Philippe Rose

"You ever meet a noble, Léon? You ever heard a noble talk? Descended from God, they were. Threads of gold arced from between their blessed legs into holy chamber pots. And then, Léon? Fountains of rubies spilled from their necks and rained down upon all of France. Now, a man born deep within the lowest circle of hell can rise to the very top of Olympus itself."

―Philippe Rose about the French Revolution to Léon, 1794.^[src]

Philippe Rose (died 1794) was a captain in the French Army. In 1794, Napoleon Bonaparte tasked him with finding the Head of Saint Denis, an ancient relic.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Rose was the son of a royal chambermaid in Versailles, growing up accustomed to the bizarre and extravagant demands of the aristocracy. At a very young age, Rose began running errands for the royal family and their guests, acquiring the rarest goods at the lowest prices.^[1]

King Louis XV noted the beauty of Rose's mother, and sexually assaulted her. Rose's mother was proud however, telling Philippe that their social standing would be improved if she gave birth. With his mother pregnant, Rose was delighted to see her happy. Using a small stash of money he had kept hidden, Rose ran to the market and bought toys for his future sibling.^[1]

Rose's mother died in childbirth however, and Louis had her corpse dumped in a pit along with commoners. Rose left Versailles immediately, and traveled around France.^[1]

Military career[]

When the French Revolution started in 1789, Rose used his skills to support the Jacobins, finding exotic weapons for them. According to rumors, he was responsible for delivering the weapon Charlotte Corday used in her assassination of Jean-Paul Marat. He was asked to join the French Army after buying weapons from Paul Barras, and worked with Napoleon Bonaparte during the Siege of Toulon, in which he pinpointed the location of nearby artillery, terrorizing the garrisons to get his hands on their weapons. However, Rose made sure to turn a profit for himself with these actions.^[1]

Napoleon, impressed by Rose's actions and the spirit he displayed while working with him, approached him for a special mission in Saint-Denis, called Franciade at that time. Having been promised a handsome pay, Rose accepted the mission. He gathered a large group of men and started exploring the catacombs underneath the village.^[1]

Death[]

Shortly after receiving his assignment from Napoleon, Rose was contacted by an officer from the French Army, speaking on behalf of a mysterious woman known as Lady Eve. The officer offered Rose a reward far beyond what Napoleon could offer, provided Rose delivered the artifact from the Temple to her, rather than handing it to Napoleon.^[2]

Rose and his men started searching through the catacombs of Saint-Denis, hoping to find the door to the Temple, to which Napoleon already possessed the key. The Assassin Arno Dorian was present to see him locking one of his men underground, after he had failed to perform his duties.^[2]

Not long after, Rose and his men found a young boy named Léon in the underground tunnels, and his men restrained him as Rose lectured him. Napoleon interrupted them, inquiring after their progress in locating the Temple, and ordering Rose to ensure the boy's safe return to the surface. After he left, Rose ordered his men to kill Léon, although he managed to escape with Arno's help.^[2]

The raiders located the door to the temple shortly before Arno and Léon did, and the Assassin looked on as Rose had his men try and pick some of the many keyholes in the door, only for all of them to be struck stone dead by the temple door's security system. When one of his men pointed out they should obey Napoleon's orders and wait, Rose shot him in the head. After Arno activated the First Civilization mechanisms, Rose and his men left the area in fear of apparitions which appeared in the room.^[2]

Rose confronted the Assassin after Arno had opened the door to the Temple, having found both the key and the corresponding keyhole. Catching him by surprise, he fired his gun at the Assassin but missed, though it sent Arno plummeting down a deep pit into a sinkhole. Immediately after, he revealed to his men that he had no intention of delivering their spoils to Napoleon.^[2]

He managed to locate the Head of Saint Denis, but found himself unable to open the gate that kept the artifact out of his reach. While attempting to find a way past the gate, Rose was again confronted by the Assassin. After a short skirmish between Rose, his men, and Arno, the Assassin proved their superior and managed to kill all of his opponents, Rose included.^[2]