- Enok: "What's your favorite color?"
- Olga: "Red; the color blood of anger"
- ―Enok and Olga having a conversation, 1773
Olga Kosygina was a Russian Templar-courtesan who operated in the city of Trondheim, Denmark–Norway in the 18th century. She was a spy in the gutter of the later Master Templar Taran Gunnarson. When Enok Jytte was stationed in Norway by his father, Olga joined him on a mission to attack two Norwegian Assassins. After this, she and Taran left Trondheim in the hands of a Danish politician – whom also was a Templar ally – and traveled to Kristiansand. Here she served as Taran's concubine – and modern examination can tell Olga also became sterile, unable to get a child of her own.
| Olga Kosygina | |
|---|---|
| |
| Biographical information | |
| Born |
1750 |
| Died |
April 1785 (aged c. 35) |
| Political information | |
| Affiliations |
|
| Real-world information | |
| Appears in |
Assassin's Creed: Templar |
Biography []
Early life []
Childhood[]
Little is known of Olga's childhood, but like most other prostitutes, Olga most likely lived with some parents in the gutter of a city. In Olga's case, this would likely be Moscow: not many carried the name Kosygin (in a woman's case, Olga had to carry the letter "a" at the end of the family-name).
Youth[]
As many other courtesans, Olga most likely had some little siblings or some sick parents she needed to help. Since a woman could not do much in the conservative Russia, Olga turned to prostitution. At some point she must have been sick of this and got on a caravan that was to travel from the city, leaving her life and family.
Induction[]
The only thing that is sure about Olga are – from Templar records – that she was inducted into the Order as an 18-year-old. The ones who followed the induction were Swedish Templars. Before she could be sent out on missions however, Olga was taught in speaking more than Russian – such as English, Swedish and Danish.
Templar-affaires []
A scandal []
Serving as a spy for the Swedish Templar Rite, Olga was soon sent to the city of Stockholm. Here she seduced several politicians, and gave the Templars – and herself – a foot inside the royal court. The politicians soon discovered her affiliations with the secret group however and sent her away – along with the other Templars.
Because of this, Olga was expelled from the Swedish Rite. The way they did this, was that the Grand Master – Bernhard Larsson – hired a group of Norwegian mercenaries to attack the house where she lived and burn it … but not killing her. In order to not let the suspicion go over to him, Larsson told the mercenaries to dress themselves in white robes and hoods. The mercenaries did so, and attacked the house. They took her out in the street, tore apart her dress and raped her. Her naked body was left out on the street in the dark of the night while the house was being burned down. Thinking it was the Assassins' work, Olga soon went to the police station and charged her attackers. She got to the station dressed as a courtesan – she had got the clothes from another courtesan, who felt pity on her. But since Olga was dressed in this outfit, she was not taken seriously and were sent out on the street once again.
Olga had enough of this life. She served as a prostitute again to make herself a living. In 1771, Olga had got enough money to travel with a caravan to the city of Trondheim – and to buy herself food by them. But getting a horse to sit on was out of the question. She had to walk from Stockholm to Trondheim: 745km.
Trondheim []
In Trondheim, Olga soon became known with a man named Taran Gunnarson. Taran was a member of the Dane-Norwegian Templar Rite, and he lead a brothel in the city. Like the Assassins had done for centuries, Taran used it to gain information of the "bad guys" in the city, meaning the Assassins. Olga sold her body again. Now she was serving a new Templar Rite, while she was living in the gutter.
In 1773 she became known with a Dane: Enok Jytte.
One night, Enok met Olga at the meeting point: some ruins of a church. Olga was just done with a customer when she saw Enok. The two hugged each other before Olga drew Enok to a cottage. Olga was about to pull down her dress when Enok stopped her: "Where did you get the necklace from, Olga?" The woman took herself to it before telling him that it was symbol of a group she belonged in. They communicated through Russian – a language Enok had learned by his scholars. "The Templar Order?" Enok asked. Olga looked in his eyes: "How did you -" Enok told her to be silent before he showed her a Templar ring. Olga asked which rank he was in. Enok stated that he would most likely be a high-ranked member already if his father not had sent him to Norway – working for the Assassin Order. "Let us get back to my master's house … Not my brothel-master, but my Templar-boss. It will be safely to talk there." Enok and Olga went out of the cottage and walked through the dark city.
Soon they entered the more richer part of the city, and stood in front of a great and enormous house. Olga opened the gate and they walked up to the door. She knocked. A servant opened, and the two Templars entered. From the second floor, a male voice was calling out: "Who goes there?" Olga answered: "The Father of Understanding." The voice replied: "What are you doing here, Olga?" The man that soon showed himself at the top of the stairs, was dressed in red clothes: everything was red, from the hat to the shoes. Olga curtseyed before telling the Templar: "This man claims to be a Templar. I have talked with him on the way to your estate, and he shares our ideals through and through." The man studied Enok from bottom to top before saying: "Well, you don't seem to be an Assassin. Olga seems to trust you – although I don't value her words so much – and believe you to be a man that we can trust on. What's your name?" Enok told hm his name, and then the Templar told him his name: "Taran Gunnarson, Templar leader in the Dane-Norwegian Templar Rite. I'm not a Master Templar yet, but I will be." The three Templars – Enok, Olga and Taran – all went up to the second floor, where Taran showed Enok a wall. The wall – as well as the room – was covered with red threads and paintings.
