Argentinian Brotherhood of Assassins

Argentinian Brotherhood of Assassins
Organizational information
Leader's title	Mentor
Headquarters	Cordoba Buenos Aires (Formerly)
Locations	Argentina/Uruguay
Related organizations	Freemasons Gauchos Initiates
Religion	Various
Historical information
Date formed	1776
Date collapsed	1810
Date reorganized	1811
Additional information

The Argentinian Brotherhood of Assassins, originally the Rio de la Plata Brotherhood of Assassins, is the branch of the Assassins Order that operates in Argentina and Uruguay. Founded in 1776, as a guild in what was then the Spanish colonies of continental South America, it is based at Buenos Aires, Argentina. It's main contender is the Argentinian Templar Rite . It is featured in AC: Independence.

History

By 1498, the Inquisition killed most of the Spanish Brotherhood, although they managed to kill Torquemada. By that same year, the Assassins had no grip on the Spanish royal family and the branch nearly deserted. Master Assassin Ezio Auditore, now co-leader of the Italian Assassins along with Niccolò Machiavelli, sent his apprentices to reorganize the branch.

The Reorganized branch sent their agents to the New World, where they stablished Bureaus and later formed the American Spanish Brotherhood (wich in turn eventually abolished the archaic practices such as of the amputation of the ring finger as part of the induction ceremony, still in use by their Iberic cousins). From the Viceroyalty of New Spain (Current Mexico), the Continental Spaniards begun expanding the order's influence over the spanish speaking America. With the growing population and reorganization of the diferent territories, the American Spanish Brotherhood broked up on two new Branches during the later years of the XVII Century: The New Spain Brotherhood and the Peruvian Brotherhood. Over the years the Port city of Buenos Aires increased in size and economical power (even though it was prohibited by royal decree to be opened as a maritime port), this, and the necesity to control a nearer access to sea routes, led to the creation of a minor Bureau in the city of "Real de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre", under the control of the Peruvian Brotherhood. With the creation of the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata in 1776 by the Spanish Crown, this minor bureau was elevated to rank of a full Guild and renamed as "La Hermandad de Asesinos del Rio de la Plata" (Rio de la Plata Brotherhood of Assassins), to oversee the full extent of the Rio de la Plata basin and near territories.

Rio de la Plata Brotherhood Original Banner

Reorganization of the Brotherhood

With the fall of the Spanish Crown under the French Invasion of Napoleon, Carlota Joaquina, sister of the Spanish king Ferdinand VII and married to the regent prince of Portugal, sought to take advantage of the Peninsular War to rule over the Spanish territories. Her project, however, was resisted and did not succeed. Buenos Aires after defeating two invasions from the British Empire, ousted the viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros in May 1810, and began the Argentine War of Independence, renaming the territory as the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. However, other territories stood against Buenos Aires, staying loyal to the Spanish rule, and the actual status of each zone depended upon the military conflicts; Paraguay and the Upper Peru (modern Bolivia) could resist Buenos Aires. Spain declared Buenos Aires a rogue city and appointed Montevideo as the new capital of the Viceroyalty, but Javier de Elío was sieged by Buenos Aires and the rural populations, and could not maintain authority beyond the Banda Oriental (modern Uruguay). Montevideo would be finally captured by William Brown and Alvear. these events led in fact by both Templar and Assassins allies and members, mark the fall of the Viceroyalty and the begining of a new project for a Nation, this led to the Guild renaming and reorganization.

Independence War

During the Andes Campaign, the Assassin Marcos Aguilar accompanied General San Martin , who held a Sword of Eden to fullfill his campaign against the Royalist forces. Their naval fleet while little was highly specialized and contributed to vital engagements during the independence wars.

XIX/XX Century

Saenz Peña, Assassins ally. The brotherhood became revitalized with the influx of immigrants from Italy and the rest of Europe.

