Christopher Gist

Christopher Gist (born 1706) was an accomplished American explorer, surveyor and frontiersman, and a member of the British and Colonial Rites of the Templar Order. During the Seven Years' War, he was the first mate aboard Shay Cormac's ship, the Morrigan.

Biography

Born in Baltimore, little of Gist's youth is known. Despite a lack of formal education, he was trained in surveying and became a successful frontiersman. Prior to the Seven Years' War, Gist settled in North Carolina and was the neighbor of Daniel Boone, another celebrated frontiersman.

In 1751, Gist was recruited into the Templar Order by Colonel George Monro, with the task of exploring the colonies and forming relations with the indigenous people settled there to secure alliances and commercial lanes. In 1753, Gist accompanied George Washington to deliver a message to the French forces, demanding that they leave the Ohio County, sparking the French and Indian War. During the war, Gist continued to fight at Washington's side, as both men became involved in the Braddock Expedition.

In 1756, Gist discovered that the gangs in New York were working on creating new weaponry. After informing Monro, he attempted to take down the criminals set up at Fort Arsenal, but was captured and set to be hanged. Gist was subsequently saved by the timely appearance of Shay Cormac, who had been sent by Monro to help.

With Fort Arsenal liberated, Shay entertained the idea of using it as his own residence, though Gist warned him that the nearby harbor and ship were still occupied by gang members. Upon discovering that said ship was the Morrigan, Shay agreed to work together with Gist - Shay took out the criminals in the harbor, while Gist went to find crew members. The two reunited at the ship, where Gist applied for the position of first mate, which Shay accepted, following which the pair set a course for Albany.

After Shay's official induction into the Templar Order, he worked closely with Gist to eliminate the Colonial Assassins. Gist, having been put in charge of the efforts, succeeded in this, resulting in a purge of the Brotherhood. This led to a complete absence of Assassin influence in the colonies for six years.

Personality and traits

Gist was a friendly, eloquent, and laid-back individual who often brought in light-hearted humor in conversations with his fellow Templars. Nonetheless, he deeply believed in the Templar cause. However, he questioned the path he had taken after joining the Order in his youth, but meeting Colonel Monro put those doubts to rest.

Gist also possessed a great sense of loyalty towards Shay, after the latter saved his life, offering to become the first mate aboard the Morrigan. Even though Gist was well aware of Shay's former allegiance to the Assassins, he showed no animosity or lack of trust towards him. In fact, he even mentioned that he himself would have recommended Shay as a member of the Order many months earlier than Shay's actual induction. The two often discussed topics outside their work in the Order, such as politics. Gist became Shay's confidant over time, as the latter was even willing to speak out his remorse in killing his former comrades, most notably Hope Jensen.

Behind the scenes

Christopher Gist is a historical figure and character appearing in Assassin's Creed: Rogue, where he is voiced by Richard M Dumont. He is portrayed with an Oxford Mid-Atlantic accent.

Historically, Christopher Gist was part of the Braddock Expedition and was believed to have even saved George Washington twice, from an attack by Native Americans and later helping him up in a raft. In-game, neither Gist nor any of the other characters mention this heroic action, nor do not mention his or Haytham Kenway's role in the Braddock Expedition. Historically, Gist is believed to have died in 1759 which the game contracts, but conflicting reports have him surviving until 1794. However this is less commonly accepted by historians.

A glitch can occur with Gist where his hair turns grey for a moment before switching back to its normal color. Another glitch sometimes occurs in the memory "Bravado", where there are two of Gist in the cutscene: one at the Morrigan's helm and one who converses with Shay Cormac, James Cook, and Haytham Kenway.

Gallery

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  Concept art of Gist
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  Christopher Gist
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  Database image of Christopher Gist

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Rogue