Bernard Ruddock

"I’m cured of all that. And you know who finally cured me? Why, the fragrant Élise. She hated both of your Orders, you know that? Two ticks fighting for control of the cat, was what she called you. Futile and deluded, she called you, and she was right. She told me I’d be better off without you, and she was right. Templars? Assassins? I piss on you all for a bunch of worthless old women squabbling over ancient dogma."

―Ruddock to Dorian and Weatherall, about the fact that he no longer wanted to be part of the Brotherhood.

Ruddock (unknown – 1794) was a former member of the British Brotherhood of Assassins. Excommunicated due to his gambling and drinking habits, he worked as a contract killer in order to pay off his debts, while attempting to find a way back into the Brotherhood.

Biography

Assassination attempt

In 1775, Ruddock accepted a task of eliminating Julie de la Serre, a noted member of the Parisian Rite of the Templar Order and wife of Grand Master François de la Serre. Ruddock believed that assassinating her would see him reinstated into the ranks of the Assassin Order. Paired with another killer, Ruddock attacked Julie while she and her daughter were coming back from shopping, after their carriage and coachman went missing. The two men cornered the Templar and Élise in a back street, but Julie managed to drive Ruddock away and kill his accomplice in the process.

Following the attack, François de la Serre summoned his advisors, who accused the Assassins and called for retaliation. However, Julie had her doubts about the Brotherhood's involvement, and lied about the fact that the surviving assailant used a Hidden Blade. Her suspicions were brought on by Ruddock's attitude during the attack, as well as the bag he abandoned during his escape, which was of British make. Suspecting involvement of the Carroll family, Julie asked her friend and confidant, the member of the British Rite, Frederick Weatherall, to investigate the suspected British Assassin and his contacts.

Due to Ruddock's failed assassination attempt, Élise learned of her status among the Templars two years prior to when it was originally planned. Over the years, she concluded those who had hired Ruddock were the advisors of her father, whose ideals were opposed by Julie. However, in reality Ruddock did accept the contract on behalf of the British Templar family, the Carrolls. The assassination plot was meant to serve their own goal of eliminating the person advising moderation and gradual change from the monarchy in France, and unknowingly to them, would have also aided an extremist faction forming within the Parisian Rite, led by François-Thomas Germain.

Meeting Élise

Ruddock was eventually visited by Élise, who tracked him down in order to deliver a warning. The Carrolls intended to double-cross him during a visit to the tavern he was staying at, and kill him to eliminate the loose ends. However, Élise was unaware of the prior arrangement between Ruddock and the Carrolls, thinking they were after him due to her investigation.

Élise spoke with Ruddock until the Carrolls arrived, initiating a stand-off. She managed to escape with only minor injuries, after killing May Carroll in a surprise attack. Élise pushed Ruddock out of a window onto the tavern's roof, as May's mother attempted to shoot Élise. However, her pocket pistol backfired and grievously wounded her face in the process. Élise and Ruddock escaped and parted ways, only to meet years later, when Élise saved him from a death by hanging for his exploitation of a village community.

Final betrayal

Following Élise's death at the hands of François-Thomas Germain and receiving a letter unveiling her last wishes, as instructed Ruddock travelled to Paris in order to meet her lover, the Assassin Arno Dorian, to whom the letter was ultimately destined. As a price for his efforts, he was to receive Haytham Kenway's correspondence with his half-sister Jennifer Scott, which was obtained by Élise during her time in London and which she believed would help him to curry favor with the Assassins and possibly reclaim his position within them. To prevent Ruddock from taking the letters without completing his task, she had described the location where her possessions were kept in a way that only Arno could decipher, mentioning the "Palace of Misery". Understanding that she was refering to the Maison Royale de Saint-Louis, the school were she was so unhappy as a child, Arno thanked Ruddock and gave him his word to meet him later in order to give him the correspondence. However, as Arno traveled to the school to take possession of Élise's trunk, which was left into the care of her trusted friends, Ruddock discreetly followed him.

Once there, Ruddock displayed his greedy and selfish personality, taking Hélène, Élise's trusted handmaiden, her husband Jacques, Frederick Weatherall and Arno himself hostage, in what appeared as an attempt to extort the letters. However, Frederick claimed that Ruddock was acting on the orders of the Carrolls, and lied about freeing Hélène, as she was present alongside Élise at the Carroll residence, and along with Weatherall, would be killed out spite for the death of May Carroll years ago. An accusation that Ruddock didn't denied, telling them that Élise had opened his eyes and that he no longer cared about the letters or being taken back into the Brotherhood as he was now a free agent. He also confirmed the British Templar's suspicions about the Carrolls being the ones behind the assassination attempt on Julie decades earlier. With his allegiance exposed, Ruddock pretended that now he only wanted the letters to sell it to the Carrolls while planning to quickly kill Arno and Jacques before dealing with his two targets, but was stopped by Weatherall, who managed to kill him by throwing Élise's short sword into his face.

Trivia

• Ruddock had an overpowering body odor which he tried to mask with strong perfume.
• Despite betraying her last wishes and trying to collect the bounty over her friends' heads, Ruddock stated that he too loved Élise, but in his own way.

Reference

• Assassin's Creed: Unity novel