- "All of you Assassins tell how you are so proud of your integrity and freedom – yet doubting your leaders’ words is a crime."
- ―Josèphine to her killers, 1795
Josèphine Chevrier (1767-1795) was a French woman who lived during the French Revolution. Josèphine grew up as a prosititute for most of her life before joining the Templars and became a helpful spy for them during the Revolution.
| Josèphine Chevrier | |
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| Biographical information | |
| Born |
January 19, 1767 |
| Died |
1795 |
| Political information | |
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| Real-world information | |
| Appears in | |
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Biography[]
Early Life[]
Josèphine Chevrier was born on January 19, 1767, to a poor family with little to no money in their pockets. Josèphine's father was killed by thieves when she was only three years old and her mother was left to raise Josèphine on her own. Josèphine's mother decided to get a job that Josèphine didn't know about, but it involved random men showing up at their house and they and her mother would go into her mother's bedroom for a couple hours before leaving. Josèphine was forced to constantly hear her mother arguing with visiting men, at one point she heard screaming coming from the room, but Josèphine was told by her mother to never come into the room under any circumstances. When the screaming stopped, the man left and Josèphine walked into the room to find her mother crying. Eventually, when Josèphine was 9 years old, her mother took her to the market to get supplies for the house. Josèphine's mother then told her to sit down on a nearby bench and wait there, and Josèphine did what she was told. Josèphine's mother then left to get what she wanted, but never came back for Josèphine. Josèphine was then forced to accept that her mother abandoned her and began to live in the streets. During her time in the streets, Josèphine struggled to survive at first, but was able to get by thanks to some kind-hearted strangers. As Josèphine grew older and more mature, she began to realize that she could use her looks to get whatever she wanted, so she did. Josèphine would go up to random men with money or food and give them a little bit of love, before walking away after a few minutes having just stolen whatever she wanted. When she was 20 years old, Josèphine became a member of a local brothel and worked there for a time and she was very successful, mostly because men who either didn't pay her enough or at all would go missing. Change would finally come for Josèphine in 1792.
Joining The Templars[]
On August 28, 1792, Josèphine was taking a walk in the city in the hopes of getting more clients to work with, but many people couldn't afford her thanks to the revolution going on. At one point, a man wearing white robes with a hood up walked up behind Josèphine and slapped her lower back and kept on walking. Josèphine followed the man, put her shoulder on him and turned him around. Josèphine told the man that that was rude and to apologize. The man put his hand near Josèphine and a blade came out of his wrist, causing her to back off. The man decreed that he feared nothing, especially not women. Josèphine went into her acting mode and said she was sorry and offered to make him feel better. Josèphine walked up to the man, put his hood down and kissed him. Josèphine then stabbed the man in the stomach with her dagger and laid him down as he died. Josèphine then heard clapping from her right and stood up quickly with knife drawn. Josèphine saw the clapping came from a tall man in a red coat and military hat. The man spoke in an English accent and told Josèphine that he wasn't a threat and that he just wanted to talk. Josèphine decided to trust the man and sheathed her dagger and asked what he wanted. The man explained that he was a Templar named Frederick Downcastle and explained how the man she killed was an Assassin, who were the mortal enemies of the Templars. Josèphine listened to Downcastle explain the philosophy of both Assassins and Templars, and Josèphine alligned more with the Templar's philosphy, while she did believe that people should make their own choices, she also agreed that complete freedom can lead to absolute chaos. Josèphine officially decided to become a Templar and Downcastle knew that she would be a great spy for them.
