http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlagTheTemplars
A list of Templars appearing in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.
Be aware that this page WILL contain some unhidden spoilers!
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Laureano de Torres y Ayala
Governor Laureano de Torres y Ayala
Main Game Apperances: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Other Apperances: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (novelization) | Assassin's Creed: Pirates
Voiced By: Conrad Pla (English)note
"Let us find the Observatory together. For with its power, kings will fall, clergy will cower, and hearts and minds of the world will be ours."
The Spanish governor of Cuba, and a Templar Grand Master. He is hunting for The Sage and the Observatory, a First Civilization ruin that would allow him to spy on anyone in the world.
- Affably Evil: In keeping with his sympathetic well-intentions, he's genuinely courteous to allies and enemies alike.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Averted for the most part. Torres has impeccable charm, wonderful manners and is a true debonair aristocrat. Moreover, he believes in an enlightened plutocracy where the best and brightest can thrive regardless of circ*mstances and upbringing. The fact that he's actually the only Templar who realized that he had underestimated Kenway and treats him, a Working-Class Hero, with respect and consideration whereas other Templars abused him for his poor roots, argues greatly in his favor.
- There's also no evidence that he was at all untruthful about his willingness to employ Edward in the long term; it was Edward's own greed — or at least his dissatisfaction with his first payoutnote — that undid that.
- Big Bad Ensemble: Although Captain Roberts ends up being the real Arch-Enemy to Kenway.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Since there's never any danger of his achieving his goals.
- Big Brother Is Watching: Plans to find the Observatory and use it to find out the secrets of the most powerful people in the world.
- Blue Blood: He's a third-generation politician.
- Corrupt Politician: Uses his status as Governor to advance Templar interests.
- Crazy-Prepared: Swapped his blood sample with that of a double so the Observatory wouldn't be used against him.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: Holds to the belief that those of exceptional talent should be allowed to advance regardless of race or gender.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Is actually firmly against the very common practice of slavery... though see the Hypocrite example for context.
- Evil Old Folks: Old, but that evil.
- He really shows his true colours when he and his men march to the Observatory and brutally massacre the Taíno people at Long Bay, leaving it with corpses. Then again, the Observatory Guardians aren't very nice, with their killing anyone that approaches and hanging their bodies around as warning.
- Face Death with Dignity: Once Kenway stabs him, Torres is pretty composed and calm, as opposed to the other Templars' scorn and raging at Edward.
- Graceful Loser: After Kenway mortally wounds him and convinces Torres that his new convictions are strong, Torres compliments him with his final words. Just from the sheer contrast to all the badmouthing he's taken from almost all his previous victims, it's a real Pet the Dog moment.
Torres: You wear your convictions well. They suit you.
- Historical Domain Character: There was a real life Governor Torres who was Governor of Florida and later of Cuba.
- Hypocrite:
- A fellow Templar calls him out on disliking slavery — and that Templar's participation in it — while the Templars' plan involves enslaving everyone in the world. His response is that there is a difference between enslaving the mind and the body:
Rogers: I fail to see the difference between enslaving some men and all men. Our aim is to steer the entire course of civilization, is it not?
Torres: A body enslaved inspires the mind to revolt. But enslave a man's mind, and his body will follow on naturally. Efficiently.
- Also his insistence that the other Templars put blood in the vials but exchanging his with another, shows that regardless of anyone else, he personally would like to be in charge.
- A fellow Templar calls him out on disliking slavery — and that Templar's participation in it — while the Templars' plan involves enslaving everyone in the world. His response is that there is a difference between enslaving the mind and the body:
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Rather than just shoot Kenway he opts to send him back to the British Templars. It's this act of mercy that allows Edward to escape, become a fearsome pirate and subsequently join the Assassins. Edward is ultimately the one to take Torres and his associates down.
- Kick the Dog: He and his men brutally massacre the Taíno people living in Long Bay, Jamaica when they march to the Observatory.
- Of course, the Observatory Guardians aren't exactly nice, innocent and harmless natives. They seem to kill anyone approaching the place, regardless of their intent, unless they are Sages. The first you see of them when arriving at Long Bay is a lot of bodies hanged and littered around, and then trying to kill you.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: He's a pretty well cultured villain.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: On the final mission, Kenway discovers that Torres tried using the Observatory without a crystal skull, activating a security system that left him trapped and decimated his forces; while the Observatory is reset by the end of the mission, Torres' actions nearly left the location strategically worthless to the Templars.
