Gérald Blanc

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Gérald Blanc (1745 - unknown) was an accountant in the employ of Philippe Olivier de Grandpré, as well as a member of the Assassin Order. Operating from a warehouse in New Orleans, he supported the Brotherhood by passing on orders and supplying intelligence provided by his network of informants. Gérald also worked closely with Aveline de Grandpré in eliminating business rivals and protecting her family's trading empire.

In 2012, his genetic memories were used as an Animi Avatar by the entertainment branch of the Templar company Abstergo Industries, as part of their geosimulation workspace on the portable version of the Animus console, under the title of the Gentleman.

Biography

Early life

Born in Acadia in 1745, Gérald's family was one of many that fiercely rebelled against the British occupation. The Acadians' refusal to sign an oath of allegiance to Britain eventually led to the Great Expulsion, during which Gérald lost his parents and was deported.

Arriving in New Orleans at the age of ten, Gérald managed to find work as an errand boy under Philippe Oliver de Grandpré, a French merchant, and became a close friend of Philippe's daughter, Aveline de Grandpré. As he grew older, Gérald would go on to become a clerk and accountant, helping Philippe in maintaining his trading enterprises. Along with Aveline, he was recruited into the Assassin Brotherhood by Agaté in 1759 and trained as an information officer.

Signs of trouble

"Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer--a known enemy. I don't know what his business is here, but we can be assured it's more than er... simple larceny."

―Gérald, on de Ferrer's presence in New Orleans, 1763.

In 1763, Gérald's network had learned of a plantation from which slaves where inexplicably vanishing. Although the owners had reported their escape, the slaves hadn't reached any of the safe houses, prompting Gérald to contact Aveline. With Gérald's preparations, Aveline was able to easily infiltrate the plantation, where she rescued a slave named Thérèse and assassinated the person responsible for the disappearances.

Later that year, Gérald went to meet with Gilbert-Antoine de Saint Maxent, one of Philippe's businesspartners, after several shipments had gone missing. However, de Saint Maxent proved to be ineffectual in alleviating the problem, claiming that the young accountant would be better off interrogating the captain of the ship that had been responsible for transporting the goods. Discouraged by the men guarding the vessel, Gérald returned to the warehouse, while Aveline, who had eavesdropped on the conversation, managed to bribe her way aboard and found out where the shipments had gone.

From documents Aveline had procured aboard the corrupt captain's ship, Gérald learned of a known Templar, Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer, being active in New Orleans. Knowing the man would be present at a social soirée hosted by the governor, he tasked Aveline with uncovering de Ferrer's true purpose and gifted her some money she could use to buy a dressing chamber. Aveline then discreetly infiltrated the governor's mansion and assassinated the governor, though de Ferrer slipped away.

Louisiana Rebellion

During the Louisiana Rebellion in 1768, Gérald and Aveline worked together to uncover the reason behind the rioting citizens, who claimed that the Spanish had been behind increased kidnappings. After discovering proof that supported this claim, Aveline and Gérald intercepted a gunpowder carriage to gain the attention of Spanish governor Antonio de Ulloa, who was taking refuge in La Balize. Gérald then instructed Aveline to destroy two Spanish ships that were vital to de Ulloa, allowing her to draw out the governor and set up an ambush.

Personality and characteristics

Gérald was a mild-mannered, well-educated and intelligent person. However, he seemed to have a difficult time speaking to Aveline, as his sentences frequently included words such as "er" and "um" before he formulated the rest of his thoughts.

An associate familiar with the dealings of the Assassins, Gerald was very helpful towards Aveline, going as far as creating a new weapon for her and establishing an office inside his warehouse for her Assassin dealings, allowing her to change guises and view her weapons without fear of being detected by her father, Philippe.

Romantic life

"Is that all he has to offer? I should think for all his attention, he would request your hand--"

―Madeleine, commenting on Gérald's fondness of Aveline.

His helpfulness may also have been a way of expressing his true feelings for Aveline; his enamoration with her was revealed on many occasions, such as when he showed concern for her well-being, when he admitted to missing her upon her return from Mexico while she had been away at Chichen Itza, along with volunteering to be her date at a party to find a Templar known as the "Company Man", believed to be at the event.

On one occasion, Gerald felt the need to prove himself as an daring individual equal to Aveline, by agreeing to accompany her in a mission to draw the attention of Templar governor Antonio de Ulloa. Once immediate danger presented itself and he was forced to jump from a horse-drawn cart to save his life, he stated that he had done enough to last a lifetime and refused to do anything of that nature again.

Trivia

• Blanc is French for "white".

Gallery

• 
  Concept art of Gérald Blanc, featuring him with various color schemes

Reference

• Assassin's Creed III: Liberation