Juhani Otso Berg

Juhani Otso Berg (born 1985) is a former member of the Finnish and a high-ranking agent of the Operations Division of Abstergo Industries, as well as the leader of Sigma Team. 
He was later inducted into the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order and became the director of Abstergo Medical. In 2016, he took on the mantle of the Black Cross, believing the position had become necessary once more.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Juhani was born in Mikkeli, Finland, but was dragged around the world by his father, who worked for an oil company belonging to Abstergo industries. Juhani was raised in countries such as Afghanistan, Kurdistan and Oman. With his father's blessing, Juhani returned to Finland to join the army. At first, they made fun of his muddled accent, but the jokes quickly stopped as Berg proved himself to be an exceptional recruit, becoming one of the youngest in the Utti Jaeger Regiment.Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Database: Otso Berg
However, around 2010, he opted to become a mercenary, believing the pay would be better than that of the Jaeger's – Juhani needed the money to afford treatments for his newborn daughter, Elina. This choice cost him his marriage, when his wife, Helmi, disapproving of his new mercenary life, asked for divorce.Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Numbskull's personal files – Otso Berg's Profile: "Vidic's New Recruit"
One night, an Abstergo team headed by Dr. Warren Vidic broke into Berg's home and apprehended him. As Berg watched, Vidic gave Elina Abstergo-brand medication that he promised would help to cure her condition, with the promise of more doses if Juhani would join him.
Faced with a solution to his daughter's illness, Berg agreed, provided that he be allowed to eliminate the one who had caused Elina to wake up and cry. Vidic granted it, and Berg ruthlessly killed the Abstergo agent.
===Rise as a Templar===
On 12 October 2012, Berg was briefed alongside several other Abstergo operatives who had impressed Vidic enough to begin training in the second stage of their Animi Training Program. Warren promised Juhani and the other operatives greater power, wealth, and information on the Templars if they succeeded, but also warned that there was no backing out from that point.Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Modern day
On 28 October, Berg had interested his superiors within Abstergo with his training in the Animus, enough to be promoted within the ranks of the Templar Order.Assassin's Creed: Initiates – The Desmond Files: "Templar Privileges"
In an agent evaluation report conducted on 8 November, Ctibor Hašek identified Berg as a potential candidate for the Inner Sanctum, noting him as an obedient, loyal agent who was dedicated to the Templar cause. However, Hašek was concerned that Juhani's daughter could be a weakness.Assassin's Creed: Initiates – The Desmond Files: "Top Gun"
On 16 November, Berg was sent to New York City by Laetitia England, in order to investigate a cyber-security breach related to artifacts that Abstergo was tracking, one of which was located in a Manhattan penthouse.Assassin's Creed: Initiates – The Desmond Files: "OP114-8506-B" There, he found Daniel Cross, who had escaped Abstergo's facility in Philadelphia the previous dayAssassin's Creed: Initiates – The Desmond Files: "Stray Cat" and had been subsequently injured during a confrontation with the Assassin Desmond Miles.Assassin's Creed III – Modern Tower Though Berg was attacked by Daniel, who apparently suffered another attack of the Bleeding Effect, he was able to neutralize Cross and returned him to Abstergo. Nine days later, in Helsinki, Finland, Juhani was seen spending time with his daughter.Assassin's Creed: Initiates – The Desmond Files: "Family Man"
===Raid in Florence===
On 28 November 2012, after an attack on the Abstergo campus by the Assassin Harlan Cunningham killed four Abstergo hackers and destroyed servers, Berg tailed Cunningham on the regional road SR2 in Italy. From there, Berg called his superiors and convinced them to allow him to follow the Assassin back to his base, instead of killing Harlan.Assassin's Creed: Initiates – The Desmond Files: "The Hound"
Juhani successfully tracked Cunningham to an Assassin base in Florence led by Adriano Maestranzi. Afterwards, he called for backup and was given command of Abstergo's paramilitary force Sigma Team, before leading the Templar assault on 30 November.Assassin's Creed: Initiates – The Desmond Files: "Kaboom" Maestranzi, not wanting to abandon the base, detonated a bomb that destroyed the Assassins' hideout and files, and killed all of Sigma team except for Berg, who suffered burns that left facial scarring. Despite the outcome, Juhani's superiors were pleased with his performance, crediting him for the deaths of three Assassins—even though Cunningham escaped—and did not hold him responsible for the loss of Sigma team.Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Numbskull's personal files – Otso Berg's Profile: "Florence Goes FUBAR"
===Master Templar===
On 6 December, Berg was brought to a hidden chamber in Abstergo's Philadelphia facility, where he met with Laetitia. There, she made him a Master Templar and inducted him into the Templar Order's Inner Sanctum, but also had Daniel Cross inject Berg with a tracking device so they could monitor all of his movements.