Peron and the Juntas

General Juan Domingo Perón, entered the goverment secretly aided by the Assassins who saw him as a way to protect the lower classes and fight Templar prescense in the govermnet, however power soon corrupted him and the brotherhood failed to take measures as the Templars became Peron's primary allies. During Peron's exile, Paramilitary groups were allies of the Assassins, but this was a short-lived truce as the Assassins discovered most of those groups were in fact led too by Templars.

During the 1970s, Argentina was ruled by military Juntas (protected by the Templars). Henry Kissinger, an associate of Abstergo Industries, asked for the message to be passed to the Capitalists that if they helped them remain in power, their debts would be passed to the Argentine people, ensuring they would crush any popular revolt and end the trade unions. Abstergo were also implicated in the disappearances of 6000 dissidents during this period.

Present day

The Fall of the Order in 2000, cause great deal of damage to "La Hermandad Argentina de Asesinos", the next year, saw the Templars consolidating their power during the 2001 crisis. However, the enormous size of the country coupled with the Argentinians ingenuity led to the Brotherhood survival, although the HQ had to be moved to the city of Cordoba.

The Erudito Collective built a hidden complex on a remote island in the country but it was destroyed by the assault of a Templar strike-team in 2016. Surviving members joined as allies the Assassin's local cells.

After the Admision of Layla Hassan into the Assassin Order, at the end of 2017, her Animus HR-8 (and it's later iterations) became available to the Brotherhood worldwide, the Argentinians managed to replicate at least one working model by mids-2018, with it, they relieved the Genetic memories of Marcos Aguilar, a Key Master Assassin during the independence war, this not only gave the Brotherhood with valuable intel, but also was used to develop a "Training Routine". As of 2019, the Branch is rebuilding it's strength, even though this means disregarding mostly the current state of the nation's politics. There are currently three Cells operating in Argentina and another one in Uruguay, the minor only comprises 4 Assassins, the biggest 9. Following the standing orders of Acting Mentor William Miles, communication with the Initiates has ceased, but some secret channels remain open at least with some cells. The current cells have few "Ejecutores" (Combat units), barely 15% of the total, the rest are support, specialized in non-combat tasks, however with the creation of the "Argentinian's Assassin Training Program" and the construction of at least two more HR-8, the Assassins are using it to transfer combat skills to ther agents, as well as training new ones.

Organization

The Argentinian Brotherhood uses a slightly modified system of 10 ranks inherited from the Spanish Brotherhood (taken itself from the Levantine Brotherhood), above which stands out the rank of "Master Assassin" granted to the most recognized brothers and finally the Honorific rank of "Mentor" given only to an Assassin famous for his accomplishments, training experience and wisdom.

The Leader of the Argentinian Assassins was always a Mentor (however in the absence of one the mayor Master Assassin taked the role). Beneath the Mentor, there were always six Master Assassins as mayor lieutenants (which in turn organized diferent teams to mantain the Bureaus, stock, conduct operations and assassinations). Three of the seven stood out, and held the titles known as "Gran Sombra", "Gran Ejecutor" and "Gran Especialista", each a Master on the order's specializations.

Ranks

As an Assassin improved in skill and training, they would progress through a series of ranks, which denoted their standing within the Order. Starting from Novice until  Assassin, apprentices would improve in both weaponry, stealht, freerunning and skills, learning either from mentors, or on the field. Though ranks were only strictly denoted in times when the Order was formally established, they were nevertheless implied at other times; roughly indicating a member's seniority in the Order.

Iniciado

Initiates would usually only survey points of interest or gather information; at the most, only having any assassination targets to be killed by higher-ranked Assassins. Cleaning and menial work was usual. There were many instances where potential candidates were considered as "Iniciados" even if they were unaware of it.

Novicio

Novices were permitted to either upgrade their armor or learn a new skill that could help them when they were called by their Master.  

Asistente

Assistants were given the choice to either obtain new weapons, learn another skill, or learn a skill help in the field. They were allowed to accompany Higher ranking Assassins or lower ranks as team-members

Soldado

Soldiers were considered proficient in many combat arts (bare-fists, Marksmanship, Swordmanship) and had some degree of experience in the field.

