Staves of Eden

2012-10-06T17:22:47Z

139.194.190.194: /* Papal Staff */

{{Era|AC2|Brotherhood|Renaissance|Bbook|The Fall|TWCB}}
{{Quote|Better in the hands of the Earth, than in the hands of Man.|[[Mario Auditore]], after the Staff is lost during the [[Renaissance]].|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}
{{Item Infobox
|image = Zw-eden-4.png
|type = [[Pieces of Eden|Piece of Eden]]
|powers = Can be used to conjure illusions and control bodies of people.
|current =
|period = Prehistory until [[Russian Revolution]]
|created = [[First Civilization]]
|made = Unknown
|destroyed =
|notable = First Civilization Moses Alexander the Great John the Baptist Saint Peter Rodrigo Borgia Tsar Alexander III Tsar Nicholas II Rasputin}}
The '''Staves of Eden''' were [[Pieces of Eden]] embodying sovereignty and dominion.<ref name="Encyclopedia">''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia]]''</ref>

Known throughout history by names such as the '''Papal Staff''' or the '''Russian Imperial Sceptre''', the Staves were used by various [[Egypt]]ian Pharaohs, [[Rome|Roman]] Catholic [[Papacy|Popes]], and [[Russia]]n Tsars.

==Powers==
Designed to control men's minds and bodies, the Papal Staff had a cradle in the headpiece where an [[Apples of Eden|Apple of Eden]] could be placed, in order to enhance its mind control effects. This conjunction of two Pieces of Eden could also be used to open the door to the [[Vatican Vault]].

Its bottom end was sharpened, and could be wielded as a spear in combat. The artifact also granted the possessor the ability to conceal their presence entirely, and the ability of levitation; though whether these were physical effects or simply manipulations of the viewers' perceptions remains unknown.<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref> Over the course of time, the Staves' appearances would change; either on their own or by successive bearers retaining its core and adding decorations.

When [[Nikolai Orelov]] approached one Staff in 1908, he heard several voices of the past emanating from it, playing almost like recordings, and speaking things such as "Always the fighter," "[[Adam]], I have it," "Just like your father," and "[[Eve]]."<ref name="ACTF2">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]'' – Issue #2</ref>

==Staves of Eden==
===Moses===
The earliest known use of a Staff was by the prophet [[Moses]], who used its innate powers of illusion and mind control to "part" the Red Sea, freeing the Israelites from Egypt.<ref name="AC2"/>

===Pharaohs===
One Staff of Eden is also known to have been used by the Pharaoh [[Shabataka]], who used it to rule over Ancient Egypt in the early 7th century BCE. It was likely used by various pharaohs before and after him.<ref name="AC2"/>

===Alexander the Great===
During the 4th century BCE, the [[Templars]] somehow managed to acquire a Staff of Eden. They entrusted their ally [[Alexander the Great]] with it, who used it to create one of the largest empires in history.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> He presumably lost it when he was poisoned by the [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Iltani]] in 323 BC.<ref name="AC2"/>

===John the Baptist===
A Staff was later kept by [[John the Baptist]], the prophet and religious leader who baptized [[Jesus Christ]].<ref name="AC2"/>

===Papal Staff===
A Staff passed into the hands of the first disciple of Jesus, [[Peter|Saint Peter]], who established Christianity and became the first Pope. It is assumed that the Staff circulated through the hands of the Roman Catholic Popes until it was used by [[Rodrigo Borgia]], who became Pope Alexander VI in 1492 so that he could use the Staff to gain access to the Vatican Vault.

[[File:IBAL 9.png|thumb|left|250px|Rodrigo Borgia using the Staff.]]
On the 28th of December in 1499, the Assassin [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]] infiltrated the [[Cappella Sistina]] to confront Rodrigo, and [[Confrontation in the Vatican|a fight]] ensued, during which Rodrigo wielded the Staff as a long weapon against Ezio. Eventually, Ezio defeated Rodrigo and used the Staff (combined with [[Ezio's Apple of Eden|his Apple of Eden]]) to enter the Vault.<ref name="AC2"/>

When leaving the Vault, Ezio tried to remove the Staff from the center of the room, where it was secured in the Vault floor. Upon doing so, Ezio activated machinery that made the Staff descend underground, despite Ezio's efforts to retrieve it.<ref name="ACBH">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref>

===Imperial Scepter===
By 1888, a Staff had been recovered by [[Alexander III of Russia|Tsar Alexander III]], and was used as the Imperial Scepter to maintain the Tsar's power over the Russian Empire. On October 29 of that year, while returning home to [[Petrograd]], the Tsar was [[Borki train disaster|attacked]] by the Assassin [[Nikolai Orelov]]. After the Royal Train derailed, he threw the Staff to Nikolai, challenging his assailant to attack him with it.

The Tsar subsequently repelled the assassination attempt, leaving with the Piece of Eden still in his possession.<ref name="ACTF1">''Assassin's Creed: The Fall'' – Issue #1</ref> After his death, it was passed on to his son [[Nicholas II of Russia|Tsarevich Nicholas II]], who was unaware of the Staff's powers.<ref name="ACTF3">''Assassin's Creed: The Fall'' – Issue #3</ref>

However, the Staff was secretly stolen and replaced with a replica by [[Grigori Rasputin]], who had infiltrated the Royal House,<ref name="AC2"/> and brought the Staff to a Templar research station in [[Tunguska]].