Four days later, Juhani met with Vidic, England, Cross, and several other Templar operatives within the same room in Philadelphia, where England revealed that Abstergo had located the leader of the Assassins, William Miles, in Cairo, Egypt. Soon after, Berg was dispatched with a team to capture the Assassin.Assassin's Creed: Initiates – The Desmond Files: "Target Acquired"
On 12 December, Berg led the reformed Sigma team in cornering William inside a museum in Cairo, and successfully captured and extracted him from the city, taking him to Abstergo's facility in Rome.Assassin's Creed: Initiates – The Desmond Files: "Sigma Team Strikes Again"
===Search for the Koh-i-Noor===
In November 2013, Berg led an Abstergo team to India assigned to retrieve Jot Soora, an employee of MysoreTech and a descendant of Raza Soora. The Templars' goal was to extract memories relating to the Koh-i-Noor from Soora. Abstergo was able to abduct Soora and his fiancée, Monima Das, but the Assassin, Jasdip Dhami, caused their truck to crash into the river, in which Jasdip rescued Soora.Assassin's Creed: BrahmanAssassin's Creed: Rogue – Numbskull's personal files – Otso Berg's Profile: "The Koh-i-Noor"
Berg was able to find the Assassin safehouse when Soora foolishly hooked up the Brahman V.R. to the Abstergo cloud server. When Berg arrived, Jasdip and Soora had already fled and the Brahman destroyed and concluded that the Assassins were nowhere closer to finding the Koh-i-Noor than the Templars.
Later that month, Berg used the Helix in Abstergo Entertainment HQ in Montreal to relive the memories of the last known Black Cross, Albert Bolden. The intel gathered from their raids in India suggested Albert Bolden was the last known individual to be in possession of the Koh-i-Noor, Berg and Violet had hoped the box carried by Darius Gift contained it. Because the trail had gone cold and the box did not contain it.Assassin's Creed: Templars – Issue #5
Berg put the investigation on hold as the Templar Order could afford the patience and to save resources until new evidence presented itself. Locating any modern descendants of Bolden would take time, and Berg expressed that they should look into other matters in the mean time. Perhaps even resurrect the Black Cross title.
===Hunt for Precursor Artifacts===
In February 2014, Cunningham and his apprentice Arend Schut stole the Precursor box from a facility in Rotterdam. Berg led Sigma Team to retrieve the box. Berg ordered Sorkin to lead the team against Schut while he pursued Cunningham. On encountering Cunningham, Berg stated that he should have died in Florence to which Cunningham replied that he was too stubborn to die. The Assassins managed to escape, though the team retrieved the box.Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Numbskull's personal files – The Phoenix Project: "The Box"
In April, Berg made the acquaintance of Layla Hassan, who did not take kindly to the former parking in her allocated spot. The two would exchange a number of emails addressing the issue and as well Layla's behavior.Assassin's Creed: Origins – Layla Hassan's emails – Subject header: "Parking Space"
In May, Otso Berg was entrusted with the mission of finding any information about the Ankh of Isis. When he was in Essen, Berg gave up and asked his partner, Violet da Costa, to relay all the official and unofficial records of the Ankh. Berg and da Costa suggested that the Ankh was merely an Assassin ploy to waste the Templars' time searching for a fake Piece of Eden. Putting the Ankh behind them, Berg continued his search for other Pieces of Eden.Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Numbskull's personal files – The Phoenix Project: "The Ankh"
On 23 May, Berg started a reconnaissance mission in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The purpose of this mission was to successfully uncover the now deeply buried Observatory, a First Civilization site. The mission failed however, as the Observatory was discovered to be concealed by lots of rubble, and it was noted in Otso Berg's journal that it collapsed sometime in the 18th century. Berg also noted that he would return with a larger group and try again to excavate the ruins of the Observatory.Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: 11. Reconnaissance Report
In October, Berg spoke with Laetitia about an attack led by Gavin Banks that occurred in the Abstergo Laboratory dedicated to the research of the Sage John Standish in Paris, which ended in the destruction of the lab. Berg and Sorkin followed the Assassins to La Rochelle, where the Assassins escaped via the ships that were waiting for them. Before escaping, one of the Assassins, Galina Voronina, stabbed Sorkin multiple times, leaving him brutally wounded.Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Numbskull's personal files – The Phoenix Project: "Paris"
Berg told Laetitia that Sigma Team would have stopped the attack if it was still operational. After hearing this, Laetitia accepted her mistake and gave Berg the authorization to reform Sigma Team. Berg asked Laetitia for Violet da Costa to rejoin Sigma Team, but she negated his demand, saying that da Costa was busy updating Abstergo Entertainment's security and firewalls because of the recent problems with Erudito, the Assassins and the Instruments of the First Will. Berg accepted to go to Montreal, and help Violet with her tasks, to reform Sigma Team as soon as possible.
