Assassin's Creed Wiki Fanon Wiki
Register
Advertisement
"If I remember correctly, you called her worthless eleven years ago, and even threatened to banish her. But no, she was sent to Crawley, worked her tail off in Crawley, and proved herself to be a worthy Master Assassin. She saved our asses in Constantinople, yet you still have the audacity to criticize her?"
―François arguing with Trenet, 1837
François Charles Dorian
Thumbnail OC commission François - color
Master Assassin François Charles Dorian c. June 1863
Art done by i_am_the_vigilante_ on Instagram
Biographical information
Born

October 7th, 1799
Paris, First French Republic

Died

December 10th, 1886
Saint-Denis, Third French Republic

Political information
Affiliations

Assassins

  • French Brotherhood
Real-world information
Appears in
  • Elise Trilogy (As an infant)
  • Tour of Versailles (As an infant)
  • The Infernal Machine (As an infant)
  • The Ottoman Stories (As a child)
  • United in the Afterlife (As a child)
  • Rise of the Master Assassin
  • The Return Home
  • Tour of Paris
  • Journey to Constantinople
  • The Birth of Alana Rose
  • Expedition to Greece

François Charles Dorian (1799-1886) was a Master Assassin of the French Brotherhood of Assassins, working out of Paris from 1823 to 1840, and Saint-Denis from 1841 to 1868. François was the first born son of the Assassins Elise de la Serre and Arno Dorian, and the older brother of the British Master Assassin Juliette Marie Dorian. Francois was known for his time in the American Civil War, where he served as a Union spy under Major Generals William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant, as well as his espionage during the Vicksburg Campaign which led to the Union's capture of the Confederate stronghold and his participation in Sherman's famed March to the Sea. François is of French, Austrian, and British descent. He is an ancestor of French Master Assassin Isabelle Allard.

Francois was Isabelle's great-great grandfather and a Second Generation member of the Dorian Family.

Early Life and Assassin Beginnings[]

François Charles Dorian was born on a quiet October night in 1799. Not much is known about François' early years, but it is known that he accompanied his mother Elise to London in November of 1800, a trip that François himself said solidified his love for his mother, and his love for traveling. In December of 1800, François accompanied his parents to Versailles. Upon visiting his grandfather's grave, François ran his hands along his grandfather's name, which brought his mother to tears. In 1803, François traveled with his parents to the United States, and met the legendary American Assassin Connor. While at the Davenport Homestead, François befriended Connor's youngest daughter, Io:nhiòte, and played toys around the homestead under the watch of Clipper Wilkinson while Elise and Arno were away, and while Connor was working on Assassin business. Later on, François accompanied Connor, Io:nhiòte, and his parents to Rome, and spent time with Connor aboard the Aquila, while Elise and Arno confronted Shay Cormac. Upon their arrival in France, François met his grandmother, Marie Dorian for the first time. Shortly after meeting his Grandmother, Francois accompanied his mother to the de la Serre residence, to visit the tomb of Adrienne de la Serre, an ancestor on his mother's side who fought in the Siege of Orleans, alongside Joan of Arc . In 1808, François witnessed the birth of his sister, Juliette. Shortly after his tenth birthday, François began to study in the ways of the Creed, under the tutelage of his parents. After successfully completing his physical training, François received his Hidden Blade at the age of eighteen. He would go on to earn his rank of Master Assassin six years later, at the age of twenty-four.

Master Assassin[]

Thumbnail OC-AC - François Dorian

Master Assassin Portrait of Francois Charles Dorian, aged 23, December 1822.

François' first solo mission as a Master Assassin came in 1826, where he was tasked by Mentor Sophie Trenet to investigate the Paris Catacombs in search of A Satanic Cult harassing the citizens of Paris. While he was investigating the catacombs in search of the cult's headquarters, he came across a couple of cultists whipping a young brown-haired woman within an inch of her life. François killed the two cultists, rescued her, and returned her to her home, where she introduced herself as Marie Albertine. Upon returning Marie to her home, François continued his investigation in the catacombs. Inside the catacombs, François was unsuccessful in finding the leader of the cult, but was successful in obtaining his location. The next day, François traveled to the catacomb entrance near the Tuileries. Upon his arrival, François was ambushed by cultists. Among the ambushing cultists was their leader. François found this out through his mild form of Eagle Vision. After defeating the cultists in fierce combat, François returned to Marie Albertine's house to check in on her. Marie agreed to let François stay the night with her.

