Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye

"It is Capitaine Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye. And you are dreaming if you think any training could make you into a proper Assassin. Do you even know what that means? It means being responsible for an ancient and proud tradition. It means obeying your Mentor without question. How else will we ensure freedom for the human race?"

- Chevalier arguing with Shay Cormac, 1752.

Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye (1717 – 1760) was a French-Canadian of noble upbringing and a member of the Assassin Order operating in North America during the Seven Years' War. He captained the Gerfaut, a Man O' War.

Early life
"I know him only as one of a family of explorers, extending the boundaries of the known world."

- James Cook on Chevalier, 1760.

Louis-Joseph was born in 1717 to a family of explorers on Île aux Vaches at. In 1735, he went to on  in his first expedition with his.

The following year, Louis-Joseph re-established. His father rewarded him with the title of "Chevalier", passing over Louis-Joseph's older brother to do so. Chevalier would spend the next four years exploring and.

In 1744, Chevalier became the commander of a frontier post for the French government. Around this time, he met Achilles Davenport and Liam O'Brien, helping them complete an Assassin mission. In 1746, Achilles asked Chevalier to join the Assassin Order, an offer the latter gladly accepted. With Chevalier, the Assassins gained valuable allies among smugglers, pirates and the French government, such as Le Chasseur.

Chevalier's father died in 1749, and further westward expeditions were disrupted by politics. That year, Chevalier also met the Assassin recruit Shay Cormac, and the two took an instant dislike to one another.

Around 1750, Chevalier worked with another recruit, Robert Faulkner, to prepare a shipping route from the colonies to the Assassins in Europe. In 1751, Faulkner wrote to Chevalier, offering to serve as first mate aboard the Assassin flagship, the Aquila. He also mentioned his investigations into the French shipping companies of the Lévesque and de L'Isle families, which he suspected to be Templar-owned. Faulkner told Chevalier that he still had to secure his operations before fully joining the Assassins, and shared his worries for the future with him.

Meeting with smugglers
"The Royal Navy attacked my vessel and forced my men to flee! We are stranded, and what is worse, the smugglers we were supposed to meet have been taken prisoner."

- Chevalier to Shay and Liam, 1752.

In January 1752, Chevalier was on a mission to meet with a group of smugglers. Accompanying him were Shay and Liam, although Chevalier refused to tell the former about the actual purpose of the mission. While Shay and Liam went hunting, the smugglers were captured and Chevalier's ship, the Gerfaut, was attacked and badly damaged by the Royal Navy.

While Chevalier tended to his wounded men, Shay and Liam arrived. Angered by their late arrival, Chevalier argued with Shay. The argument soon turned into a fist-fight when Chevalier punched Shay. However, the fight was stopped by Liam shortly after.

At Liam's suggestion, Chevalier treated his men, while Liam and Shay freed the smugglers. While doing so, Shay boarded a sloop-of-war called the Morrigan and freed the captive smugglers. Chevalier and Liam helped eliminate the British sailors on board, and took control of the ship. The Morrigan then sunk the British ships that were attacking the Gerfaut, allowing Chevalier to return to his ship. During that year, Chevalier also returned to fur trading, although his business did not go well for him.

Finding the Pieces of Eden
In March 1752, the Assassin Adéwalé visited the Davenport Homestead and met with Achilles. As Chevalier guarded the meeting, Adéwalé revealed that during the earthquake in Haiti the year before, the Templars had stolen two Pieces of Eden from the Assassins: the Precursor box and the Manuscript.

A month later, Chevalier met with Shay and Liam at Port la Joye. They then set sail for Anticosti Island to meet with Le Chasseur, who had intelligence regarding the artifacts. Along the way, the three discussed various Assassin affairs and also plundered a British schooner. After upgrading the Morrigan, they sank a fleet of British ships and arrived at Anticosti.

Meeting with Le Chasseur at the island's fort, they learned that the Manuscript was in the hands of the Templar Lawrence Washington. After assassinating Washington, Shay learned that the Box and Manuscript had been entrusted to two other Templars, Samuel Smith and James Wardrop, respectively.

Chasing Smith
In May 1754, the Gerfaut was severely damaged during a battle with three British ships near St. John's. Watching the ship from the settlement with Le Chasseur, Chevalier was joined by Shay. Le Chasseur informed the two that Smith had returned from a voyage to Europe, having failed to activate the Box. With Smith nearby, Chevalier joined Shay and Liam aboard the Morrigan, now outfitted with Puckle guns and an icebreaker ram.

While wondering why Smith sailed in such a remote area, Chevalier suggested sinking the Templar's ship to be rid of him easily. However, Shay reminded him that Smith likely held the Box, and the Assassins therefore decided not to damage the ship. Although Smith's schooner led the Morrigan into a skirmish and attempted to deter the pursuers with burning oil, Shay gave chase and eventually assassinated Smith at Terra Nova, recovering the artifact in the process.

Confrontation at the Homestead
"Has Chevalier gone mad? He'll destroy the manor!"

