Crawford Starrick

Crawford Starrick (1827 – 1868) was a Master Templar and the Grand Master of the British Rite of the Templar Order during the mid-19th century. A ruthless businessman and the owner of Starrick Industries, he was an influential figure in London's industry and criminal underworld, and was responsible for the political and economic corruption the city was suffering from at the time.
In 1868, Starrick sought to acquire a Shroud of Eden hidden in London to strengthen his control over the city and maintain order more efficiently. However, that same year his reign was challenged by the British Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye, who had traveled to London to liberate it from the Templars' control. 
After his allies were killed by Jacob and his search for the Shroud was sabotaged by Evie, Starrick became desperate and attempted to eliminate Great Britain's heads of church and state to plunge the country into a state of chaos, hoping to restore order afterwards and increase the Templars' influence in the process. His plan was again thwarted by the Frye twins, who later killed Starrick inside the Shroud's vault, preventing the Templars from obtaining the artifact.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Born the younger son of the wealthy Robert Starrick in the West End of London, England, in 1827, Crawford and his older brother were trained for competition. The Starrick brothers were educated in a variety of academics and sports, and they often challenged and fought each other, much to their mother's pride.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Database: Crawford Starrick
At the age of twelve, Crawford entered boarding school. Due to the boy's imperious attitude, he was largely excluded by his peers, who took to calling him "Lord Starrick". He then began to see the two strata of humanity: those who served, and those who ruled. Realizing that he would earn no friends, he sharpened his charm and hid his disdain with smiles and compliments to bend teachers and his classmates to his will.
Upon graduation, and having inherited his first rail factory from his father, Starrick fancied himself as a railroad baron. To achieve this, he enacted a number of ultimately successful business purchases, as well as discreetly eliminating his competitors in order to gradually rise to the top, proving himself to be a brilliant businessman in his own right. He was also ruthless towards his employees and installed Rupert Ferris as manager to maximize profits and keep spending to a minimum.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – XIXth Century Search Engine: "Crawford Starrick Seems Unstoppable" Crawford continued in his business' expansion and created several industries that reached across London.
Around this time, Strarrick became exposed to the Templar Order and, like he had within the rail industry, gradually rose to the top to become Grand Master of the British Rite.
===Activities as Grand Master===
At some point, Starrick participated in an auction for an occult manuscript alongside Lucy Thorne, who managed to outbid him. Starrick subsequently inducted Lucy into the Templar Order, making her his lieutenant.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – XIXth Century Search Engine: "New Auction Room Record Set Yesterday" Lucy assisted Starrick in the hunt for several Pieces of Eden, most notably the Shroud, which the Grand Master believed would allow him to solidify his control over London. However, Starrick had no intention of sharing the Shroud with Lucy once they retrieved it, though he nonetheless planned to provide her with financial compensation.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – A Thorne in the Side
Through his network of Templar agents, Starrick controlled London and oppressed the working classes in order to keep the Templars in power. During this time, the British Assassins worked to reclaim power in the city and bring down the Grand Master, principally through their members Henry Green, and the twins Jacob and Evie Frye, who had just recently arrived in London in early 1868.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Somewhere That's Green
====Losing power====
Following John Elliotson's assassination at the hands of Jacob Frye, who also destroyed the production of Starrick's Soothing Syrup, the Earl of Cardigan and Philip Twopenny met with Starrick to discuss action against the Assassins. The Grand Master dismissed Jacob's efforts against his corporate empire, referencing the meticulous process in which his own Indian tea was delivered to him.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Overdose
Later, Starrick met with his estranged cousin Pearl Attaway, who had manipulated Jacob into acquiring internal combustion engines from Starrick's lackey Malcolm Millner and assassinating him. Pearl had done this so that Starrick would have no choice but to rely on her to run the transportation business in London. After a brief argument between the two, Starrick promised to arrange transportation for the engines and left, unaware that Jacob had spied on them and learned of Pearl's true allegiance.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Survival of the Fittest
Shortly after their meeting, Jacob assassinated Pearl. Upon hearing of her death, a grief-stricken Starrick began playing his piano, before shooting one of his Templar underlings out of annoyance for disturbing him. Lucy then entered the room, believing Starrick unaware of Pearl's death before being told otherwise. Deciding to take the Frye twins seriously, Starrick declared his intention to bring them to justice and ordered Lucy to increase the Templar presence in London.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – End of the Line
Some time later, Starrick began writing a letter in which he informed Lucy of the dissolution of their partnership once they found the Shroud. At that very moment, however, he was informed of Lucy's assassination at Evie Frye's hands. To Starrick's fury, the key to the Shroud's crypt was taken as well. Despite this setback, the Grand Master vowed to obtain the Shroud by any means necessary, and ordered one of his servants to burn the letter.