François returned to the Assassin headquarters just iin time to witness an argument between his mother and Trenet. Beylier informed François that Juliette had failed a critical mission, which forced Elise to come out of the shadows and kill Juliette's target for her, which also severely wounded her and forced her into eventual retirement. After their heated argument, it was stated that Juliette would be heading to Crawley, to train under a close friend of Elise's. François was among the first to bid Juliette farewell before she entered her carriage to Cherbourg. Shortly after Juliette left, François fell into a deep depression. He put his career as an Assassin on hold, and spent time with Marie, who comforted him in his time of need. Along with spending time with Marie, François would develop an addiction to opium to cope with Juliette leaving, and in turn worsened his depression, distancing himself from his parents. He would spend time between Marie and the Paris opium house, until Marie realized his addiction was ruining his life. Marie noticed that he would go to great lengths to obtain the drug, even attempting to steal opium from the opium house he was kicked out of. He was kicked out of the opium house after getting into a fight with another user. He found himself on the streets of Paris shortly after, with Marie's father kicking him out in 1827, and forbid Marie to see him, due to his opium abuse. After getting kicked out of Marie's residence, Francois turned to the local brothels, looking to score with the local prostitutes. Upon hearing about Francois' behavior, Marie disobeyed her father, and went to Cafe Theatre in early 1828, to talk to Francois' mother, Elise. Elise and Marie looked all over Paris for him. The pair of them eventually found Francois within Le Marais, with long, greasy unkempt hair, and an uncharacteristic beard, shouting at some passersby demanding some opium. Elise stepped in, and protected the citizens. Elise demanded an answer from Francois as to why he assaulted the citizens. Before he could say anything, Marie appeared at his mother's side, and after looking up at her, Francois burst into tears. Marie agreed to take Francois back to Cafe Theatre, clean him up, and help him fight addiction. By 1829, François was clean from opium and resumed his activities with the French Assassin Brotherhood. His first order of business was to induct Marie into the Assassin Brotherhood, where he took her as his first apprentice.

Reunion with Juliette[]

In the year 1837, Elise received a letter from the Ottoman Assassin Celim Alona, stating that she needed the help of two Assassins to assist her in Constantinople. Elise hand-picked François to go to Constantinople, but needed the help of another Assassin. François suggested Elise bring Juliette to Paris. Elise obliged, and wrote to Leonard Frye, Juliette's Mentor. Within a couple of days, François went to Cherbourg personally to pick up his sister. Upon meeting each other again, François and Juliette hugged each other. François escorted Juliette to his carriage, and got her to Paris. Due to their parents being in their meetings, François gave Juliette a tour of Paris, where their parents performed heroic acts for the Assassins. The pair made a visit to the de la Serre estate, where they discovered letters that were written by their parents during the French Revolution. François took possession of Elise's letters, while Juliette took Arno's letters. Upon their arrival at the Assassin headquarters, François and Juliette were informed about their mission to Constantinople by their mother and father. François was also present when Trenet denied that Elise gave François and Juliette any information on the mission. Juliette was angered by Trenet's claim, and François had to calm her down. Later on that same evening, François and Juliette began their journey to Constantinople. After a five day journey, François and Juliette arrived in Constantinople, and met up with the Ottoman Assassin Celim Alona. After meeting at Celim's residence, the three Assassins made their way to the Yeteraban Cistern, to recover the documents left there by Celim's uncle, Dashan Alona. After making their way through the cistern, they entered the room containing the documents. While in the room, Juliette mistakenly activated the Piece of Eden, which projected a holographic projection, showing Ottoman soldiers leading hordes of men, women, and children out into the desert to die. With it, a voice bellowed an ominous warning.

"The Great Cleansing under the Crescent Moon shall begin under the Thirty-Fifth Sultan of Osman's Blood."

