François Mackandal

"My knowledge of the Brotherhood comes from its source. "Laa shay'a waqi'un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine." I understand these words in a way you never will. My Creed is pure, undiluted by centuries of weakness and compromise."

―François Mackandal in a letter to his fellow Assassin and Maroon Antó, 1738.

François Mackandal (unknown – 1758) was a voodoo leader and the Mentor of the Assassin Brotherhood on Saint-Domingue.

Biography

In 1732, François Mackandal became acquainted with Agaté, Baptiste and Jeanne, three slaves that labored at a plantation at Saint-Domingue. Mackandal took all three under his wing and taught them to read and write, also instructing Agaté and Baptiste on how to craft poison and use weapons, in preparation of their induction into the Brotherhood. When Jeanne discovered Mackandal's violent ways, she grew frightened of him and what he would ask in return for his teachings.

At some point, Mackandal became acquainted with Antó, an Assassin affiliated with the Maroons that operated in the West Indies. In 1738, Antó offered to aid Mackandal by supplying him with recruits, but also called for peace between the Maroons and the French colonists of Saint-Domingue. Mackandal rejected his aid, claiming that his Brotherhood was strong enough, and belittled Antó and his Mentor Ah Tabai, believing both to be weak and prone to compromise. He also warned Antó against sending his Assassins, whether to assist him or oppose him, assuring him that in either case they would die.

In 1738, he officially inducted Agaté and Baptiste into the Brotherhood, following which he and his pupils escaped the plantation. Jeanne was left behind, as she refused to ally herself with the Assassins. Mackandal fought alongside Agaté and Baptiste for many years. In 1748, Mackandal had begun collecting several relics owned by the Precursor race, notably the Heart of the Brotherhood, which was subsequently stolen from him by Jeanne.

By 1751, Mackandal came into possession of the Precursor box, after relieving its ownership from Bastienne Josèphe. Additionally, he also acquired the Voynich manuscript. With both Precursor artifacts in hand, Mackandal was able to learn the location of several First Civilization temples around the world, with one located in Port-au-Prince. François sent Vendredi, one of his students, to investigate the site; upon this order, he indirectly caused a massive earthquake to occur.

Eventually, a failed attempt to poison the colonists of Saint-Domingue resulted in Mackandal's capture. Madeleine de L'Isle had her Templars make an example out of him by having him publicly executed in 1758.

Legacy

"François Mackandal, my own mentor – the leader, the priest, the Brother, to whose cause I devoted my life. He was put to death by fire. I failed to prevent it."

―Agaté about Mackandal, 1766.

In 1766, Mackandal's student Baptiste impersonated him, aiming to take the Louisiana Bayou by force and continue Mackandal's mass poisoning. His main goal however, was to locate the hideout of his former Brother Agaté and hand him over to the Templars.

By 1776, Mackandal's role as Mentor in Saint-Domingue was considered a disgrace by Eseosa, and the young man strove to recreate the Order a thousand times better than the one headed by Mackandal. This led Eseosa to set up a voodoo ceremony at Bois Caïman to start a rebellion.

Trivia

• Mackandal's interpretation of the Creed was noticeably different from all known Assassins who preceded him. Whereas traditional Assassins regarded tolerance and moderation as intrinsic to the maxim, he espoused a policy of aggression and unrestrained use of power.
• Mackandal had only one arm, but it is unknown how he lost it. Interestingly, Baptiste, one of Mackandal's students, was also missing an arm.