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Ezio Auditore da Firenze

2009-12-30T22:14:34Z

207.237.49.246: /* Venice */

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{{Character Infobox
|name = Ezio Auditore da Firenze
|image = Ezio.jpg
|imgdesc = A full portrait of Ezio Audiore da Firenze
|faction = [[Assassins|The Assassin Order]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]'', ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
|period = 15th century
|voice = [[Roger Craig Smith]]
}}
{{Quote|The Auditore are not dead! I'm still here! Me! Ezio; Ezio Auditore da Firenze!|Ezio Auditore, 1476}}
'''Ezio Auditore da Firenze''' (born 1459) was an important figure during the Italian Renaissance - unbeknownst to most history novelists and philosophers - and a member of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]]. He is a descendant of [[Altaïr ibn La-Ahad]] and the ancestor of [[Desmond Miles]] and [[Subject 16]]. Ezio was unaware of his Assassin heritage until he was 17-years-old, when, following the murder of his [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|father]] and [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|two]] [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|brothers]], Ezio fled from [[Florence]] and took solace in the town of [[Monteriggioni]].

After the mentoring and training from his uncle, [[Mario Auditore]], Ezio proceeded on his quest of revenge against the Grandmaster of the Templar Knights, [[Rodrigo Borgia]], who had ordered the execution of his father and two brothers. During his 23 year quest for revenge, Ezio managed to not only unite the Codex pages Altaïr wrote, for the first time since [[Domenico Auditore]], but also to save the cities of Florence and [[Venice]] from the Templar Knights' wrath. Later still, Ezio was responsible for the rescue of [[Christoffa Corombo]], uncovering a new plot to discover the "New World."

==Character Biography==
=== ''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]'' ===

[[File:Eziolineagechess.png|thumb|left|A much younger Ezio, portrayed by [[wikipedia:Devon Bostick|Devon Bostick]].]]
Ezio Auditore da Firenze was born in 1459 AD, to [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|Giovanni]] and [[Maria Auditore da Firenze|Maria Auditore]]. Until the age of 17, Ezio lived a life of luxury as a Florentine Nobleman, unaware of his father's allegiance to the Assassin Order.

=== ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' ===

====The beginning====
After a violent fight with a group of [[Vieri de' Pazzi]]'s followers and later finishing his list of errands – in the process meeting one [[Leonardo da Vinci]] – Ezio returned home to find his father and brothers missing and his mother and sister hiding. Learning that city guards had been ordered to arrest Giovanni and all of his sons, Ezio made his way to the [[wikipedia:Piazza della Signoria|Piazza della Signoria]], where his father and brothers were being held, and was instructed by his father to deliver a sealed letter to Alberti, the personal assistant of [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] and a close friend to the Auditore family. Doing so, Ezio found the letter to contain details of a plot against the city of Florence, and the Auditore family, and was told by Alberti that his family would be released when said letter was presented at the execution as evidence.

The next day, Ezio returned to the Piazza della Signoria to find Alberti presiding over the execution of the Auditores, denying any knowledge of the letter's existance. After attemping to murder Alberti, Alberti ordered the city guards to murder Ezio. After the guidance of one of Giovanni's friends, a thief, Ezio flees the Piazza della Signoria and seeks shelter in a whorehouse, ran by the sister of the Auditore house maid, [[Paola]]. Paola later teaches Ezio how to survive in the city as an outlaw, before directing him to Leonardo da Vinci, to repair the "hidden blade" of the late Giovanni Auditore. After fixing the blade, Ezio learns the location of Alberti and, after sneaking into the courtyard of the [[wikipedia:Basilicia of Santa Croce, Florence|Basilica of Santa Croce]], murders him with his hidden blade, stabbing him numerous times in the stomach, before proudly shouting his name to everyone present.

[[File:Zw-sequence3-00014.png|thumb|right|220px|Ezio yells at the corpse of [[Vieri de' Pazzi]].]]
Now the most wanted man in Florence, Ezio and his mother and sister fled Florence in the hopes of making their way to Spain, but first visiting the Auditore family's [[Auditore Villa|villa]] in the town of [[Monteriggioni]], as a means of shelter. During their travel to Monteriggioni, the three were acosted by [[Vieri de' Pazzi]] and his followers, but were saved by the timely arrival of Ezio's uncle, Mario, and his mercenary guards. Mario tells Ezio of the Assassin Order - in an attempt to induct him into the Order - and reveals to him that many of his ancestors, including his father, were apart of the Order. However, Ezio refuses. Enraged, Mario leaves Monteriggioni for the city of [[San Gimignano]], the location of Vieri de' Pazzi, in the attempt of relieving Monteriggioni of its continual assaults. Guilty, Ezio decides to agree to Mario's offer and travels to San Gimignano.

Arriving outside the city, Ezio joins Mario and his mercenerys in their assault on the city, and makes his way to Vieri de' Pazzi. Briefly watching a meeting between [[Rodrigo Borgia]], [[Jacopo de' Pazzi]], [[Francesco de' Pazzi]] and Vieri, Ezio proceeded to combat and eventually stabbed de' Pazzi in the throat.

Following the death of Vieri, Ezio returned to Florence to prevent the planned de' Pazzi takeover and deaths of [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] and [[Guilani de' Medici]]. Arriving too late to save Guilani, Ezio manages to prevent the death of [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] – the ruler of Florence – and restore his family's good name. Despite this however, the de' Pazzis had proceeded with their planned coup and brought the city to a state of civil war. After learning the location of [[Francesco de' Pazzi]] at the Piazza della Signoria, Ezio murdered him and left the corpse to those loyal to de' Medici; although Jacopo de' Pazzi and several other conspirators were able to escape. Shortly afterwards, de' Medici publically cleared the name of the Auditore family and provided Ezio with the names of the conspirators who had escaped.

[[File:Zw-thepazziconspirators.png|thumb|left|200px|[[Jacopo de' Pazzi]] and the fellow conspirators.]]
Learning that the de' Pazzi conspirators were located in San Gimignano, Ezio made his way to San Gimignano and murdered [[Antonio Maffei]], [[Stefano da Bagnone]], [[Bernardo Baroncelli]] and [[Francesco Salviati]] before finally locating and following Jacopo de' Pazzi to an ancient Roman theatre. Once there, Ezio eavesdropped on a conversation between Jacopo de' Pazzi, Rodrigo Borgia and the Venetian merchant, [[Emilio Barbarigo]]. After stabbing of de' Pazzi for his failure to capture Florence, Borgia revealed to Ezio that he knew that he was here and was apprehended by Borgia's bodyguards while Borgia and Barbarigo fled. Ezio then stabbed both bodyguards, before murdering de' Pazzi.

====Venice====
{{dialogue|[[Emilio Barbarigo]]|The assassin is here, in Venezia?|[[Carlo Grimaldi]]|He's been here for weeks!|Emilio Barbarigo and Carlo Grimaldi discuss Ezio}}
With the Pazzi conspiracy ended, Ezio returned to Lorenzo and declared his success. Before leaving the city for Venice, Ezio was granted a gift; a Medici cape, that would keep the city guards attention from him. Ezio then made his way to the studio of Leonardo, only to find that he had just left for Venice himself. Meeting with Leonardo, the two made their way through the appenene mountains to the city of [[Forlì]], narrowly avoiding the Templar soldiers sent after them by Rodrigo Borgia.