François, Juliette, and Celim stood dumbfounded at what they had witnessed (They witnessed a death march in the Armenian Genocide, an event that would happen 78 years in the future). After exiting the vault with the documents, they were ambushed by Alain Chemar, the Ottoman Templar Grand Master, and his men. After Chemar and his men were taken care of, François, Juliette, and Celim made their escape. Despite being detected again, their escape was successful, as Juliette shot a powder keg, dislodging some boulders to separate them from the Templars. Shortly after, François and Juliette followed Celim back to her home, where they rested for their journey back to France.

Thumbnail francois 02

Francois in action, 1837.

After their five day journey back to Paris, François and Juliette presented the documents to Arno, Elise, and Trenet. The three council members showed praise for the two Assassins, until Trenet criticized Juliette for her escape tactic. After a heated argument between Trenet and Juliette, Trenet barred Juliette from helping the French Brotherhood. Juliette angrily left the headquarters, with François in tow. He bid Juliette farewell, and both siblings promised to write to each other. After Juliette's departure, François went back down to the Headquarters to question Trenet.

  • Trenet: Monsieur Dorian. What can I do for you?
  • Francois: Why did you do that?
  • Trenet: Do what, Francois?
  • Francois: You spoke ill of my sister in front of myself and our parents, and I would like to know why.
  • Trenet: She spoke ill of me! She had it coming. Now François, I have a...
  • Francois: She had it coming? You spoke ill of her and treated her like absolute shit when she was last here eleven years ago, and you continued right where you left off when she returned! If I remember correctly, you called her worthless eleven years ago, and even threatened to banish her. But no, she was sent to Crawley, worked her tail off in Crawley, and proved herself to be a worthy Master Assassin. She saved our asses in Constantinople, yet you still have the audacity to criticize her?
  • Trenet: How can one criticize the stated truth, François? Once a menace, always a menace. It seems that she takes after her father's youth, hm?
  • Francois: Juliette is NOT a menace!
  • Trenet: I have heard enough. I was going to give you a task, but now my mind has changed. Please leave, François.

François left the room, enraged with what he had heard. He sat down in his room, and began to write in his journal, to keep his mind occupied on better things, rather than let depression hit him hard, much like when Juliette left the first time. After Juliette left, François didn't use opium, and instead visited several locations that Juliette and himself visited in their youth, visiting the de la Serre estate and the docks of Marseille. This is where Francois picked up his poetry again, this time writing about his addiction, and the dangers it brought upon him. In February of 1838, Sophie Trenet tasked François with a mission in Norway involving some a cult of church arsonists being paid off by Templars. François accepted the mission, and travelled to Norway. François has stated in his journals that this particular mission was 'the easiest mission he had done', as the leader was 'foolish enough to reveal himself' during a church arson, where François succeeded in assassinating him. François was back within a couple of weeks, and helped his wife raise their young son and daughter.

Member of the Council & Later Years[]

In the year 1839, after assassinating a Templar-influenced politician, François was awarded a spot on the French Assassin Council, alongside Bettina Percee and his parents, replacing the elderly Sophie Trenet, much to her chagrin. Under the Dorian Family, the French Assassin Brotherhood flourished, where they began to train new initiates in the ways of the Creed, and gained allies in French society, such as the middle class and politics. François would preside over the Council, alongside his parents and his wife, Marie, until 1847, where his parents went to live in Crawley with Juliette. Shortly after obtaining his spot on the Council, François and his family relocated to a small home in Saint-Denis, while maintaining Assassin duties in Paris. In the year 1840, François infiltrated the Basilica of Saint-Denis, to investigate the Isu Temple underneath, just like his father had forty-six years earlier, and would shut it after his exploration. In 1848, François and Juliette would go to Italy to tour the cities of Florence, Forli, Venice, and Rome with their families to witness the places where Ezio Auditore roamed in the 15th and 16th centuries.

A Promised Peace[]

In 1849, the news was rapidly spreading throughout the Parisian Assassins that Juliette was making her return to Paris in order to broker a truce with Trenet to bring an end to their feud. Awaiting their arrival inside the Cafe Theatre, Francois was surprised to see that Juliette had not arrived. A few days later, a letter from her husband Samuel arrived at the Cafe, much to Francois and Marie's surprise. In the letter, Samuel informed Francois that they were ambushed when they arrived in Calais by some thugs and that they took Juliette away with them. Samuel informed them that they were staying at a social club not far from the Palais de Justice.