===Abstergo Entertainment===
In November 2014, Juhani revealed to Violet that he had only used an Animus to view his own ancestry once, and discovered that one of his ancestors was a Viking raider who had participated in the Lindisfarne raid in 793.Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Numbskull's personal files – Otso Berg's Profile: "Lindisfarne" Some time later, Berg took over security in Abstergo Entertainment's Montreal facilities, posing as an independent contractor working for Abstergo. He, alongside Violet da Costa, supervised a research analyst as they explored the memories of Shay Cormac located in the Helix, which had a virus implanted in them.Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Modern day
After the analyst completed Shay's memories and uploaded them as a message for the remaining Assassins, Juhani along with Violet and Abstergo Entertainment CCO Melanie Lemay, offered the analyst the choice to join the Templar Order. Berg pulled out a pistol, reminding the analyst that refusal meant death.
With Berg's use of the video with Shay's memories as a faint, Berg caused the Assassins to empty a few safehouses, shut down a few servers, put up some new firewalls and flushed out the Assassins' man in Montreal almost instantly. Berg having monitored his communications with other Initiates, watched them run, and, where they were running to. Resulting in the death of their man in Montreal despite having kept a low profile during the "incident".Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Modern day
===Search for the Shroud===
In 2015, Juhani and Violet were assigned to aid Isabelle Ardant in her search for the Shroud of Eden. Meeting Isabelle in her office in London, they arrived in time to interrupt an assassination attempt on her by Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane. The two Templars were preparing to execute the Assassins when an explosion caught them by surprise, giving Shaun and Rebecca an opportunity to escape via a Leap of Faith.
Some time later, Juhani, Violet and Isabelle had uncovered the Shroud under Buckingham Palace. He and Violet were acting as security for Isabelle when they were attacked by Shaun, Rebecca and Galina Voronina. Juhani was directly assaulted by Voronina while Violet shot at the attacking Assassins. In the ensuing chaos, Shaun stabbed and electrocuted Isabelle with his Shock Blade.
Berg was briefly able to get the upper hand in his fight against Voronina, breaking her Hidden Blades, and forcing her on the defensive. He then ordered Violet to complete the mission; she took the Shroud and wounded Rebecca before escaping. Voronina finally managed to overpower Berg, and knocked him out. As she raised a rock above her head to kill him, Sigma Team arrived and intervened. Voronina was forced to eliminate the team and retreat, leaving Berg alive.
By 2015, Berg's faint with the use of Shay's memories had resulted in the military contacts of the Assassins and the Initiates being transferred or discharged, their wealthier private citizens being audited or brought out by Abstergo and their friends in the higher learning faced budget cuts and challenges to their authority and curriculums. Because of this the Bishop informed her fellow Initiates and Assassins world wide that William Miles had decided to enact the Rooftop Garden Protocol. Efficiently shutting down all unnecessary communications on their network.
Following the events underneath London, Berg was called to Laetitia England's office. There, he was instructed to deliver the Precursor box to Álvaro Gramática in a top-secret facility, to which the scientist would send him the coordinates. Berg did as instructed, and after some inquiries, Gramática told him that he planned to use the box in the Phoenix Project, hoping it would help him better understand the Shroud.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia – Modern day
===Induction of Hathaway===
In 2016, prior to becoming the new Black Cross, Otso Berg attended the induction of Simon Hathaway into the Inner Sanctum and the subsequent meeting; as he was on assignment, he was unable to physically be there, instead participating via video transmission. Despite being skeptical of the new approach Hathaway wanted to introduce for the Historical Research Division, Berg, along with Alan Rikkin and Alfred Stearns, Álvaro Gramática, Agneta Reider, Laetitia England, David Kilkerman and Mitsuko Nakamura, all agreed to give him one week to prove his method of searching for knowledge for knowledge's sake by having Templars relive memories.Assassin's Creed: Heresy – Chapter 1
Ten days later, Hathaway interrupted a meeting by the Inner Sanctum and asked to present his case or face the consequences for having stolen the Sword of Eden, damaged Abstergo property and deleted the memories of his ancestor and shared classified information with Anaya Chodary and Victoria Bibeau; Berg and Álvaro Gramática were alerted so they could once more attend. Hathaway accused the Templar Order of heresy, causing tension among all the members, and then presented his research. It explained everything from Jacques de Molay's vision of the Templar Order to the history of the Swords of Eden. Berg, Reider, Nakamura and England were willing to consider De Molay's ideas. Following the presentation, Berg came to Hathaway's defense; in the end, Hathaway was not charged with anything for his actions as Rikkin and his cronies were relegated to the minority.Assassin's Creed: Heresy – Chapter 35
===Pursuit of the Koh-i-Noor===
====Recruiting a Bolden====
left|thumb|250px|Berg introducing Caitlin to Bolden
In 2017, Berg and Violet resumed their search for the Koh-i-Noor. They were put in charge of an Abstergo Historical Research facility in Philadelphia, aided by senior technician Caitlin Gift, a descendant of Darius Gift, and a doctor called Freddy. That year, the Templars had managed to locate a descendant of Albert Bolden, a 72 year old Vietnam veteran named André Bolden, and brought him to their Philadelphia facility under the pretext of wishing to cure his PTSD. After greeting André and putting him inside the Animus in order to relive his ancestor's memories of the Barbary Coast in the early nineteenth century, Berg and his team were surprised to discover that André's ancestor was not Solomon Bolden, the Black Cross, but instead Jan van der Graff, a Flemish agent of Napoleon Bonaparte.Assassin's Creed: Templars – Issue #6
After André woke up, neutralized two men and fled the complex, Berg belayed Caitlin's order to apprehend him, stating that André would not get far. Tracing André back to his hotel, Berg explained the Bleeding Effect to him and also explained that they were looking for an important item that was tied to André's family. André agreed to continue exploring his ancestor's memories on the condition that Berg not lie to him again.
