Madeleine de L'Isle

"In the service of humanity! In Work, the purpose for which you were created. We were created! The highest purpose."

- Madeleine's final words to Aveline, explaining the divine purpose for humanity's creation.

Madeleine de L'Isle (1732 - 1777) was the Master Templar of the Southern Colonies of America from 1764 until her death, and operated under the alias of the "Company Man".

In 1752, she became the first legally recognized, but actually second wife of a wealthy French merchant named Philippe Olivier de Grandpré, and the stepmother of Aveline de Grandpré.

Marriage to Philippe
In order to benefit her own family's business, Madeleine married Philippe Olivier de Grandpré in 1752. Unknown to Philippe, however, Madeleine also used the marriage to conceal her Templar goals and her identity as the "Company Man". After noticing the special talents displayed by her stepdaughter Aveline, Madeleine saw her as a perfect candidate for membership in the Templar Order and began grooming her for induction.

Manipulating Aveline
In 1757, Madeleine arranged for Aveline's mother Jeanne to be transported south to Mexico, allowing her to raise Aveline as her own. After discovering that Aveline had joined the Assassins, Madeleine used her stepdaughter's relationship with the Assassin Mentor Agaté to uncover information relating to the Brotherhood's activities. This helped Madeleine secure the leadership of the Templar Order in Louisiana.

In 1764, Madeleine discovered proof that a First Civilization artifact was located in Chichen Itza, and devised a plan to divert slaves and vagrants from Louisiana and the Caribbean to a work camp there to excavate it. Meanwhile, she gave control over the operation to her right hand man, Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer.

In 1773, after Madeleine's husband Philippe discovered her true identity and the interference of the Templars in his business, she poisoned him. Following this, in 1777, Aveline finally discovered that the "Company Man", the person she had been searching for, was in fact Madeleine; she returned to New Orleans at once and confronted her stepmother in their mansion. During the encounter, Madeleine reacted with amusement, as she revealed that she knew all along of Aveline's affiliations, and that the reason she was still alive was because Madeleine was in need of her skills.

Afterwards, Aveline refused her order to stay and ran outside, where the Assassin began a brief skirmish with Madeleine's guards. Forthwith, Madeleine warned her stepdaughter to cease her struggling or she would die, and the Brotherhood with her; she then proceeded to question Aveline's motivations. Maintaining an air of hostility, Aveline retorted that Madeleine kept her slaves for her own selfish purposes, though Madeleine tried to convince Aveline that she had ended the operation and that de Ferrer did not represent the Templars when he abused his authority, so she allowed her to eliminate him, to Aveline's disbelief.

Madeleine insisted that she genuinely cared for Aveline but her stepdaughter angrily accused her of lying. She defended that she was trying to protect her and attempted to persuade Aveline to join the Templars. Aveline then confessed that she had disobeyed her Mentor, Agaté, stating that de Ferrer would still be alive if she had obeyed him. Madeleine then claimed this as proof that their goals were the same and repeated her offer.

Death
Ultimately, Aveline agreed and traveled to the bayou to confront Agaté. She later returned with his necklace as proof of his death, and Madeleine inducted her into the Templar Order inside Saint Louis Cathedral. Aveline then handed Madeleine the Prophecy Disk, the artifact she had recovered from Chichen Itza. However, Madeleine soon grew frustrated as the artifact failed to work as she had intended it to, allowing Aveline to strike, as her induction was merely a ploy to eradicate the Templar Order from within.

Aveline eliminated all the Templars present and confronted Madeleine, who asked her why she had done what she had. Aveline responded by blaming Madeleine for having secretly killed her father with poison, enslaved her mother and attempted to force Aveline into the Templar Order. Madeleine insisted that it was for the benefit of humanity, but Aveline refused to serve her and assassinated Madeleine.

Legacy
In the 21st century, the Templar corporate giant, Abstergo Industries attempted to vindicate her memory, naming her as an unappreciated abolitionist of slavery, and in their product, Liberation, deliberately omitted key events to validate her actions and Templar views. In a file retrieved from a computer at their Montreal facility, Abstergo also claim that Aveline was an orphan that Madeleine took in.

Characteristics and personality
Madeleine was an intelligent person, possessing a keen intellect and a sharp sense for business. She spoke cautiously, careful not to reveal herself through her actions or words. She was also especially skilled at manipulation, being able to control those around her in order to achieve her goals, in particular her stepdaughter Aveline, who she had secretly manipulated to groom her for induction into the Templar Order.

Trivia

 * Madeleine wore a purple or deep pink dress. In color theory, purple is a color often associated with authority and imperialism, representing her Templar goals, whereas pink is traditionally associated with femininity, the qualities of which Madeleine used to conceal her true intentions.
 * Madeleine is a French variant of the name Magdalene, meaning "of Magdala", originally an Aramaic word meaning "tower".

Reference

 * Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
 * Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag