Élise Lafleur
- "Why can't my title be "Queen of the Bog, Protector of Innocents, Paddling Instructor, and Champion of Trade"?"
- ―Élise to Aveline.[src]
Élise Lafleur was a smuggler operating in the Louisiana Bayou. She was a close ally to her fellow smuggler Roussillon and the Assassin Aveline de Grandpré.
In 2012, her 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 Thief.
Biography
Eve of Saint John
In 1766, thugs invaded the region where Élise and the smugglers were stationed and began to threaten them, in an attempt to force them off the land. However, with the help of Aveline who intervened at the last moment, the smugglers successfully defeated the invaders.
Aveline then enlisted Élise's help in locating the leader of the thugs, a man who called himself François Mackandal. Élise eventually agreed, and the two navigated through the bayou and eliminated the encampments of Mackandal's men.
After discovering a ceremony being held on the Eve of Saint John, Élise and Aveline traveled to San Danje – a settlement within the bayou – to learn of the ceremony's whereabouts.
There, they spoke briefly with a witch doctor, who provided Aveline with an antidote as defense against Mackandal's poisons, before the two set off again. Soon, the pair tracked Mackandal down, only to discover that he was truly Baptiste, a former disciple of the Assassin Mentor who aimed to join the Templar Order. With this in mind, both Aveline and Élise disrupted his ritual, before Aveline assassinated Baptiste.
Dealing with Vázquez
In 1771, Aveline and the smugglers diverted a ship by tampering with a nearby lighthouse. Once the ship had washed up on an island in the bayou, they set out to plunder its contents.
Two years later, Élise and Rousillon were tasked with transporting supplies to Patriots fighting in the American Revolutionary War. However, Spanish troops hired by the Templar Vázquez were attempting to steal the supplies and prevent the smugglers passage through the swamp. Aveline then arrived, asking for their aid in helping her escort an escaped slave named George through the bayou, in return for protecting their cargo from the Spanish.
The smugglers agreed and with Aveline's help, they successfully reached their destination. As Élise handed the supplies over to the Patriots, Aveline asked whether they would allow George to accompany them. They accepted, and welcomed him into their ranks.
Personality and characteristics
Élise was a rather sardonic individual, who commented on the nature of Aveline's parentage as being "gentle breeding", implying that the Assassin could not handle the rough terrain of the Louisianan swamps.
Despite this, she had a whimsical side, stating that she would prefer to be mentioned as "Queen of the Bog, Protector of Innocents, Paddling Instructor, and Champion of Trade", despite the title presumably being too long to fit on a wanted poster.
Later on however, due to Aveline's efforts, Élise and the Assassin became close friends who could rely on each other, as evidenced by the straightforward arrangement to help George in return for the safety of the smugglers' cargo.
Reference
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