thumb|250px|Berg convincing Bolden to continue to session
After agreeing to André's demand, the two returned to the facility and Berg explained to the team that they not only had to face a fractured timeline but also had to deal with the real possibility of losing track of the entire bloodline of the Black Cross due to Jan van der Graff being Andre's ancestor instead of Solomon Bolden. When Violet asked what they knew about Graff, Caitlin replied that they knew almost nothing, aside from a brief appearance in the accounts of Tavis Olier. However, Violet stated that it was not possible, explaining that Tavis was the previous Black Cross who was missing and presumed dead by the time of Solo Bolden. Faced with the question of how Graff ended up in Tavis' memoirs, Berg remarked that there was only one way to find out, which André correctly deduced involved putting him back into the Animus.Assassin's Creed: Templars – Issue #7
As they monitored André's session, Violet asked Berg if it was wise to let André know so much about them, to which Berg answered that André, as a soldier, understood that they were doing something important and that he had his own reasons for helping them. After Violet remarked that she had never known him to be so trusting, Berg remarked that he trusted her.
After witnessing the death of Solo Bolden and Graff's imprisonment within the dungeon of the palace of Selim III, André was pulled out of the Animus by Caitlin. On the way to the Animus room, Berg was asked by Violet whether he planned to reveal everything to André, as he had now also heard about the Koh-i-Noor, to which Berg answered that he did not know.
====Targeted by the Instruments====
Later on, Berg joined André at a bar and payed for his drink. When André asked Berg what they were hoping to obtain by making him relive Graff's memories, Berg that it was not about money, but was life and death. After André asked Berg to explain what he meant by life and death and what it was all about, Berg revealed the truth of the situation to him, regarding the Templars, Assassins, the Pieces of Eden and the Black Cross. However, André did not believe Berg and called him crazy, to which Berg replied that, after everything André had seen and experienced, this did not sound too far fetched.Assassin's Creed: Templars – Issue #8
left|thumb|250px|Berg and Bolden being attacked by unknown assailants
As André left the bar, Berg followed after him. However, at that moment, a car drove past and shot at them. Fortunately, Berg managed to pull André to cover just in time and subsequently jumped inside the vehicle and eliminated its occupants. After the car crashed, Berg got out of it and told André that they had to go. When André asked him what to do about the restaurant, Berg told him not to worry, as they owned it. Calling Violet, Berg asked her where she was, to which she replied that she was close, and instructed her to get to the lab, informing her that they had been attacked and that he was bringing André in.
At the lab, Berg was approached by Violet and Freddy. After asking her what Freddy was doing there, Violet replied that she thought he might have been hurt. After telling Violet that he was fine and instructing the doctor to check on André, Berg informed Violet about the four gunmen and that he did have the chance to ask who had sent them. After Caitlin arrived at the lab, Berg instructed everyone to continue André's Animus session. When Violet asked what the hurry was, Berg informed her that he suspected that they had a leak and that this unknown party knew that they were getting close to something even if they themselves did not know it.
However, when they started André's session, he screamed out in pain. Caitlin explained to Berg that there was a lot of violence in that stream, which made him realize that Graff was in a torture chamber. When Berg asked Caitlin if they could get past it, she was initially unsure, as there was a lot of it, but eventually managed to fast forward the memories to a few days afterward. After André's session was finished, Berg informed Violet that, although they still did not have enough, they could not make André come back by force. Berg also handed her the Templar pin that had belonged to Albert Bolden, instructing her to give it to André, as Berg himself was too busy cleaning up the mess caused by the drive-by shooting. As he was talking on the phone with the proxy he used to hire the hitmen who attacked Bolden in order to save the old man and win his loyalty, Berg received a call instructing him to come to the lab, as there had been an incident.
Otso and Violet arrived at the lab, only to find the murdered body of Caitlin Gift lying on the lab floor. While Violet told him that they had discovered proofs that Caitlin has been contacting a third party on her computer, Otso wasn't convinced and believed that Gift was strangled after she discovered traces left by the mole. Concerned that a fifth column had infiltrated the Templar Order and killed one of their own to cover their activities, Berg tasked Violet to track down the 'mole' within the lab. In the meantime, he convinced André to once more enter the Animus to further explore the memories of van der Graff.Assassin's Creed: Templars – Issue #9
thumb|250px|Berg conversing with Bolden
Later, after Andre emerged from the Animus after witnessing the Assassins recovering the diamond in the past, Otso once again met him at the bar. There Berg reflected on how they have achieved little in their search for the Koh-i-Noor while losing a good Templar with no clue on why Freddy killed her as the doctor was later found dead. However, Bolden revealed to the dumbfounded Templar that despite the appearances, his ancestor fooled the Assassins and kept the artifact. Dre then stated that Berg's war was a war he had no wish to be part of, and passed the Black Cross pin to Otso as he believed that he was going to need it for what he had to do. Otso agreed and reflecting on his conversation with Violet that he couldn't trust no-one because of the moles within the Order, he dutifully decided to assume the mantle of Black Cross.
====The new Black Cross====
To prepare for his role as the new Black Cross, a role Berg viewed as a cutting from the Assassin Brotherhood grafted to the Templar Order, the Templar decided to study the lives of prominent Assassins such as Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad,Assassin's Creed: Reflections – Issue #2 Ezio Auditore da Firenze,Assassin's Creed: Reflections – Issue #1 Edward Kenway,Assassin's Creed: Reflections – Issue #3 and Ratonhnhaké:ton.Assassin's Creed: Reflections – Issue #4
By February 2017, Berg had fully embraced his role of Black Cross; accomplishing his official duties during the day while anonymously rooting out corruption from the Order by night with the help of André Bolden. In Hong Kong, Otso Berg and Violet da Costa were called to investigate a former Phoenix Project site cleared out months an transformed into an archive office were several Assassins bodies were found. On site, Otso was perplexed as to why a small unidentified army appeared to be defending an Abstergo archive against the Assassins. The Master Templar ordered Violet to bribe the chinese police to leave the site as it was, and retired to his hotel room for the night.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #1
left|thumb|250px|Berg in his Black Cross uniform in Hong Kong
Changing into his high tech Black Cross attire, Berg returned to the skyscraper to conduct an investigation of his own. Assisted by Bolden, who was acting as a tech support, the Black Cross discovered evidences that both high tech Templar equipment and Assassin weaponry were used by the mysterious men who butchered the Assassins. 
One month later, back in Montreal, Berg and da Costa further talked about the odd events that transpired within Hong Kong. Juhani was still confused as to how Assassins evidently came across a greater equipped force in what amounted to an administrative location. Suddenly, both of their phones - along with those of every Templars' around them rang - displaying the Black Cross symbol.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #2
Knowing that it was a summoning from the Inner Sanctum to a meeting with them at a nearby retreat, Berg sent Bolden dressed as a Black Cross to protect his secret identity. Refusing to reveal his identity or to bow down to them, the Black Cross affirmed his independence and informed the Sanctum that the Order has been infiltrated by a fifth column. After he gave the finger to England, a seated Berg jumped on the Black Cross, feigning to be enraged by his insolence, but was thrown across the room. Warning the Sanctum that for him they were all suspects, Bolden promised to call upon them soon - and left after dropping a smoke bomb.
Returning to his apartment, Otso was soon joined by Bolden who was still wearing his outfit. Thanks to their trick, Berg was now sure that for the foreseeable future, the Sanctum would stay impervious to the fact that the Black Cross was one of their own. Otso then revealed to Bolden that the Abstergo goggles he found in Hong Kong were from the company division in Europe, and decided to head to Berlin to investigate further.
thumb|250px|Berg confronting Hart
Once in Germany, Berg followed Heinrich Hart, the Abstergo engineer who created the goggles and witnessed his interrogation by Galina Voronina and Arend Schut Cunningham, the Assassins seeking answers over their losses in Hong Kong over the intel given by Hart. After their departure, the Black Cross jumped on Hart - also seeking answers from the traitor. However, instead of being afraid by the Cross, the Assassin mole revealed that he had left a trail on purpose for Berg to follow, and that it was about time he arrived. Unleashing an electric whip, Hart attacked Berg but was quickly subdued. As Hart cryptically reveals his true identity as an Instrument of the First Will, he pulled out a high explosive from his pocket to kill them both. The Black Cross barely gets to the nearby window before the entire building exploded, and jumped into the river below.
