James Wardrop

James Wardrop (c. 1705 – 1754) was a merchant, politician, and a member of the British Rite of the Templar Order in the years leading up to the Seven Years' War. Operating along the Thirteen Colonies, Wardrop was the custodian of the Voynich manuscript, a First Civilization artifact.
==Biography==
===Early life===
James Wardrop was born around 1705, into a Templar family in what was then the British American colonies.
===Acquiring land and wealth===
Following in his father's footsteps, he was inducted into the Templar Order in 1720. Wardrop's main role in the Order was to secure land and wealth, slowly and surely building up the foundation for the fledgling Colonial Rite.Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Database: James Wardrop
In 1744, Wardrop began to build a trade network for the Order that ran from the American colonies to the West Indies. By 1750, he worked with Christopher Gist to acquire North American land for the Order. The Assassin Kesegowaase reported that Wardrop evicted many native tribes from their ancestral lands in doing so, and the Brotherhood held proof that he was responsible for numerous massacres.
Wardrop sought to keep the young colonies loyal to the British Empire, although he was not above using his bureaucratic position to acquire profits for himself. When his position did not allow him to achieve his goals, he used his connections to change this. Gist also claimed that Wardrop "could not hold his liquor", and that he had trouble getting along with fellow Templar Jack Weeks.Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Bravado
===Translating the manuscript===
During the 1751 Port-au-Prince earthquake, Lawrence Washington, Master Templar of the Northern Colonies, stole the Precursor box and the Voynich manuscript from the Assassin Mentor François Mackandal.Assassin's Creed: Rogue – Lessons and Revelations While the box was entrusted to Samuel Smith, Wardrop was tasked with interpreting the mysterious language of the manuscript. In July 1752, Wardrop, Smith and Weeks met with a dying Washington at his home at Mount Vernon.
After the Templars assured him that his brother George would be kept out of Templar business, Wardrop reported that he was close to discerning the meaning of the manuscript. As they left, Washington was killed by the Assassin Shay Cormac. As the Assassin was preoccupied with Washington's death, Wardrop, Smith and Weeks were able to escape.Assassin's Creed: Rogue – By Invitation Only
===Death===
Following the death of Washington, Wardrop became the new de facto leader of the Templars in the colonies. During the Albany Congress in July 1754, Wardrop was present in Albany. Fearful of his life after Smith had been assassinated and the box taken from him, Wardrop hid at Fort Frederick, giving out instructions to the garrison. During the Congress, his fellow Templar William Johnson prepared to hand over the box and manuscript to the scientist Benjamin Franklin; Wardrop refused, however, claiming that the risks in doing so were too great.Assassin's Creed: Rogue – We the People
Remaining at the fort, Wardrop sent a captain to report this to Johnson, but an enraged Johnson sent the captain back with his demands that the former hand over the manuscript. Shay was present at the Congress during this exchange and killed the captain shortly after, before he infiltrated the fort and assassinated Wardrop from above.
As Shay took the manuscript from Wardrop, he claimed that in doing so, he was keeping the people free from the Templars' control. With the colonies already entering the Seven Years' War with France, Wardrop retorted that the Templars maintained order and kept the territories from descending into anarchy, before succumbing to his wounds.
===Legacy===
In 2015, the Templar Isabelle Ardant included Wardrop's name on a list of known British Templars. This list was later unveiled 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==
James Wardrop, though cowardly, still displayed some skill in swordsmanship and firearms when confronted by Shay in open combat.
==Behind the scenes==
James Wardrop is a character created for the 2014 video game, Assassin's Creed: Rogue, where he was portrayed by Canadian actor Vincent Hoss-Desmarais.
==Gallery==
We The People 8.png|Shay assassinating Wardrop
We The People 9.png|Shay taking the manuscript from the dying Wardrop
ACRogue DB James Wardrop.png|James Wardrop's database image
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Rogue 
*Assassin's Creed: Syndicate 
==References==
de:James Wardrop
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ru:Джеймс Уордроп
zh:詹姆斯·沃德罗普
Category:1705 births
Category:1754 deaths
Category:Individuals
Category:English people
Category:Merchants
Category:Entrepreneurs
Category:Templars
Category:British Templars
Category:Templar leaders