Thomas de Carneillon (1276 – 1323) was a banker and a Master Assassin, then the Mentor of the French Brotherhood of Assassins during the late Middle Ages. Alongside his allies, he engineered the Templars' public downfall in the early 14th century, driving the Assassins' longtime enemies underground and forcing them to operate in secrecy after having existed as a public organization for nearly two centuries.
Biography[]
Attack on the Temple[]
A banker from the Republic of Metz, Thomas joined the French Brotherhood of Assassins and eventually rose to the rank of Master Assassin. While fighting against Templar influence in France and other parts of Europe, he befriended several fellow Assassins from the Italian Brotherhood, including Marco Polo, Dante Alighieri, and Dante's pupil Domenico.[1]
At the dawn of the 14th century, Thomas participated in the plot to destroy the Templars. He was present during the preparations for this act, during which the Mentor Guillaume de Nogaret succeeded in convincing King Philip IV and Pope Clement V to brand the Templars as heretics and arrest their Grand Master, Jacques de Molay. Thomas did not share his brothers' enthusiasm, fearing that de Nogaret's plan would not lead to the Templars' destruction but instead push them into the shadows and strengthen them,[2] similar to how the Mongol Empire had unknowingly bolstered the Levantine Assassins' operations by forcing them to work covertly following the fall of Masyaf in 1257.[3]
Thomas attempting to assassinate the Templar
Nevertheless, Thomas provided King Philip with a contingent of Assassins disguised as Flemish mercenaries in order to attack the Parisian Temple in October 1307. During the attack, Thomas attempted to steal de Molay's Sword of Eden and his personal journal, the Codex Pater Intellectus, but his efforts were halted by a Templar Knight who served as the Grand Master's advisor.[4]
During their duel, the advisor managed to fight off Thomas and reclaim the Sword of Eden; Thomas attempted to retaliate but was blasted away by the artifact's power. The advisor then managed to hide the manuscript and the Sword in a secret vault underneath the Temple, but was killed by Thomas once the Assassin had regained consciousness.[4]
Later life[]
Despite his failure to retrieve de Molay's codex and Sword of Eden, Thomas' campaign successfully destroyed the Templars' public image and drove their Order underground. He subsequently spent a decade traveling throughout Europe with other Assassins in eradicating any Templar remnants which operated openly. He later became the French Assassins' new Mentor, though he would eventually die from illness in Venice in the spring of 1323, after decades spent serving the Brotherhood.[1]
Legacy[]
Hervé Quemar and Arno Dorian looking at Thomas' armor
In the centuries following his death, Thomas rose to a legendary status among the French Assassins. During the 16th century, a vault commemorating his accomplishments was constructed in the Parisian underground. The vault housed his Assassin robes, an heirloom which was protected by puzzles and enigmas invented by Nostradamus.[5]
According to legend, Thomas' armor was destined to an Assassin who would perform a great service for France and the Brotherhood, but the three keys required to open the vault were lost two centuries prior to Arno Dorian's discovery of the vault during the French Revolution.[5]
In November 2014, a Helix initiate relived the genetic memories of Jacques the Molay's advisor, experiencing his encounter with Thomas during the raid on the Parisian Temple in 1307.[4] Thomas' database entry created by Abstergo Industries described him and his associates as simple bankers, but after the initiate joined the Assassins, the Brotherhood's historian Shaun Hastings modified the database entry to reveal the truth of Thomas' Assassin affiliations.[1]
In October 2016, during a conversation between Alan Rikkin and Victoria Bibeau, Rikkin noted that Abstergo had no knowledge of any French Assassin Mentors during the 14th century besides Thomas. He then cleared Bibeau, who was working with Simon Hathaway exploring the memories of Simon's ancestor Gabriel Laxart, to search for any mentions of Mentors in Laxart's memories so long as the pair did not lose sight of their objective.[6]
Behind the scenes[]
Thomas de Carnellion's robes bear similarities to the ones worn by the Master Assassins of the Levantine Brotherhood near the end of the 12th century. However, the robes' representation is inconsistent in Assassin's Creed: Unity. The ones worn by Thomas in 1307 appeared to be dark brown with lighter stripes, the ones in the Helix database are dark red with ornate patterns, while those recovered by Arno are dark blue with square patterns.
Thomas assassinated Jacques de Molay's advisor with his right hand, despite not possessing a visible second Hidden Blade.
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed: Unity (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Heresy (mentioned only)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: Thomas de Carneillon
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: Journal of Thomas de Carneillon, October 12, 1307
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Passing the Torch
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Assassin's Creed: Unity – The Tragedy of Jacques de Molay
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Assassin's Creed: Unity – Explore the Café Théâtre
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Heresy – Chapter 6