Monroe also told Shay that Benjamin Franklin was developing a specific weapon for this unknown woman and told Shay to visit the inventor. Shay realized that this unknown woman was his former ally and assassin, Hope Jensen. Franklin was surprised to see Shay but didn't question him further, so Shay said he had come to collect the results of his experiments for Hope. The scientist gave him a prototype grenade launcher. With it, Shay was able to destroy all the factories and warehouses containing poisonous gas in the industrial district, thereby completely halting production. After completing the task, Shay met with George Monroe and Christopher Gist, who said Shay's actions had saved countless lives. As they watched the destroyed factory, Jack Weeks and William Johnson joined them and congratulated Shay on his work. Afterward, they went to a nearby tavern to celebrate their success. Over the next year, Shay assisted George Monroe and expanded the Templars' influence in many ways, becoming a worthy candidate for induction into the Templar Order.

Several weeks later, Shay awoke in a New York City home, where he was being nursed back to health by the Finnegans. When gangsters broke into their home, Shay helped Barry Finnegan drive them out. Since Shay's clothes were torn after falling off a cliff, Cassidy gave him an outfit that had belonged to her late son, and Barry returned Shay's gun. Shay thanked them and left the house. Afterward, he captured one of the gangsters and learned the location of the gang's headquarters from him. Having infiltrated the headquarters, Shay cut down the gang's flag and killed their leader, who was leading the bandits in the area. After liberating the area, Shay was approached by Colonel George Monroe, who introduced himself as a friend of the Finnegans. They walked through the area, and the colonel told Shay about the Templar Order but did not reveal his affiliation. When Shay returned to the Finnegans' house to discuss his next move against the gangs, George Monroe asked for the release of his ally, Christopher Gist, whom the bandits were planning to execute. Shay freed Gist and killed all the bandits. Shay made the gang's headquarters his own. In the port, he spotted a ship, which turned out to be the Morrigan. Gist then helped Shay reclaim his ship and recruited a new crew. Since Shay was without a first mate, Gist offered to take over. They took the ship to Albany to meet with Colonel Monroe. Meeting Monroe near Albany, Shay learned that a nearby French fort had disrupted Monroe's plans in the area and posed a potential security threat to the region. After raiding a warehouse to obtain the necessary components to fortify the Morrigan, Shay attacked the fort and overwhelmed its defenses. After killing the fort's enemies, Shay made his way to the commandant's office and was shocked to see "The Hunter" there. Facing his former ally, Shay defeated him and questioned him about his mission. He replied that he had been tasked with arranging a supply of poison gas to New York City for use against the city's authorities.

Arriving at the Davenport estate, Shay burst into the mansion and accused Achilles of sending him on a mission alone despite knowing the artifact's properties. He also drew a parallel with the earthquake in Haiti, which occurred after François Mackandal sent his apprentice, Vendredi, to a similar temple in Haiti. Achilles insisted he knew nothing of the artifact's properties, but Shay claimed otherwise.[1]

Having abandoned the man who had murdered hundreds of innocents, Shay decided to take the Manuscript from the estate to prevent the Assassins from finding other temples. That night, he infiltrated the estate, took the Manuscript, and was about to leave, but Achilles spotted him. A struggle ensued, during which Shay escaped through a window. The Assassins pursued Shay throughout the estate, eventually cornering him on a cliff near the bay. Shay attempted to jump lower, but Chevalier de la Vérendrye shot him in the shoulder, causing him to fall off the cliff. He believed Liam had shot him. Believing Shay dead, the Assassins abandoned the mission with the Manuscript, but Cormac remained alive. He was soon found by George Monroe's men, who instructed them to leave him with Barry and Cassidy Finnegan to recover.