- Non-Action Big Bad: Being a skinny, elderly guy, he's not exactly going to put up much of a fight.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: Torres gets rings sailed around him by Kenway and Roberts throughout the game. In the final level however, he eradicates the Observatory Guardians and proceeds to come within inches of claiming it. Subverted, ironically, because Edward already had the tools for controlling it and Torres never had a chance of using it.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Despite his stated opposition to slavery (and based on his conversation with Laurens Prins, it seems he is more opposed to it because it will provoke resentment and rebellion in the long run, rather than something inherently immoral) he explicitly states that he does not believe in the "natural equality of all races or sexes."
- Then again, he WAS speaking to Laurens Prins, who had the Sage under his employment. It wouldn't be smart to antagonize the guy who had what he wanted. It's entirely possible Torres sees slavery as immoral, but also has more worry for the damage it will cause in the long run, whereas Prins both doesn't care about the morality nor to what happens in the long run.
- Puzzle Boss: The fight in the Observatory is about getting to a high enough spot to air assassinate him. Bullets just bounce off his shield.
- Retired Badass: He used to serve in the Spanish military.
- Villainous Cheekbones: Has very prominent cheekbones.
- The Villain Knows Where You Live: The only villainous Jerk move he pulls to Edward personally is telling Edward that he knows who he is, where he comes from and that his wife is quite beautiful and is not doing too well. Edward is justifiably enraged, although as far as we know Caroline's death had nothing to do with the Templars.
- Ironically, he may have just been saying Edward needs to think of his family and should accept their help... it's just Torres is awful at communicating with Edward.
- Villain Respect: His last words are to compliment Kenway on finally having strong convictions.
- Visionary Villain: Sees controlling the Observatory as a means to create harmony through the power they'd have to see all hostile actions.
- We Can Rule Together: In his final moments, he tells Edward that he should have been on their side and together the Templars would be unstoppable.
Torres: There is so much potential in you, Edward... so much you have not yet accomplished. I could show you things. Mysteries beyond anything you could imagine.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Like the Revolutionary War-era Templars, he's got basically good intentions and can also be quite gracious towards his enemies, a far cry from the Card-Carrying Villain Borgias and Smug Snake Abstergo Industries.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Invoked and Discussed in-game. Guard dialogue in the Laurens Prins assassination reveals the reason he is absent from the mission and several ones after is that he was attacked by Mary Read and several pirates and severely injured.
Woodes Rogers
Governor Woodes Rogers
Voiced By: Shaun Dingwall (English)note
Main Game Apperances: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Other Appearances: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (novelization)
"Soon all the monarchies of the world will be obsolete. And when that day comes, men like Torres and myself will reveal ourselves as the architects of their undoing."
An English privateer and first Royal Governor of the Bahamas. Sincerely prefers diplomacy to violence, with his favored solution to the piracy problem being to offer them the King's Pardon in exchange for them laying down their arms (with the understanding that those who don't take the offer will be at the mercy of the King's Navy).
- Alas, Poor Villain: His assassination is presented this way...although it's later revealed that he was Not Quite Dead.
- Badass Longcoat: Wears a brown longcoat.
- Badass Pacifist: Convinces pirates to submit peacefully in favour of a more violent approach.
- Corrupt Politician: Like Torres, he uses his post to advance Templar interests.
- Determinator: There can be no denying Rogers' strong will and bravery. Several times throughout the game people discuss in awe about how Rogers kept fighting in the battle where he was shot in the face, and he was only taken out of the battle by a leg injury that occurred hours later.
- Rogers also has the distinction of being the only other person besides Shahkulu from Revelations to survive a direct assassination from the protagonist using a hidden blade. Also note that Shakulu had the benefit of wearing heavy armour for protection, which Ezio specifically notes is a problem when trying to assassinate him. This guy DOESN'T.
- The Dragon: To Governor Torres.
- Drowning My Sorrows: When he is recalled to England, he gets extremely drunk at a party and angrily rails against the king and his wife, who had left him.
Rogers: Ladies and gentlemen, a toast to my brief tenure as governor of the Bahamas! For, under my watch, no less than three-hundred avowed pirates took the King's Pardon and swore fealty to the crown! And yet, for all my successes, his Majesty has seen fit to sack me! And call me home to England. Brilliant! God bless the f*cker! Therefore, hooray! Hooray for the ignoble and ignorant prigs who rule the world with sticks up their arses! Hooray!
- Even Evil Has Standards: For a villain, Rogers is surprisingly averse to violence. He would much rather convince his enemies into surrendering peacefully than resort to bloodshed. That said, he has no problem with running slave ships much to Governor Torres' displeasure, believing that it's perfectly in keeping with Templar ideology on enslaving mankind, and he calls out Torres on seeing a difference.
