Arno Dorian

He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.

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"The Creed of the Assassin Brotherhood teaches us that nothing is forbidden to us. Once, I thought that meant we were free to do as we would. To pursue our ideals, no matter the cost. I understand now. Not a grant of permission. The Creed is a warning."

―Arno Dorian, reflecting on his perception of the Creed.^[src]

Arno Victor Dorian (1768 – unknown) was a French-Austrian Assassin active during the time of the French Revolution.

An orphan who blamed himself for the death of his adoptive father, Arno sought redemption by joining the French Brotherhood in 1789 and working to expose the true instigators of the Revolution, whilst also avenging him in the process.

In 2014, his genetic memories were studied by both Abstergo Entertainment and an unnamed member of the Initiates hacker group.

Biography

Early life

Born to Marie and Charles Dorian, Arno was raised in a noble household in Versailles. Due to his upbringing, he was well educated, having access to tutors and various books. At some point, Marie, having discovered the Assassin activities of her husband, fled and abandoned her family^[1]

In 1776, when Arno was eight, his father was assassinated by Shay Cormac.^[2] He was adopted by François de la Serre, the Grand Master of the French Templars, out of respect for his enemy. He raised Arno alongside his own daughter, Élise, but kept his Templar involvement a secret from the young boy.^[1]

Thirteen years later, Arno found himself in no end of trouble, having lost his father's watch in a card game to two brothers, Hugo and Victor, and stole it back. When his angry pursuers chased him back to the de la Serre mansion, François attempted to mediate the situation, assigning Arno to assist his butler, Olivier, with whatever chores he would assign, which was cleaning the horses for François' carriage ride to meet Élise.^[1]

But as soon as François set off, his servant, Perrault, tried catching up to him, revealing to have a letter of great importance, which Arno volunteered to deliver. Unfortunately, Hugo and Victor accosted him before he could reach François. Though he bested his attackers, he was forced to flee when guards found him. Returning to the mansion, Arno decided to slip the letter under the door to François' office.^[1]

Imprisonment

Arno later infiltrated a palace party held in Élise's honor, due to not being invited, and managed to steal a romantic moment with her, before being forced to sneak out when the guards came. Unfortunately, Arno came upon two men mortally wounding François. One of the attackers, Charles Gabriel Sivert, called out to the guard, who immediately assumed Arno was responsible for François' murder, and he was subsequently imprisoned in the Bastille.^[1]

After his first night in prison, Arno discovered that one of his fellow cellmates, Pierre Bellec, stole his watch and briefly dueled him for it, before drawing attention to mysterious drawings in the cell corner. Bellec then dragged him to the corner, realizing he possessed Eagle Vision. Once Arno introduced himself, Bellec revealed that his father was an Assassin, before returning the watch. Bellec spent two months training Arno in combat.^[1]

One day, the Bastille came under attack from a civil uprising, compelling Arno and Bellec to escape. Before parting ways, Bellec gave Arno a medallion, saying it would lead him to the Assassins, and took a leap of faith. Arno did likewise when a group of guards cornered him.^[1]

Arno later tracked down Élise, who assumed he was responsible for her father's death. Arno pleaded that he was innocent and tried to tell her about her father being a Templar, only to learn that she already known and she too was part of the Order. She then showed him the letter he was supposed to deliver. The anonymous sender, "L", was trying to warn François that someone within the Templar Order was planning on betraying him. A distraught Élise then sent Arno away.^[1]

Joining the Brotherhood

Wracked with guilt and blaming himself, Arno sought out the Assassins, discovering their headquarters underneath the Sainte-Chapelle. He was then inducted into the Brotherhood and vowed to hunt down François' murderers to redeem himself for his failures.^[1]

A year later, Arno joined Bellec in tracking down Sivert, but Bellec chose to acquire a ledger of Templar records rather than assassinate Sivert, since they were not assigned to kill him. When they reported to the Council, Bellec criticized the Mentor Mirabeau's truce with the Templars, and the rest of the Council agreed that the new Grand Master would not keep the truce. Arno managed to gain Bellec and the Council's blessing to assassinate Sivert after learning his secrets.^[1]

Arno surveyed Sivert's meeting place at the Notre-Dame and determined weak points he could exploit. He proceeded to retrieve the building keys from the thieves who took them and assassinated Sivert's accomplice, Duchesneau, and took his place in the confession booth where Sivert was supposed to meet. Posing as Duchesneau, Arno received information about the Templars' manipulations against the corruption of the church. Once Sivert revealed all that he knew, Arno stabbed Sivert in the throat with his Hidden Blade, killing him instantly. In that moment, Arno saw Sivert's memories and learned he had an accomplice, le Roi des Thunes, on the night of Francois' murder, who struck the killing blow. Arno returned to the Council to report his findings. When he requested permission to hunt down the accomplice, he was given a Phantom Blade.^[1]