Mercenario

At this point, Mercenaries had improved in footwork both during free-running and in combat. As such, they were granted boots or greaves with additional armor. Here, they were able to dodge enemy attacks, as well as catch themselves in a roll upon hitting the ground after a jump. They also had improved stability in a fight, able to regain their balance quickly should they be thrown.

Guerrero

Warriors were in charge of training novices and were strategic advisers in Assassins Teams. Masters Lead small teams. Warriors usually work in teams.

Discipulo

Disciples were allowed to complete missions throughout other cities, however, assassinations needed to be confirmed and permitted by the leaders of Assassin bureaus beforehand. For all but those of the highest rank, Assassins needed to complete their own investigations, and stain a handkerchief marker with their target's blood. Disciples always were send in individual assignements.

Veterano

Usually Veterans were put in charge of stock duty. as well as the Disciples, the Veterans were always send in individual assignements.

Maestro

Masters improved their skill in the use of daggers and short blades, on par with their skill level with longswords. Masters lead a small team. 

Asesino

The Assassins were formally initiated into the Order following the Spanish rite, with some small modifications made by the Italian order under Mentor Ezio.

Maestro Asesino

Only Assassins of exceptional skill and standing reached the rank of Master Assassins, and were thus highly respected throughout the Order. Over the years, only very few are known to have gained this distinction. Master Assassins were often the only ones permitted to wield dual Hidden Blades.

A Master Assassin is meant to embody the Creed: they have never harmed an innocent, always hid in plain sight, and never compromised the Brotherhood. If there were no Mentor available, Master Assassins were put in charge of the Brotherhood.

Mentor

The title of Mentor was an honorific title given to leaders of the Assassin Order who had obtained an extraordinary amount of skill and wisdom, and subsequently used these skills to tutor aspiring apprentices. Mentors tutored and unified large groups of Assassins, even across large distances. Very few Assassins have been given this distinction. The Assassin leaders who were assigned to direct the branches of the Brotherhood spread around the globe were granted the title of Mentor, once they had trained a specific number of apprentices and attained a high amount of skill and wisdom themselves.

In 2000, the title of Mentor had become official and singular, with only a single Mentor leading the entire Assassin Order. After the fall, the title as leader of the branch is currently recognized again.

Techniques

The Rio de la Plata Brotherhood was trained in stealth, eavesdropping, swordsmanship, marksmanship, hand to hand combat as well as free running, pickpocketing and lock picking. In terms of equipment, the Rio de la Plata Assassins wielded Hidden Blades, facones and pistols. The British brotherhood introduced to the Rio de la Plata Assassins, the Cane-Sword which over the following years became a significant weapon for this Branch. Throwing knifes, Bolas and firecrakers were also of common use. All Rio de la Plata Assassins had their pistols and melee weapons non-visible on their person, following the spanish regulations of the time, thus the Double Pronged Hidden Blade, the Poison dart launcher, the Hidden Gun and the Hidden Bolt (inherited from the Spanish Assassins later improved by the Mentor Ezio) were the prefered weapons. The current Argentinian Assassins prefer concealed carry and use generally the Poison Blade and the Shock Blade, both for assassinations as well as for kidnappings and diversions.

