Lawrence Washington

"Ah... but my plans are already in motion. Even leading you here has given my allies time to escape. Thank you… for making my end a quick one"

- Lawrence Washington, before death

Lawrence Washington (1718-1752) was a British planter and Templar Grand Master. He is the original main antagonist of the first two sequences of Assassin's Creed Rouge, until he was killed by Shay Cormac and replaced by the true main villain of the first 2 sequences. Lawrence is portrayed by Harry Standjofski

Biography
Washington was born in Virginia in 1718 to Augustine Washington and Jane Butler. Lawrence and his younger brother, Augustine Jr. were taken to England with their father and were educated and the Appleby Grammar School. At this time, Washington was recruited as a member of the Templar Order by Grand master, Reginald Birch.

Lawrence returned in 1738 after becoming Grand master of the Colonial Templars. He received a letter from Birch, that he obtained a journal, which suggested the First Civilization Grand Temple, from Assassin, Edward Kenway. It was reveled that the Temple was located somewhere in the colonies. Washington was unsure of the journals contents, but Birch made it the Orders highest priority, so Lawrence followed suit. At this time, Washington's father had passed, and his half brother, George Washington, looked up to him as a role model. The two became very close to each other.

During his military career, the British parliament created an infantry regiment for the colonies used in the West Indies against the Spanish. This came to be known as the War of Jenkins' Ear. When he arrived in Jamaica in 1741, Lawrence found action in the expeditions against Cartagena, New Granada, Cuba, and Panama.During the conflict, many soldiers died of tropical disease, and Lawrence returned to his home and was promoted to Major commander of the militia.

After inheriting his Father's Plantation, Lawrence Renamed it Mount Vernon, after a Navy vice Admiral, Edward Vernon. In 1743, he married the eldest daughter of commanding Colonel William Fairfax, Anne Fairfax. The Colonel would have a great deal of influence on young George. In 1746, Lawrence addressed to his subordinate, Christopher Gist, that the Templars need one or more companies to double as a communications network. He noted that William Johnson was promoted to Colonel of the Six nations recently, and had good relations with the Kanien'kehá:ka tribe. He suggested that they make friendly appeals to Johnson. He also mentioned that he was planning on influencing his in-laws to create a trading company, close to his base of operations.

Lawrence's plans came into play, and, successfully, he recruited Johnson to the Templar Order. They worked together to build an infrastructure for the Order in the colonies. In 1747, Lawrence worked with his father-in-law and other prominent businessmen, and created the Ohio Company with intentions of opening trade to the interior of America. It was around this time that he hired Samuel Smith, as the treasurer of one of his businesses, and the Templars as well. Later, Lawrence introduced George to Lord Thomas Fairfax, William Fairfax' cousin. Thomas took a liking to George and hired him as a surveyor.

In 1750, Lawrence received a letter from Birch, who was angered at the lack of progress in discovering the Precursor Artifacts and sites, and the founding of the Assassins near New York. Birch transferred his agent, George Monro, to the colonies to assist Lawrence in his mission. Though Monro would serve as his subordinate, Birch claimed that Gist was better in every way. In the same year, Lawrence tasked Gist with exploring the west, and forming relations with the natives in order to secure alliances and commercial lanes for the Templars.

Searching For the Artifacts
Later on, Lawrence fell ill with Tuberculosis. In an attempt to heal himself, him and George traveled to Barbados in 1751. He knew that an assassin brotherhood existed in Saint-Dominguez, and sought to claim any piece of Eden in their possession. As George caught a minor case of Smallpox, Lawrence was given an opportunity to travel to Port-Au-Prince. Relieved that George was going to live, he became determined to spare George from any Templar business.

Upon arrival, Lawrence tracked the Assassins down, and learned that they were led by Framçois Mackandal. Lawrence was able to track Mackandal's man Vendredi to the entrance of the precursor site. Howevver, an earthquake struck when the assassin disturbed the precursor technology inside the cave. His legs were crushed underneath the debris, and Lawrence offered to let him go in exchange for his masters location. Vendredi agreed, but Lawrence killed him, by slitting his throat. The entrance of the cave obliterated, Lawrence was unable to explore the cave. On a stronger note, Lawrence was able to track down Mackandal and infiltrate his camp. He stole from Mackandal the Precursor Box and the Voynich Manuscript. Returning to George in Barbados, Lawrence told Gist about the events that occurred. He expressed to Gist that the real work was about to begin, and Birch would recognized the leadership in the colonies along with learning about the events in Port-Au-Prince. When sailing to Virginia, Lawrence was being followed by Legendary Assassin, Adewale. Eventually Adewale lost track of Lawrence. Back in the Colonies, Lawrence entrusted the Precursor Box to Samuel Smith, and the Manuscript to James Wardrop.

Lawrence Washington's Death
By 1752, Lawrence was losing his battle with tuberculosis, therefore, he retired to Mount Vernon. At this time, a prototype air rifle was sent to him, which Shay Cormac, sent by Master Assassin, Achilles Davenport, would find and take into his possession. Shay was sent to interrogate Lawrence about the artifacts and assassinate him. With Shay not too far away, Lawrence was hosting a garden party, assuring George that he was in good health. As Jack Weeks, Smith, and Wardrop approached him, he sent George to fetch bottles of wine for each. While George was away, Lawrence requested that his fellow Templars keep George away from their business. He then inquired about their progression in discovering the purpose of the artifacts. Smith and Wardrop assured Lawrence that they were occupied with doing just that.