Eventually arriving in Forlì, the two made their way to the city docks, where Ezio was refused passage without a pass. It was at this moment that the two heard the screams of a noble lady stranded in the city's wetlands. Rescued, the lady introduced herself as [[Caterina Sforza]], and forced the dockman to grant Ezio passage to Venice. Once in Venice, Ezio and Leonardo were given a brief tour of the city before Ezio begun to seek out a way into the Palazzo of Emilio Barbarigo, although in vain. Suddenly pushed aside, Ezio watched as a collection of thieves attempted to breach the palazzo, but failed, and subsequently aided in the escape of the thief [[Rosa]], who had been shot through the leg with an arrow. After successfuly escaping the city guard, Ezio was intrduced to the leader of the Venetian thieves guild [[Antonio]], and together the two concocted a new plot to kill Barbarigo and liberate the merchant district.

The plot was successful, and gave Ezio the name of another Templar conspirator – [[Carlo Grimaldi]]. A government official and member of the Council of Ten, Carlo was close to the Mocenigo, the Doge of Venice and hoped to turn him to the Templar cause. Overhearing another meeting between Borgia and Carlo, Ezio uncovered a changed plot to poison the Doge and replace him with the Barbarigo, [[Marco Barbarigo|Marco]]. Returning to Antonio, the two sought to find a way into the [[Palazzo Ducale]] – the Doge's Palace –, searching the front gates, the rear walls and even passing over the the Basilica de San Marco; but were hampered at every turn. Returning to the piazza below, an enraged Antonio remarked at how only birds might get into the Doge's palace, reminding Ezio of Leonardo's flying machine he had seen on the way to Forlì.

[http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k34/Ahlant/giartflyingmachine_2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://digg.com/gaming_news/Assassin_s_Creed_2_first_screen_shots&usg=__jSzwgjnm7iwUHdrvayqsogvFs_U=&h=385&w=421&sz=51&hl=en&start=4&itbs=1&tbnid=UMp0d0aceaYahM:&tbnh=114&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dassassin%2527s%2Bcreed%2B2%2Bflying%2Bmachine%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX]

[[File:Ezio fighting1.jpg|thumb|280px|right|Ezio fighting in Venice.]]

After removing the city guards at four seperate locations, the Antonio's thieves proceeded to light massive bonfires throughout the city, giving Ezio the lift Leonardo's flying machine needed to make it to the Palazzo Ducale. The plan worked and Ezio breached the Palazzo Ducale, although he was too late to save the Doge. Carlo fled, crying out that Ezio had assassinated the Doge, although he himself hid not survive long. Blamed for killing the Doge though, Ezio was now the most wanted man in Venice, and was forced to flee the city guards. Returning to Leonardo's workshop, Ezio was directed to the brothel of [[Sister Teodora]], where Antonio was presiding. Under the cover of carnevale, Ezio made his way to the brothel and begun planning the death of Marco Barbarigo; competing in the four games of carnevale to win the golden mask that would gain him entrance to Marco's private party, Ezio was successful, but found himself denied the golden mask by Marco's cousin [[Silvio Barbarigo]] and his slave [[Dante Moro]]. The assassin was successful in regaining the mask and managed to assassinate Marco, leaving to door open for Agostino – a Barbarigo not entwinned with the Templars – to become Doge.

With his quest nearly at an end, Ezio tracked down Silvio Barbarigo and his slave Dante Moro, in the process liberating the mercenary leader [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]] and his soldiers. Having tracked the Templars to the city Arsenal, Ezio managed to break in and kill Dante Moro and Silbio barbarigo, but was astonished to learn that the plot to remove the Doge was merely a distraction so that the Templar's could move their vessel to [[Cyprus]], although the reasons for this were unknown to Ezio.

====Induction into the Order and later years====
{{Quote|La shai wak'ion motlaq bal kollon momken ''(Nothing is true, everything is permitted)''|Mario Auditore at the initiation}}

Two more years passed before word of the Templar vessel reached Ezio once again; when Rosa brought him a shipping manifest detailing the return of the ship that very day. Sneaking into the Arsenal, Ezio watched as a templar soldier carrying a [[Piece of Eden]] disembarked from the ship and made his way to a Templar base in the city. Following the soldier, Ezio assassinated and impersonated the guard, carrying the Piece of Eden to a meeting with Rodrigo Borgia himself. Finally able to confront the man ultimately responsible for the deaths of his father and brothers, Ezio spurned the Templar Grandmaster for the non-appearance of the supposed prophet detailed in the Codex prophecy. Borgia responded, proudly naming himself the prophet before engaging Ezio in battle; the battle was short and Ezio easily bested the Templar. On the backfoot, Borgia called upon the city guards and insulted the assassin for the lack of "his people" showing up.

At this very moment Mario Auditore, Antonio, Paola, Teodora, [[La Volpe]] and Bartolomeo d'Alviano appeared, driving off Borgia and revealing themselves to Ezio as assassins. With the arrival of [[Niccolò Machiavelli]], the Assassin Grandmaster, it as revealed to Ezio that ''he'' was in fact the supposed prophet, and that for the past decade they had all worked together to induct Ezio into the Assassins Order proper. That night, they all met up again, and Ezio was formally inducted into the Order.

Over the next few years Ezio continued to serve the assassin's faithfully, defending Forlì from the Orsi brothers and defeating the Templar Dominican priest [[Savonarola]] during his purge of Florence in 1498. In 1491, at the behest of the assassin Antonio, Ezio helped to rescue the Spanish explorer [[Christoffa Corombo]].

[[File:Ezio Rome.jpg|thumb|280px|left|Ezio battles his way to the Sistine Chapel.]]
{{Quote|I thought… I thought I was beyond this. But I'm not. I've waited too long, lost too much – Requiescat in Pace (Rest in Peace), you bastard!|Ezio to [[Rodrigo Borgia]] during his first, failed assassination attempt}}

The following year, in 1499 the assassins finally came together once more at the Villa Auditore, with the Piece of Eden and the completed Codex in hand. Using the two objects, they discovered the location of [[the Vault]] to be under the Vatican, in Rome. Unfortunately for them however, Rodrigo Borgia had become Pope in 1492, although Mario believed he had only done so to gain access to the Papal staff, another of the Piece of Eden’s. Undeterred, Ezio travelled to Rome with a mission to assassinate Rodrigo Borgia. Fighting his way along the entire length of the Passetto di Borgo, Ezio snuck into the Sistine Chapel and struck at Borgia from above. Preparing to deal the killing blow, Borgia surprised Ezio by using the Staff to blast him away and drain the energy of those in the room. Ezio though, possessing the Apple, was safe from the Staff’s effects and the two engaged in a duel; Ezio using the same technique [[Al Mualim]] had in his duel against Altaïr in 1191. The duel ended in success for Ezio once more, though Borgia did manage to obtain the Apple and make his way to the Vault. Outside the Vault, Ezio watches as Borgia tries, in vain, to open it. Laying down his arms, Ezio challenges and defeats Borgia in a fist fight, obtaining possession of both the Staff and the Apple, but refusing to take Borgia’s life.

Entering the Vault, Ezio stood in shock as he was confronted by a hologram-esque individual naming herself "[[Minerva]]", and claiming to be one of "[[Those Who Came Before]]"; Ezio was further confounded when the hologram sought not to speak to Ezio, but through Ezio, to an unseen figure named [[Desmond Miles|Desmond]], before leaving abruptly and Ezio with many questions. At some point after this event, Ezio made his way to Italy once more, this time to liberate his fellow assassins in the country, who were being persecuted by the Templars under the guise of a religious inquisition.

After returning from Rome, Ezio sealed his piece of Eden under the statue of Altaïr at the Villa Auditore.