After Philip Twopenny was assassinated by Jacob Frye, public trust in the British currency dropped as inflation increased. To counter the inflation, Starrick raised the wages of his workers. At the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli introduced the to fight electoral fraud. A displeased Earl of Cardigan visited Starrick, where he expressed frustration at Parliament's lack of action and pledged to have Disraeli eliminated in order to end the Bill and maintain the Templars' influence on politics.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – A Bad Penny
However, Starrick was unimpressed by the Earl's promise and scolded him for idling in the Sinopean Club rather than taking a more active role in defending Templar interests in Parliament. The Grand Master then threatened the Earl by putting a knife to his crotch, to indicate what would happen should he fail in his task, before dismissing him. In the end, the Earl of Cardigan was unable to assassinate Disraeli due to the intervention of Jacob Frye, who subsequently killed the Earl.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Motion to Impeach
Around this time, Starrick lost his control over London's criminal element after the Blighters' leader Maxwell Roth betrayed their alliance by working with Jacob to sabotage the Grand Master's operationsAssassin's Creed: Syndicate – Strange Bedfellows and was later killed by the Assassin after a falling out between the two.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Final Act
====Claiming the Shroud====
With all of his allies and subordinates dead, Starrick took it upon himself to retrieve the Shroud and rebuild the Order's influence by eliminating Britain's heads of church and state. Learning that the Shroud had been hidden in a secret vault beneath Buckingham Palace, Starrick saw an opportunity to accomplish both of his goals simultaneously, during Queen Victoria's party in the palace gardens.
thumb|250px|left|Starrick sharing a dance with Evie
During the party, Starrick encountered Evie Frye and pressured her for a dance. As they danced, Starrick explained his plan to the Assassin before pointing out snipers on the rooftops who were ready to open fire on his intended targets once the music stopped. However, Jacob eliminated all of the snipers and signaled his sister, who proceeded to knee Starrick in the groin, though he managed to escape with the key to the Shroud's vault after stealing it from Evie.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – A Night to Remember
====Death====
Descending into the crypt, Starrick found the Shroud and donned it, just as Jacob arrived to confront him. Making use of the Shroud's powers of healing and enhanced strength, the Grand Master was able to overpower Jacob and began to choke him until Evie joined the fight. Though each of the Frye twins got close to mortally wounding Starrick several times, he was healed by the Shroud each time and eventually gained the upper hand, grabbing both Assassins by their throats.
thumb|250px|Starrick killed by the Frye twins
Before he could finish off his opponents, Starrick was caught off guard by a surprise attack from Henry Green, who threw a knife at his back. After dispatching Green, Starrick turned his attention back on the Fryes, who finally worked in unison and managed to overpower the Grand Master, separating him from the Shroud. Without the artifact, Starrick was no match for the two Assassins and was stabbed in the chest by both of their Hidden Blades.
As he lay dying, Starrick proclaimed that London would perish without him, as he had intended to create a paradise. However, he was rebuked by the Frye twins, prompting him to angrily exclaim that he had been at the very top of the Templar Order before finally succumbing to his wounds. With Starrick's death, the Templars' control over London came to an end.
===Legacy===
In 2015, the Templar Isabelle Ardant included Starrick's name on a list of known British Templars. This list was later uncovered by the Assassins Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings when they infiltrated Ardant's office to plant a bug.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Modern day
==Personality and traits==
From a young age, Starrick and his brother had been trained for competition. An arrogant individual, Starrick showed great disdain for those who tormented him and eventually saw himself as a ruler among servants. Using his charm, he managed to bend people to his will.
Above all, Starrick desired order and control. A staunchly conservative man, Starrick's actions in respect of his role as Grand Master of the British Rite all looked to maintain the status quo, whilst gradually improving the quality of life for his workers, and London as a whole.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate Starrick initially viewed the interference of the Frye twins as little more than an inconvenience, but as their actions began to upturn the order he had established, he took personal grievance with them.
