- "Only God can guide a ship on it's voyage, not a priest. "
- ―Olivier discussing religion with a customer, 1772
| Olivier Simon | |
|---|---|
| [[File:|250px]] | |
| Biographical information | |
| Born |
1 September, 1733 |
| Died |
19 January, 1814 |
| Political information | |
| Affiliations |
Assassins (ally) |
| Real-world information | |
| Appears in | |
| Voice actor | |
Olivier Simon was a French Assassin ally and merchant who was born to a poor family, but made his fortune with the late Dowager Marchioness of Saint-Cyr. Finding his lover, the two had twin-children: Paulette and Marie-Jeanette.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Born in Paris, raised in Le Havre, Olivier had always had a taste of adventure and trading. He was the only child of two merchants, growing up in there's world. He had a brain for mathematics and trading – making him an excellent merchant himself.
Seven Years' Wars[]
At the outbreak of the Seven Years' War, Olivier had taken over the business from his now deceased parents – already as a 21-year-old. During it, he used his contacts to exclude him from the French Army's recruitment. Instead, Olivier profited from the war by supporting the French with guns and swords – and even food and shoes.
During the war, Olivier had married himself with a baroness, earning the title Olivier Simon, baron de Beuzevillette. However, when his wife was to giving birth to their son, she died of blood-loss – and the son was stillborn. Olivier's father-in-law – meaning Olivier was responsible for his daughter's death – did some paperworks, and Olivier lost the title.
After the war, Olivier had made his fortune in Le Havre. Many merchants had set their money in wrong transactions, but Olivier's intellect had promised him a life in luxury. Later, he met a woman from Saint-Cyr: she was a Dowager Marchioness, whom had lost her husband during the war – much like other wives in France.
The Dowager Marchioness []
The Dowager Marchioness de Saint-Cyr was the former wife of Pierre Droit, but with his death she had moved to Le Havre to clear her thoughts. She bought a simple house in the city, and Olivier was one of the merchants that came with offers of different articles to her. At this point, Olivier was still single – and needed a partner. He had a woman in the city in his spyglass. He had little time to see her, however, because much time went to meeting the Dowager.
One day, Olivier asked if the Dowager wanted to come for a picnic – to which she accepted. He had bought her flowers, and the food and wine were both delicate. Olivier and the Dowager spent more time with each other over the years – first by discussing almost only business, but later it was more passionate and personal information. At some point, Olivier asked for her hand in holy matrimony. The Dowager replied that she was thrilled over the question – see that men still wanted her – but that it would be inappropriate for the two to marry. Olivier understood, but he told her that the question would stand as long as he lived.
Years later, the Dowager and Olivier stood in the Le Havre Cathedral giving their 'I do' to each other. In 1770 Olivier became father at the age of 37 to two healthy children: Paulette and Marie-Jeanette. During their time of marriage, Olivier had found out of the Dowager's past as an Assassin. However, she wanted him to stay with her – not wanting to loose another of her lovers to injustice created by the fate. Their daughters was to trained as merchants and Assassins, however. Claudette's vision was to end the Templars' rule, but her children was the one to do so – by entering the Assassin Order and reform it to not spare any Templar. Because Olivier was not allowed by his wife to join the Brotherhood, he got a list by her however – a list with names of men and women that was Assassin that he could support economically to promote the Assassins' cause.
When the Dowager died in 1781, Olivier did not spare on anything on her funeral.
French Revolution []
During the French Revolution, Olivier often to Calais and Paris in order to carry out transactions that could support the Assassin's cause. However, when the Parisian Templar Robespierre learned of this, he warned the duke d'Orléans about this – which in turn tasked the Templar-blacksmith Jacques Croix to locate and capture the Assassin ally. The Simon-family also seemed to have an estate in Croix's district, so he was to track down that one too and kill the members.
Being captured when he was at a market in the Le Marais district, Olivier was being transported to the Bastille, where he was being interrogated to give them names of Assassins and their hideouts in Le Havre, Calais and Paris. Olivier refused to tell anything, so Jacques Croix got the chance to test out new instruments he had created for torture. If the Templars not spent their time on torturing or extortionate him, Olivier was being forced to sign paper that slowly transferred the Simon family's money to Master Templar Bourienne's palace, located near the Bastille.
Failing to join the Brotherhood, Olivier's children – Paulette and Marie-Jeanette – had no chance to enter the Bastille without help. They therefore decided to print an article that stated Olivier, an innocent man, was being held captive in the Bastille for blackmailing. The Assassin Council soon set the Étienne-siblings and Charles Dawkins on the task to help the family and free Olivier. The newspaper-article had the estate's address, so when the Assassins approached the building, they found it surrounded by Templars and their footsoldiers. After killing the attacking men and women, the Assassins agreed on helping the Simon-sisters to get their father out of the prison.
Rescuing their father, one of the sisters brought Olivier to Le Havre while the last one stayed in Paris to retake the things Jacques Croix and his soldiers had robbed. The Assassins helped the the young woman in retaking the items, then helping her out of the city.
Later life and death[]
Supporting the French Army during the Napoleonic Wars, Olivier had no idea who he actually supported: the Templar turncoat Napoléon Bonaparte. His only thoughts was to support his country – and in this way, staying out of the recruitment (just as he had done during the Seven Years' War). However, the Assassins could not let this go unpunished. They sent one of the Master Assassins, Laurent Mouzay, to make sure Olivier not supported Bonaparte anymore – by revealing his true intentions. Olivier promised not to support Bonaparte longer – but could not hold it for long, he needed money after all.
Olivier died of high age in 1814.
Trivia[]
- Olivier is the French and Dutch form of the name Oliver – meaning "olive tree"
- Simon comes from the Greek Σιμων – meaning "he has heard".
- Olivier had ambidexterity