Trinity (Survivor Timeline)


 * For Trinity in other continuities, see here.

The Order of Trinity, commonly abbreviated as Trinity, was a mysterious and fanatical militant organization that sought control over the world and the fate of mankind through the use of ancient artifacts.

A millennia-old cabal that existed long before the time of Christ, Trinity eventually became associated with the Roman Catholic Church; by 978 AD, one of its senior leaders was a Catholic Bishop. This association persisted into the modern day, as a mercenary hired by Trinity for the Kitezh operation in 2014 was able to trace the source of the organization's funding directly to the Vatican, and the leader of Trinity's High Council prior to Dr. Pedro Dominguez was a Cardinal.

Beliefs and Ideology
Trinity's core belief system was monotheistic and worshiped the God of the Abrahamic religious tradition. According to Trinity's manifesto, the world was last pure and untainted after God cleansed it in the Biblical Great Flood endured by Noah, which they claimed to have occurred around four thousand years ago. Since then, the world became mired in weakness, sin, and chaos, and only Trinity was given God's divine command to restore humanity to paradise. To accomplish this blessed task, they sought to acquire mythical relics of supernatural power by any means necessary, and to eradicate all traces of any blasphemous and heretical civilizations that once made use of those relics.

Trinity initiates, and even most of their hired mercenaries, were zealously devout and believed their work to be righteous. The violence they committed in pursuit of their goals was a small evil and necessary sacrifice for the ultimate greater good.

Pursuit of the Deathless Prophet
Around 978 AD, a man known as the Deathless Prophet of Constantinople began spreading miracles throughout the Byzantine Empire. He gathered his followers in an oasis deep within modern Syria, where they built a city. The Order of Trinity hunted the Prophet across the Empire, routing the Prophet's followers at every turn. When the Prophet was finally killed, his body was taken to a tomb built in the cliffs above the oasis. At the same time, Trinity received reports that the Prophet yet lived. Trinity's knights redoubled their efforts, tracking down the oasis and besieging the supposed impostor-Prophet and his followers in the tomb. Although most of his followers perished, the Prophet slipped through Trinity's fingers once again. Trinity sealed the tomb behind them and took measures to ensure the oasis was forgotten, then continued after the Prophet, pursuing him into Siberia.

Paititi and the Cult of Kukulkan
Trinity sent an expedition in search of the fabled Key of Chak Chel and Silver Box of Ix Chel in the hidden city of Paititi in 1603 AD. The expedition team was comprised of Trinity initiates and Catholic missionaries Truylos Serrano and Andres Lopez, along with twelve Spanish soldiers and two molosser dogs. Paititi was discovered in short order thanks to accurate directions provided to Trinity by Jesuit missionaries. While Serrano and Lopez failed to locate either artifact, they established the Cult of Kukulkan to serve as Trinity's proxy in Paititi. From then on, the Cult became the true power in the city, and its kings and queens were relegated to figureheads who had to obey the Cult's orders to maintain their grip on the throne.

Yamatai and the Star Phenomenon
During World War II, a contingent of the Imperial Japanese military rediscovered Yamatai, a long-lost island that was once the heart of an ancient Japanese civilization. A Nazi scientific expedition was allowed to study the island's constant, unnatural storms in the hopes of learning how to control them for use as a weapon in the war. At least one covert Trinity operative arrived with the expedition, and when Trinity learned that the Axis forces were close to acquiring the "Star Phenomenon", the supernatural source of the storms, the operative was ordered to sabotage the expedition to prevent this from happening. It is unknown to what extent, if any, the Axis forces were sabotaged, but in the end they were wiped out completely by the Oni.

At some point not long before Lara Croft's arrival on Yamatai in 2013, another Trinity operative was dispatched there to investigate the Star Phenomenon. The operative discovered Mathias and his Solarii Brotherhood, but initially underestimated them. He realized too late that they were close to securing the Star Phenomenon and awakening the Sun Queen Himiko, who the operative identified as an enemy to Trinity's interests. Planting numerous GPS Caches across the island that contained a coded report for his assumed replacement to find, the operative was eventually fatally wounded by the Solarii.

After Lara and her friends escaped the island, Trinity sent a team there to clean up and contain Yamatai's rediscovery. The remaining Solarii were exterminated, every single Stormguard was killed and the Sun Queen's bodies and tombs were found and completely destroyed.

Excavations in Cozumel and South America
Dr. Pedro Dominguez, an archeologist and expert in pre-colonial Maya history as well as the leader of the High Council of Trinity, spearheaded several archaeological digs on the Mexican island of Cozumel. By ingratiating himself with the island's inhabitants through philanthropy, Dominguez was able to scour Cozumel unhindered for ancient Mayan ruins related to the mythical Paititi culture, which he hoped would contain the Key of Chak Chel and the Silver Box of Ix Chel, two artifacts that, together, held the power to remake the world.

While Dominguez personally led the Cozumel operation, he knew that the artifacts were likely stored separately, and directed several Trinity recovery teams to search possible sites in northern Brazil and Peru. Multiple ruins were found and demolished by Trinity in both Cozumel and South America between the late 1990s and 2015, but the artifacts remained elusive.

Discrediting Lord Croft
Lord Richard James Croft came to the attention of Trinity when he began publishing his research into the immortal soul, based off of myths and folklore from around the world. As Lord Croft's research strayed dangerously close to information that Trinity had been suppressing for centuries, Trinity tried to dissuade Croft from his work. At some point, Pedro Dominguez befriended Croft and allowed him to visit his dig sites in Cozumel, possibly in an attempt to convert Croft to Trinity's cause.

When Croft refused to give in, Trinity used their resources to launch a media campaign that succeeded in discrediting him. However, as even the loss of his reputation failed to stop Croft, who now was on the verge of exposing Trinity, they resorted to a third tactic. Dominguez sent an operative, Ana, to get close to Croft and eliminate him, but she developed feelings for him and refused to kill him herself when ordered. Trinity dispatched another assassin. In 2003, Croft was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his study by his daughter, Lara, with his research left incomplete. It would be years before Lara would confirm that Trinity was behind her father's death.

The Prophet's Tomb and Kitezh
Following Lara Croft's return from Yamatai, Trinity targeted her and worked to discredit her as they had her father. In 2014, when Lara set her sights on a fabled tomb in Syria said to house the soul of an immortality-granting prophet, Trinity followed her, hoping to claim the Divine Source, an artifact said to grant immortality. The tomb proved to be empty, however, and Lara managed to escape Trinity's forces alive. Trinity demolished both the tomb and the ruins of the Prophet's oasis city.

Lara later connected the symbol used by the Deathless Prophet and found in his tomb with the lost city of Kitezh, known as the "Russian Atlantis". Trinity sent an assassin to eliminate Lara, but she fought him off. The assassin fled, stealing Lara's research and giving Trinity her breakthrough. A large Trinity force traveled to Siberia, arriving just ahead of Lara and securing an old Soviet military installation near Kitezh to serve as a base of operations. Ana and her brother Konstantin led the operation, the former desiring the Divine Source to cure her lung cancer. Trinity encountered unexpected resistance in locating Kitezh, as the city was protected by the native Remnants who carried out a guerrilla campaign against the invaders. Upon finally reaching the city, Trinity found themselves embattled against the defending army of immortal Deathless Ones.

Ultimately, the Trinity task force was overrun by the Deathless Ones and Lara destroyed the Source, which in turn destroyed all of the immortals. In the aftermath, as Lara and Ana made their way through the Siberian wasteland, Ana confessed that Trinity had ordered her to kill Lara's father, but she had refused to do it. Before she could divulge anything else, Ana was assassinated by a Trinity sniper. The sniper had the opportunity to kill Lara as well, but was ordered by his superiors to allow Lara to live for the time being.

Himiko and the Divine Source
With the Divine Source destroyed, Trinity sought another way to harness the power of the Divine Source. They found a possible connection in the form of Samantha Nishimura. Trinity bought the Halberg institute where Sam was being treated after her ordeal on Yamatai, and appointed Dr. Taffe as Sam's new doctor, in order for him to attempt to make a connection to the Divine Source. Taffe began running experiments on her in order to harness the power of Himiko. However, these experiments allowed Himiko to gain control of Sam's body, causing her to escape, killing at least one nurse.

