The year is now 1875, and the Templar Order more or less have the United States government firmly in their control, as it has been for roughly a decade now.
While the president and his cabinet are unaware of the Templar Order and have "free will" of their own, the Templars still maintain heavy influence within the White House itself, as well as within the military, the railroad, the banking systems and mining industry, and other places of high asset.

The Templars themselves are spearheading the drive west, intent on claiming any and all resources and assets possible for their cause.

This, along with wiping out the remnants of the Assassin Order and continuing to search for precursor artifacts and ruins, are their primary goals as of now.

Even now, the Templars have established a firm foothold in the West, and have contacts and operatives stretched from the Canadian border to the Arizona territory.

As of now, the Templars are more so focused on wiping out the last of the Assassins and pushing the Native Americans from their lands, wether it be by unfair purchase, intimidation, or simply slaughtering them and seizing their land.

Needless to say, this is a dangerous and foreboding time for the Assassins.

The Assassins have found themselves on the losing end yet again, and have been on said end for a good five years now.

On October 10th, 1870, a number of Assassin bureaus and hideouts across the northern and southern states were attacked simultaneously by Templar agents, resulting in the deaths of hundreds within the Order, including many master Assassins as well as many of the Order's unaffiliated contacts and allies.

Things have been tragically downhill for the Assassins in the four years since then.
They have been nothing but fugitives, constantly fleeing from Templar operatives and authorities under Templar influence.

And now, in 1875, the Order is more or less nonexistent within the United States.
Only a handful of Assassins have survived, and only a small number of them have kept up the fight against the Templar Order.

Many of them have cast aside their lot with the Assassins and have taken up new lives as bounty hunters, sheriffs deputies, and even outlaws.
Some have fled to other nations where the Assassins still hold reasonable influence.

Despite the decaying state of the Order within the US, many Assassins as stated continue to fight, refusing to bend their knee to Templar rule.
Seeing the West as the Templars current point of interest, the Assassins now focus their efforts against Templar operations in the Western Territories, specifically in the regions of North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.

Unfortunately so far they have had little affect in their efforts against the Templars.

As long as the Assassins are scattered and disunited, they will never topple the Templars from power.

Though for the most part remaining traditional, the Assassins Order has altered many of its customs and weaponry after centuries of recurrence as to ensure that progress and scientific advancement do not damn them to the mercy of the Templars.

While some weaponry such as the traditional wrist blades, rope darts, grappling hooks, and smoke bombs remain in use, newer weaponry has become "standard issue" for the Assassins.

Some of these newer weapons consist of twin revolvers, grenades (an improved type based on an older design), concealable derringers, repeating rifles, and dual sawn-off shotguns.

Aside from the change in weaponry, many Assassins have also had a change in garment, disgarding their traditional hooded robes for a more "Western gunfighter" appearance.
This appearance usually consists of choice casual clothing, a heavy duster or coat, a fine pair of boots, and of course the wide-brimmed "cowboy hat".

However, some Assassins have remained with tradition and still bear their hooded robes, though only a small fraction do so.

Nearly all Assassins have some form of the Orders' insignia on their person, wether it be a tattoo, a belt buckle, a mark on their clothing, and so forth.

Should the Assassins and Templars both be playable options, or should only the Assassins be playable?