Francois and Marie set out to meet him. Arriving at the social club, Francois and Marie were greeted by Samuel and his daughter Alana. Samuel filled them in on what had happened. Francois informed Samuel that they were beset upon by the Butchers of Paris, a gang that has been causing nothing but trouble in the northern regions of France. Samuel asked Francois and Marie if they could investigate, to which the Assassins would agree to do.

Later on in the night, Francois and Marie investigated the catacombs. After what seemed like hours, Marie came across a shocking sight. Juliette was unconscious and chained to a wall with a sign around her neck. Francois sent Marie to fetch the key while he deciphered the sign around her neck. The sign stated that a 'Monsieur J.F' and Sophie Trenet ordered her capture with the intent of letting her die in the catacombs. Marie returned with the key, which she had to obtain from killing her father. The two Assassins freed Juliette and rushed back to the Parisian Assassin headquarters.

Once Juliette returned to consciousness, Francois and Marie informed her and Samuel that Marie's father and Sophie Trenet had conspired the proposed peace settlement to capture Juliette in Calais and let her die chained up in the catacombs where no one would find her. The group went to the police station, where Juliette, Francois, and Marie all gave witness statements. The next day, Sophie Trenet was arrested for the attempted murder of Juliette. With Trenet arrested and awaiting trial, Juliette thanked Francois for everything, and her family made their return to Crawley. For his efforts, fellow Assassins named him the interim Mentor of the Brotherhood, later becoming Mentor in 1851, a title he would hold until 1861.

His first act as Mentor was to open up relations with the British Brotherhood, allowing Juliette to assist the Parisian Brotherhood again.

Role in the Siege of Sevastopol[]

In 1855, Francois assisted the French forces during the Siege of Sevastopol. His sister Juliette met up with his forces, and together they cornered Russian Artillery General and Templar Mikhail Gorchakov behind enemy lines. Francois and Juliette ordered him to write to two diplomats, with the wish of signing the Treaty of Paris. If Francois saw no Russian diplomats in Paris, Francois would find him and end him.

Visit to the United States[]

Francois

FRancois Charles Dorian, c. July 1842.

In September of 1861, Francois received a letter from the recently elected President of the United States Abraham Lincoln, wishing he would visit him in the White House on the pressing matters of possible civil war. Francois, along with Marie, traveled to Washington DC, where he met up with Lincoln, his cabinet, and unbeknownst to him, his sister Juliette. During their discussion, it was decided that Francois would assist Generals Grant and Sherman out west in an attempt to take Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, whereas Juliette would stay as an advisor to Lincoln and work alongside the Army of the Potomac. Shortly after, Francois traveled out to Kentucky and met up with Grant, where he participated in the battles of Fort Henry and Donelson. During the Battle of Fort Donelson, Francois was wounded after taking a shot to the leg, and would return to Washington DC to receive treatment. Back in DC, Francois would catch up with Juliette and Alana, as well as the war effort on the Eastern Front, and would return to Grant's army in March of 1863 as they planned their assault on Vicksburg, eventually arriving at the city in May, laying siege to it. Francois managed to infiltrate behind Confederate lines and get a view of the scenario, noticing that there was a weak spot in their defenses, and signaled to Grant to launch another assault on the city, where Grant successfully broke the siege and took Vicksburg, cutting the Confederacy in half, with Grant personally congratulating him for the role he played in the capture of the city. Later on, he would send Francois to join General Sherman on what would become the general's famed 'March to the Sea'. Shortly after, Francois would suffer a minor heart attack, but would make a quick recovery.

Francois and his sister would be present at the funeral of Abraham Lincoln, he would return to France after the end of the War and would keep in touch with both Grant and Sherman.

Later years[]

Thumbnail oc AC-old Juliette and François

Francois with his sister Juliette in his Saint-Denis home in what would be their final meeting together, July 26th, 1883.

François would visit his sister in Crawley on multiple occasions. Letters state that François visited his sister in Crawley in 1858, 1859, and 1866. She would return the visits in 1869, 1872, 1876, and 1883. He eventually visited her in London in 1872, four years after Liberation of London from Templar hands by Evie and Jacob Frye. François would hold onto his position on the Assassin Council until he retired from the Assassin Order in 1868, at the age of 69.