Life As a Templar[]
Josèphine spent the next few years serving as a successful spy for them. Since she was a former prostitute, Josèphine could get into any man's house if they were under Templar suspicion, and kill them if needed. One of Josèphine's missions was given to her by Downcastle himself. Downcastle informed Josèphine of a man named Auguste Durand who was a Templar himself. When Josèphine asked why he needed to die, Downcastle corrected her, saying he just wanted her get into his home and look for information needed. Downcastle then explained that many troops and funds he needed in the past weeks would either go missing or come very late, and Durand was master of coin in the Order, as well as the provider of soldiers. So Downcastle wanted Josèphine to go to his home and find any information of deception. Josèphine agreed and waited as Downcastle wrote a letter to Durand, stating that he had done a great job as a Templar and wanted to reward him using Josèphine. A few days later, Downcastle told Josèphine Durand's address and wished her luck. Josèphine got to the given address at around 6:30 pm and was greeted by Durand, who looked to be in his forties with the clothes of a high noble. Durand welcomed Josèphine in and she was astonished by the pure wonder of his home, full of luxuries and animal pelts from hunting. Durand then led Josèphine into a room with one bed and lit only by candles and Durand got into the bed. Josèphine then decided to ask Durand if he had any alcohol to get him distracted. Durand sighed in annoyance, but didn't want to lose his reward for hard work, so he went downstairs to get some alcohol. Josèphine took the opportunity to get to Durand's study and look around for anything that showed signs of disloyalty. After frantically looking through different documents, Josèphine found nothing and was on the verge of giving up, when she spotted a seal that belonged to the Jacobins. Josèphine picked it up and it was a letter that was given to Durand, explaining that the money intended for Downcastle had benefitted them well and thanked Durand for it in the first place. Josèphine found another letter that detailed how the Jacobins had killed most of the troops that were intended for Downcastle. The final letter Josèphine explained to Durand that the plan was almost complete and that Downcastle would soon be no more. Josèphine gathered the evidence and turned around to get back to the bedroom, but was halted when she Durand glaring at her at the door. Josèphine was helpless to do anything as Durand charged at her and began strangling her. Josèphine struggled by punching him in the face or anything, but to no avail. Josèphine hungered for air and could feel herself fading, but before she could, she reached for her dagger stabbed Durand in the stomach. Durand's grip around Josèphine's neck weakened, so Josèphine kept on stabbing him in the stomach until he finally died. Josèphine took multiple gasps for air and picked up the letters, and got back to Downcastle. Downcastle decided to reward Josèphine by buying her a house that was much better than she one she was living in at the time. Josèphine was grateful for this and looked to the future.
Death[]
The next few months were full of happiness for Josèphine, she had gotten a new house and no longer lived at the brothel she worked at. Downcastle gave her more assignments that didn't require her talents as a prostitute. One day in 1795, Josèphine was going to the market to get groceries and nothing seemed suspicious, nothing out of the ordinary. When Josèphine was walking back to her house, she noticed a man in a straw hat a few paces in front of her. Normally, Josèphine would think he was just a random bystander, but the way he seemed to be looking at her made Josèphine feel a bit uncomfortable. Josèphine decided to turn the other way and walk away when a bird cry was echoed throughout the city. Josèphine paused to wonder what that was, when a woman jumped on top of her and stabbed her in the chest with her hidden blades. Josèphine looked up and found herself speaking with Marie Anne Étienne d'Le Louroux and Louis la Mort. The three exchanged a few words before Josèphine passed from this world.
Last Words[]
Marie Anne: "It is done. You will no longer terrorize the poor souls of Paris. They will now be liberated from your schemes."
Chevrier: "My schemes? I’ve only done my devoir (duty) as a Templar. I’ve enlightened those who didn’t knew their role and place. I’ve made sure that my fellow-citizens won’t be held down by suppressors, rather letting them go free and let the Revolution disperse."
La Mort: "What you call enlightenment, what you call guidance; we call cold-blooded murder."
Chevrier: "If you referring to Auguste Durand, I can tell that I killed him out of orders I was given by my master. Why should I go against his words? Maybe I followed his orders more or less blindly, but aren’t the Assassins doing exactly the same? You’re never questioning the Assassin Council, only following their orders – and you do it blindly. All of you Assassins tell how you are so proud of your integrity and freedom – yet doubting your leaders’ words is a crime."
Marie Anne: "We aren’t questioning them, because unlike the Templars who seek control, the Assassin Council take people to train them, and make them take care of themselves."
La Mort: "Certes (indeed), and if someone join the Templar-ranks, they’re selling themselves to the Order. Afraid for their lives, they cannot leave the Templars."
Chevrier: "Oh give me a break, would you. If the Assassins go against their rulers, they are being expelled – and it doesn’t take long before the one so passionate Assassin Council hunt the turncoats down and murder them. So, if we compare those factions, we see that many of out goals and methods are not so different. The Templars seek order through peace, the Assassins seek peace through order. Knowing this, was my death a step to order, or a step to peace?"
Chevrier succumbed to her wounds.
La Mort: "With the death of you, the Brotherhood has taken a step to freedom."
Marie Anne: "Yet, to free Paris from the Templars, or to take the control for ourselves."
Trivia[]
- "Josèphine" is the French feminine form of "Joseph".
- "Chevrier" is the name of a commune in south-eastern France.