Lara Croft arrived in an attempt to pick up Sam's trail. Trinity managed to capture Lara, and attempted to interrogate her about Sam's whereabouts, believing that she helped her to escape. Lara managed to break free from her confines and flee their facility, killing several guards in the process. They tracked Lara to Bamberg, where she was in the company of Professor Morrow. Trinity's forces were ordered to recapture Lara and kill Morrow, though Lara manged to escape the church through hidden tunnels, killing several of Trinity's soldiers.

The Cross of Stars
Not long after the events at Kitezh, Trinity began a noble pilgrimage to locate the Cross of Stars, a Biblical relic which was crafted by the hands of Saint Christopher himself and has the power to whisper the location of God by finding the Tomb of Eden in Antarctica. After Lara found the Cross, one of the members of the High Council of Trinity, The Cardinal, sent a squad to finish Lara off before she could leave for Antarctica in search of the Tomb.

Antarctica and the Tomb of Eden
Lara then headed to Antarctica to find the Tomb of Eden which was believed to be original birthplace of Humanity as it housed the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Knowledge but headed into conflict with a Trinity cell digging up in the place who was leaded by one of the most dangerous commanders and assassins, Nadija Katlego, who also was an old acquitance of Ana.

The Cleansing and Dissolution
In 2015, Lara Croft arrived in Cozumel to investigate Dr. Pedro Dominguez, whose work was mentioned in her father's notes from before his interest in the Deathless Prophet and Syria. Initially, Lara thought Dominguez was only the leader of the local Trinity cell, but while shadowing him and his lieutenant, Commander Rourke, she learned he was the leader of Trinity's High Council. After Lara removed an ancient Mayan artifact, the Key of Chak Chel, from a subterranean temple that Dominguez had been preparing to enter, she was cornered by Trinity mercenaries. Dominguez took the Key from her, but when he found that Lara did not possess the Silver Box of Ix Chel, he realized she had unknowingly triggered a Mayan apocalypse known as The Cleansing. Dominguez and Trinity escaped Cozumel as it was ravaged by a tsunami, the first harbinger of The Cleansing, and headed for Peru and the mythical city of Paititi to find the Silver Box in order to halt the disaster.

In Paititi, Lara discovered that Dominguez's true identity was Amaru, the brother of the late King Sayri of Paititi and the High Priest of the Cult of Kukulkan that ruled the city. The Cult had served as Trinity's proxy in Paititi and oppressed its people since the 1600s, and Amaru had been indoctrinated from an early age and brought to the outside world, where he was personally trained by Trinity's previous High Council Leader, Cardinal Gualtiero de Luca Dominguez, to become his replacement. Over the years, Amaru divided his time between working his way up the ranks of Trinity and visiting his homeland. When Sayri was killed after venturing into the outside world, Amaru became grief-stricken and seized control of Paititi from the rightful ruler, Sayri's wife Unuratu. He then began his search for the Key and the Silver Box to protect Paititi from the encroaching dangers of the outside world, but became tempted by the possibility of using them to remake the world in his own image.

Lara eventually recovered the Silver Box of Ix Chel from a nearby Catholic mission, but Dominguez snatched it from her and also divulged the truth behind her father's death. Dominguez had ordered Richard Croft's murder not because his work threatened to expose Trinity's activities, but because it could expose Paititi to the outside world and lead to the city's destruction.

With the Key and the Silver Box in hand, Dominguez returned to the Great Pyramid of Paititi to conduct the Sun Ritual to remake the world. He summoned the entire High Council of Trinity to observe the ritual. Before the ritual could be completed, however, the Yaaxil, the creators and guardians of the Key and the Silver Box, attacked. The High Council, Rourke, and all Trinity soldiers were slaughtered. Dominguez met his own end by Lara's hands.

Trinity was already severely weakened by the loss of most of its cells due to Lara Croft's persistent interference following the events at Kitezh. With Dominguez, his personal troops, and the High Council wiped out at Paititi, any remaining Trinity cells and staff elsewhere in the world likely lost their influence and financial support. Trinity effectively ceased to exist.

Uniform
Trinity's initiated soldiers wear black jackets, boots, gloves, bulletproof vests and grey pants as standard uniform. Many also wear helmets or balaclavas.

When deploying troops to the jungle, Trinity soldiers wear camouflage combat fatigues and netting for further camouflage.

