Jan van der Graff
Jan van der Graff, was a Flemish agent officially sent by French Emperor Napoleon I to acquire textiles in Libya and active during the early 19th century.
Jan van der Graff is an ancestor of Albert and André Bolden.
Biography
Early life
During the Napoleonic Wars, Jan changed sides and left the belgian army only to discover that his wife and children were killed during the bombardment of his city by the french troops.
Agent of Bonaparte
In 1805, while they were both sailing toward Libya, Jan met Solomon Bolden, the Black Cross of the Templar Order who was at the time posing as a slaver. Despite finding him annoying, Bolden nevertheless accepted to protect Jan during his mission for Napoleon after the Flemish helped him fend off pirates sent by the Sultan to kill him. To secure Bolden's help, Jan also promised to help the Templar enter into the palace, the Sultan being behind the attempt on his life.
Once in the port city of Derna, the two men took camels and traveled to Tripoli, where they eventually met with the flemish's contacts in a local tavern. There, Edmund, a deserter marines and Ahkbar, a shady local, revealed to them the existence of a secret underground tunnel used by the Sultans to discretly smuggle precious cargo into the palace. Following the departure of their companions, Bolden and Graff bonded over several drinks with the Black Cross trying to learn what was "the diamond" mentionned by Edmund, until being interrupted by the latter being shot by guards in the street.
Later, they entered the tunnel after Graff picked the lock of the gate but were confronted by several men waiting for them, and during the brawl Ahkbar, who was in fact an agent of the Sultan, stabbed Bolden in the back. Subsequently, de Graff was thrown into the palace's dungeon where he met another prisoner who was revealed to be Bolden's predecessor, Tavis Olier.
Becoming a Templar
During their time in the cell, the old Black Cross trained Graff and inducted him into the Templar Order until one day on 29 July 1808, Olier heard that the Assassins were coming to buy the artifact in possession of the Sultan. In order to escape, the two Templars assaulted the guards bringing them food but Olier had to sacrifice himself to allow de Graff to accomplish their mission.
After dispatching several guards, the Templar finally reached Selim's Apartment where he discovered that Ahkbar, who was an Assassin, had already poisonned the monarch and took possession of his prize, the fabled Koh-i-Noor. After revealing that he intended to betray the Brotherhood and keep the artifact for himself, Ahkbar tried to use the Koh-i-Noor and its power to create illusions, but Graff saw through it and killed him.
A group of Assassins quickly surrounded Graff but having heard Ahkbar's speech and after the flemish told them that he wanted no part in their secret war against the Templars, they sparred him and left with the box containing the artifact. However, Graff had lied about his commitment to the Order and had in fact took the diamond out of its box before giving it to the Assassins.
Later life
Shortly after he left the Barbary Coast and honoring his promise to Olier to take care of Bolden's widow, Graff met her and eventally fathered a child with her, who for unknown reasons carried on the name of the Boldens.
Trivia
- After being inducted into the Templar Order, Graff sported the same giant tatoo of the Templar Cross on his chest than Olier.
- Despite their similar names, Jan's relation to the Dutch merchant Milo van der Graaff - if any exists - is unknown.
Reference
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