Having survived the blast in Berlin which claimed the lives of 170 persons, Otso Berg returned to his flat to find Andre waiting for him. Expressing his growing frustration over the apparent fifth column that has infiltrated the Templar Order, Otso is advised by Andre to look for anomalies in Abstergo accounts if he wished to find the moles within Abstergo. If a third party was truly feeding from the Templars, then their money must be redirected somewhere it shouldn't be.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #3
left|thumb|250px|Berg threatening Lemair
Following Bolden's advice, Berg discovered that money was indeed moved from Abstergo's account in Geneva and headed there to meet with the banker in charge of the money. Once there, Berg bumped into the Assassin My'shell Lemair, who was also investigating into irregularities in the accounts of the Assassins. As Lemair was trying to flee after learning that Berg was there too, the Templar grabbed her and took the woman at knife point to the backstairs. Berg demanded to know why Abstergo money was going to the Assassins, to which Lemair swore that they didn't know about it.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #4 
As he was interrogating the Assassin, Berg realized that they were watched and knocked My'Shell with a headbutt before fleeing. Several Instruments suddenly appeared and chased Berg, who killed five of them with his bare hands until he collapsed from his wounds. He was then slapped around by Jasdip Dhami, whom revealed himself as the high tech 'Assassin' of the fifth column. Dhami warned Berg to stop his investigation or else he would risk his daughter's life, before throwing Berg over a guard rail.
====Working with the Assassins====
My'shell later brought the injured Berg back to the Assassins hideout, where he was attacked by Galina, who he had encountered in the Buckingham Palace back in 2015. He later met up with the Assassins in a restaurant to discuss details about the encounter in Geneva. He told the group that given the current situation, he could not approach Abstergo for help and that both he and My'shell were following the trail of the Templar money to Geneva.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #5
Berg proposed that the group who attacked Charlotte in Hong Kong and the group that attacked him were the same group of people, being led by Dhami himself. As Galina questioned Berg as to why he thought he could trust the Assassins, he responded saying that he had little options, saying that when people are faced with only bad choices, it's best to opt for the one with predictable outcomes. Charlotte, having witnessed how powerful the Instruments were and what they were capable of, accepted his offer and proposed to start by locating the Koh-i-Noor.
Back at the Assassins hideout, Berg offered to help the Assassins with their research and findings which they rejected, believing that he will not find anything at all. As both sides argued about their ideologies and alignments, Arend found an old image of the Spanish Assassin Ignacio Cardona standing alongside a soldier, which Berg identified as the Black Cross Albert Bolden.
During the session, Charlotte desynced from the Animus as she wasn't fully recovered from her encounter with Juno. She asked that Berg leave her sight for a while so that she could concentrate, to which he replied that he is going to have a chat with Guernica Moneo, a member of Erudito and, secretly, an Instrument of the First Will.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #6
Berg played a game of Jenga with Moneo as they exchange their views and opinions on their goals and alignments. As Moneo unwittingly revealed their devotion to Juno at the end of the game, Berg thanked him for the information before leaving the room. Berg later received a blood sample of from André, which he used to relive the memories of Albert Bolden during his search of the Koh-i-Noor in the Spanish Civil War, as Charlotte was unable to continue relieving Cardona's memories.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #7
Having discovered the location of the jewel from Bolden's memories, Berg exited the Animus and asked the Assassins to dig into their records for information in regards to Glaucia Acosta. He later contacted André, requesting him to keep watch on Álvaro Gramática's laboratory and inform him if they were preparing to resurrect an ancient deity in a cloned body. Berg then informed the Assassins that the Koh-i-Noor was buried in a mass grave in the Spanish hillside, about 60 miles south of Barcelona and that if the Instruments were to find the jewel first, they would be able to resurrect Juno and bind the other Pieces of Eden. Berg and the Assassins then made preparations to travel to Spain to recover the artifact.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #8
====Attack on Gramática's lab====
Arriving in Spain, Berg and the Assassins were seperated into teams to locate the artifact. Berg was paired up with Charlotte and Galina, and were able to locate the mass grave. As they dug up and recovered the artifact, they were discovered and captured by Jasdip and the instruments. The Assassins managed to free themselves, eliminating the Instruments while Berg confronted Jasdip. However, they were later broken up by a force of energy unleashed by Charlotte after she gained possession of the Koh-i-Noor.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #9
Later on, Jasdip was able to capture Charlotte and take possession of the artifact. Berg and the Assassins attempted to stop him, but were prevented by a number of mortal bombarments by the Instruments. Charlotte was later freed when Miguel, one of the assigned protectors of the Koh-i-Noor, attacked Jasdip through the fire. As Jasdip attempted to kill Charlotte, Berg threw the Templar pin at him, stabbing him at the right side of his face, forcing Jasdip to retreat via a helicopter. With the artifact now in the Instrument's possession, Berg and the Assassins looked to locate Gramática's lab to destroy the body meant for Juno's ressurection.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #10
By August 2018, Berg and the Assassins were able to locate Gramática's lab in Australia.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Layla Hassan's emails – Subject header: "Memorial" While en route to the location on an Abstergo plane, Berg and the Assassins devised a plan to infiltrate the lab, intending to have Charlotte infiltrate the lab through a vent shaft in the lab using a sandstorm as cover.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #11 While him and the rest of the Assassins distract the Instruments for time. During the sandstorm, Berg approached the lab entrance, confronting his former associate Violet and her army of Instruments. Berg and the Assassins were later able to enter the lab after Jasdip was executed with a bullet to the head by a sniper rifle, while the Instruments were destroyed with an RPG by Arend and Kiyoshi.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #12
In the lab, Berg and the Assassins watched as Juno, now with a physical body, was trapped in a illusion conjured with the Koh-i-Noor by Elijah, who betrayed the Instruments for the murder of his mother. After Juno was killed by Charlotte, Berg and the Assassins fled the now collapsing lab and were confronted by Violet and an army of Instruments. While Violet pointed her gun at Berg, a army of Templar soldiers arrived, surrounding her and the Instruments. While Violet was distracted, Berg took her gun and promptly shot her in the chest, leaving her to bleed to death. Against their wishes, Berg also detonated a Skunkworks endgame grenade in the lab, killing Charlotte who had not escaped yet.