== Personality and characteristics ==

[[File:QuickTimePlayer 2009-09-25 19-22-34-26.png|thumb|left|286px|A young Ezio gets approached by a Florentine guard after protesting at his father’s and brothers’ execution.]]
{{quote
|1 = Nulla è reale, tutto è lecito. Requiescat in Pace.
|2 = Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Rest in Peace.
}}

Ezio was a young [[Florence|Florentine]] nobleman who lived during the 15th and 16th century. Unlike his ancestor Altaïr, he was a brought up without knowing of the assassins existence; a seducer of women and playful man, Ezio possessed acrobatic skills beyond what most had, save for his brother and father. Having left school at an early age, Ezio was without a formal education, perhaps explaining his playful nature. He came from an affluent background and had many friends until the deaths of his father and brothers drove him out of Florence. Forced to protect his [[Maria de' Mozzi |mother]] and [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze |sister, Claudia]], Ezio became an [[Assassin]], exacting revenge on the conspirators who had betrayed his family and plotted to seize both Florence and Venice. His first victim, Uberto Alberti , the one who sentenced his father and brothers to public execution, was assassinated publicly, forcing the Auditore out of the city and to the town of Monteriggioni, where his uncle resided. At first, Ezio wanted only to stay briefly, wishing to move his family onwards to Spain, and away from those who conspired against him. However after considerable persuasion from his uncle, Ezio decides to remain and exact his revenge upon the Templars as a whole. Aided not only by his uncle [[Mario Auditore da Firenze|Mario]] but also Leonardo da Vinci, Ezio managed to redeem the good name of his family in Florence, portraying the same level of loyalty his father had to the city’s ruler: Lorenzo de' Medici.

Quick to anger, Ezio often allowed his emotions to overcome him, going so far as to disrespect the corpse of Vieri de’ Pazzi just after his death. Eventually however, Ezio did manage to control his anger, and by the time he had become a Master Assassin, could control it almost completely.[[File:Ezio and Lorenzo.jpg|thumb|Ezio conversing with Lorenzo de Medici]]An explorer, throughout his quest Ezio scoured the cities looking not only for the Codex pages, but also to obtain the assassin seals from the [[Secret Locations|six assassins tombs]] spread across northern Italy. After obtaining them, Ezio had access to the [[Altaïr's Armor|black Grandmaster robes]] of his ancestor [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]].

== Equipment and Skills==

[[File:Iexplore_2009-09-25_20-01-09-16.png|thumb|left|300px|An older and more skilled Ezio assassinating two guards at once with the dual-Hidden Blades.]]
Ezio Auditore da Firenze was a highly skilled assassin during the Italian renaissance and a leader amongst the Order of Assassins. A master of multiple fields, including theft, blending, armed and unarmed combat, free-running and long-distance combat; he is able to use a variety of weapons including two [[Hidden Blade|hidden blades]], the longsword, throwing knives and more. As the years progress, Ezio's discoveries of the pages of the codex allowed da Vinci to upgrade his weaponry, including the addition of a wrist gauntlet, wheel lock firearm concealed beneath his left hidden blade, and a poison needle inside the other.

Born with the ability to use [[Eagle Vision]], Ezio could access the ability to instinctively differentiate friend from foe. He also had access to a variety of weaponry and armor thanks to the various blacksmiths located throughout the region; including maces, longswords and daggers.

==Trivia==

[[File:Zw-ezioauditore.png|thumb|right|Ezio's database picture]]
* The Italian name 'Ezio' derives from the Greek word 'Aetos', which means "Eagle", similar to Altaïr whose name means "The Flying One".
* Unlike Altaïr (who had his ring finger removed as a commitment to make way for the [[Hidden Blade]]), Ezio has all ten fingers. A modification to the Hidden Blade made sometime after Altaïr defeated Al-Mualim spared Ezio's left ring finger. Leonardo Da Vinci deciphers a Codex Page written by Altaïr on which said modification was illustrated, though he did mess around with Ezio and say that he had to cut off his finger as a joke. Instead of said removal of the ring finger, Assassins now have a mark burned into the ring finger as a sign of their lineage.
* It is stated in the Philosophical Codex that after Altaïr defeated Al-Mualim at the end of the first ''Assassin's Creed'' and became the leader, the Assassins were forced to realize the scope of their fight against the Templars, and had to abandon many of their traditions: like the removal of the ring finger or the ban on using poison, in order to survive.
* Ezio uses a wheel lock firearm, a type of weapon that Europe didn't start developing until the very late 1400's and early 1500's, sometime during the Italian Renaissance, making this weapon most likely one of the very first of its type to appear in Europe. Thus, many in-game citizens do not know what the weapon is. The earliest firearms were single shot and took time to reload, so will most likely be only used as a last resort weapon. Leonardo Da Vinci didn't create the firearm mentioned, but found instructions to make one from a Codex page, meaning Altaïr was the one who invented the Hidden Gun, through knowledge gained from the Apple of Eden. Also note that Da Vinci created some of the first modern wheel lock pistols, so this could be a shortened version of one.
* Ezio's face in ''Assassin's Creed II'' seems to be a mixture of Desmond's ([[wikipedia:Francisco Randez|Francisco Randez]]) and Devon Bostick's from ''Lineage'' .
* It would appear as though Ezio is unaware of his lineage to Assassins or that he is a descendant of Altaïr, despite learning about Altaïr in Monteriggioni and what kind of assassin he was, he never truly understands why he is such a successful assassin himself.
* Ezio is 40 years old in 1499 (15 years older than Altaïr's age in 1191); the same age as his father when his father died in 1476.
* If you move the camera to a certain angle in the game, Ezio's face has barely aged, except for the beard, even if you played through 20 plus years of his life. His voice does deepen and mature through time, though.
* Just like [[Altair]] and [[Desmond]], Ezio has a scar on his mouth, acquired after the mission "Boys Will Be Boys", when Vieri De Pazzi threw the rock at his face during the first memory sequence.

{{ACII}}
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters|Auditore da Firenze, Ezio]]
[[Category:Assassins|Auditore da Firenze, Ezio]]
[[Category:Descendant of Altaïr|Auditore da Firenze, Ezio]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II: Discovery Characters|Auditore da Firenze, Ezio]]

Piece of Eden

2009-12-30T02:47:39Z

207.237.49.246: /* Possible Artifacts and their Functions; Temple locations */

[[File:POE.jpg|thumb|250px|Al Mualim with his Piece of Eden.]]

==Characteristics==
The '''Piece of Eden''' is one of several ancient objects left by [[Those Who Came Before]], possessing different effects, that is able to bend people to the will of the user. One of the greatest weapons known to man, it is capable of ending wars and (provided it is used correctly) ushering in a forced peace.

It is believed by the staff of Abstergo Industries and the Templars that the Piece of Eden, along with other artifacts like it, was the source of such miracles as the Parting of the Red Sea, the successful use of the Trojan Horse by the Greeks to win the Trojan War, the miracles surrounding "the Christ-figure" who founded the Christian faith and the Biblical plagues that ravaged Egypt, among other supernatural happenings.

[[File:Zw-eden-slave.png|thumb|left|The Piece of Eden used by [[Those Who Came Before]] to enslave humans]]

Apart from its power to force almost anyone into serving its possessor, the Piece of Eden's greatest power is that its existence essentially disproves the existence of an all-powerful God. The Templar Order had already committed itself to exposing the claims of all religions as false, and the Piece of Eden is perfectly suited to the successful pursuit of this purpose.

Incidentally, each Piece of Eden also contains a holographic map of the Earth that shows the location of all the other Artifacts. The Masyaf Piece of Eden was destroyed during its experimental use by [[Abstergo]] Industries at the Denver International Airport. Using [[Altair]]'s memory of events, however, the map showed the locations of the other Pieces of Eden.

[[File:Zw-eden-3.png|thumb|Ezio uses the Staff and Apple to access the Vault.]]