- In the tie-in novel Black Flag, Sir Robert Walpole reveals to Edward that Woodes was eventually kicked out of the Templars for continuing to participate in the slave trade.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has an ugly scar on his left cheek.
- Happy Marriage Charade: When first met, he claims his wife is well back in England and that they are still together, when she had really left him a couple years beforehand.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: It's extremely unlikely that Woodes Rogers was part of a conspiracy to control the human race.
- Made of Iron: Not only did he keep fighting a battle after being shot in the face (hence the big scar), but he also survives being stabbed by Edward's hidden blade.
- Noble Demon: Despite having no problems with slavery he's fairly decent otherwise.
- Not Quite Dead:The end of the game reveals that he survived his assassination and returned to England, Edward expressing the intent to finish the job upon his own return. Historically Rogers would die from illness in 1732.
- No-Respect Guy: Despite how much he contributes to stopping piracy through merciful methods, his position as Governor is eventually revoked and he's recalled back to England. Historically, Rogers did eventually get some respect after the publication of Capt. Johnston's A History of the Pyrates which boosted his reputation enough that he was given a financial pension and an appointment as Governor of the Bahamas again.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Edward Kenway angrily notes that Rogers started out as a privateer like the other pirates but shows no respect and consideration for the difficulties sailors went through in serving the Crown.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: While Torres voices disgust and opposition to slavery, Rogers himself runs several slave ships as part of his business venture — against Torres' "request", no less! — and even argues with his Grandmaster that keeping slaves is in line with their end goals. After the games' events, Rogers was expelled over this.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: In the sense that he much prefers offering pirates the ability to live by taking a pardon than just rampantly slaughtering them like the Commodore.
- Schmuck Bait/I Pardon Suckers: Rogers explains to Edward that he shut down piracy in Madagascar by offering them pardons as part of a divide and conquer strategy: those pirates who took the pardon were effectively without any real means of income and further employment while those who refused had fewer allies and support system and their allies risked becoming accomplices and irking the wrath of the British navy. He reuses the same strategy with similar success against the Nassau pirates.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He intends to use the Observatory to monitor all members of governments worldwide and manipulate them into giving the Templars control so they could "fix" the world according to their ideology.
- What The Hell Templar?: When discussing how to pursue Roberts and his ship "The Princess", Woodes Rogers casually suggests using one of his slave galleys. Torres is not amused.
Torres: Slave Galley? Captain, I asked you to divest yourself of that sick institution.
- The tie-in novel eventually reveals that Rogers was actually expelled from the Templars after the game's events for his continued participation in the slave trade.
El Tiburón
El Tiburón ("The Shark")
Voiced By: ???
Governor Torres' massive, armor-clad personal bodyguard.
- Bald of Evil: When his helmet comes off he's revealed to be bald, and is also Governor Torres' primary enforcer.
- The Brute: Pretty much only exists as a physical threat.
- Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: A warrior covered head to toe in steel plate armor and Torres' primary enforcer, who wields a large axe.
- Climax Boss: He's the only "boss" in the game who's tougher than just an Elite Mook, and is also the last proper boss you fight in the game.
-
Anti-Climax Boss: Get Mayan Armour and Golden Pistols, climb on some boxes and... It's ridiculously easy. Getting that stuff, on the other hand...
-
- Contractual Boss Immunity: Averted. He can be assassinated with a one-hit-kill like any other character if you can manage to get behind him.
- During his brief appearance in a previous mission, it's possible for you to try and attack him. He'll give a running One-Hit Kill on you with his axe]] no matter what strategy you use.
- Hero Killer: By far the most badass Templar in the fourth game, maybe even more than Shahkulu from Revelations. All of his scenes have him handing Edward and the Assassins their asses on a silver platter, and Edward only won using firearms.
- Mysterious Past: Nothing is known about his past, or even what his real name is. Abstergo Entertainment wants to find out more about him by finding a descendant of Torres to look through his life and see how he met El Tiburón.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Anyone nicknamed "Shark" is nobody to screw with.
- Noodle Incident: See
What Could Have Been in Trivia. In the game proper, Edward referring to a prior history with El Tiburón will leave many gamers scratching their heads on account of Offscreen Inertia since we don't see them interacting at all, except for being Governor Torres' Elite Mook.
- The Speechless: As El Tiburón is dying, Kenway asks to hear his side of things if he's able to reply. Given that he doesn't it's implied he can't, or he's too injured to.