On January 19, 1791, Arno arrived at Le Cour des Miracles and singled out le Roi des Thunes lieutenant, Aloys la Touche, who was in the middle of cutting off a young man's right foot. Before Arno could intervene, the Marquis de Sade casually advised not to lash out so hastily and instead follow La Touche back to his master. Arno tailed la Touche back to his residence and interrogated him. Arno proceeded to infiltrate le Roi des Thunes' lair, just as la Touche had freed himself to warn Arno's target of the impending danger. Arno proceeded to assassinate le Roi des Thunes, seeing from his memories his motivations for assassinating de la Serre, and that he and Sivert did so under the orders of their new Grand Master.^[1]

Returning to the surface, Arno learned that de Sade had immediately taken over the position of le Roi des Thunes former position. As Arno turned to leave, de Sade produced the poisoned pin that killed de la Serre. He identified a silversmith named François-Thomas Germain. After tracking down and rescuing the silversmith, Germain claimed that man named Lafrenière commissioned it.^[1]

Arno tracked down and assassinated Lafrenière, only to learn that he was the writer of the letter to de la Serre, warning him of a potential betrayal. Arno reported to the Council, who were outraged that he assassinated Lafrenière without their consent. When Arno mentioned that he was planning on attacking a hotel, not an Assassin base, the Council sent him to investigate the meeting.^[1]

Infiltrating the hotel, Arno eavesdropped on a meeting of a group of Templars, led by an unknown figure plotting to eliminate Élise. Arno escaped the hotel and managed to save Élise from the Templar ambush. Following this, Arno rendezvoused with his Élise at the Café Théâtre, where he offered to help her avenge her father. He proceed to bring a blindfolded Élise before the Assassin Council. Despite the hostility from the Assassins, particularly Bellec, Mirabeau was more inclined to parley with Élise.^[1]

While the Council debated over Elise's offer of alliance, Arno informed Elise of Germain's involvement and his last known location, prompting her to run off. By the time she came to a stop, Élise informed Arno that Germain was exiled from the Order for his radical views and heretical notions about Jacques de Molay. Investigating Germain's residence, they found it empty, as the man had anticipated that his deception wouldn't hold up. After evading a Templar ambush, Élise found a ledger confirming that Germain murdered her father. As they were shot at by snipers, Arno told Élise to go to Mirabeau's estate while he dealt with their attackers.^[1]

Confronting Bellec

When Arno arrived at Mirabeau's estate, he found the Mentor poisoned. Suspecting someone was attempting to pin the blame on Élise, Arno tracked down the poison seller and discovered that Pierre Bellec killed Mirabeau, believing that no peace could be achieved between the two factions, and that he was purging the Brotherhood to remake it into a stronger organization, similar to Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and Connor. He attempted to convince Arno to join his cause, but Arno refused, and was forced to fight his former teacher.^[1]

Arno managed to gain the upper hand in the fight, and was forced to kill Bellec when he tried to kill Elise. Before dying, Bellec commended Arno for defeating him, and urged Arno to finish him off, otherwise he would never stop. Once Bellec died from his wounds, Arno paid him his final rites.^[1]

As a lesser punishment for allowing two Master Assassins to die, the Council assigned Arno to infiltrate Palais des Tuileries, in order to destroy Mirabeau's letters which could compromise the Brotherhood. It was then, that Arno met with Napoleon Bonaparte, who was in turn searching for an Apple of Eden. As the palace became swarmed with extremists, Napoleon and his soldiers helped Arno escape through a secret passage, but not before Arno noticed another Templar, Frédéric Rouille. After escaping the palace, Napoleon provided Arno with Rouille's location at the Grand Châtelet prison, allowing Arno assassinate him.^[1]

Execution of the King

Arno later joined with Élise to stop Marie Lévesque's plot of hoarding grain in order to turn the middle and lower classes against the King. After assassinating Lévesque, Arno and Élise managed to escape from the Templar extremists using a hot air balloon, before having a romantic moment between them.^[1]

Arno subsequently pursued Levesque's accomplice with aid from Marquis de Sade, Louis-Michel le Peletier. Arno snuck into the cafe le Peletier was dining in, Arno sunstituted le Peletier's wine with poisoned one. Le Peletier was rendered paralysed, allowing Arno to assassinate him, learning that he cast the 361st vote for the execution of King Louis XVI, and that François-Thomas Germain would be present for the execution.^[1]

