Konstanze von Visler

Countess Konstanze von Visler (1833 — 1889) was a countess and a member of the Austrian Templars. She briefly defected to the Swiss Assassins, but returned to the Templars just three years later.

Biography

Early life

Born into a family of Templars, Konstanze saw her father work in science and searched after artifacts. However, he was swindled and lost his family's fortune after a failed expedition. As a result, she was sent to live with her aunt, another Templar, in Munich. Before long, she saw her father fall and demand the Templar Order to recompense for his failures. Her father soon became a liability and began telling Templar secrets, which led to his assassination by Templar hands. Staying with her strict aunt, Konstanze was protected from her parents' downfall, was taught mathematics from Germany's best professors, and learned how to fight and sneak quietly. At some point, she was inducted into the Templar Order.

Joining the Austrian Templars

By 1852, Konstanze later moved to Austria and adopted Vienna's lifestyle. During a winter party at Baron Julius Jacob von Haynau's home, Konstanze was invited to the party and found herself in a conversation between the baron, Oscar Kane, and his apprentice, "Jack Straw." After their conversation, the countess offered to dance with Straw as the rest of their party continued to talk. However, their dance was cut short when Straw left to check on Kane.

Working with the Magus

Months later, the countess invited Kane and Straw to her house for a demonstration. Unknown to Price, she and Kane were working together as he joined the Templars for further knowledge on new inventions. Konstanze was even aided by Kane with her experimental drill with his own power cell and the invention proved to be successful. After her accomplishment, she invited her guests to eat and later met back with Straw. However, their conversation was brief as he left her house abruptly.

Through her time with Kane, Konstanze came to know about Simeon Price's real identity and the existence of Ada Lovelace's notes among Price and the acrobat Pierrette Arnaud. Thus, she sent her henchman Hennighan to find Ada's notes among Arnaud's belonging multiple times, but to no avail. In 1861, she later personally went to track both Price and Arnaud to London and found herself at a social gathering at Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Elizabeth Siddal's home, hosted by Arnaud.

The countess introduced herself to Arnaud and her two guests, Anne Blunt and Byron Ockham, and later invited Pierrette to talk at the Brown's Hotel. However, she trapped Arnaud and kidnapped her using Hennighan once more. In a secret quarter, von Visler began to torture Arnaud as she soon found Ada's notes within the acrobat's corset. Meanwhile, she became part of the audience during Simeon's trial of desertion at the Horse Guards, but left after Price was announced to be set free.

After a while, Konstanze believed to have broken Arnaud, who began to decipher the notes and told her about a location in Bath and a possible artifact there. Konstanze lit up the fireplace for Arnaud as an act of good faith. However, she was attacked and set partially aflame by Pierrette, who blew a flammable mist from her necklace. As Arnaud freed herself, the countess grabbed a gun and began to shoot at the acrobat. While Pierrette escaped out of an window, von Visler kept shooting at her, but failed to hit her.

The Magus' defeat

In 1862, Countess von Visler sent one of her men to Bath to accompany Kane, but it proved unfortunate as Kane lost his life and Arnaud verbally admitted to having burnt the notes. Thus, Konstanze left to visit and "pay" respect to the late Elizabeth Siddal. She soon confronted Price for the truth about the notes. However, she was cornered by an armed Pierrette as both Price and her told the countess nothing about the notes. Seeing no further play, the countess paid her respects and left the Rossetti's home.

Creating the Engine of History

By 1870, Konstanze initiated the Engine of History project again for the Templars, but became ostracized for her attempt. However, her business created such prosperity and thus influence over her fellow Templars. While the tensions between the French and the Prussians escalated into war, Konstanze kept her eyes on her business ventures and the Templars' wishes with the Pieces of Eden. She learned that the Assassins sent Simeon Price to destroy her telegraph lines and sent shooters to warn him before sending a letter to him to desist.

Konstanze managed to keep in contact with French Templar Victoire L'Estocq about arranging for the Ankh to be removed from Paris to Tours and how a new government for France was underway. She later sent both fellow Templars Lebrun and Hennighan to kill Simeon, but they were ultimately killed in their attempts. After some time, she realized Simeon was in Brussels and sent him an invitation to meet with him at the Château Aarden.

A rapport with Simeon

Realizing Simeon broke into her home, Konstanze offered him Ada's notebook as a measure of peace. After he burned the book, Konstanze proposed a truce to understand his Brotherhood and agreed to stop Templar influence over France's governmental plans as an act of good faith. Despite their ideologies, they both agreed, however she managed to copy Ada's notes before he burned the notebook. By 1871, while together, Konstanze made guidelines for Simeon to follow to make sure it did not disturb her business with world leaders and fellow Templars. One day away from her home and in Simeon's own room, Konstanze offered her condolences for the recent loss of Assassin Sami Zidane as they talked about the recent events in France.

Feeling closer to Simeon, Konstanze revealed her own upbringing in her Templar family and how she overcame many obstacles to restoring her family name. Konstanze left his room and reminded him about their meeting next week. However, as time went on, their demeanors towards each other changed while Konstanze became ambivalent on her allegiance with the Templars. For the next two years, she continued her truce with Simeon but her Templar cohorts saw no value in it and ordered Simeon's death. Ordering the château's host Lambert to kill Simeon, Konstanze exited one meeting and went to see Simeon over Lambert's dead body. Realizing what happened, Konstanze told him that she had no part in this attack. Before he could leave, Konstanze grabbed and kissed him passionately.

