This section offers a concise recap of the Assassin’s Creed III story, followed by an extensive analysis of established facts, and lively speculation on future developments. It should be clear that these pages contain major spoilers for those who have not yet reached the final credits.
The Assassin’s Creed III story begins on October 30, 2012, and follows directly – almost to the second – from the conclusion of Revelations. Desmond and his colleagues enter a long-sealed vault, the Grand Temple, chosen by the First Civilization as the storehouse for their accumulated knowledge. Shortly after their arrival, the awaiting Juno triggers a reaction in Desmond that causes him to experience moments in the life of a new ancestor: Haytham Kenway. We learn that Haytham performed an assassination at a London opera and, in doing so, obtained an unusual amulet, which is the key to the Grand Temple’s locked inner chamber – so Desmond explores further into Haytham’s life to learn of its location.
Haytham also understands that the amulet is a key to a First Civilization vault. He is commissioned – by what we presume at this point to be a member of the Assassin Brotherhood hierarchy – to travel to the New World, both to open the vault and secure its contents, and to establish a foothold for the organization. On arrival in Boston in 1753, Haytham enlists the services of local allies, and comes to the conclusion that he requires the assistance of Native Americans, and their more intimate knowledge of the region, to locate the vault. To that end, he frees a group of Kanien’kehá:ka slaves, hoping to win their gratitude – and, more pertinently, a favor.
This tactic is proved a success when, after further persuasion and assistance, a Kanien’kehá:ka woman known as Kaniehtí:io agrees to escort Haytham to a sacred site that bears markings similar to those on his amulet. Disappointment awaits, however, as Haytham recognizes First Civilization script at the cave, but finds that his amulet apparently doesn’t unlock anything within. Haytham relays this setback to his companions, but resolves to continue the search. As Haytham formally introduces Charles Lee to his Order, Desmond comes to an unexpected realization: Haytham was not an Assassin, but a Templar.
Haytham and Kaniehtí:io share a brief and passionate relationship. Their entanglement ends abruptly when, though the precise catalyst is unclear, she rejects the Templar on coming to understand his motives and methods. Unbeknownst to Haytham, who promises never to return, their union bears a child. From Desmond’s perspective, his focus (more specifically, his ancestral link) shifts to Kaniehtí:io and, in turn, her son: Ratonhnhaké:ton.
In 1760, at five years of age, Ratonhnhaké:ton is brutally assaulted by Charles Lee and told to relay a message to his kind. When the spirited boy threatens to one day find and kill Lee, the Templar and his companions retort with condescension – and the boy is bludgeoned with the butt of a rifle as they turn to depart. Ratonhnhaké:ton regains consciousness to find his village in flames and his mother dead, believing it to be the handiwork of Lee and his cohorts. Lee had sought information on the location of the precursor temple; when rebuffed, he reacts with remorseless violence.
The story shifts forward by almost a decade. Aged 14, Ratonhnhaké:ton must take part in a rite of passage and, in doing so, interact with an object that we recognize as a Piece of Eden. During the (to his eyes, supernatural) journey that ensues, he is addressed by Juno who instructs him to protect the “sanctuary” – the Grand Temple where Desmond lies on the Animus in the present day. Juno shows the boy a future in which his nation is overrun and erased from all memory, and presents an alternative: the Assassin symbol. Ratonhnhaké:ton is directed to seek out a man who once helped his mother, and has a particular connection with the symbol from his dream. On arrival, he is forcefully rebuffed by the petulant Achilles, an episode repeated for days in succession. After he demonstrates his courage while fighting a band of thieves set on robbing his reluctant would-be mentor, the older man agrees to train the boy – who, in order to integrate more successfully with others in the New World, is told to adopt the name Connor.