On January 21, 1793, Arno confronted Germain as the execution was underway, with the latter proclaiming the rebirth of the Templar Order. Germain claimed to Arno that the reason for de la Serre's murder was to rid the Templar Order of corruption and bigotry, while also stating the murder was only the first phase of the Order's reformation, and that it would be truly reborn with the death of the King.^[1]

Germain revealed his plans as Louis XVI was placed at the guillotine. By ridding France's upper class and aristocracy of power, it would be much easier for the Templars to gain control over France, by granting the power to the people instead. Once the King was beheaded, François proclaimed that Jacques de Molay had been avenged, then made his escape, leaving Arno to deal with his subordinates. With Élise caught in the fighting, Arno focused more on defending her than pursuing Germain. This displeased Élise, who desired revenge and rejected any further aid from Arno.^[1]

Exile

Arno met with the Assassin Council to discuss his lead on the Templar Grand Master, however he was directed to the ceremony chamber. Arno attempted to update the council but they silenced him and cast judgment on him instead. The council did not approve of what they believed was a personal vendetta for revenge, brashly killing targets without permission from the council. They declared that Arno was banished from the Brotherhood and was no longer welcome, but that he was fortunate that they would not punish him further.^[1]

Arno left the Sanctuary and Paris to live at the de la Serre estate in Versailles, where he gained a reputation for being a drunk. In his stupor, he got into a bar fight, ending in his humiliating defeat and the loss of his watch to the gang leader. He tracked the gang to the Palais de Versailles, forced to face the terrible memories of his past, and killed the entire gang, only for Élise to turn up with his watch in hand.^[1]

Deducing that she wanted something from him, Arno furiously reopened old wounds from their last fight, stating that he cares more about her than killing Germain and that he wanted to assuage the guilt he felt for causing her father's death. When he allowed Élise to speak, she informed him that Paris had become more chaotic because of Germain. She encouraged him to be the man she loved and return with her to Paris. Arno agreed to come, but only after he assassinated Aloys la Touche.^[1]

During this, he reconciled with and saved his former enemies Victor and Hugo, who were supposed to be sentenced to execution. After assassinating la Touche, Arno discovered that Germain had one final conspirator and mastermind behind the Reign of Terror, Maximilien de Robespierre.^[1]

Return to Paris

In 1794, after Arno and Élise returned to Paris, despite the anarchy, the city was in the middle of a celebration. Élise revealed to Arno that the event was being hosted by Robespierre. Arno insisted on assassinating Robespierre, but Élise suggested a different approach since Robespierre was well-guarded.^[1]

After discreetly infiltrating the celebration and locating Robespierre, Élise planned to discredit him in the eyes of the public, allowing her and Arno to kill him easily. Arno agreed and gathered incriminating evidence while Élise poisoned Robespierre's winery. After Arno planted the evidence on several people, the people turned against Robespierre and arrested him, much to Arno and Élise's surprise.^[1]

After tracking Robespierre down to a palace, Arno and Élise infiltrated it and cornered him. As he refused to cooperate, Élise shot him in the jaw and he revealed that Germain was located in the Parisian Temple. Arno and Élise arrived at the Temple and infiltrated it, eventually finding Germain. Before Arno could assassinate him, however, Germain used the power of the Sword of Eden against the Assassin in combat, before using it to disappear from the chamber.^[1]

Arno subsequently managed to find Élise again, and together they entered the Templar crypt in the catacombs, where they once again confronted Germain. With Élise distracting Germain, Arno attempted to assassinate the Grand Master once more, but failed due to a shield projected by the sword. After three more attempts, Arno managed to break through, but the shockwave trapped him under the rubble. Élise came to Arno's aid, but noticed Germain attempting to escape. Despite Arno's protests, Élise left him behind to pursue Germain, but failed to kill the Grand Master.^[1]

Élise's sword was broken during the fight, while the Sword of Eden's power was becoming unstable. Arno managed to free himself and rushed to help Élise, but was too late as the Sword of Eden exploded, killing Élise and mortally wounding Germain in the process. In an act of grief, Arno slowly assassinated Germain by stabbing him in the throat with the Hidden Blade. In a vision following his death, Germain explained his struggle of being a Sage, and his beliefs in de Molay's and Élise's unfortunate deaths.^[1]

As Germain finally succumbed to his wounds, Arno mournfully carried Élise's body out from the Temple, leaving behind Germain's lifeless body inside.^[1]

