Café Théâtre

Arno: "What is this place?"

Charlotte: "It connects to the sanctuary. Less flashy than the Sainte-Chapelle entrance, but we own the building. Used to be part of our intelligence network. But the place has fallen on hard times..."

—Charlotte Gouze telling Arno Dorian about the Café Théâtre, 1791.

The Café Théâtre was the Assassins' intelligence gathering front in Paris, France, during the French Revolution. The building became Arno Dorian's base of operations and residence in the city during this time, where he attended plays, kept his armor and weapons, and trained to hone his Assassin skills.

History

Opened on Île Saint-Louis in 1759, the Café Théâtre was one of Paris' premiere coffee houses for decades. Intellectuals, poets, philosophers, and actors flocked to its tables, and the salon was a center for political debate and discussion. As the building was built over Thomas de Carneillon's vault and the Parisian Assassins' headquarters, the Café was bought by the Brotherhood to act as an intelligence-gathering network, keeping the Assassins informed about the current situation in Paris. Over the years, other establishments, such as the Café Procope, gradually supplanted the Café Théâtre in prominence.

On 11 July 1782, the Café Théâtre hosted a production of Voltaire's 1724 tragic play Hérode et Mariamne, with M. Dupree and Mlle. Arcadie playing the eponymous roles of King Herod I and his second wife Mariamne I. The critic Mlle. Lecouvreur saw the play and wrote a review in a newspaper describing it as the "worst production of Voltaire's" work.

By 1790, the Café Théâtre had fallen into near-ruin, becoming a rundown bar, more likely to host a second-rate bawdy comedy show than an impassioned debate. At this time, the establishment was run by the Assassin Charlotte Gouze, while her fellow Assassin and fencing master Augustin Grisier also lived on the property.

Arno meeting Charlotte Gouze

In January 1791, the fate of the rundown Café Théâtre was changed, when stewardship of the building was handed by the Assassin Council to Arno Dorian. Upon his arrival at the Café, Arno met with Charlotte, who encouraged him to renovate the building, to gain both information and revenue from the patrons. Taking residence at the Café, Arno explored the establishment, meeting Augustin, whom he trained with to hone his combat and fencing skills.

With the Master Assassin Hervé Quemar, Arno explored the basement, discovering that the Assassins met there to accomplish missions together. Quemar also told Arno about Thomas de Carneillon's vault and its broken seal, whose parts were scattered across the city. Following the prophecies of Nostradamus, Arno complete the seal and claimed Carneillon's armor.

Once Arno had enough coin, he spoke with the building's intendant about renovating the Café. Under Arno's care, the Café was restored to its former glory as he renovated and invested money back into the building, bringing back the clientele and prestige that it had lost. Arno also bought one café in each of the seven districts of Paris, increasing the overall income of the Café Théâtre.

Arno and Élise meeting at the Café Théâtre

On 2 April 1791, Arno met at the Café with his childhood friend Élise de la Serre, proposing that she appeal to the Assassin Council for support against François-Thomas Germain's radical Templar faction, which had overthrown her. Though reluctant to ally with the Assassins, Élise accepted Arno's suggestion and accompanied him to meet with the Council.

During the Revolution, the Café Théâtre fought Les Actes des Apôtres, an extremist royalist faction that committed crimes across the city. When they burned rare manuscripts, Arno recovered them and brought them to the Café. Later, Charlotte sent her informant Colette to an inn of Les Actes des Apôtres to spy on them. When she discovered their leader Renard, the innkeeper tried to kill her but she was saved by Arno. When the Queen's former dressmaker Rose Bertin accepted to work for the Café Théâtre, Les Actes des Apôtres targeted her but Arno protected her and recovered her costumes for the Café.

By September 1792, as Les Actes des Apôtres planned to sell the Sancy Diamond to finance an attack, Charlotte used one of her contacts to buy the diamond with counterfeit livres. The royalists discovered the trap but Arno recovered the diamond and gave it to a smuggler who sent it to Russia. To end their harassment, Charlotte later tasked Arno to kill Renard. One of her contacts tried to lure one of Renard's henchmen but he was killed. Arno interrogated the henchman and discovered Renard's hideout. Killing the leader of Les Actes des Apôtres, the Assassin protected the establishment.

The Assassins continued to operate out of the Café Théâtre long after the French Revolution, all the way up until World War I.

Renovations

Name	Price	Results	Incomplete plans	Completed plans
Ground Floor	100₣	Renovating the ground floor allowed for an upgrade to the Café's kitchen, and opened up a blocked area which was turned into a club hall, a location for local Assassins to meet.
Hall	250₣	Renovating the hallway allowed for additions of new artwork and decoration of the walls.
Exteriors	1,000₣	Renovating the exterior reopened the courtyard well and the surrounding area. The well acted as a route into the tunnels below the Café, which connected to the Assassin Sanctuary.
Upper Floors	5,000₣	Renovating the upper floor restored specific rooms within the Café, the training room, trophy room, and Arno's quarters.
Finishing Touches	25,000₣	Renovating the tunnel under the Café allowed it to connect to the existing tunnels to the district's east bank.

Rooms

Intendant's Study

In this room, Arno could collect income from the Café Théâtre and initiate renovations.

Armor Room

This room contained Thomas de Carneillon's armor, and Arno could interact with the mechanisms to unlock it.

Club Hall

In this room, Assassins could gather and form teams to take on more difficult missions.

Training Room

Here Arno could train to improve his Assassin and combat skills.

Memento Gallery

Arno kept mementos of his completed missions here.

Arno's Room

Arno's room, containing his bed, gear, and letters from Élise.

Legacy Room

This room contained additional outfits collected by Arno.

Staff

• Charlotte Gouze — Manager
• Arno Dorian — Steward
• An intendant
• Augustin Grisier — Fencing master
• Celestine — Scullery maid
• Nicolas — Gardener
• A cook
• A waiter
• A doorman
• Rose Bertin — Dressmaker
• Actors, singers and musicians

Trivia

• The Café Théâtre featured in Assassin's Creed Unity is anachronistic, as historically the first café-théâtre was created in 1966 by Bernard Da Costa.

Gallery

Concept artScreenshots

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  Concept art of the Café Théâtre's exterior
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  Concept art of the Café Théâtre's exterior
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  Concept art of the main hall
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  Concept art of the dilapidated Café Théâtre
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  Concept art of the restored Café Théâtre
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  Concept art of the treasure room
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  Concept art of the trophy room
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  Concept art of Arno's desk
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  Concept art of Arno's room
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  Concept art of Arno's bed
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  Concept art of the salon
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  Concept art of the training room
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  Concept art of Arno reading a letter from Élise

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  The main entrance
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  The salon
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  The gardens
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  The training room
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  Arno's room
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  The memento gallery
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  The legacy room
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  The intendant's study
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  The club hall
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  Entrance to the Assassin Council
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  Council Chambers
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Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Unity