Taran told Enok to find a chair. Enok did so, and Olga followed shortly after. "With my research I have done for quite some time, I have reason to belive that an Assassin that lived here in Norway sometime found an ancient artifact – possibly an Apple – and hid it. My uncle, bishop Gunnerus, have got some artifact himself from the Sami people." Taran found a rock-plate, where the engraving showed an octant with several different symbols and drawings. "I don't know what it is for, but every time I concentrate – trying to acknowledge my thoughts – I just relive the same memory. The Sami-people don't have another plate, but I need one more if I want to become a Master Templar." Olga explained: "Well, if we look on the Templar-archives, what do we find that is much like this?" Taran understood at the same time: "The Byzantine Templars wanted to get their hands on the library of the legendary Assassin Altaïr. In order to do this, they needed a set of keys that belonged to the latter. Of course, the keys was taken by the Italian Assassin da Firenze – and the Templars lost the battle to gain knowledge from Altaïr's library." The two Templars could see on Enok that he was lost. They began to explain: Altaïr had been a great Levantine Assassin during the Middle Ages, and he had a library with knowledge – after what the Templars knew. The Byzantine Templars – men and women who operated in the Ottoman Empire – had tried to locate five keys to open the library, but Ezio da Firenze – an Italian Assassin, whom also had brought down the Roman Rite of the Templar Order – had killed each Templar and regained the keys from tombs hidden under the city of Constantinople.
Later that night, Olga and Taran learned from Enok of the two Assassins that was to kill Taran's uncle, Johan Gunnerus. After discovering this fact, the three Templars planned a way to stop the Assassins. Enok knew that the Assassins was to execute their plan three days from now: 23rd September. If the Templars was to influence the northern part of Norway, the Sami people, and publish books to influence the people, they needed to stop the Assassins. Taran did not have a seat close to bishop Gunnerus, and Gunnerus' friends never wanted to have something to do with the first. Olga suggested a public gathering for the prostitutes at the given date, during which Gunnerus might come. The Assassins would follow, and the other women that worked that night would kill the attackers when the time came. Taran pointed out that his uncle would never meet a prostitute – rooted to the Clergy and it's religion as he were. Enok told Taran that a public gathering was a clever thought however. But the Templar leader refused, stating 'a social gathering was too risky'. Olga asked Enok which plans the attackers had created for the assassination.
Enok put all the cards on the table. If he wanted Olga and Taran to trust him, he needed to be honest. Olga asked again. Enok answered that the Assassins had hired some members of the Sami people to "do their stuff" in front of bishop Gunnerus. During this, Ulrikke would take the books and the intellectual work while Ingrid – disguised as a Sami – would kill him by giving him some poisoned flowers. The poison would cover the hand, and it would get into his body through the skin. Hours later, the poison would get to the heart and make it stop beating. It was a quite delicate plan. Now it was time to prevent it. In order to not let the Assassins raise any suspicion, Enok would follow Ingrid and Ulrikke. The Assassins did not knew about Taran and Olga, so it would be easy-peasy to blend in the crowd – because Taran knew that his uncle always had a retinue of other members of the Clergy or young students. Olga only needed to be dressed in other clothes, and with a dagger hidden under them.
The next days, waiting for the Assassins' time to strike, Olga spent her time to train with a dagger that was granted to her by Taran. She also gathered some of her closest friends and colleagues to the attack.
Kristiansand[]
Death[]
One night, when Olga and Taran was sleeping together, they heard a window break. Taran got out of the bed and ran down the hallway. Olga put on an easy dress and grabbed a pistol. She followed him. At the same time when she came after him, she were hit in the head. Everything became black.
When Olga wake up again, she sat in a cell. The bars showed her she was sitting on a ship. When she rose from her sitting place and looked through the porthole, she saw the port of Kristiansand. Men and women were passing her. She tried to scream, but at the same time a shadow moved. She turned around and saw a woman with a blue-gray hood sitting and looking on her. From the light of the candles, Olga knew it was Ingrid Dermasdatter from her time in Trondheim.
The docks
The following month, Olga had been raped by each member of the ship at least three times, even by Ingrid at one occasion. One day, Olga was taken by a crew-member and up in the sun. She did not knew what had happened. She had tried to call for help each day, but when she got on deck, Olga saw why no one had wanted to help her. She was being held on a prisoner ship. The Assassin was talking with one of the crew-members when she saw Olga coming up towards her. "Is this payback for Trondheim, Ingrid?" Olga asked in partly broken Norwegian. Ingrid grinned, stating following: "Yes, it is. But I have not plans on kill you … yet. You are just the bait, my dear. I want to go for the big fish. The one who screwed up the mission in Trondheim all those years ago." Olga remembered: "Enok." Ingrid snapped: "YES!! Enok is the reason the Norwegian Brotherhood have fallen. His Templar-friends back in Copenhagen treat us Norwegians like tools – nothing more." Olga tried to escape, but the crew-member restrained her. "So, to make sure Enok now leave the life of the Templar Order – and his own – I have given him a choice. He can either choose to save you, or your precious friend: Taran. If he does not arrive at sunset, the sun will go down for the last time for you too, dear." Olga was shocked, but still not that surprised. She was a Templar, and Ingrid an Assassin. It was in their nature; not the Assassins, but the method. An Assassin did not care for a Templar – and vice versa. "Why did you brought me up here, Ingrid?" The Assassin grinned again: "To let you see the sun one last time."
Olga Kosygina being murdered
Olga watched the sun. She had not realized it before now. It was already sunset. Enok were nowhere to be found. Ingrid gave a sign to the crew-member. The man took up his dagger and placed it at Olga's throat. Warm, red liquid went from the throat of Olga Kosygina to the floor of the ship. A voice screaming was the last thing she heard before thing became blurry and then black.
Relationships[]
Templars[]
Assassins []
Victims[]
(23rd September, 1773)
Trivia []
- Olga is a diminutive of the feminine Helga. From the Old Norse name Helgi, derived from heilagr meaning "holy, blessed".