Hiding in Franciade

A week after his final confrontation against Germain, Arno, still devastated by Élise's death, was hiding in Franciade, drinking away his sorrows in a local tavern. The Assassin was then contacted by de Sade, who asked him to find a manuscript made by Nicolas de Condorcet, hidden in the tomb of Louis IX of France inside the royal necropolis. During their meeting in the tavern, the Marquis payed Arno's drinking debts and promised him a place on a ship leaving France for Egypt four days later, in exchange for Condorcet's scientific studies.^[3]

While searching for the manuscript in the undercity, the exiled Assassin found out that the manuscript wasn't in the tomb and that a group of tomb raiders were searching the entrance of a Temple. After more investigations, Arno discovered that the manuscript was stolen by a young thief called Léon and while searching the necropolis for him, found that he had been captured by the raiders for spying on them.^[3]

Hiding, Arno heard that the raiders were led by Philippe Rose and sponsored by Napoleon Bonaparte in order to open the precursor temple under the Basilica and take the Piece of Eden stored within. Arno then saved the unruly orphan from the raiders and recovered the manuscript but was reluctant to get himself involved in Bonaparte's affair, wanting to leave France above anything else. His resolve softened after visions of Élise and the boy's pleas, as well as the imperious need to save France. Arno eventually decided to stop the raiders from acquiring the artefact before leaving for Egypt.^[3]

Finding the location of the Temple and stealing the key from one of Napoleon's officers, the Arno was able to open the door leading to it but was ambushed by Rose, who intended to take the artifact for himself. Arno fell into the depth of the necropolis, but survived and managed to reach the Temple before the raiders' leader could take the Piece of Eden.^[3]

Arno then killed Rose, recovered the Head of Saint-Denis and used its power to repel the numerous raiders and escape the Temple. Later, as agreed, Arno met de Sade in the tavern and gave him Condorcet's manuscript. However, he repaid his drinking debt with a Louis d'or and left without a word, having decided to stay in France. Arno also contacted the Brotherhood, asking them to bring the Piece of Eden contained in the Head of Saint-Denis to Al Mualim in Egypt, beyond the reach of Bonaparte.^[3]

Ruddock's betrayal

Now residing in Versailles, Arno was met by the outcast Assassin Bernard Ruddock, an acquaintance of Élise who had contacted Arno at some point after the Élise's death. Ruddock gave Arno a letter that Élise had written in the event of her death, explaining a number of her actions and directing him to find her chest of keepsakes. She only asked that Arno allow Ruddock to keep a pack of letters that she had been given by Jennifer Scott on her trip to London, which would allow Ruddock to gain favor with the Assassin Council and rejoin the Brotherhood.^[4]

Arno agreed to honor her wishes, took Ruddock's address and told him he would be in touch once he had obtained the letters and Élise's chest. Arno also agreed that he would endorse any efforts he made to win favor with the Assassins. Arno traveled to the Maison Royale where he met Élise's teacher, Frederick Weatherall and was given the chest as promised.^[4]

Ruddock had followed Arno and betrayed him, attempting to kill him on the order of the British Templars. However, Ruddock was killed by Weatherall before he could shoot Arno. Arno stayed with Élise's friends during the years following her death, having been invited to stay by her former maid out of respect to her mistress.^[4]

Master Assassin

Sometime afterwards Arno rejoined the Brotherhood, eventually becoming a Master Assassin. He frequently visited Élise, blooming her grave, and proclaimed himself redeemed of his previous mistakes. During the following years while undergoing several missions for the Brotherhood, Arno also tried to honor Elise's last will of reducing the gap between the Templars and Assassins.^[1]

On 24 December 1800, Arno prevented a royalist assassination attempt on Napoleon involving snipers, as well as an explosive device known as the Machine Infernal. Arno managed to assassinate the snipers before they could fire at Napoleon's carriage. The Machine Infernal was detonated too early, away from Napoleon's carriage. Arno tracked down the royalist leader behind the assassination attempt and assassinated him and his henchmen.^[1]

In 1808, Arno entered the Temple once more, accompanied by Napoleon. There, they discovered Germain's corpse which had long since decayed. They then buried his skeletal remains in the Parisian catacombs.^[1]

Personality and characteristics

"What is this, the sixth time? Seventh? Perhaps a new hobby might be better for your health."

―François de la Serre, regarding Arno's troublemaking habits, 1789.