After Altaïr took control of the Assassins, their new goal was to hunt down and destroy the last of the Templars and the Pieces of Eden. During the events of ''Assassin's Creed Bloodlines'', Altaïr starts to study the artifact, writing about its powers and his own theories. When the Cypriots blamed Altaïr for the disasters that struck the island and tried to attack him, he used the Piece of Eden to control their minds, forcing them to hear the truth, that the real culprit was the Templar Grand Master, Armand Bouchart. After reaching the Archives in Limassol, and killing Bouchart, Altaïr kept the Masyaf Piece of Eden, not leaving it in the Archives as he had first intended. It is unknown what happened to the Masyaf Piece of Eden after Altaïr and Maria traveled "East". On an interesting note, the object is referred to as the "Apple of Eden" in the game.

In ''[[Assassin's Creed 2]]'', it is revealed that the Apple and other Pieces of Eden have a rather extensive history of changing hands while decrypting the "Truth" files left by Subject 16. Notable figures in history have used the Pieces of Eden, although for varying purposes; including, but not limited to: Napoleon Bonaparte, George Washington, Gandhi, Houdini, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Tsar Nicholas II, and even Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler. It is also revealed that there are at least 3 Apples remaining in the world, which represent the three divine Golden Apples of Greek mythology.

== Resistance ==

[[Image:poemap.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A map of many "Pieces of Eden"]]
In an e-mail at Abstergo Industries it is revealed that the company's leaders are worried that the Pieces of Eden are not all that is needed to achieve their goal. It is mentioned that some people may be resistant to the mind control effect of the Piece of Eden and that other "Artifacts" must be found to ensure no one is left to cause trouble in the Templar's planned "New World". The only three people so far to show a resistance against the Pieces of Eden are an unnamed person present at the DIA incident, Altaïr, and Ezio. The first sends an e-mail to Dr. Vidic declaring "I know what you did" and gives a firsthand account of the artifact's failed experiment there. Of note is that this person seems to be acting alone and is therefore unlikely to know of the Templars or the Assassins and may not be a member of either organization themselves. Altaïr's resistance is shown when Al Mualim shows him the treasure but Altaïr simply says that to him it is just a piece of silver and does not understand how Al Mualim can believe it to be pure temptation as he describes. This response surprises Al Mualim who later reveals that he had shown the Piece of Eden to Altaïr in an attempt to hypnotize him, but for some reason he could not. However, even though Altaïr is resistant against its hypnotic effect, the Piece of Eden can still do some things to him such as: immobilizing him, causing him to hallucinate and clouding his mind, both of which can be observed during the final battle. Finally, Ezio's resistance is shown when he finally confronts [[Rodrigo Borgia]] in Rome. Although this instance has Ezio ''himself'' using the Apple while Rodrigo uses the Staff.

There is a high potential that Altaïr passed on this gift to Desmond Miles and his other descendants. Although a small number of theories can be made upon decrypting Truth File #18 because while decrypting it Subject 16 makes comments about scientists finding a specific neurological receptor in the human brain that responds solely to the effects of the Eden artifacts. It is highly possible that Altaïr, or more appropriately, one of his ancestors, was born lacking these "dormant receptors". As Desmond's genetic family are seemingly the only of which that possess this resistance. Why such a severe neurological mutation such as this (severe, due to the fact that humans were created, specifically to be controlled by the artifacts through these receptors), were to occur is left for speculation.   A possible idea is that natural evolution disposed of this in an effort to make humans more suitable independantly, rather than being solely reliant on their masters for food and shelter. This is could also be explained by another truth file from subject 16 "Bloodlines" which shows that Altair and Ezio gained their powers from a mixed bloodline where normal humans bred with Those Who Came Before.  

== Confirmed Artifacts ==

(T) = A Templar/worked with Templars
(A) = Assassin/Worked With Assassins
(!)= Confirmed Assassinated by the Assassins

'''01: The First Apple:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.

'''Status:''' Most likely destroyed, but no confirmation.

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, Adam(A)/Eve(A), Abel(A), Cain(T), Al Mualim(A)(!), Altair(A), Ezio(A), Unknown, Napoleon, Unknown, Houdini, Templars.

'''02: The Second Apple:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.

'''Status:''' Caught in an explosive satellite malfunction. Most likely survived, but impossible to retrieve in the darkness of space; see the AC1 emails.

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, Unknown, Queen "Bloody" Mary I of England(T)(!), Queen Elizabeth I of England, Unknown, Gandhi, Templars.

'''03: The Third Apple:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.

'''Status:''' Unknown

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson(T)

'''04: The Fourth Apple:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff. Possibly helped in the development of weapons and technology throughout the centuries.

'''Status:''' Unknown

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, "The Invention of Gunpowder", Nikola Tesla(A), Thomas Edison(T), Henry Ford(T), Adolf Hitler(T)(!), Assassins.

'''05: The Fifth Apple:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.

'''Status:''' Unknown

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, NASA(T).

'''25: The Sword:''' Designed to possibly cut through anything and block any attack. It also probably "passed" along an immense knowledge of combat tactics to the wielder, allowing them to take on entire armies. It's said that Attila the Hun's sword had an attack called the "Scourge of Mars". It was so terrifying that none dared to speak of the details...if there were any that survived it, that is. So it's also possible that with a single stroke, it can carve down hundreds of men.

'''Status:''' Unknown

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, Perseus, Alexander the Great(T)(!), Attila the Hun(T), King Arthur, Sigurd, Genghis Kahn(T)(!), Joan of Arc, Templars.

'''34: The Staff:''' Designed to control men's minds and bodies; it has a spot in the headpiece where an Apple of Eden can placed to enhance the mind control powers.

'''Status:''' Destroyed in the Tunguska Incident.

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, Egyptian Pharaohs, Moses, Alexander the Great(T)(!), John the Baptist, Jesus, Saint Peter, Rodrigo Borgia(T), Ezio(A), Unknown, Czar Nicholas II, Rasputin(T)(!).

'''66: The Shroud:''' Unknown, possibly allowed the resurrection of the dead, able to heal any ailment. The Templars were behind the crucifixion of Christ, allowing them to steal the artifact, although his disciples may have used it to heal Jesus before the Templars stole it. The Shroud appears to be red in color, with a "golden layer" woven on the inside, most likely the golden layer is the "technological part" of the artifact. Altaïr mentions a Golden Fleece in a codex page concerning his set of armor, suggesting he had woven it into his armor. This could very well be possible, as he had access to the locations of the Pieces of Eden.

'''Status:''' Unknown

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, Joseph, David, Jesus, Templars.

[[File:Codexmap.jpg|thumb|the Codex Map]]

== Locations of the Artifacts ==

According to the Codex Map there are exactly 48 Pieces of Eden remaining in the world. Here are the proposed locations of each in no particular order. One was located on the moon, but a different one may have been destroyed in a satellite incedent and the staff was destroyed. Not every location seems to hold some kind of historical value to the world, that is because the Templars already have some and they are being held at their facilities, which is why some seem so out of place. The same can possibly also be said about the Assassins, although it's not likely since Lucy said there was so few of them and they are losing the war so far.