During the temporary collapse of the British currency, following the death of Philip Twopenny, the Governor of the Bank of England, Starrick increased the average wage of his entire workforce in order to stave off the affects of inflation, and maintain his grip on power; he did this despite the incredulity of his fellow Templar, the Earl of Cardigan.
Starrick also saw himself as a fair man. Before learning of her death, Starrick penned a letter promising to support Lucy Thorne financially for her remaining years, in gratitude for her aid in locating the Shroud of Eden. Starrick did not see this as an act of betrayal, claiming that only one could wear the Shroud and believing that it would rightfully be him.
Starrick fell in love once, to his cousin Pearl Attaway, but she refused to marry him. Despite this, as well as Pearl serving as his business rival, Starrick still held feelings for her. Upon hearing of her death, Starrick was grief-stricken, ruthlessly executing one of his men for interrupting his mourning.
Starrick had an extremist ideology towards the monarchy, considering it a tyrannical and oppressive system of government that caused social inequality with the monarch's mandates, and so aimed to assassinate Queen Victoria and her subordinates of church and state to restore a second republic. He disdained the aristocratic elites and the church, finding it pathetic that they were still at the top of society despite having lost much of their power during the Industrial Revolution.
===Skills and equipment===
As Grand Master of the British Templars, Starrick displayed considerable leadership skills that enabled the Templars to extend their influence all over London, both politically and economically. Henry Green once compared Starrick's influence to that of Reginald Birch.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – A Spanner in the Works
In choice of weaponry, Starrick carried with him a dagger as well as a revolver. In his final confrontation with the Assassins, he was shown to be a competent hand-to-hand combatant, able to go toe-to-toe with Jacob and Evie, though he was quickly overwhelmed once the twins began fighting in unison.
thumb|250px|left|Starrick using the Shroud of Eden to overpower the Frye twins
While wielding the Shroud of Eden, Starrick was endowed with its abilities, such as instantaneously regenerating fatal wounds, enhanced physical strength, and the ability to drain his victim's vitality. Using the Shroud's abilities, Starrick was able to physically overpower the Assassins several times, regenerating any lethal damages done by their Hidden Blades in the process, and even holding both Jacob and Evie by their throats simultaneously. He would have drained their vitality and killed them, if not for Henry Green's timely intervention.
==Behind the scenes==
Crawford Starrick is a fictional character created for and appearing in the 2015 video game Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, in which he is portrayed by Canadian actor Kris Holden-Ried. He is one of the few main antagonists in the Assassin's Creed series not to be based on a historical figure.
Although not specified in-game, Starrick's scenes that play out after most of the major assassinations have to be Starrick's own memories, relived by the Initiate through the Helix, as neither of the Frye twins are present for them. This makes Starrick the fourth Templar in the series whose genetic memories were relived by a modern-day character, after Haytham Kenway, Shay Cormac and Jacques de Molay's advisor.
==Gallery==
ACS Crawford Starrick - Concept Art.jpg|Concept art of Starrick
Starrick's Templar Necklace.png|Starrick's Templar necklace
ACS Overdose 11.png|Starrick talking to Lucy Thorne
ACS Survival of the Fittest 3.jpg|Starrick meeting with Pearl Attaway
ACS End of the Line 6.png|Starrick playing the piano
ACS S6 Thorne in the Side 8.jpg|Starrick composing his letter to Lucy
London will be reborn M4.JPG|Starrick contemplating his next move against the Assassins
Jacob vs Starrick M4.JPG|Starrick fighting Jacob
Evie stabs Starrick M4.JPG|Starrick being healed by the Shroud
A dying grand master M4.JPG|Starrick's final moments
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Syndicate 
*Assassin's Creed: Underworld
*Assassin's Creed: The Official Collection
*Assassin's Creed: Rebellion 
*Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Resurrection Plot 
==References==
Category:1827 births
Category:1868 deaths
Category:Individuals
Category:English people
Category:Merchants
Category:Businesspeople
Category:Entrepreneurs
Category:Templars
Category:British Templars
Category:Master Templars
Category:Grand Masters
Category:Londoners
Category:Individuals who held Pieces of Eden
Category:Animus hosts
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ru:Кроуфорд Старрик
zh:克劳福德·斯塔瑞克
Category:Criminals