===Hunting for the Instruments and the Staff===
After Juno's death and the destruction of Gramática's laboratory in Australia, Berg ended his partnership with the Assassins and began hunting the rest of the Instruments. In November, Berg learned of an Assassin cell led by his former colleague Layla Hassan, who had defected to the Assassin Order. After learning that she and her cell were pursuing a Piece of Eden in Greece known as the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus, Berg sent Sigma Team to hunt down the Assassins , hacking into their communications and warning Layla to hand over her research while threatening her teammates' safety.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Fate of Atlantis: Fields of Elysium – Modern day
When Layla repelled Sigma Team, Berg made the initiative to confront the Assassin himself while she was reliving the memories of the misthios Kassandra in Atlantis. Berg revealed that he and the Templars had been tracking Layla ever since she found Herodotos' book Lost Histories. When Layla brought up Elina's illness and what she could do with the Staff, Berg threatened the Assassin, demanding her to hand over the staff. After a fight that saw Layla defeating Berg, Layla used the Staff's tip to impale his back and left him paraplegic. Berg then lost consciousness from blood loss before the Assassins brought him the surface.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Fate of Atlantis: Judgment of Atlantis – Modern day
By November 2019, Berg remained a captive of the Assassins who attempted to interrogate him for information.Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Layla Hassan's personal files However, he was eventually freed and was brought to an Abstergo facility in Tokyo, Japan. Through Abstergo's experimentation with a Staff of Eden and his knowledge of Hermes' Staff, Berg was able to regain use of his legs. In mid-2020, Berg confronted Layla again with her new Assassin cell in the Tokyo building, where they faced of as the building caught fire. A four-on-one fight broke out and ended with Berg subdued and the Assassins escaping.Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice – Tokyo XXI
==Personality and traits==
Juhani Otso Berg proved to be a hardened individual, ensuring operations proceeded efficiently. After being recruited by Warren Vidic, he became a strong believer in the Templar cause and ideology, seeing it as a righteous cause for a better future. He showed respect for both the Assassins and his fellow Templars, as shown in a series of logs regarding certain figures from both factions across the ages, who had inspired Berg in certain ways. However, he did possess a strong determination when fighting against the Assassins, and even a streak of cruelty, shown through his desire to see their mind and spirit broken, before allowing them to die by his hands.
He put great emphasis on the completion of his missions as evidenced by his ordering of Violet to escape with the Shroud, while he distracted the Assassins; however, he did not act solely based on orders alone, displaying a sense of flexibility in the field that resulted in him being scolded by his superiors. One such situation occurred during the mission in Cairo, as William Miles posed as a tour guide to a group of students once he had arrived.Assassin's Creed: Rogue]] – Numbskull's personal files – Otso Berg's Profile: "Cairo Debrief"
Despite Juhani's ruthless personality, he was not a cruel man at heart. Juhani cared deeply for his daughter, and was willing to go great lengths to guarantee her safety, even killing an Abstergo agent for making her cry. When Juhani defied orders when capturing William Miles, Laetitia England later accused him of avoiding conflict in order to protect the young civilians, as they reminded him of his daughter. Juhani resented the accusation, explaining that causing unnecessary chaos would have allowed Miles to slip away. Juhani despised the entire Inner Sanctum considering them ruthless relics trying to maintain their power, Even when preoccupied with his duties as a Master Templar, Juhani still made sure he had time to spend with his daughter. When exploring the memories of his viking ancestor, he displayed disgust and shame at his ancestor's savagery and ruthlessness of killing a helpless prisoner.
Opposed to causing a scene, Juhani opted instead to apprehend William Miles in the Cairo museum, when the Assassin attempted to recover the First Civilization power source for the Grand Temple. Being a member of the Inner Sanctum, Juhani possessed knowledge of all activities in which Abstergo Industries was involved.
While Juhani placed trust in few of his Templar brothers, he admitted to trusting Violet da Costa with a great deal, even personal details such as his daughter. He also seemed to have a great partnership if not friendship with André Bolden both being former soldiers, so much so that André was the only person he trusted to keep his identity as the Black Cross a secret and help him in his investigations.