#Giza, Egypt (home of the pyramids, Sphinx, and the many tombs near them)
#Lake Victoria, Africa, more on the Kenyan side
#The Gambia River, Gambia (This is one of the three stops that was part of the slave trade route, 3 million slaves were sent to Europe and the Americas from this spot for 3 centuries, it would make sense if the Templars had used a Piece of Eden on them to make a profit)
#Timbuktu, Mali (center of the Mali Empire and of Saharan trade)
#Taza, Morocco
#Canary Islands, Spain
#The Southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, curiously near the volcano of Opala
#Odessa, Ukraine
#Kharkiv, Ukraine (First capital of Soviet Ukraine, site of WWII battles)
#Rennes-le-Château, France (this is a major site for modern day Templar legends, featured in the Da Vinci Code, it was the supposed origin point of a group called the Priory of Sion)
#Salisbury Plain, England (The Sword?) (This was supposedly the plain where King Arthur died. Before doing so he asked a squire to take him to the lake that belonged to the Lady of the Lake, where he threw the sword in and she caught it before it even touched the water, then took it back down where it supposedly rests to this day.)
#Loch Ness, Scotland
#Maroantsetra, Madagascar or somewhere in Toamasina Province
#Nara, Japan (Isonokami Shrine outside of Nara City is home to one of the three national treasures of Japan, the Kusunagi, a mythical sword that was supposedly used by the sea and storm god Susanoo to kill the demon serpent, Yamata no Orochi. Supposedly the sword can cut through anything, and can even create wind blasts if swung through the air. The Shinto priests who keep the shrine absolutely refuse to let anyone see or examine their treasure, allowing only the Emperor of Japan to know of it's existence.)
#Somewhere close to Goodhouse, South Africa, near the border between South Africa and Namibia, possibly Augrabies National Park.
#Kuwait or more likely Al Basrah, Iraq, which has been claimed to be the location of the Garden of Eden
#Delhi, India or the Taj Mahal in India, just a short distance south of Delhi, could also be Varanasi, a holy place
#Persepolis, now modern day Shiraz, Iran (This is where leaders like Darius and Xerxes ruled the Persian Empire, Xerxes was killed by the first ever hidden blade used by an Assassin.)
#Jerusalem, Israel - (The Apple #1)
#Somewhere in the jungle near the southern border of Colombia, South America; around the area of the Igara Paranda River
#Nazca, Perú - site of the Nazca Lines (The Crystal Skulls?)
#Colombo, Sri Lanka
#Hellissandur, Iceland, could be Snaefellsjokull Volcano
#The area of Sabiene Island, Nunavut, Canada (it's really hard to tell with this one because the map blurs out which peninsula or island it could be on, but basically it is somewhere in the bay where Sabiene Island is, or along the coast of it in that area)or around King William Island
#Phoenix, Arizona, or somewhere outside the city, possibly the Grand Canyon (supposedly near Phoenix is the Superstition Mountains, which is supposedly home to the Lost Dutchman's Mine, a gold mine that is supposedly tremendously rich)
#Washington D.C. (possible locations include the White House, the Washington Monument, the Capital building, although there are probably many others) 
#Juneau, Alaska 
#An area close to Pulau Ratewo, Papua Province, Indonesia
#The middle of the South Pacific Ocean, near the Pitcairn Islands or possibly even Easter Island
#The Pacific Ocean, close to the coast of Mexico
#The South Pacific Ocean, close to the Assassin's temple located at 91 degrees W (possibly related to Cthulthu or the underwater bloop sound recorded in the area in 1997)
#The middle of the northern Atlantic Ocean, in an area where it was believed that Atlantis was believed to have existed
#The Atlantic Ocean, a few hundred miles off the coast of Brazil
#The Antartic Ocean, on the side of Antarctica facing up towards the Atlantic, somewhere east of South Georgia Island
#The Indian Ocean, almost cross sectioned with the tips of Inda, Africa and the Southwestern tip of Australia, near Ile Amsterdam
#The Antartic Ocean, the side of the Antarctic ocean that faces up towards the Indian Ocean, around French Southern and Antarctic Lands
#Archangel, Russia
#Imperatriz, Brazil, south of Belem
#Barrow, Alaska
#La Rioja, Argentina or possibly Cordoba
#An area close to Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia or near Brisbane
#An area around South Cross, in Western Australia
#Somewhere in the middle of the Island of Sumatra, Indonesia (possibly Lake Toba)
#Beijing, China
#Somewhere in the Altai Mountains in southwestern Mongolia
#Somewhere along the northern Coast of Chukotka province, Russia, near Lake Elgygytgyn
#An area close to Tiksi, Russia near the Lena river delta

== Possible Artifacts and their Functions; Temple locations==

These artifacts are based on the locations given in Assassin's Creed, and the clues and hints found in all the games.

*The Holy Grail: Although the Templars doubt its existence as a Biblical artifact, it could prove to be real. Possible Functions: Grants eternal life, among other things. Possible owners: Jesus.
*The Crystal Skulls: Quartz skulls found in Ancient Temples. Telepathic Communication. Currently possessed by the Templars, possibly found near the Nazca Lines. There are more than two, although the number is unknown at this time, but it's possible there could be at least 13.
*The "Philadelphia Experiment" artifact: Time travel, said to have been lost in the failed experiment. According to reports, a Navy destroyer ship disappeared for a few minutes, supposedly having traveled to the future. When it reappeared and was searched, most of the men were gone or they were there but dead, with pieces of their bodies melted into the metal of the ship. According to the email in the first AC, it was locked away in a safe location, and curiously, on the Codex map it shows a dot in the middle of the Nevada desert...in Area 51?
*The Golden Fleece: A seemingly weightless and indestructible piece of armor or cloak. In his [[Codex]], Altair speculates that it could have truly existed and was actually made of a unique metal compound he had discovered how to create using knowledge contained within the Apple. Shortly after creating his set of armour with the metal, Altair destroyed anything that could lead to its discovery or creation, fearing the knowledge could one day fall into the hands of the Templars. Possible Owners: Jason of the Argonauts
*The Spear of Destiny or Holy Lance: Said to protect its user from death, but causes instant death when lost. Also it's possible that when thrown it can never miss it's target and can't be stopped in mid-flight. Supposedly pierced the side of Christ at his crucifixion, although apochryphally the man who pierced Christ was said to live forever, until he found out and killed himself with the spear. Possible Owners: Longinus, Constantine, Charlemagne and other Holy Roman Emperors
*The Philosopher's Stone: Turn any substance into pure gold. Possibly what started the gold rush in Coloma, California.

There are 8 locations of Temples mentioned by Minerva that could possibly help save the human race, and more than likely where Desmond and the other modern day Assassins will be heading in the third AC game.

*New York City, NY, USA; possible locations include the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Library, Madison Square Garden, etc. It's hard to determine because New York city has a huge underground network system, it could be hiding in plain sight, or it could be so far down that no one could possibly have seen it, able to rise up from the earth at will and just hasn't for thousands of years.
*The Galapagos Islands[[File:Codexmapcopy.jpg|thumb|This symbol matches the one projected by the Staff when Ezio opens the Vault, all the points at the other temple locations]]
*Somewhere in the middle of the country of Cameroon, Africa; Cameroon is literally in the heart of Africa, covered in dense jungle, it would be completely possible to hide a temple in it and never see it from the sky above.
*Somewhere in the Badain Jaran Desert in China.
*Somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean, parallel to the one on the Galapagos Islands. Possible coordinates are S 44 degrees, W 91 degrees (the west part is the longitude that the Galapagos islands are located on)
*Hidden in the fjords in Northern Norway, possibly close to the peninsula/islands near Hinnoya, Norway.
*Somewhere in the middle of the island of Java, Indonesia. (Possibly Borobudur Temple, the largest Hindu Temple in the world)
*Somewhere in the ocean south of the southeastern tip of Australia.

All the temple locations are parallel to each other, first appearing in a curved row of three, a row of two to make the parallel fold across the map, and then a curved row of three again.

Things the Pieces of Eden share in common:

*If any one of these pieces were to be destroyed, like the Piece of Eden involved in the Tunguska Explosion, they would cause explosions similar to nuclear blasts, at least enough to level a major city. It's even been shown that at least one of these things were part of the Manhattan project in one of the glyphs left behind by Subject 16.
*It's highly possible that The Ones that Came Before had mastered all forms of technology, including controlled nuclear fusion which is another reason these things still have power to them even after thousands of years of being used throughout human history, and another reason for the blast theory above.
*It is possible, but very slim, that through their advanced technology, the Pieces of Eden are omni-synched: synchronized to each other throughout time and locations of where they are on the planet. It would explain why the one Apple shows the location of the remaining 46 pieces on the map shown to Altair, not showing the one lost in the satelite incident or the one lost in the Tunguska incident.