The Rio de la Plata Brotherhood, following it's parent branch, classified its agents as either "Sombras" (Shadow), "Ejecutores" (Enforcer), or "Especialistas (Specialist) with each further broken down into three subdivisions. Shadows could focus their training more exclusively towards pure stealth, the art of assassination, or freerunning. Enforcers were warriors whose approach could be geared more towards an offensive style, defensive style, or employing crowd control tactics. Specialists provided field support as medics, saboteurs who disarmed traps, or in other miscellaneous roles. This system remain in use as of today even though was largely left aside merely as a "curricula", more than a strict system of organization. With the addition of the HR-8 into the Brotherhood and the integration of Marcos Aguilar's genetic memories, the Argentinian Assassins are testing a training program (based on the Templar's Animi Training Program), by using the life of the Master Assassin, and the Bleeding Effect they are trying to transfer his remarkable skills and abilities unto new apprentices; the old spanish specialization system has returned in the form of a unlockable tree-skill template, the apprentices can use it to focus into specific skillsets. Due to the danger of the Bleeding Effect, the program is continously monitored by a Doctor and a Animus Technician. The Training Program is currently being updated to a V.2.0 with the inclusion of Quirino Merlo's genetic memories and the inclusion of a Co-Op Mode (two or more Animus connected allowing the Trainees to complete missions simultaneously inside the Genetic Memories), to be used both with Quirino's as well as Aguilar's memories.

Modern Assassins retain the level of training and skill of their predecessors, adding knowledge in modern sciences, specializing mostly in Computer Hacking, Medicine and Engineering.

Skill Tree

The Argentinian Assassin training system (as based on the Spanish Brotherhood), has 7 separate baseline abilities & 9 Skills divided in three Specializations: Sombra, Ejecutor and Especialista, each can be upgraded three times, for maximization of the skill. Each Baseline skills cost one point to adquire, while the specialization skills from level 1 skill costs 1 point, level 2 skill two points and level 3, three points. The maximum level achievable for the trainee is 42 (each level grants a point), so he must choose carefully on which skills to invest.

With the Arrival of the Assassin's Training Program, the Brotherhood is rebuilding his forces with the help of this skill-tree:

Baselines:

• Summon Stead
  • Call a Horse to your side. FREE SKILL. 
• Meditation
  • Rest and move time forward.
• Intuition
  • Increases Eagle Sense's range.
  • Increases Eagle Sense's range. Can see Movement Patterns from marked enemies.
• Second Weapon
  • Equip a second Melee weapon and swap between them at any time.
  • Equip a second Melee and Ranged weapon and swap between them at any time.
• Poison Sting
  • The Assassin equips a Poison Blade. Can only be used with Sleep Poison.
  • The Assassin equips a Poison Blade. Can be used with both Sleep and Berserker Poison.
  • The Poison Blade is upgraded to add a Poison Dart launcher (Can use both Sleep Darts and Berserker Darts).
• Adrenaline Junkie
  • (Passive) Always start a conflict with a half-filled adrenaline bar.
• Precision Shooter
  • Improved range and precision.
  • Further Improved range and precision.
  • Maximum Improved range and precision.

Sombra:

• Stealth
  • Level_1: Become a silent killer. Noise from movement and Assassination is reduced.
  • Level_2: Become a silent killer. Noise from movement and Assassination is further reduced. Enemy detection distance is reduced in crouch. 
  • Level_3: Become a silent killer. Noise from movement and Assassination is further reduced. Enemy detection distance is minimal in crouch. At night, Assassination and out of combat damage are increased.
• Assassination
  • Level_1: Launch a stealth attack with deadly precision, dealing 200% Assassin damage. Must be in range and out of conflict to perform it.
  • Level_2: Launch a stealth attack with deadly precision, dealing 250% Assassin damage. Must be in range and out of conflict to perform it.
  • Level_3: Launch a stealth attack with deadly precision, dealing 300% Assassin damage. Must be in range and out of conflict to perform it.
• Navigation
  • Level_1: Time slows for up to 5 seconds when you're spotted by enemies. Freeruning speed improves 100%.
  • Level_2: Time slows for up to 6 seconds when you're spotted by enemies. Freeruning speed improves 150%. Can run further in walls.
  • Level_3: Time slows for up to 8 seconds when you're spotted by enemies. Freeruning speed improves 200%. Can run further in walls and scale higher walls.