François would retire to his home in Saint-Denis, where he would continue to write poetry. François also took up gardening in his retirement years. He would have another heart attack in 1884, a few short days before his birthday. François Charles Dorian would quietly pass away in his sleep on December 10th, 1886. He was 87 years old. He is buried alongside his mother, father, and sister in the family crypt in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. It was later revealed that Francois passed away from a MRSA infection on the back of his left leg that he was completely unaware of.

Skills & Weapons[]

As an Assassin, François possessed a multitude of weaponry and tools to assist him in his missions. François possessed the Hidden Blade, the signature weapon of the Assassins, and a French Cutlass that was owned by his mother in her early years as an Assassin. For tools, François possessed throwing knives, smoke bombs, cherry bombs, and poison gas bombs in his arsenal.

Under the watchful eye of his father, François' climbing and free-running flourished, as he could climb up the faces of Paris buildings with ease, and leap across rooftops with incredible grace and height. It was rumored that François climbed the Pantheon in five minutes, with his wife as a witness.

Francois had a deep understanding of Military Strategy and tactics, and was both praised and criticized for supporting General Sherman's scorched earth tactics that weakened the Confederacy.

Personal Life[]

Growing up, François was described as a 'multi-talented' young man, as François enjoyed writing music and poetry. He was also described as compassionate, wise beyond his years, and a jokester from time to time.

He also enjoyed traveling to exotic places outside of Paris, such as Egypt, India, and even the young country of Canada in his free time. He has stated that his love for travel began when he accompanied his mother to London when he was a year old.

François Dorian married Marie Albertine in 1830 in a small, intimate ceremony in Versailles. François and Marie first met in 1826, after François saved Marie from sadistic Cultists, and recruited her into the Assassin Brotherhood shortly after. Francois credits Marie as 'the angel who saved him from death.' Francois and Marie welcomed a son named Michel into the world on February 24th, 1831. Marie bore Francois a daughter, named Gabrielle Elise Dorian on September 8th, 1838. Gabrielle would be the only one of Francois' children to join the Brotherhood. Trained by her parents, she achieved the rank of Master Assassin in the year 1865, while Michel provided the Assassin Brotherhood with funds, as he took over Cafe Theatre in 1861 when his father went to fight in the American Civil War.

François cared deeply about everyone, whether it be family members or members of the French Brotherhood. He was extremely close to his sister, Juliette. He took her side on every argument she had with Sophie Trenet. When Trenet barred Juliette from assisting the French Brotherhood, Francois would write to her in secret, and let her know about what has happening in France.

François also had a strong relationship with his mother, Elise. François looked up to her as an Assassin, and did the best he could to be like her. He was also present in Crawley at his mother's bedside at the time of her passing in 1860. According to Juliette, François wept for several hours without leaving his mother's bedside, while holding her hand.

When he wasn't dealing with Assassin business or politics, Francois could be found reading books on military strategy.

Trivia[]

  • François was named by Elise after his grandfather and her father, Francois de la Serre. His middle name, Charles, is a homage to Charles Dorian, Arno's father.
  • François was given the nickname 'l'enfant sauvage', which means 'The Wild Child' in French, due to his playfully erratic behavior as a child.
  • His friends called him 'Rooster' when he was younger because of his red hair color.
  • François had a fascination with ships, which started when he looked at a model of Edward Kenway's ship, the Jackdaw while visiting the Kenway Mansion with his mother, when he was a year old.
  • François was a multi-instrumentalist. François could play the guitar, flute, trumpet, and the violin.
  • Some of François' pieces of poetry, such as Coat of Arms and Undying Vengeance are highly praised by French poets.
  • Many of François' works of poetry were centered around his addiction to Opium, and the harm it did to him.
  • Francois' favorite beer was Steigl.
  • François was deeply fascinated by the lore of the Creed, specifically the origins of the Brotherhood in Rome under Amunet. He also visited her tomb in Hotep's Cavern in Egypt several times.
  • François also possesses the rare sixth sense, known as Eagle Vision, but in a much milder form.
  • François was heavily inspired by Billy Corgan, Maynard James Keenan, and Layne Staley.
  • The artworks on this page were done by bbsketchess on Instagram, as well as Timaeus (timayonnaise on Instagram), and Melanie (i_am_the_vigilante) on Instagram.
Advertisement