Jeanne d'Arc

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"My Dauphin, [...] you cannot hide your glory from me! I was sent by God, and I have come to bring help to you and your kingdom!"

―Jeanne upon meeting the future Charles VII, 1429

Jeanne d'Arc (English: Joan of Arc; born 1412), also known as La Pucelle, or the Maid of Orléans, is a national heroine of France and a Catholic saint. She had one of the highest known counts of Isu DNA and wielded a Sword of Eden to victorious battles during the Hundred Years' War.

Biography

Early life

Jeanne was born to the peasant farmer Jacques d'Arc around 1412 in Domrémy. She was nicknamed "Jeannette" during her youth. By the age of 13, she had visions from Saints Catherine, Michael, and Margaret, her "Voices" who told her that God's will was for her to free the land from English domination. As she grew older, Jeanne started to wander along the river, "as if someone was talking to her", as observed by her brothers Pierre and Jean. Her growing behavior was deemed much stranger when she began to sneak at night to attend matins at church.

On 1 May 1428, she met her step-cousin Gabriel Laxart, who could unconsciously see her glowing aura through his Eagle Vision. This added to his growing interest in her and the two became fast friends. She joined his family on 12 May to Burey-en-Vaux, where she requested his help for her sacred mission.

The pair succeeded in convincing his father Durand to take them to the commune of Vaucouleurs, where she insisted on seeing its garrison's captain Robert de Baudricourt and requested permission from him to escort her to the Dauphin in Chinon. Her attempts failed however, and she returned to Domrémy and later fled to the Neufchâteau after an attack. Months later, Joan became involved with a breach of lawsuit involving a marital contract after refusing to marry her fiancee, saying that she never agreed to it.

By 7 January 1429, de Baudricourt still refused to see her. She had collapsed from cold and hunger earlier by standing outside his hall. Depressed, Joan had an emotional breakdown from the repeated refusals as Gabriel comforted her, ranting that Orléans hungers and suffers from the siege since October.

The maiden got her wish when de Baudricourt's squire, Jean de Metz, arrived to meet her. The squire tried to warn and discourage Joan, yet she remained undeterred and more determined to see the Dauphin. During her speech, her Isu radiance flared, enabling her to convince de Metz as he pledged to protect her.

The Maiden of Prophecy

"I was born for this. There is nobody in all the world, neither king nor duke, nor any other, who can recover the kingdom for France. This kingdom will have no help, if not from me!"

―Jeanne d'Arc convincing de Metz that she is the maiden of prophecy, 1429

Joan was eventually referred to de Baudricourt's liege lord Duke Charles of Lorraine who welcomed her, expecting that she could perform miraculous healing. Instead, Joan scolded him about his mistress and requested aid from his son-in-law for her journey.

Word about the Maid of Lorraine had spread during her time in Vaucouleurs; by 22 February 1429, the townsfolk aided in collecting supplies for her after Joan returned from Nancy.

She was guided to a Sword of Eden and wielded it to lead the French Army to numerous victories in the Hundred Years' War.

As part of a Templar plan to obtain her Sword of Eden, Jeanne was captured by English troops, accused of witchcraft during her trial, and allegedly burned at the stake on 31 May 1431, at the age of 19. However, Jeanne was saved by her young maid, Fleur, who had willingly taken her place with the Assassins' assistance; Geoffroy Thérage was the executioner.

15 years later, Jeanne, no longer linked to the Isu entity she had dubbed the "Voices", reconnected with a heartbroken Gabriel Laxart, with whom she produced at least one child.

Legacy

"They burned Joan alive."

―Clay Kaczmarek within the Glyphs, 2012

In 2012, the Assassin Clay Kaczmarek collected details on Jeanne's Sword and her presumed death while Abstergo held him captive at their Animus Project laboratory in Rome. He then hid the information within the Animus 1.28 in Glyph puzzles for his successor Desmond Miles to find. Sometime in early September, Desmond solved the puzzle set titled "Instruments of Power", in which Jeanne was included in a list of historical individuals who had wielded a Sword of Eden. In another set titled "Martyrs", Clay hid a binary cipher in the French artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' 1854 painting Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII that translated to "30th May 1431", the date Jeanne was allegedly burned at the stake. In the German artist Hermann Stilke's 1846 painting Joan of Arc's Death at the Stake, he also hid the message "They took it", obliquely referring to the Templars having taken the Heart following Jeanne's presumed death.

In 2016, Simon Hathaway, the newest member of the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order, relived the memories of his ancestor Gabriel Laxart during the Hundred Years' War in order to better understand and repair Jean's Sword of Eden, which was in the possession of Alan Rikkin at the time.

Personality and traits

Throughout her young age, Jeanne d'Arc was shown to be a devout Christian and would love going to church, even if her brothers found it strange. She also had a strong devotion to fight from a young age, claiming that it was the desire of God himself for her to free the French from English occupation.

She was fierce and charismatic; Joan could easily calm and ease tension from the people around her. Since she was a youth, d'Arc was described by Gabriel to be the "lively one", her lithe and strong body full of energy.

Skills and equipment

"Gabriel is reacting to her the way people usually do to one of the Apples of Eden. He's drawn to her, almost despite himself. I can literally see this—this radiance through his eyes. And her whole career—at the beginning at least—gives us example after example of how she inspired and persuaded people."

―Simon Hathaway explaining Jeanne d'Arc's Isu abilities to Victoria Bibeau

Jeanne had one of the highest known counts of Isu DNA, which granted her tremendous abilities; She had prophetic visions and could influence others thanks to her unnatural charisma. For those gifted with Eagle Vision, Jeanne glowed when she used her abilities while those without could sense the pressure of her power upon them. Jeanne was somehow linked to an Isu entity, thought to be Consus by Abstergo Industries researchers, who spiritually guided her in her mission. These "Voices" allowed her to know what was going on with the war, despite her not being physically present.

Jeanne was extensively trained by the Assassins even if she never joined their ranks. She was able to lead the French Army against the English forces with tremendous victory in the Hundred Years' War. She also wielded a Sword of Eden, which she used alongside the Heart, and thus had unlocked the Sword's entire set of miraculous abilities.

Gallery

• 
  Jeanne as a peasant
• 
  Jeanne d'Arc by Peter Paul Rubens
• 
  Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
• 
  Jeanne d'Arc's Death at the Stake by Hermann Stilke
• 
  Stylized version of Joan of Arc in Assassin gear from YourBloodIsNotYourOwn.com

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed II (painting only)
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (voice only)
• Assassin's Creed: Heresy (first appearance)

References

zh:圣女贞德