Hiding her newfound relationship with Simeon, Konstanze hid him from her meeting with other Templars the next day, but not before embracing him once more. However learning of Simeon's target by the Templars and Simeon leaving Brussels, Konstanze followed him onto a train and planted a bomb. She revealed that she trusted and loved him enough to leave the Templars while orchestrating their fake deaths. Before the bomb went off, Konstanze and Simeon leapt off the train together.

Joining the Assassins

In the summer of 1873, Konstanze and Simeon made a cabin home in the Swiss Alps and even found a home with a St. Bernard dog they named Javert. Soon, she was brought to the Swiss Assassins' base at Irene Egli's home in Zürich and met their leader Henri Escoffier. Offering her knowledge about the Templars, she was informed that trust and aid was their currency and that any betrayal would be met swiftly. Within months, she shared her knowledge about the Pieces of Eden the Templars knew about, her own Apple of Eden, and how her plan for the Engine of History fell apart. For the next three years, she lived and learned from Simeon and the Assassins and gathered intel on their tactics and strategies.

In September 1876, Konstanze requested her first mission as an Assassin and Henri offered her to infiltrate King Leopold II's international conference of global exploration and kill Maynard Poole, a Templar cartographer. While Simeon readied her and offered his worries, she stated that their home is temporary but not their Brotherhood. She kissed him good-bye before leaving for the conference. At the conference, she moved quietly and managed to kill Poole. However, she met privately with King Leopold II and later invited one of the conference's guests Henry Morton Stanley home to the cabin.

Betraying the Brotherhood

Arriving home with Stanley, Konstanze was met by Simeon, who confronted her about her meeting with the king and bringing home Stanley. Trying to calm the situation, she watched Simeon storm to their room while she prepared food. Within a few moments, she heard a gunshot and set her revolver onto Simeon, who was standing over a disarmed Henry. While Simeon accused her of being a traitor, she tried to explain but both had their guns out while Simeon used Henry as a shield. Instantly, she was thrown back from Henry's body thrown onto her by Simeon, who escaped from their cabin. Losing Simeon, she left the cabin before Simeon or the Assassins could find her.

By 1881, Kosntanze rejoined the Templar Order and she remained elusive to find from both Simeon and Henri's findings for eight years. In 1889, she was accompanied by a young girl and later decoy named Gisela, who happened to be her alleged daughter with Simeon, to Paris to visit and see the new Eiffel Tower. However, she planted a box for the Assassins to find and make them speculate about the Eiffel Tower being used for a massive plan for the Engine of History. Working an ally by the initial "F", she already constructed the engine, which was a prediction method about how to detail the Assassins' movements and planning. She planned to have the Assassins work against themselves.

Testing the Engine of History

Tapping the telegrams around Paris and thus the Assassins, Konstanze predicted correctly as she figured the Assassins planned to bomb the tower. However, she learned that Pierrette figured out that she kept Ada's notes and the real plan she had. Konstanze traced Pierrette outside and caught sight of her in a dark alley riding a bike. Shooting at Pierrette, Konstanze injured and shattered Arnaud's hip. With her gun, she readied to kill Arnaud but was caught offguard by shots from Spider Wallin. Wasting no time, she escaped from Spider.

Konstanze and Gisela arrived at the tower with backpacks and started to climb to the top. At the second platform, they were met by Simeon, to whom Konstanze introduced Gisela as their daughter. She tells Gisela to climb upstairs while she confronted Simeon. Yet, Konstanze became injured instantly by a knife thrown to her leg and struggled to follow Simeon chasing Gisela. Climbing to the top, Konstanze found Simeon motionless from Gisela, who was using the Apple of Eden she had. However, she saw Gisela knocked down and wrestling with Spider while Simeon came to his senses. When Spider mentioned Konstanze's plan, it came together of how the Assassins would be framed to the government as terrorists. With this plan, Templars can ally with the governments and follow through on the eradication of the Assassins.

Death

Meeting Simeon face to face again, Konstanze saw Simeon toss the handkerchief with Konstanze's initials threaded into it onto the floor as a warning. She and Simeon began to fight, but he pinned her against a railing with his blade against her neck. At this moment, they stared at each other and both hesistated. Yet, she was slit by the blade when Gisela pushed Simeon off her. With the handkerchief on her neck, she and Gisela unleashed gliders from the bags and flew off the tower together. However, Konstanze's injury proved too great as she flew headfirst to the streets, instantly killing her. Gisela landed besides Konstanze's body but were then gone before the Assassins could find them.

Personality and traits

Konstanze von Visler was a slim brunette woman who showed composure in comparison to her fellow Templars. However, behind closed doors, she showed her ruthless and sadistic side when she tortured Arnaud. In her youth, she took every opportunity given to her and made herself a successful businesswoman by the time she was in late teens. Restoring her family name, she was motivated to continue her father's legacy of science and even enticed with the Pieces of Eden. She proclaimed her love was shown by her time and effort to build something to last.

Behind the scenes

Konstanze von Visler is a character first introduced in Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Magus Conspiracy, written by Kate Heartfield. She is part of the Visler family, historically German nobility owning feudal estates in Malgersdorf and Zell in Lower Bavaria.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Magus Conspiracy (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Resurrection Plot