Jeanne
- "My dear, tenacious daughter, I want nothing more than to be close to you again. But this colony is my place now. The people here need me. Nouvelle Orleans (New Orleans) will always be haunted."
- ―Jeanne to Aveline.[src]
Jeanne (c. 1725 – unknown) was a former slave and the first, if not legally recognized, wife of the wealthy French merchant Philippe Olivier de Grandpré, with whom she had a daughter, the Assassin Aveline de Grandpré. She is an ancestor to "Subject 1" of the Animus Project.
Captured by slavers at the age of five, Jeanne was sold to a plantation owner in Saint-Domingue, where she came into contact with François Mackandal, a revolutionary disruptor and Assassin. Although she was fond of his pupil Agaté, Jeanne soon grew frightened of the Brotherhood's violent ways.
In 1744, she was sold to Philippe de Grandpré and brought to New Orleans. Becoming Philippe's placée bride, Jeanne came to love her husband and had a daughter with him, whom they named Aveline. Her relationship with Philippe became strained, however, when he married Madeleine de L'Isle in 1752.
Five years later, Jeanne fled New Orleans, believing the Assassins would come for her, as she had previously stolen a valuable artifact of theirs. With the aid of Madeleine, she was transported to a slave worksite in Mexico, where Mayan ruins, believed to hold artifacts from the time of the First Civilization, were being excavated.
Biography
Early life
- "Did Agaté kill? For what freedom? Now I wonder. What will Mackandal ask of me in return for book and lessons?"
- ―Jeanne, reflecting in her diary on the Assassin Brotherhood.[src]
Born around 1725, Jeanne was captured by slavers and taken from her homeland, the West Coast of Africa, at the age of five.[1] Brought to the Americas, she was then sold to the owner of a plantation on Saint-Domingue, a colony situated on the island of Hispaniola. There, she met two other slaves, Baptiste and Agaté, the latter of which she came to love.[2]
In 1732, the trio became pupils of François Mackandal, who taught them to read and write. Unbeknownst to Jeanne, Baptiste and Agaté were also trained to wield weapons and craft poison, in preparation for their induction into the Assassin Order.[1] Upon her discovery of the Brotherhood's violent ways, she grew frightened of Mackandal, fearing what he would ask of her in return for the lessons.[2]
Baptiste and Agaté officially joined the Assassin Brotherhood in 1738 and subsequently fled the plantation with their Mentor, while Jeanne was left behind, as she refused to ally herself with the Assassins. However, prior to their departure, she had stolen a valuable possession of theirs – a fragment of a First Civilization artifact she called the "Heart of the Brotherhood". This act would instill a permanent sense of paranoia in Jeanne, as she would fear the Assassins' potential retaliation from then on.[2]
Marriage to Philippe
- "Your father made me free but I could never be free in Nouvelle Orleans (New Orleans). Not with the Assassins watching."
- ―Jeanne to Aveline, on her fears that the Assassins would hunt down the artifact she stole from Mackandal.[src]
Much to Jeanne's relief, she was purchased by Philippe Olivier de Grandpré in 1744, allowing her to escape the colony of Saint-Domingue. On the voyage back to Louisiana, she was often paid intimate visits at night by Philippe. Although conflicted, Jeanne was grateful for the kindness and affection with which he treated her and gradually grew closer to Philippe.[2]
On 7 May 1746, Philippe proposed to Jeanne, asking her to become his placée, to which she accepted. The following year, their daughter Aveline was born, which led Philippe to have a personal enlightenment; he subsequently granted the two their freedom. With the next few years passing peacefully, Jeanne spent much of her time raising Aveline, who tightly knitted the small family together. Their happiness was further ensured by Philippe's status and wealth, which prevented Jeanne and Aveline from being mistreated by others.[2]
When Philippe's business began to suffer in August 1750, Jeanne tried to reassure her husband that they could get by with less if necessary. Occupied with Aveline as she was, Jeanne failed to notice Philippe being courted by Madeleine de L'Isle, the daughter of a wealthy merchant family, whom he married in 1752 to alleviate his financial troubles. This strained the relationship between Jeanne and Philippe, despite the latter's assurances that nothing need change between them.[2]
The next few years saw Jeanne being employed by Madeleine as her personal handmaid. As a result, the two women regularly conversed on a variety of topics, with Madeleine frequently bringing up overheard gossip from traders' wives. However, when she at one point revealed that Mackandal had reportedly been seen heading for Lousiana, Jeanne became frightened, believing the Assassins had finally ascertained her location.[2]
Fearing for the safety of her daughter, Jeanne accepted Madeleine's offer to travel south, to a work site in Mexico. With the consolation that Madeleine would raise Aveline in her stead and that she would send word as soon as the threat had passed, Jeanne left New Orleans on 1 May 1757. However, she left the Heart, hidden in a handcrafted locket, with her daughter, ensuring that, even if they found Jeanne, they would not be able to reclaim the artifact.[2]
Escape to Chichen Itza
- Aveline: "Are you free here?"
- Jeanne: "No. I traded one enemy for another. And they will not rest until they have what they seek."
- —Jeanne, explaining her place at Chichen Itza and the Templars' pursuit of the Prophecy Disk.[src]
Many years later, Aveline ascertained her mother's location to Chichen Itza, where Jeanne resided in a freed slaves' settlement near the Mayan temple of Kukulkan. Aveline encountered her mother after she had escaped through mines that led to a chamber constructed by the First Civilization. There, she had acquired a fragment of an artifact known as the Prophecy Disk, before meeting Jeanne.[2]
On witnessing Aveline, and the Hidden Blade she possessed, Jeanne refused to disclose any information to her daughter; she recognized it to be a symbol of the Assassins, which she had cut all ties to. She feared that Agaté had sent Aveline to kill her and fled, though not before warning her that the Prophecy Disk should never reach Agaté.[2]
Jeanne encountered her daughter again when Aveline returned to Chichen Itza to retrieve the second half of the Prophecy Disk. There, Jeanne did not run from Aveline, having accepted her daughter for who she was as opposed to her allegiances, and made mention of a canoe that Aveline could use to help her find what she sought. After she returned, Aveline offered to take Jeanne back to New Orleans. Jeanne refused, as she felt that the city would never be safe for her, and that the community in which she resided needed her more.[2]
Trivia
- Jeanne is a French female name ultimately derived from Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yochanan), meaning "Yahweh is gracious".
- Jeanne kept two diaries throughout her life, in which she chronicled her thoughts. These were later collected and compiled together by Aveline.[2]
Gallery
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Concept art of Jeanne -
Jeanne's appearance in the Vita iteration
References
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