The Flamethrower trooper wears a flame retardant suit and a gas mask with a mirrored visor. The main difference between an initiated Trinity member and other hired guns is that initiated Trinity soldiers have a patches and medals on their uniforms, which symbolize the organisation.

Uninitiated troopers don't have a standard uniform, and seem to wear clothes based on personal preference.

Known Operatives
Trinity has an almost unlimited amount of wealth, influence, and resources, but only a very small number of initiated members. Trinity prefers to use mercenaries and outside contractors as much as possible likely to reduce risk to their own people or avoid exposing their order. Trinity can easily afford to pay massive sums of money to an army's worth of mercenaries. Individuals are usually only granted the opportunity to become initiates after several years of dedicated service.

Known Initiates

 * Contemporary
 * High Council of Trinity
 * Dr. Pedro Dominguez - Council Leader and High Priest of the Cult of Kukulkan (Deceased)
 * Unidentified Cardinal - Council Member (Deceased)
 * Unidentified other Council Members (Deceased)
 * Rourke - Commander and Adviser to Pedro Dominguez (Deceased)
 * Konstantin - Field Commander (Deceased)
 * Ana - Field Commander/Spy (Deceased)
 * Kennard Montez - Operative/Assassin
 * Dr. Taffe - Operative
 * Mr Cruz - Assassin (Deceased)
 * Auger Ramille - Assassin (Deceased)
 * Nadija Katlego - Commander/Assassin
 * Estella Diaz - Director of Community Outreach Programs


 * Historical
 * Cardinal Gualtiero de Luca Dominguez - High Council Leader and immediate predecessor of Pedro Dominguez (Deceased)
 * Axis infiltrator - Spy (Deceased)
 * GPS cacher - Spy/Assassin (Deceased)
 * The Hunter - Knight (Deceased)
 * Carraldus - Knight (Deceased)
 * Lone Survivor - Knight (Deceased)
 * Envoy to the Mongols - Knight (Deceased)
 * Killer of the Prophet - Knight (Deceased)
 * Roman Catholic Bishop - High Council Member (Deceased)
 * Truylos Serrano - Catholic Missionary (Deceased)
 * Andres Lopez - Catholic Missionary (Deceased)

Known Affiliates

 * Contemporary
 * Cult of Kukulkan
 * Kaz Weiss (Former)
 * Countless mercenaries and military contractors


 * Historical
 * Captain of the Maria Adula (Deceased)
 * Unidentified Mongol Khan (Deceased)
 * Countless Mongol soldiers (Deceased)

Enemies

 * Individuals
 * Lara Croft
 * Richard Croft (Deceased)
 * The Deathless Prophet (Deceased)
 * Sun Queen Himiko (Deceased)
 * Jonah Maiava
 * Kaz Weiss
 * Samantha Nishimura
 * Queen Unuratu


 * Organizations
 * Deathless Ones (Deceased)
 * The Immortals
 * Paititi Rebels
 * Remnants
 * Solarii Brotherhood (Deceased)
 * Stormguard (Deceased)
 * Yaaxil

Trivia

 * Trinity were watching Yamatai, attempting to get to Himiko's remains. They referenced several times during the events of Tomb Raider.
 * Finding all the GPS caches will reveal a message from a Trinity Soldier who was attempting to kill Mathias, where he requests that whoever finds his message, finish his mission.
 * When Lara is making her way to the Palace, a message is received from a rescue helicopter, saying it is inbound from a freighter called Trinity. Whether this was a vessel of the organization or not, is unknown.
 * Three members have attempted to recruit Lara Croft and failed; Auger Ramille, Kennard Montez and Ana.
 * Trinity are very similar to The Cabal, from the the Tomb Raider animated series, although they are only associated with one religion, and not a coalition of religions.
 * Trinity is known to pay massive sums of money to hired mercenaries, as throughout the campaign for Rise of the Tomb Raider, soldiers can be overheard talking about how well they pay and how they were trying to get work with Trinity for years.
 * Public knowledge of Trinity is all but non-existent, however it seems to be rather well known amongst mercenaries, as many soldiers early in game can be heard talking about having spent years trying to get work with Trinity.
 * The Order of Trinity share many similarities with the Knights Templar, a Catholic Military Order active during the Crusades for the Holy Land. Their leader holds the Title of Grandmaster.