== Notes ==

It may be interesting to note that in Assassin's Creed, Al Mualim and Robert De Sable both want to use the Apple of Eden to control the population and enforce peace. But as the Templars continue to thrive, they seem obsessed with power. Rodrigo Borgia, the Spaniard, comes into possession of the Staff. Instead of using it to forcefully control his followers, he seems to desire it only for the power it brings him. (He is seen leading his congregation in prayer; if he controlled their minds, they would stand around like sheep. There would be no reason to pray.) He also talks of killing God solely for the power it will bring him. While the Templars first sought the Pieces of Eden in a quest for peace, they were corrupted and seem now to only desire power.

It should be noted that every major historical event or scientific discovery has been attributed to its catalysts having in their possession a Piece of Eden. As seen in the sections above, the Pieces are all at the heart of history. For example, Edison made his invention while he has the Apple of Eden in his possession. It is also known that Lee Harvey Oswald, as well as his co-conspirators, is mentioned in a letter discussing who will receive a Piece of Eden next.

It is stated in one of the Codex pages that a Piece of Eden can not be destroyed, however this could just be due to the lack of sufficient technology in the middle ages when the Codex was written. It is stated in a letter to Tesla (part of the Truth Video unlock events) that when the sender of the letter finds the Piece of Eden they are looking for, can he use his mastery of electricity to permanently destroy the Piece of Eden. Unfortunately, this resulted in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event Tunguska Explosion]. However, curiously on the Codex map, near the area of Magadan Oblast, Russia, there is a black dot that is discernable from the red outline. It's possible that that the explosion that had about 10 megatons of explosive power, could have sent the Staff miles away from Tunguska, and possibly is black because it is simply shut down, although the majority of the Templars and Assassins believe it to be destroyed.

In the 18th glyph, it's discovered how far the Ones Who Came Before went to try and control the human race. The neurotransmitter that the two doctors found in our brains that seems to have no apparent purpose, but was recieved through human evolution, was placed there by the Ones so that the Pieces of Eden would work on humans. If they hadn't of done so, the Pieces of Eden would never have had any affect on anyone, at least the ones that cause illusions.

One of the Pieces of Eden, the Shroud, is said to be able to resurrect those from death. So it may be interesting to see if Desmond and the Assassins use it in a way to resurrect the great Assassins from Ezio's villa.

== Trivia ==

Thanks to the glyphs, a number of legends were proven to be real in a way, thanks to the P.O.E. Here are a few:
*The Greek Myth of Perseus.
*King Arthur existed as he had in the legends about him and not just the way historians think he did.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piece Of Eden}}
[[Category:Assassin's Creed Series]]

Piece of Eden

2009-12-30T02:44:33Z

207.237.49.246: /* Locations of the Artifacts */

[[File:POE.jpg|thumb|250px|Al Mualim with his Piece of Eden.]]

==Characteristics==
The '''Piece of Eden''' is one of several ancient objects left by [[Those Who Came Before]], possessing different effects, that is able to bend people to the will of the user. One of the greatest weapons known to man, it is capable of ending wars and (provided it is used correctly) ushering in a forced peace.

It is believed by the staff of Abstergo Industries and the Templars that the Piece of Eden, along with other artifacts like it, was the source of such miracles as the Parting of the Red Sea, the successful use of the Trojan Horse by the Greeks to win the Trojan War, the miracles surrounding "the Christ-figure" who founded the Christian faith and the Biblical plagues that ravaged Egypt, among other supernatural happenings.

[[File:Zw-eden-slave.png|thumb|left|The Piece of Eden used by [[Those Who Came Before]] to enslave humans]]

Apart from its power to force almost anyone into serving its possessor, the Piece of Eden's greatest power is that its existence essentially disproves the existence of an all-powerful God. The Templar Order had already committed itself to exposing the claims of all religions as false, and the Piece of Eden is perfectly suited to the successful pursuit of this purpose.

Incidentally, each Piece of Eden also contains a holographic map of the Earth that shows the location of all the other Artifacts. The Masyaf Piece of Eden was destroyed during its experimental use by [[Abstergo]] Industries at the Denver International Airport. Using [[Altair]]'s memory of events, however, the map showed the locations of the other Pieces of Eden.

[[File:Zw-eden-3.png|thumb|Ezio uses the Staff and Apple to access the Vault.]]

After Altaïr took control of the Assassins, their new goal was to hunt down and destroy the last of the Templars and the Pieces of Eden. During the events of ''Assassin's Creed Bloodlines'', Altaïr starts to study the artifact, writing about its powers and his own theories. When the Cypriots blamed Altaïr for the disasters that struck the island and tried to attack him, he used the Piece of Eden to control their minds, forcing them to hear the truth, that the real culprit was the Templar Grand Master, Armand Bouchart. After reaching the Archives in Limassol, and killing Bouchart, Altaïr kept the Masyaf Piece of Eden, not leaving it in the Archives as he had first intended. It is unknown what happened to the Masyaf Piece of Eden after Altaïr and Maria traveled "East". On an interesting note, the object is referred to as the "Apple of Eden" in the game.

In ''[[Assassin's Creed 2]]'', it is revealed that the Apple and other Pieces of Eden have a rather extensive history of changing hands while decrypting the "Truth" files left by Subject 16. Notable figures in history have used the Pieces of Eden, although for varying purposes; including, but not limited to: Napoleon Bonaparte, George Washington, Gandhi, Houdini, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Tsar Nicholas II, and even Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler. It is also revealed that there are at least 3 Apples remaining in the world, which represent the three divine Golden Apples of Greek mythology.

== Resistance ==

[[Image:poemap.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A map of many "Pieces of Eden"]]
In an e-mail at Abstergo Industries it is revealed that the company's leaders are worried that the Pieces of Eden are not all that is needed to achieve their goal. It is mentioned that some people may be resistant to the mind control effect of the Piece of Eden and that other "Artifacts" must be found to ensure no one is left to cause trouble in the Templar's planned "New World". The only three people so far to show a resistance against the Pieces of Eden are an unnamed person present at the DIA incident, Altaïr, and Ezio. The first sends an e-mail to Dr. Vidic declaring "I know what you did" and gives a firsthand account of the artifact's failed experiment there. Of note is that this person seems to be acting alone and is therefore unlikely to know of the Templars or the Assassins and may not be a member of either organization themselves. Altaïr's resistance is shown when Al Mualim shows him the treasure but Altaïr simply says that to him it is just a piece of silver and does not understand how Al Mualim can believe it to be pure temptation as he describes. This response surprises Al Mualim who later reveals that he had shown the Piece of Eden to Altaïr in an attempt to hypnotize him, but for some reason he could not. However, even though Altaïr is resistant against its hypnotic effect, the Piece of Eden can still do some things to him such as: immobilizing him, causing him to hallucinate and clouding his mind, both of which can be observed during the final battle. Finally, Ezio's resistance is shown when he finally confronts [[Rodrigo Borgia]] in Rome. Although this instance has Ezio ''himself'' using the Apple while Rodrigo uses the Staff.

