Julien du Casse

"Guns, blades, cannons, grenadoes. Anything that may kill a man, I am happy to provide."

―Julien du Casse, regarding his career as an arms dealer, 1715.^[src]^-[m]

Julien du Casse (1682 – 1715) was a French arms dealer and a member of the Templar Order in the West Indies during the early 18th century. He possessed a discreet hideout on Great Inagua to help him carry out his trade and Templar affairs.

An experienced privateer and mercenary, du Casse was introduced to the Order by Laureano de Torres y Ayala, the Grand Master of the Caribbean Templars. Quickly proving himself to be a valuable asset, du Casse functioned as Torres' hitman, as well as the Caribbean Templars' main supplier of weaponry and ammunition.

In late 1715, du Casse was given command of the Spanish galleon El Arca del Maestro by Torres, to help him further the Order's goals. However, while returning from one of his supply runs to Great Inagua, du Casse was unknowingly followed by the pirate Edward Kenway, who assassinated the Templar and took over his hideout for himself.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Julien du Casse was born in Montpellier, France in 1682. Following the example of his uncle, Jean-Baptiste du Casse, Julien took to the sea at a young age and fought in several skirmishes in the War of the Spanish Succession on behalf of King Philip V of Spain. During the war, he became disgusted at the French and Spanish monarchies for choosing reputation and bloodlines over talent and skill, but nonetheless continued to serve his country and became a skilled gunner.^[1]^[2]

In 1704, du Casse deserted from the French Navy during the Battle of Vélez-Málaga and, seeking fortune, traveled to the New World. Initially, he found work in Africa as a slave trader, but found himself lacking the cruelty and detachment to continue partaking in said industry. After a year, he departed for the West Indies, in search of another vocation.^[1]^[2]

Du Casse spent his next ten years in the West Indies as a mercenary, working for anyone that was willing to pay him. In this way, he eventually came into contact with the Governor of Cuba, Laureano de Torres y Ayala, in whom he found a friend and confidant.^[1]^[2]

Joining the Templars[]

"Convened at last. And in such continental company... England, France, Spain... Citizens of sad and corrupt empires. But you are Templars now. The secret and true legislators of the world."

―Torres to du Casse, Rogers and Edward, 1715.^[src]^-[m]

Mister Walpole I Presume 4 — Rogers, Edward and du Casse participating in a shooting contest

In July 1715, du Casse, Woodes Rogers and Duncan Walpole had arranged a meeting with Torres, to be inducted into the Templar Order. Staying at the governor's residence in Havana, du Casse and Rogers found themselves waiting longer than expected, as the man they believed to be Duncan Walpole arrived a week late. In actuality, the man that joined them was a pirate named Edward Kenway, who had assumed Duncan's identity in order to claim his promised reward.^[3]

Following the introductions, du Casse, Rogers and Edward passed the time with a shooting session, as Torres was not yet ready to meet with them. After Edward beat Rogers' shooting challenge, du Casse noted the absence of "Duncan's" Wristblades, which the latter explained to be due to his previous pair having been damaged beyond repair. Du Casse then handed Edward a new pair that he had collected from dead Assassins.^[3]

Before their meeting with Torres, du Casse and Rogers requested that "Duncan" show his skills in assassination techniques; thanks to Edward's freerunning abilities, he was able to mimic these techniques with very little effort. The three then went to join Torres, who, after inspecting the blood vial Edward had brought with him, led them inside, where he officially inducted them into the Order.^[3]

Mister Walpole I Presume 9 — Du Casse and the others being told about the Observatory

Torres subsequently revealed his plans of locating the Observatory, with the help of a Sage named John Roberts, which would further the Templars' goals of establishing a New World Order. Du Casse expressed his skepticism to the credibility of a Sage, noting it had been over four decades since the last Sage was found, though Torres reassured him they were certain. After toasting their schemes, the group of Templars made arrangements to convene the next day at the Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta and then retired for the night.^[3]

The next morning, du Casse and his Templar allies met the captured Roberts, and mentioned that a Sage's blood was required to enter the Observatory. While escorting Roberts to Torres' mansion, the Templars managed to fend off an Assassin attack, during which the Sage was nearly able to escape. With Rogers leaving for England, the other Templars decided to imprison Roberts and interrogate him the day after.^[4]

However, Roberts managed to escape later that night, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. When the Templars arrived at the prison, they found Edward instead, who had just arrived with the intention of interrogating Roberts himself. Realizing he was an imposter, the Templars apprehended Edward and sent him to be taken with the Spanish Treasure Fleet as a prisoner.^[5]

Death[]

"Is petty larceny the extent of your ambition? Have you no mind to comprehend the scope of ours? All the empires on Earth, abolished! A free and opened world, without parasites like you! (May the hell you find be of your own making.)"

―Du Casse's final words to Edward, 1715.^[src]^-[m]

Following this turn of events, du Casse earned Torres' trust and was tasked with ensuring a constant flow of weapons, ammunition and gold to the Grand Master. As well as this, he was appointed captain of one of Torres' largest galleons, El Arca del Maestro, which du Casse would frequently dock in the natural cove of Great Inagua, his island hideout.^[6]^[2]

A Single Madman 8 — Du Casse's final moments

Unbeknownst to du Casse, Edward had escaped his imprisonment aboard the Spanish Treasure Fleet, and later sought to acquire El Arca del Maestro, so that it could be used as a defensive measure for the pirate republic of Nassau. To achieve this, and prevent news of his survival from getting back to the Templars, Edward infiltrated the island and bypassed du Casse's guards. While du Casse was busy preparing for another voyage, Edward snuck onto the vessel's rigging and struck the Templar from above.^[6]

As he lay dying, du Casse berated Edward for his small ambition and ignorance, calling him a "parasite", though the pirate ignored these words and took a key that was in du Casse's possession. Refusing to tell Edward about the key's function, du Casse cursed the pirate, before passing away.^[6] Edward would subsequently take over du Casse's hideout, renovating the village and manor, and collect the other four Templar keys to gain access to a special set of armor.^[7]

Trivia[]

The name Julien is a French variant of Julian, ultimately derived from the Greek ιουλος (ioulos), meaning "downy-bearded". Casse means "broken" or "imperfect" in French.
While Julien's character is fictional, his uncle Jean-Baptiste du Casse is not, and much of Julien's background appears to be based on that of Jean, as they are both French privateers who fought in the War of Spanish Succession.
In the novelization of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, du Casse cursed at Edward in English during his final moments, rather than in French as in the game.
Du Casse is one of the few Templars in the series known to possess at least one Hidden Blade, alongside Haytham Kenway, Shay Cormac and Francis Cotton.
Oddly, du Casse does not retrieve the Hidden Blades he gave to Edward after the latter's real identity is discovered. In the novel, du Casse took off Edward's Hidden Blades after he was captured and threw them off the ground.
In his database entry, it is stated that du Casse was appointed captain of El Arca del Maestro in July of 1717, despite his death occuring nearly two years earlier.