- An Assassin seeing the Gerfaut bombarding the Davenport Homestead, 1756.

After Shay recovered the Manuscript from Wardrop, the Assassins sent him to Lisbon to find a Piece of Eden underneath the Carmo Convent. In the process however, Shay unintentionally caused a devastating earthquake which nearly destroyed the city.

A disillusioned Shay subsequently stole the Manuscript from Achilles at the homestead in order to keep the Assassins from discovering another First Civilization site. While Shay attempted to escape, Achilles ordered the Assassins to stop him. As such, Chevalier bombarded the Homestead with the Gerfaut 's mortars.

Chevalier and the other Assassins later cornered Shay at a cliff. When Shay attempted to leap into the water, Chevalier shot him in the shoulder, causing him to fall to his apparent death. It wasn't until August 1757 that the Assassins learned of Shay's survival and defection to the Templar Order.

Assassin expedition
In 1759, the Assassins were preparing an expedition to another precursor site. In October of that year, they met at the New York harbor, discussing their progress. Chevalier told Achilles that although they were gathering ships and supplies, it was difficult to do so without a specific destination. Hope Jensen assured Chevalier that several of her men could participate in the expedition.

Liam noted that Hope would soon be able to active the Box and find another precursor site, and the Assassins left the area. After Hope activated the Box in her mansion, Liam left with it and the Manuscript to meet with Chevalier in the Arctic. Afterwards, Shay chased after Hope and assassinated her. In her final words, Hope revealed that her death merely served as a distraction for Liam to reach Chevalier.

Meeting with Liam, Chevalier was entrusted to keep the Box from falling into the Templars' hands. In order to do this, he sent the artifact away to an unknown location.

A short time after, Chevalier sailed to an Assassin outpost on Anticosti, leaving encrypted maps of his route to the site in the hands of the captain there. Shay recovered these maps and enlisted the aid of James Cook in tracking down Chevalier and acquiring his charts of the precursor site. Knowing that Shay would chase after the Assassin expedition, Chevalier volunteered to stay behind with the Gerfaut and a fleet of ships to stop him.

After the Morrigan sank the fleet, the Gerfaut ambushed it with mortars. Despite the Gerfaut 's greater size and firepower, it was disabled by the Morrigan. It was soon boarded by Shay and his crew. As the two fought, Chevalier taunted the former Shay, claiming that while the former Assassin would be forgotten to history, Chevalier would be remembered for his deeds.

A defeated Chevalier made his way to the ship's railing. As Shay approached him, he attempted to strike the Templar, only to be punched in the stomach. Looking at the charts, Shay was furious to discover that Achilles and Liam had already headed north to the site. Chevalier mocked his former colleague, claiming that he had made a good distraction for him. In a fit of rage, Shay threw Chevalier overboard to a watery death. Chevalier's maps were subsequently bequeathed to Cook.

His death was later recorded to have happened on 15 November 1761, when the ship he was on sank off on its way to France.

Personality and characteristics
Chevalier could often be seen as short-tempered and impatient, and was easily angered. He showed a dislike for Shay Cormac, believing him to be ignorant, reckless and disrespectful. Chevalier also frequently mocked Shay's lower-class origins, calling him a "cabbage farmer". At one point, Chevalier's irritation with his fellow Assassin led him to fight Shay.

He was also quick to correct Shay at any given opportunity, and usually underestimated his skills. He dismissed Shay's ship, the Morrigan as useless and ineffectual, while praising his own ship and skills as a sailor. When Shay fought Chevalier in 1760, the latter was convinced that he could kill the Templar with ease.

Despite this, Chevalier was loyal and dedicated to the Assassin cause, believing that the Brotherhood was unequivocally without fault and reminded Shay not to question its actions and purpose. He was highly proud of his membership within the Order, and looked up to other Assassins such as Adéwalé.

Chevalier believed that negotiation with the Templars was impossible, jokingly asking Shay if he would "smile and wish them a good day as they lay their boot on [his] neck", when the latter suggested dialogue with their enemies. Chevalier was often very secretive about his activities, which caused his allies to be wary of him.

When Shay pursued the Assassin expedition, Chevalier volunteered to distract him from Achilles and Liam. Even in his final moments, Chevalier attempted to attack Shay when the latter claimed to fully believe in the Templar cause.

Equipment and skills
"(I've been practicing my aim, I'll get a bullseye this time.)"

- Chevalier to Shay, 1760.

Chevalier was among the most experienced sailors in the Colonial Brotherhood, captaining a Man O' War named the Gerfaut. He was able to use a snowstorm to surprise the Morrigan and bombard it with mortars.

As an officer in the French Army and an Assassin, Chevalier was highly skilled in combat. Wielding a sword in conjunction with a pistol, he was able to kill several British sailors in a matter of seconds. Chevalier wore a long hooded black coat, as well as a leather bracer on his left arm. Like most Assassins, he wore a red belt, fastened with a buckle in the shape of the Assassin insignia.

Reference

 * Assassin's Creed: Rogue