Following years of intensive training and study, Connor, now deemed fit to wear the Assassin garb and use their iconic tools, sets out to fight the Templars who threaten his village. Joining forces with new allies, Connor gradually revives the Assassin Brotherhood during the events of the American Revolution as he eliminates the Templars loyal to his father. Connor’s path leads him to a direct confrontation with Haytham, who reveals the Templars’ true agenda: they do not cast their lot with the British, as Connor presumed, nor those who oppose them. They simply seek to manipulate events to ensure that, come the time, true power would rest with their Order alone.
Haytham and Connor agree to a temporary truce and cooperate while their interests are aligned: a desire to support the fight for independence is something they share. Though they both harbor a hope that they might each persuade the other of the validity of their respective ideologies, theirs is a fragile alliance. Haytham is determined to see George Washington dead or disgraced, and have Charles Lee assume his command; Connor, in turn, is fervent in his desire to make good on his promise to kill Lee, avenge the attack on his tribe, and secure their future.
Connor is forced to kill Haytham when his father’s aggression – and desire to protect Lee – leaves him no alternative. His course locked, he sets out to face his mortal enemy, the final Templar of significance in Haytham’s chapter. When his initial attack leaves Lee gravely wounded, the exhausted Connor tracks him to an ale house, where the two foes share a brief moment of silent reflection. Resigned to his fate, Lee does nothing to resist Connor’s killing blow – and the Assassin finally claims the First Civilization amulet.
There is no triumph for Connor in this moment. His people assailed and driven from their lands by Washington for their cooperation with the British, and many of those once dear to him dead or estranged, he heads back to his ruined and deserted village to find the Piece of Eden seemingly placed for his return. Using it to convene with Juno, he finds her unmoved by the plight of his people: she is merely satisfied that they served their purpose. Her final command, with no trace of sentiment, is that Connor place the amulet where no one might happen upon it by chance. His choice of a burial mount rather encapsulates his feelings – and the terrible price paid to transfer the amulet to its future owner.
The Power Sources As Desmond explores the past, the present-day Assassins pull him from the Animus at regular intervals to retrieve First Civilization devices required to power the Grand Temple. The hunt for each power source takes Desmond on expeditions that lead him into confrontations with the Templars.
Every time Desmond obtains a power source, he places it inside a receptacle within the Grand Temple. Each of these “activates” rooms where he learns about potential methods of salvation developed by the First Civilization to forestall or mitigate the effects of the Catastrophe. To summarize, these were presented as:
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In the present day, as December 20, 2012 becomes December 21, Desmond retrieves the amulet hidden by his forebear. After the Grand Temple’s inner chamber has been unlocked, Juno informs Desmond that she possesses the means to save the world from the imminent cataclysm – though it would necessitate his death and her rebirth. A projection of Minerva, cast through time late in her life (long after her interaction with Ezio), materializes to warn Desmond of the dire consequences of liberating Juno.
While Minerva and other First Civilization scientists and leaders sought to avert the previous Catastrophe, we learn that Juno exploited the chaos and confusion as an opportunity to try and conquer the world, not save it. When her betrayal was revealed, she and her co-conspirators were condemned to death, their bodies interned in the final sealing of the Grand Temple – but Juno survived. After transferring her consciousness to the Grand Temple with the “transcendence” technology, Juno plotted for thousands of years, subtly directing events in human history to reach the point where Desmond stands before her. Acceding to her wishes, Minerva cautions, leads to a future where mankind will be enslaved. The alternative, however, is to allow the Catastrophe to occur, and have Desmond emerge into a toxic wasteland to sow the seeds of society’s rebirth in a distant future. It is implied that this will lead the cycle to repeat, with mankind once again destined to meet near-extinction in a subsequent Catastrophe.
With the weight of the immediate consequences at the forefront of his mind, Desmond chooses to comply with Juno’s wishes. As the other Assassins retreat from the vault, Desmond lays his hand on the First Civilization pedestal. His body is consumed by fire – and, simultaneously, the escalating apocalyptic effects of the heightened solar activity dramatically subside. The world, we are led to understand, has been saved by his decision.
With the image of the triumphant Juno and Desmond’s sacrifice fresh in our minds, let’s consider what the true cost might be – among other burning questions…