In 1754, as tensions between the French and English escalated into the Seven Years' War, Shay traveled to Albany to assassinate James Wardrop. After meeting William Johnson and Benjamin Franklin at the Albany Congress, Shay headed to Fort Frederick to assassinate Wardrop and retrieve the Manuscript. Before his death, Wardrop warned Shay that his actions were putting the entire world at risk. With the Artifacts in the hands of the Assassins, Shay and Hope enlisted Franklin's help to open the Box. After repairing the lightning rod, Shay watched as a bolt of lightning directed through the rod opened the Box, revealing a map marking the location of a First Civilization temple in Lisbon. After telling Achilles what he had learned, Shay set off to the temple to find and retrieve the Piece of Eden. Arriving from America to Portugal in 1755, Shay headed to the Carmelite Monastery. As the priest began celebrating Mass, Cormac activated four mechanisms beneath the monastery's roof, opening a passage to a secret sanctuary of the First Civilization. Shay descended into the sanctuary and found the Piece of Eden, shaped like a bright star and mounted on a pedestal. Believing it to be the Apple of Eden, as Achilles Davenport had believed, Shay removed the artifact from its place, but it shattered. Shay's disruption of the Piece's position triggered an earthquake. Shay quickly escaped the crumbling temple and ran through the city to the ship. With the ruined city behind him, Shay sailed back to the colonies, blaming himself for what had happened.

After completing their mission, Shay and Liam returned to Davenport Manor, the headquarters of the Colonial Assassins. They witnessed a meeting between their mentor, Achilles, and his old friend, Adéwalé, a member of the Caribbean Brotherhood of Assassins. Achilles and Adéwalé discussed the powerful earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince a year earlier. During this time, Shay trained under Liam O'Brien, Hope Jensen, and Kesegowaase. After training, Achilles presented Shay with his first pistols and tasked him with finding two First Civilization artifacts that the Templars had stolen from Haiti: the Precursor Box and the Manuscript. After meeting with the Chevalier de la Vérendrye and his informant, nicknamed "The Hunter," Shay traveled to Mount Vernon, to the home of Templar Lawrence Washington, to intercept a package. Upon intercepting it, Shay found an air rifle inside. Upon entering the estate, Shay witnessed Lawrence Washington meeting with other Templars: Samuel Smith, James Wardrop, and Jack Weeks. Lawrence tasked Smith and Wardrop with guarding the Precursor Box and the Manuscript. After the meeting, Washington, amidst the festivities, went for a stroll in the garden, where Shay managed to kill Lawrence. After the murder, Shay told Liam that Lawrence Washington didn't have to be killed: he would have died of tuberculosis anyway. Several months later, Shay tracked down the Templar Samuel Smith, who was attempting to escape with the Precursor Box on his schooner, the Justice. After surviving an ambush and a burning oil spill, Shay caught up with and killed Samuel Smith at his camp on Novaya Zemlya Island, taking the Box.

Shay Patrick Cormac was born on November 29, 1731, in New York City, to Irish immigrants from Dublin. His mother died in childbirth, and his father was often absent as a sailor in the merchant navy, so Shay was raised by his aunt. Living in a rough part of town, Shay often got into trouble, but was rescued by his best friend, Liam O'Brien.[1]

When Shay grew up, he joined his father at sea. His father taught him fencing and shooting, which enabled him to kill a pirate captain during a boarding attack. In 1747, a violent storm washed Shay's father and several other crew members overboard. Having lost everything, he began wandering the streets of New York and brawling in taverns. During one such brawl, he met Liam again, who helped Shay recover from his loss. That same year, Liam introduced Shay to his mentor, Achilles Davenport, and after some time, Achilles initiated Shay into the Brotherhood of Assassins. Over the next four years, Shay dedicated himself to the Brotherhood. However, he still had doubts about the Assassin Creed, so he shared his thoughts about the discrepancy between the Assassin principles and the Creed with Liam. Upon learning of this, Achilles began personally supervising Shay. In 1752, during a mission in the North Atlantic, Shay and Liam encountered their Brotherhood comrade, Louis-Joseph Gautier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye, who was scheduled to meet smugglers transporting valuable cargo for the Brotherhood. When the Chevalier learned that the smugglers had been captured by the Royal Navy, he asked Shay and Liam to free them. The Assassins infiltrated the camp, eliminated the guards, freed the captive smugglers, and captured the brig Morrigan, which Shay retained.