There is a high potential that Altaïr passed on this gift to Desmond Miles and his other descendants. Although a small number of theories can be made upon decrypting Truth File #18 because while decrypting it Subject 16 makes comments about scientists finding a specific neurological receptor in the human brain that responds solely to the effects of the Eden artifacts. It is highly possible that Altaïr, or more appropriately, one of his ancestors, was born lacking these "dormant receptors". As Desmond's genetic family are seemingly the only of which that possess this resistance. Why such a severe neurological mutation such as this (severe, due to the fact that humans were created, specifically to be controlled by the artifacts through these receptors), were to occur is left for speculation.   A possible idea is that natural evolution disposed of this in an effort to make humans more suitable independantly, rather than being solely reliant on their masters for food and shelter. This is could also be explained by another truth file from subject 16 "Bloodlines" which shows that Altair and Ezio gained their powers from a mixed bloodline where normal humans bred with Those Who Came Before.  

== Confirmed Artifacts ==

(T) = A Templar/worked with Templars
(A) = Assassin/Worked With Assassins
(!)= Confirmed Assassinated by the Assassins

'''01: The First Apple:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.

'''Status:''' Most likely destroyed, but no confirmation.

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, Adam(A)/Eve(A), Abel(A), Cain(T), Al Mualim(A)(!), Altair(A), Ezio(A), Unknown, Napoleon, Unknown, Houdini, Templars.

'''02: The Second Apple:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.

'''Status:''' Caught in an explosive satellite malfunction. Most likely survived, but impossible to retrieve in the darkness of space; see the AC1 emails.

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, Unknown, Queen "Bloody" Mary I of England(T)(!), Queen Elizabeth I of England, Unknown, Gandhi, Templars.

'''03: The Third Apple:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.

'''Status:''' Unknown

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson(T)

'''04: The Fourth Apple:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff. Possibly helped in the development of weapons and technology throughout the centuries.

'''Status:''' Unknown

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, "The Invention of Gunpowder", Nikola Tesla(A), Thomas Edison(T), Henry Ford(T), Adolf Hitler(T)(!), Assassins.

'''05: The Fifth Apple:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.

'''Status:''' Unknown

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, NASA(T).

'''25: The Sword:''' Designed to possibly cut through anything and block any attack. It also probably "passed" along an immense knowledge of combat tactics to the wielder, allowing them to take on entire armies. It's said that Attila the Hun's sword had an attack called the "Scourge of Mars". It was so terrifying that none dared to speak of the details...if there were any that survived it, that is. So it's also possible that with a single stroke, it can carve down hundreds of men.

'''Status:''' Unknown

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, Perseus, Alexander the Great(T)(!), Attila the Hun(T), King Arthur, Sigurd, Genghis Kahn(T)(!), Joan of Arc, Templars.

'''34: The Staff:''' Designed to control men's minds and bodies; it has a spot in the headpiece where an Apple of Eden can placed to enhance the mind control powers.

'''Status:''' Destroyed in the Tunguska Incident.

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, Egyptian Pharaohs, Moses, Alexander the Great(T)(!), John the Baptist, Jesus, Saint Peter, Rodrigo Borgia(T), Ezio(A), Unknown, Czar Nicholas II, Rasputin(T)(!).

'''66: The Shroud:''' Unknown, possibly allowed the resurrection of the dead, able to heal any ailment. The Templars were behind the crucifixion of Christ, allowing them to steal the artifact, although his disciples may have used it to heal Jesus before the Templars stole it. The Shroud appears to be red in color, with a "golden layer" woven on the inside, most likely the golden layer is the "technological part" of the artifact. Altaïr mentions a Golden Fleece in a codex page concerning his set of armor, suggesting he had woven it into his armor. This could very well be possible, as he had access to the locations of the Pieces of Eden.

'''Status:''' Unknown

'''Owners:''' Those Who Came Before, Joseph, David, Jesus, Templars.

[[File:Codexmap.jpg|thumb|the Codex Map]]

== Locations of the Artifacts ==

According to the Codex Map there are exactly 48 Pieces of Eden remaining in the world. Here are the proposed locations of each in no particular order. One was located on the moon, but a different one may have been destroyed in a satellite incedent and the staff was destroyed. Not every location seems to hold some kind of historical value to the world, that is because the Templars already have some and they are being held at their facilities, which is why some seem so out of place. The same can possibly also be said about the Assassins, although it's not likely since Lucy said there was so few of them and they are losing the war so far.

#Giza, Egypt (home of the pyramids, Sphinx, and the many tombs near them)
#Lake Victoria, Africa, more on the Kenyan side
#The Gambia River, Gambia (This is one of the three stops that was part of the slave trade route, 3 million slaves were sent to Europe and the Americas from this spot for 3 centuries, it would make sense if the Templars had used a Piece of Eden on them to make a profit)
#Timbuktu, Mali (center of the Mali Empire and of Saharan trade)
#Taza, Morocco
#Canary Islands, Spain
#The Southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, curiously near the volcano of Opala
#Odessa, Ukraine
#Kharkiv, Ukraine (First capital of Soviet Ukraine, site of WWII battles)
#Rennes-le-Château, France (this is a major site for modern day Templar legends, featured in the Da Vinci Code, it was the supposed origin point of a group called the Priory of Sion)
#Salisbury Plain, England (The Sword?) (This was supposedly the plain where King Arthur died. Before doing so he asked a squire to take him to the lake that belonged to the Lady of the Lake, where he threw the sword in and she caught it before it even touched the water, then took it back down where it supposedly rests to this day.)
#Loch Ness, Scotland
#Maroantsetra, Madagascar or somewhere in Toamasina Province
#Nara, Japan (Isonokami Shrine outside of Nara City is home to one of the three national treasures of Japan, the Kusunagi, a mythical sword that was supposedly used by the sea and storm god Susanoo to kill the demon serpent, Yamata no Orochi. Supposedly the sword can cut through anything, and can even create wind blasts if swung through the air. The Shinto priests who keep the shrine absolutely refuse to let anyone see or examine their treasure, allowing only the Emperor of Japan to know of it's existence.)
#Somewhere close to Goodhouse, South Africa, near the border between South Africa and Namibia, possibly Augrabies National Park.
#Kuwait or more likely Al Basrah, Iraq, which has been claimed to be the location of the Garden of Eden
#Delhi, India or the Taj Mahal in India, just a short distance south of Delhi, could also be Varanasi, a holy place
#Persepolis, now modern day Shiraz, Iran (This is where leaders like Darius and Xerxes ruled the Persian Empire, Xerxes was killed by the first ever hidden blade used by an Assassin.)
#Jerusalem, Israel - (The Apple #1)
#Somewhere in the jungle near the southern border of Colombia, South America; around the area of the Igara Paranda River
#Nazca, Perú - site of the Nazca Lines (The Crystal Skulls?)
#Colombo, Sri Lanka
#Hellissandur, Iceland, could be Snaefellsjokull Volcano
#The area of Sabiene Island, Nunavut, Canada (it's really hard to tell with this one because the map blurs out which peninsula or island it could be on, but basically it is somewhere in the bay where Sabiene Island is, or along the coast of it in that area)or around King William Island
#Phoenix, Arizona, or somewhere outside the city, possibly the Grand Canyon (supposedly near Phoenix is the Superstition Mountains, which is supposedly home to the Lost Dutchman's Mine, a gold mine that is supposedly tremendously rich)
#Washington D.C. (possible locations include the White House, the Washington Monument, the Capital building, although there are probably many others) 
#Juneau, Alaska 
#An area close to Pulau Ratewo, Papua Province, Indonesia
#The middle of the South Pacific Ocean, near the Pitcairn Islands or possibly even Easter Island
#The Pacific Ocean, close to the coast of Mexico
#The South Pacific Ocean, close to the Assassin's temple located at 91 degrees W (possibly related to Cthulthu or the underwater bloop sound recorded in the area in 1997)
#The middle of the northern Atlantic Ocean, in an area where it was believed that Atlantis was believed to have existed
#The Atlantic Ocean, a few hundred miles off the coast of Brazil
#The Antartic Ocean, on the side of Antarctica facing up towards the Atlantic, somewhere east of South Georgia Island
#The Indian Ocean, almost cross sectioned with the tips of Inda, Africa and the Southwestern tip of Australia, near Ile Amsterdam
#The Antartic Ocean, the side of the Antarctic ocean that faces up towards the Indian Ocean, around French Southern and Antarctic Lands
#Archangel, Russia
#Imperatriz, Brazil, south of Belem
#Barrow, Alaska
#La Rioja, Argentina or possibly Cordoba
#An area close to Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia or near Brisbane
#An area around South Cross, in Western Australia
#Somewhere in the middle of the Island of Sumatra, Indonesia (possibly Lake Toba)
#Beijing, China
#Somewhere in the Altai Mountains in southwestern Mongolia
#Somewhere along the northern Coast of Chukotka province, Russia, near Lake Elgygytgyn
#An area close to Tiksi, Russia near the Lena river delta

== Possible Artifacts and their Functions; Temple locations==

These artifacts are based on the locations given in Assassin's Creed, and the clues and hints found in all the games.