- Undying Loyalty: His database entry mentions that he has "unwavering loyalty" to Torres, and the Abstergo Entertainment researchers speculate that he may have had some kind of familial relation to him.
- Worthy Opponent: Kenway seems to consider him this, and even thanks him in his own words for "turning a Scoundrel into a Soldier".
Julien du Casse
Julien du Casse
Main Game Apperances: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Other Apperances: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (novelization)
Voiced By: Alex Ivanovici (English)note
"Guns, blades, cannons, grenades. Anything that may kill a man, I am happy to provide."
A French arms dealer for the Templar Order operating out of the West Indies.
- Arms Dealer: Deals in muskets, cannons, and the sort.
- Battle Trophy: Keeps a collection of Assassins' Hidden Blades as "souvenirs", with the implication that he took from Assassins he killed.
- Born in the Wrong Century: A downplayed example; he looks forward to the day where single guns would carry multiple shots, rather than carrying multiple single-shot pistols for repeated fire. It would be more than a century later before the revolver would be invented.
- Dying Curse: Delivers one to Edward after being done in by him, in Gratuitous French no less... "May the hell you find be of your own making."
- Even Evil Has Standards: Worked as a slaver for awhile after deserting the French navy, but disliked it (specifically, the cruelty and detachment) despite the money he was making and abandoned that to become a hired gun; it's not clear whether ever knew about the participation in the slave trade of Woodes Rogers, the Templar he's seen with upon Edward's arrival at Torres' residence.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Almost veering into gravelly territory.
- French Jerk: He's a French Templar who also refers to Edward as a filthy peasant.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: He's canonically killed by the same hidden blades he gave to Edward, who even thanks the dying Julien for them.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: While Edward is impersonating Duncan Walpole, Julien supplies him with Hidden Blades and even coaches Edward on how to perform the Brotherhood assassination styles, inadvertently training Edward on how to kill like an assassin.
- Professional Killer: In addition to running guns for the Templars, he is Governor Torres' top hit-man.
- Starter Villain: The first Templar to be assassinated by Kenway.
- Surprisingly Sudden Death: His collection of Hidden Blades and shooting contest all set him up as an enormous badass... only for Edward to dive onto him from the rigging of his ship and run him through with the very same hidden blades that Julien had gifted him.
- Torture Technician: Edward certainly sees him as one. After killing him and exploring his mansion, Edward remarks that he wouldn't be surprised to find a room full of eclectic torture implements somewhere. And during Edward's late-game Mushroom Samba dream sequence, Julien can at one point be seen interrogating an Assassin in a chair surrounded by dead Assassins.
Josiah Burgess and John co*ckram
Josiah Burgess and John co*ckram
Burgess (Left) and co*ckram (Right)
Voiced By: Christopher Hatherall and Diarmaid Murtagh (English)note
John co*ckram and Josiah Burgess were a pair of pirates, close friends, and confidants of Benjamin Hornigold. They engaged in piracy for a few years prior to 1718, until they accepted the British Crown's pardon after Woodes Rogers' arrival on Nassau and became a pair of pirate hunters.
Both were killed by Edward Kenway in 1719 on the island of Príncipé, on the coast of west Africa, in an attempt to rescue Bartholomew Roberts.
- Armor-Piercing Question: One courtesy of co*ckram, regarding Edward's lack of companionship.
co*ckram: The Templars is our family. Where's yours?
- Dual Boss: They are a rare case of this in Assassin's Creed.
- Historical Domain Character: Both of them were real life pirates who took the King's Pardon.
- Mighty Glacier: Burgess fights like a Grenadier (Slow, but strong).
- True Companions: They have an uncharacteristic view of the Templars as this.
Edward: That Templar scab means nothing to me. None of you do.
Burgess: And you're worse for it, Kenway! It were the Templars who took us in when all else went to sh*t! Not our king. Not our country. The Templars.
- Those Two Guys: They are not differentiated very much in the game and finish each other's thoughts.
- Undying Loyalty: An exceptionally rare case of this for the Templars.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: They both only appear in a single mission prior to the one where they get bumped off. Apart from that, they don't have much characterization except for the fact they're Templars.
- We Used to Be Friends: The two invoke this with Edward.
- Worthy Opponent: The concept is mocked by both men. They think Edward is a loser.
Hilary Flint
Hilary Flint
Voiced By: ??? (English)note
"What a pity, we could never fight together on the correct side of things."
A British aristocrat, his interest in explosives and affable nature earned him connections in military school that brought him to the attention of the Templars for recruitment. Flint was entrusted with one of the keys to the Templar armor and assigned to hunt down and kill Rhona Dinsmore, the head of the Assassins in Havana.