Ejecutor:

• Offensive style
  • Level_1: Keep those weapons clean and sharp. Increase Warrior damage by 20%
  • Level_2: Keep those weapons clean and sharp. Increase Warrior damage by 30%. Increase CRIT chance with all weapons by 5%.
  • Level_3: Keep those weapons clean and sharp. Increase Warrior damage by 40%. Increase CRIT chance with all weapons by 10%. Combo finishers deal more damage when the combos contain both Light and Heavy Attacks
• Defensive style
  • Level_1: Taking great care of your gear pays off. Increase Armor by 30%.
  • Level_2: Taking great care of your gear pays off. Increase Armor by 60%. Reduce Ranged damage received by 5%.
  • Level_3: Taking great care of your gear pays off. Increase Armor by 90%. Reduce Ranged damage received by 10%. There is a 10% chance that an attacking enemy will stagger.
• Crowd control tactics
  • Level_1: A sudden sprint of attacks on rapid succesion strikes surrounding enemies within 3 meters and deals 150% Warrior damage.
  • Level_2: A sudden sprint of attacks on rapid succesion strikes surrounding enemies within 4 meters and deals 180% Warrior damage. There is a 10% chance that an attacking enemy will run way.
  • Level_3: A sudden sprint of attacks on rapid succesion strikes surrounding enemies within 5 meters and deals 250% Warrior damage. There is a 15% chance that an attacking enemy will run way.

Especialista:

• Medic Skills
  • Level_1: Learn the Healing arts. Refilling 25% of max Health.
  • Level_2: Learn the Healing arts. Refilling 35% of max Health. Can Heal Teammates.
  • Level_3: Learn the Healing arts. Refilling 50% of max Health. Can Heal Teammates and remove the effects of Fire and Poison.
• Saboteur abilities
  • Level_1: Can easily disarm traps. Improved Lockpicking.
  • Level_2: Can easily disarm traps and also mount them. Improved Lockpicking. Can craft bombs with the Fire and Poison characteristics.
  • Level_3: Can easily disarm traps and also mount them. Improved Lockpicking. Can craft bombs with the Paralyzing, Fire, Poison, and Explosive characteristics.
• Supporting abilities
  • Level_1: Summon an Apprentice to distract enemies for at least 30 seconds. Teammates have Improved damage.
  • Level_2: Summon an Apprentice to distract enemies for at least 40 seconds. Teammates have Improved damage and reduced Melee damage to Them
  • Level_3: Summon an Apprentice to distract enemies for at least 50 seconds.Teammates have Improved damage and reduced Melee damage to Them. Improves XP from Team assaults.

Appearances

The Rio de la Plata Assassins did not have formal robes or uniforms to wear or specific colors like other branches tended to have. Most chose to take on the appearance of civilians, though exceptions existed in high-ranking members, who wore hoods and elaborate robes. After the Independence, most chosed however to wear Blue/Light Blue and white clothes or symbols to represent their allegiance to the new nation. While, the tradition of cutting the left ring finger was cast aside, it was customary up until the XX Century to be performed only by the Mentor of the Order. Metal armor was not worn during the Colonial period, but some Assassins utilized leather armor from hunting animals. The branch also adopted the practice of concealing the entire Hidden Blade mechanism under the sleeves of their clothes, rather than strapping it over them, further improving Assassins' ability to blend with the crowd.

Trivia

• While recently modernized, the Argentinian Branch was famous for following patterned rituals (such as dipping the blood of the slayed target with a white handkerchief) and specific forms (Equinox/Solstice rituals) proper of the Spanish Branch, some modern Assassins still follow these traditions.
• Every level grants a skill point, except the Level 33, which grants 3 points and unlocks the "Freemason Suit".
• The baseline skill "Summon Stead" is gained during the intro tutorial with the first level skill point.
• The base single Hidden Blade is acquired as of first level, further improvements must be gained through grinding (Double Pronged Hidden Blade, Secondary Hidden Blade, Hidden Bolt) or Skill points (Poison blade/shooter). Despite being considered as part of the inventory still, the Hidden gun was a barely used relic as of XVIII Century.