In his early life, Arno was witty and charismatic but also no-nonsense, which fed into his sharp sense of humor, falling back on it whenever he felt emotionally vulnerable. He was brash in nature, rushing into action over reason, which is a flaw seen by members of the Assassin Council. This often led him into trouble along with his adopted sister Elise. Due to the fact that he was well-educated, Arno often quoted classical books, though his noble upbringing did not prevent him from cheating at card games.^[1]

After the murder of his adoptive father, Arno set out on a quest to find redemption, using this goal to help others in the turbulent time of the French Revolution. As a newcomer to the Assassins, he was prone to questioning their typical approach and age-old beliefs, but was aided in the field by his stealthy and ruthless nature. ^[1]

Arno, seeing the turmoil in France, desired to bring justice. He displayed dismay or even frustration when Bellec told him not to intervene when extremists were harassing citizens, or when de Sade discouraged him from saving a man getting his leg amputated by la Touche. This stems from the fact of his failure to save his adoptive father, and the desire to amend his mistakes.^[1]

Over time, Arno realises the true purpose of the Creed, and its flaws. Arno deduced that the Creed merely serves as a guide and a warning, rather than an ideal for one to follow. He sees how ideals can lead to dangerous fanaticism, as seen with Bellec and Germain. ^[1]

After the death of Elise, Arno suffered from depression and sorrow. It also caused him to abandon his home country, and was unwilling to involve himself in saving France from Napoleon's schemes, discouraging Leon from doing so. After some time, he had an epiphany and regained his resolve.^[1]

Equipment and skills

Arno often wore a dark blue hooded coat, waistcoat, and breeches with leather gaiters, rather than the stockings which were fashionably popular in his time, though he was not adverse to altering his outfit to blend in or gain an advantage in combat.^[1]

He was also a skilled assassin, being able to perform assassinations from vantage points and hiding spots with his hidden blade, and also being skilled at blending in crowds even before the start of his official assassin training. When preparing to start an assassination mission, Arno also showed great observational skill, using it to pinpoint opportunities to aid in the assignment.^[1]

In regards to weaponry, Arno used the Phantom Blade, a wrist-mounted crossbow capable of firing a variety of darts, as well as different pistols and rifles to fight at a distance. In melee combat, he was a skilled swordsman, being able to defeat his mentor and Master Assassin Pierre Bellec in combat. However, he was also able to wield long weapons like spears and halberds, and heavy weapons like axes and flamberges. Arno also used a wide range of bombs, including smoke bombs, cherry bombs and poison gas bombs, which he used to distract or kill his enemies.^[1]

After meeting Eugène François Vidocq, considered the father of modern criminology, Arno also developed great deductive skill, being able to solve several murders across Paris, including the assassination of the famous jacobin and revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat and the poisoning of the assassin leader Honoré Gabriel Riqueti de Mirabeau, among others.^[1]

Arno also possessed Eagle Vision. By using this ability, he could perceive enemies, allies and objects of interest at a distance and through walls, but only for a limited time.^[1]

Romantic life

Taken in as an orphan into the de la Serre household, Arno grew up along with François de la Serre's boisterous daughter, Élise. Viewing her more as a friend than a sister, his feelings for Élise eventually changed into mutual love as they both matured, though they kept the romance a secret due to differences in social class.^[1]

Their relationship became strained, once Élise realized Arno's failure to deliver a warning letter to her father, which led to his death. Thus, she held Arno responsible for her father's death, and refused to make contact with him until he became an Assassin.^[1]

Trivia

Arno's name is a derivative of German Arnold and French Arnaud. Its old German origin is Arenwald, meaning "eagle power", from arn "eagle" and wald "power" or "governing". Victor is Latin for "conqueror", while Dorian is a Greek name meaning "gifted".
Arno is the third of four playable characters not to be related to Desmond Miles, with the first being Aveline de Grandpré, the second being Adéwalé and the fourth being Shay Cormac.^[5]
Arno is also the second playable Assassin to develop a romantic attraction towards a Templar, the first being Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad with Maria Thorpe.
Arno was mentioned in Assassin's Creed: Rogue in a message from Melanie Lemay to one of the Abstergo Entertainment employees regarding research into Arno's genetic memories.

Gallery

Concept art of Arno
Rear concept art of Arno
Concept art of young Arno
Concept art of Arno's customization options
Concept art of Arno by Remko Troost
Arno in the Raider Outfit as he appears in Dead Kings
Arno as a Master Assassin as he appears in Unity final cinematic

Arno as a Master Assassin as he appears in Unity final cinematic
Promotional art of Lavoisier and Arno
Promotional art of Arno and Élise
Promotional art of Arno firing the Phantom Blade
Arno overlooking Paris
Arno killing a guard
Arno crouching on a rooftop
Arno stalking a target
Arno performing an air assassination
Arno utilizing the Phantom Blade
Arno engaging several guards with a lance