For tropes regarding his multiplayer persona The Navigator, refer to that character sheet.
- Affably Evil: Pretty nice guy, even though he's a Templar.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Rhona is visibly upset at having to kill him, and as he dies he expresses regret at how their situation turned out and lovingly strokes her cheek.
- Black Sheep: His interest in explosives and extensive studying alienated his parents and older brothers.
- Blue Blood: Was born into an aristocratic family.
- Evil Brit: He's a British Templar.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: In-game dialogue and the database indicate he and Assassin Rhona Dinsmore had some kind of relationship, but were not willing to betray their respective Orders for each other. Flint himself laments this and wishes things were different.
"I knew we would end in fire, but I always thought our positions would be reversed. I should have died happier, knowing there was one less Assassin in the world. What a pity we could never fight together on the correct side of things."
Jing Lang
Jing Lang
Voiced By: Li Li (English)note
A Chinese Templar, Lang married a Qing Dynasty General and became a skilled diplomatic advisor until a regime change forced her to flee China and become a pirate. She is later assigned to guard one of the Templar armor keys, as well as destroy the Assassins in Nassau and retrieve a map that the Travers brothers have in their possession.
For tropes regarding her DLC multiplayer persona The Orchid, refer to that character sheet
- "Ass" in Ambassador: She can barely hide her blinding contempt for her target.
- Cunning Linguist: Her career as a diplomat was aided by having a flair for languages according to her database entry.
- Dragon Lady: Seduces Vance Travers into betraying his brother Upton.
- Expy: For Qing Shi, the legendary Chinese pirate, who was born too late to appear in the game herself.
- Faux Action Girl: Her reaction to seeing Vance killed? To run like hell.
- Femme Fatale: Her role in seducing an Assassin over to the Templars, despite already being married.
- Oh, Crap!: Seeing Edward kill Vance causes her to have panic and flee.
- Pirate Girl: A female Chinese pirate.
- Sadly Mythtaken: A variant combined with Dramatically Missing the Point. She interprets the Biblical story of Cain and Abel as a story of the former being man enough to murder his brother personally. Admittedly, she's trying to manipulate Vance into killing his brother Upton at the time.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Attempts this once she realizes Kenway has killed Vance.
- Shoot the Shaggy Dog: How she views her death. The treasure map she was going after turns out to have been a phony—and she knew it the entire time.
Kenneth Abrahams
Kenneth Abrahams
Voiced By: ??? (English)note
A British military officer who joined the Templar Order to bring order and discipline to the world. He came into conflict with Antó, the leader of the Maroons and Assassins in Kingston.
- Kick the Dog: Sells the (black) Assassins he captures into slavery rather than killing them.
- Worthy Opponent: Seems to have viewed Anto as this. It's questionable if it was returned.
- Villain's Dying Grace: Played with. Expresses confusion as to how someone so utterly outclassed by his opponents stood up to him and his forces.
Kenneth: Antó. How many years have we fought? Your men, in the mountains, with no weapons to speak of. And my army, resplendent. And yet you live, and I die...
Antó: You lacked the conviction to win.
Lucía Márquez
Lucía Márquez
Voiced By: ??? (English)note
"My father saw such potential in these islands. Gold... industry... freedom... all of it squandered. You have not a clue how to use it. He could have brought you wealth."
A Spanish orphan, Lucía supported her sisters by becoming a master thief. After a failed attempt to steal a horse from a high-ranking Templar, she was recruited and given advanced training to become one of their best agents. She holds one of the keys to the Templar armor, and is assigned to route out the Assassins in the Cayman Islands.
For tropes regarding her multiplayer persona Lady Black, refer to that character sheet.
- Arch-Enemy: Of Opía and the Taino, who she wants to exterminate for their role in her father's death.
- Avenging the Villain: Although she had come to terms with her father's death and never knew him that well, she still attempted to avenge him while hunting the Taino Assassin Opía Apito.
- Cain and Abel: There is a pretty good chance that she and Opía are half-siblings, though neither woman seems aware of this.
- Dark Action Girl: An excellent physical combatant who happens to be a Templar.
- Disappeared Dad: Her father was Alejandro Ortega de Márquez, a Spanish adventurer who was away from Lucía and her sisters quite often and eventually died fighting the Taino.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Wants to murder all of the Taino solely for her father's, presumably justified, killing at their hands.
- Final Solution: Even among Jerkass Templars, she's a real piece of work and has no doubts about initiating genocide on a tribe for an essentially petty grudge.