[[File:Tungaska_Explod_v.png|thumb|250px|The Tunguska Explosion.]]
In the summer of 1908, members of the Assassin Order contacted [[Nikola Tesla]], and offered him a chance for retribution on the Templars for being discredited by the Templar [[Thomas Edison]]. Using his mastery of electricity and the {{Wiki|Wardenclyffe Tower}}, Tesla broadcast destruction into the facility, creating one of the [[Tunguska explosion|largest explosions in history]], which was estimated to have a force of more than 30 megatons of TNT, and flattened more than 2,000 kilometers of forest. The explosion also obliterated the research facility and the Staff within.

The event was a complete Assassin victory, though Nikolai Orelov was the only Assassin to survive the event.<ref name="ACTF2"/> Nikolai later returned to his partner [[Anna]], bloodied and barely alive, muttering that the Staff had finally been destroyed.<ref name="ACTF3"/>

However, the Staff had not been completely obliterated, as there was at least one shard that remained. This shard somehow came into the possession of Rasputin, who used it to manipulate Nicholas' wife {{Wiki|Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse)|Alexandra Feodorovna}} and psychologically scar one of his disciples, a woman named [[Khioniya Guseva]], after her failed attempt to kill him.<ref name="ACTF3"/>

In 1914, Rasputin was assassinated by the Assassins,<ref name="AC2"/> and he took the shard with him to his grave. In 1917, Nikolai, having learned of the shard's existence from the Tsarevich and concluding that even a fragment of the Staff would be a threat, dug up Rasputin's body and retrieved the shard from his corpse.<ref name="ACTF3"/>

==Trivia==
*In ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'', while facing Rodrigo Borgia in the Sistine Chapel, the Staff could be knocked from his hand by using the disarm smash technique with a [[Heavy weapons|heavy weapon]] picked up from the dead [[Brutes]] nearby. After this, the Staff could be picked up and wielded, though none of its powers could be used.

==Forms==
<gallery widths="180" position="center" bordersize="medium" captionalign="center">
Moses-Staff.jpg|A Staff, as wielded by Moses.
Shabataka-Staff.jpg|A Staff, as wielded by Pharaohs.
AlexandertheGreat-Staff.jpg|A Staff, as wielded by Alexander the Great.
JohntheBaptist-Staff.jpg|A Staff, as wielded by John the Baptist.
Peter-Staff.jpg|A Staff, as wielded by Saint Peter.
IBAL 14.png|Ezio Auditore using the Papal Staff.
Tsar_3_v.png|A Staff, as wielded by Tsar Alexander III.
ACF tunguska staff.png|Nikolai Orelov with the Imperial Scepter.
Shard_of_Staff.png|The shard from a Staff as Rasputin's necklace.
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{PoE}}
{{First Civilization}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Staff}}
[[Category:Pieces of Eden]]
[[Category:First Civilization technology]]

Cappella Sistina

2012-09-12T13:27:31Z

139.194.190.194: /* Renaissance */

{{Era|AC2|ACB|Renaissance|Bbook}}
{{WP-REAL|Sistine Chapel}}
{{WPlocations}}
[[File:Sistine.jpg|thumb|300px|The Sistine Chapel.]]
The '''Cappella Sistina''', or '''Sistine Chapel''', was the chapel of the [[Papacy|Pope]] in [[Rome]], and center of the {{Wiki|Catholic Church|Catholic faith}} and Papacy.

==History==
===Conception===
Inspired by the architecture of [[Solomon's Temple]], the Sistine Chapel is the most famous room in the {{wiki|Apostolic Palace}}, the official residence of the Pope.<ref name="AC2"/>

As the Pope's personal chapel, mass is frequently held inside, as are the {{Wiki|Papal conclave|Papal Conclaves}}, which occur after the Pope's death. The [[cardinals]] are locked inside the chapel and are not permitted to leave until a new Pope is elected.<ref name="AC2"/>

===Renaissance===
In 1492, [[Rodrigo Borgia]] became Pope Alexander VI, and moved into [[Basilica di San Pietro|St. Peter's Basilica]], of which the Sistine Chapel is a part. Seven years later, in 1499, [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]] infiltrated the chapel in order to assassinate Rodrigo Borgia and locate the [[Vatican Vault|Vault]], which he had learned was built beneath the Basilica.<ref name="AC2"/>

After an arduous fight with Rodrigo, in which two [[Pieces of Eden]] were used, Ezio was tricked and stabbed by Rodrigo, who had used the [[Staves of Eden#Papal Staff|Papal Staff]]'s power to immobilize the Assassin, before Ezio promptly fell unconscious.<ref name="AC2"/>

Upon waking, Ezio pressed two hidden buttons at the back of the chapel, which opened the way into the Vault, a structure built by members of the [[First Civilization]], whose entrance lay in a pit-like enclosure. It was at this entrance that Ezio would confront Rodrigo in a final, victorious fight.<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref> Soon after the Assassin left the Vault, [[Mario Auditore]] appeared and beckoned him to leave the Capella Sistina, to which Ezio complied.<ref name="acBrotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center">
Capella Sistine congregation.jpg|Congregation of Vatican priests and monks.
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{AC2}}
{{ACBH}}
[[Category:Rome]]
[[Category:Landmarks]]
[[Category:Churches]]

Assassin's Creed Wiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Staves of Eden

Cappella Sistina