*The Holy Grail: Although the Templars doubt its existence as a Biblical artifact, it could prove to be real. Possible Functions: Grants eternal life, among other things. Possible owners: Jesus.
*The Crystal Skulls: Quartz skulls found in Ancient Temples. Telepathic Communication. Currently possessed by the Templars, possibly found near the Nazca Lines. There are more than two, although the number is unknown at this time, but it's possible there could be at least 13.
*The "Philadelphia Experiment" artifact: Time travel, said to have been lost in the failed experiment. According to reports, a Navy destroyer ship disappeared for a few minutes, supposedly having traveled to the future. When it reappeared and was searched, most of the men were gone or they were there but dead, with pieces of their bodies melted into the metal of the ship. According to the email in the first AC, it was locked away in a safe location, and curiously, on the Codex map it shows a dot in the middle of the Nevada desert...in Area 51?
*The Golden Fleece: A seemingly weightless and indestructible piece of armor or cloak. In his [[Codex]], Altair speculates that it could have truly existed and was actually made of a unique metal compound he had discovered how to create using knowledge contained within the Apple. Shortly after creating his set of armour with the metal, Altair destroyed anything that could lead to its discovery or creation, fearing the knowledge could one day fall into the hands of the Templars. Possible Owners: Jason of the Argonauts
*The Spear of Destiny or Holy Lance: Said to protect its user from death, but causes instant death when lost. Also it's possible that when thrown it can never miss it's target and can't be stopped in mid-flight. Supposedly pierced the side of Christ at his crucifixion, although apochryphally the man who pierced Christ was said to live forever, until he found out and killed himself with the spear. Possible Owners: Longinus, Constantine, Charlemagne and other Holy Roman Emperors
*The Philosopher's Stone: Turn any substance into pure gold. Possibly what started the gold rush in Coloma, California.

There are 8 locations of Temples mentioned by Minerva that could possibly help save the human race, and more than likely where Desmond and the other modern day Assassins will be heading in the third AC game.

*New York City, NY, USA; possible locations include the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Library, Madison Square Garden, etc. It's hard to determine because New York city has a huge underground network system, it could be hiding in plain sight, or it could be so far down that no one could possibly have seen it, able to rise up from the earth at will and just hasn't for thousands of years.
*he Galapagos Islands[[File:Codexmapcopy.jpg|thumb|This symbol matches the one projected by the Staff when Ezio opens the Vault, all the points at the other temple locations]]
*Somewhere in the middle of the country of Cameroon, Africa; Cameroon is literally in the heart of Africa, covered in dense jungle, it would be completely possible to hide a temple in it and never see it from the sky above.
*Somewhere in the Badain Jaran Desert in China.
*Somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean, parallel to the one on the Galapagos Islands. Possible coordinates are S 44 degrees, W 91 degrees (the west part is the longitude that the Galapagos islands are located on)
*Hidden in the fjords in Northern Norway, possibly close to the peninsula/islands near Hinnoya, Norway.
*Somewhere in the middle of the island of Java, Indonesia. (Possibly Borobudur Temple, the largest Hindu Temple in the world)
*Somewhere in the ocean south of the southeastern tip of Australia.

All the temple locations are parallel to each other, first appearing in a curved row of three, a row of two to make the parallel fold across the map, and then a curved row of three again.

Things the Pieces of Eden share in common:

*If any one of these pieces were to be destroyed, like the Piece of Eden involved in the Tunguska Explosion, they would cause explosions similar to nuclear blasts, at least enough to level a major city. It's even been shown that at least one of these things were part of the Manhattan project in one of the glyphs left behind by Subject 16.
*It's highly possible that The Ones that Came Before had mastered all forms of technology, including controlled nuclear fusion which is another reason these things still have power to them even after thousands of years of being used throughout human history, and another reason for the blast theory above.
*It is possible, but very slim, that through their advanced technology, the Pieces of Eden are omni-synched: synchronized to each other throughout time and locations of where they are on the planet. It would explain why the one Apple shows the location of the remaining 46 pieces on the map shown to Altair, not showing the one lost in the satelite incident or the one lost in the Tunguska incident.

== Notes ==

It may be interesting to note that in Assassin's Creed, Al Mualim and Robert De Sable both want to use the Apple of Eden to control the population and enforce peace. But as the Templars continue to thrive, they seem obsessed with power. Rodrigo Borgia, the Spaniard, comes into possession of the Staff. Instead of using it to forcefully control his followers, he seems to desire it only for the power it brings him. (He is seen leading his congregation in prayer; if he controlled their minds, they would stand around like sheep. There would be no reason to pray.) He also talks of killing God solely for the power it will bring him. While the Templars first sought the Pieces of Eden in a quest for peace, they were corrupted and seem now to only desire power.

It should be noted that every major historical event or scientific discovery has been attributed to its catalysts having in their possession a Piece of Eden. As seen in the sections above, the Pieces are all at the heart of history. For example, Edison made his invention while he has the Apple of Eden in his possession. It is also known that Lee Harvey Oswald, as well as his co-conspirators, is mentioned in a letter discussing who will receive a Piece of Eden next.

It is stated in one of the Codex pages that a Piece of Eden can not be destroyed, however this could just be due to the lack of sufficient technology in the middle ages when the Codex was written. It is stated in a letter to Tesla (part of the Truth Video unlock events) that when the sender of the letter finds the Piece of Eden they are looking for, can he use his mastery of electricity to permanently destroy the Piece of Eden. Unfortunately, this resulted in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event Tunguska Explosion]. However, curiously on the Codex map, near the area of Magadan Oblast, Russia, there is a black dot that is discernable from the red outline. It's possible that that the explosion that had about 10 megatons of explosive power, could have sent the Staff miles away from Tunguska, and possibly is black because it is simply shut down, although the majority of the Templars and Assassins believe it to be destroyed.

In the 18th glyph, it's discovered how far the Ones Who Came Before went to try and control the human race. The neurotransmitter that the two doctors found in our brains that seems to have no apparent purpose, but was recieved through human evolution, was placed there by the Ones so that the Pieces of Eden would work on humans. If they hadn't of done so, the Pieces of Eden would never have had any affect on anyone, at least the ones that cause illusions.

One of the Pieces of Eden, the Shroud, is said to be able to resurrect those from death. So it may be interesting to see if Desmond and the Assassins use it in a way to resurrect the great Assassins from Ezio's villa.

== Trivia ==

Thanks to the glyphs, a number of legends were proven to be real in a way, thanks to the P.O.E. Here are a few:
*The Greek Myth of Perseus.
*King Arthur existed as he had in the legends about him and not just the way historians think he did.

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[[Category:Assassin's Creed Series]]