===Skills and equipment===
As a former member of the Finnish Special Forces, Juhani possesses a diverse knowledge of melee and ranged combat, due to being trained in martial arts. His abilities are similar to those of a high-ranking Assassin, allowing him to hunt down even the strongest Assassins like William Miles. He was skilled enough to subdue Daniel Cross, another Master Templar, originally trained by the Assassins, and took charge of the mission to capture William Miles in Cairo. Juhani was also capable of fighting toe-to-toe with Galina Voronina in hand-to-hand combat, but was eventually overpowered by the Master Assassin. Juhani was capable of jumping through the window of a moving car and incapacitate three assailants sent to ambush him. He has a high tolerance of pain, as he did not even flinch when he had a throwing knife thrown through his hand, simply yanking it out and immediately beginning a hand to hand fight. Juhani possessed immense endurance managing to kill five highly trained Instruments of the First Will with his bare hands while critically injured. While fighting against Galina, one of his blows accidentally shattered part of a brick wall to pieces.
As the Black Cross, Berg has a custom-made outfit from André Bolden, complete with a red Templar cross on the chest, along with a hat and a thick red scarf. The suit features gauntlets equipped with a grappling hook that can be used for climbing. Berg also incorporated a set of Abstergo Skunkworks division prototype military goggles as well.
Berg's inspirations included Al Mualim,Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Numbskull's personal files – Berg's Inspiration: "Al Mualim" Haras,Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Numbskull's personal files – Berg's Inspiration: "Daniel Cross" Haytham Kenway,Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Numbskull's personal files – Berg's Inspiration: "Haytham Kenway" Duncan Walpole,Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Numbskull's personal files – Berg's Inspiration: "Duncan Walpole" Baptiste,Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Numbskull's personal files – Berg's Inspiration: "Baptiste" Vali cel Tradat, Shay Cormac, Lucy Stillman, and Daniel Cross, all of whom were traitors to the Assassin cause.
==Behind the scenes==
Juhani Otso Berg is a fictional character first introduced via the 2012 community-oriented project Assassin's Creed: Initiates. He made his on-screen debut in the 2014 video game Assassin's Creed: Rogue, where he was voiced by Andreas Apergis.
Juhani is a Finnish cognate of the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning "God is merciful". The name Otso is also Finnish, though archaic, meaning "bear". His last name, Berg, means "mountain" in several Germanic languages. Finnish is one of three Uralic languages and not Germanic. It is likely he is of Germanic ancestry (possibly Swedish or German) as Finland was not of Viking origin or part of proper Scandinavia. Coming from Southern Finland, he is more likely to be a Finno-Swede, descendants coming from Sweden possibly in the 1200s. Ethnic Finns lived in tribes throughout Finland, Estonia and Northwestern Russia from Western Siberia. Norse s have recorded Finnic peoples, but very little contact. 
In Assassin's Creed: Rogue, Juhani's clothes bore resemblance to the attire worn by Shay Cormac during his time as a Templar, and were also adorned with an Yggdrasil emblem.
Berg is the only known Black Cross that is also a member of the Inner Sanctum, with previous Black Crosses having functioned as enforcers for the Inner Sanctum without being part of it. While Berg is a Templar field agent that's specifically trained to hunt down the remaining Assassins, it's unknown if "Assassin Hunter" is a Templar rank.
==Gallery==
ACI Familyman.jpg|Berg with his daughter
ACR Inner Sanctum Access.png|Juhani accessing the Inner Sanctum office
Juhani Otso Berg.jpg|Berg bearing the marks of his encounter with Assassins
ACTemplars Early design Otso Berg.png|Early design for Otso Berg in Assassin's Creed: Templars
Black Cross Juhani Otso Berg Uprising 001.jpg|Juhani Otso Berg's outfit as the Black Cross
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Revelations 
*Assassin's Creed: Initiates 
*Assassin's Creed: Brahman 
*Assassin's Creed: Rogue
*Assassin's Creed: Unity 
*Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
*Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia
*Assassin's Creed: Heresy 
*Assassin's Creed: Templars
*Assassin's Creed: Reflections
*Assassin's Creed: Uprising
*Assassin's Creed: Origins 
*Assassin's Creed: Odyssey 
**The Fate of Atlantis: Judgment of Atlantis
*Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice
**Tokyo XXI
==References==
de:Juhani Otso Berg
es:Juhani Otso Berg
fr:Juhani Otso Berg
it:Juhani Otso Berg
nl:Juhani Otso Berg
pl:Juhani Otso Berg
pt-br:Juhani Otso Berg
ru:Юхани Отсо Берг
zh:尤哈尼·奥措·贝格
Category:1985 births
Category:Individuals
Category:Finns
Category:Mercenaries
Category:Military personnel
Category:Templars
Category:Master Templars
Category:Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order
Category:Sigma Team
Category:Black Crosses
Category:Abstergo Industries employees
Category:Berg family
Category:Assassin allies
Category:Individuals who held Pieces of Eden
Category:Individuals with the Bleeding Effect