The West Indies Rite of the Templar Order, sometimes known simply as the Caribbean Rite,[1] were a group of like-minded individuals who swore fealty to the Templar ideals, and operated in the area during the early 18th century.
Led by Laureano de Torres y Ayala, the two-time governor of Havana, Cuba, the rite was a relatively young, yet organized and effective force. Their primary objective was the acquisition of the Sage, from whom they hoped to learn the location of the Observatory.
History
In 1715, the Order inducted Woodes Rogers, Julien du Casse and Edward Kenway - operating under the guise of Duncan Walpole, an Assassin turncoat - into their ranks and, using the information unwittingly sold to them by Edward, began to strike hard at their Assassin counterparts, led by Ah Tabai.[2]
Shortly after his induction, du Casse was killed by Kenway, who had previously been exposed as a fraud and was believed dead following the loss of the Spanish Treasure Fleet. As well as this, Edward killed Templar agents Kenneth Abraham, Lucia Márquez, Hilary Flint and Jing Lang, who had been sent by Torres to kill the leaders of the Assassin bureaus across the West Indies. Despite these setbacks however, the Templars continued to grow in power.[2]
By 1716, the Templars came into the possession of the Fragment of Eden, a Piece of Eden with special capabilities. The Fragment of Eden was also sought by the Assassin, Samuel Bellamy. The Assassin took up the guise of a pirate and appointed a significant crew after overthrowing the pirate leader, Benjamin Hornigold. Grand Master Torres assigned Christopher Condent, Francis Hume, Benjamin Hornigold and Barnes to protect the Piece of Eden from the Assassin.[3]
Believing that the piece of Eden was transported in the Spanish Treasure Fleet, Bellamy attacked the fleet, with the assistance of pirates Alonzo Batilla and Olivier Levasseur. Finding out that the artifact was not in the Treasure Fleet, Batilla tailed Barnes and Hume and overheard a Templar meeting, where they plotted to kill Bellamy. Meanwhile, Bellamy found the location of the artifact, which was with the Templar ally, Laurens Prins. The pirates soon managed to attack and steal the Piece of Eden, capturing Prins' ship, the Whydah and killing Hume in the process.[3]
Believing Bellamy to hold the artifact, the Templars sank the Whydah off the coast of Massachusetts, killing him. In the meantime, Condent had infiltrate the Pirate Republic in Nassau to steal the artifact. However, Levasseur sensed Condent was a Templar and left the island, leaving clues for Batilla to find him. The Templars ambushed and sunk his ship while he was attempting to flee, but the pirate used the powers of the Piece of Eden and escaped on another ship. Barnes was later killed by Condent, after he failed to give away the location of Olivier Levasseur.[3]
Making full use of both the Spanish and Royal Navy, the Templars would strike the Assassins based in Tulum, and elsewhere, whenever they could. Eventually the Assassins, working in partnership with Edward, who would go on to become a member of their order, managed to turn the tides. After Torres was killed in 1722, and Rogers was forced to return to Great Britain, in great debt, the group lost power in the Caribbean.[2]
During the Seven Years' War, the Templar Shay Cormac sent emissaries to Francisco Cajigal de la Vega in order to maintain the Order's relation with him.[4]
As of 2014, there was a Grand Masters operating in Cuba.[5]
Members
- Laureano de Torres y Ayala (Grand Master; 1673-1722)
- Woodes Rogers
- Julien du Casse
- Benjamin Hornigold
- John Cockram
- Josiah Burgess
- Hilary Flint
- Jing Lang
- Kenneth Abraham
- Mancomb Seepgood
- Christopher Condent
- Barnes
- Francis Hume
- Lucia Márquez
- Alejandro Ortega de Márquez
- Alphonse de Marigot
- Charlie Oliver
- Cuali
- Felicia Moreno
- Renardo Aguilar
- Sylvia Seabrooke
- Vargas
- Carribbean Grand Master(Grand Master; 2014-?)
Allies
- Antonio Rueda
- Arispe
- Duncan Walpole
- El Tiburón
- Laurens Prins
- Francisco Cajigal de la Vega
- Shay Cormac (Colonial Rite)
Reference
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