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Piece of Eden

2009-12-08T08:32:50Z

217.68.34.193:

[[File:POE.jpg|thumb]]

The '''Piece of Eden''' is one of several ancient objects left by [[Those Who Have Gone Before|Those Who Have Come 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.

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.

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. But Ezio shows no resistance to the combined power of the Apple and 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 all assassins have this "resistance" since historically the templars have used the pieces of eden against them, this is not to say they are immune.

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

Owners: Those Who Came Before, Adam(A)/Eve(A), Abel(A), Cain(T), Al Mualim(T)(!), Altair(A), Ezio(A), Unknown, Napoleon, Unknown, Houdini, Templars (Most likely destroyed, but no confirmation)

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

Owners: Those Who Came Before, Unknown, Queen "Bloody" Mary I of England(T)(!), Queen Elizabeth I of England, Unknown, Gandhi, Templars. (Caught in explosive satellite malfunction, most likely survived, but impossible to retreve in the blackness of space—see AC1 emails)

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

Owners: Those Who Came Before, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt(T), 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

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

Owners: Those Who Came Before, NASA(T).

 
25: The Sword: Unknown

Owners: Those Who Came Before, Perseus, Attila the Hun(T), Alexander the Great(T), King Arthur, Sigurd, 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

Owners: Those Who Came Before, Egyptian Pharaohs, Moses, Alexander the Great(T), John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, Rodrigo Borgia(T), Ezio(A), Unknown, Czar Nicholas II, Rasputin(T)(!) (Most likely destroyed, but no confirmation)

66: The Shroud: Unknown, possibly designed to resurrect the dead

Owners: Those Who Came Before, David, Jesus, Templars

(T) = A Templar / Templar Group
(A) = Assassin / Worked With Assassins

(!)= Confirmed Assassinated by the Assassins

== Locations of the Artifacts ==

#Giza, Egypt
#Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania - (The Apple #?)
#The Gambia
#Timbuktu, Mali
#Atlas Mountains, Morocco
#Canary Islands, Spain
#Vologda Oblast, Russia - (The Staff?)
#Chernobyl, Ukraine - (The Staff?)
#Sighişoara, Transylvania - (The Apple #4)
#Rennes-le-Château, France
#Salisbury, England
#Loch Ness, Scotland
#Uluru, Australia
#Nara, Japan
#Xi'an, China - (The Sword?)
#Lake Baikal, Siberia
#Bareilly, India
#Persepolis, Iran
#Jerusalem, Israel - (The Apple #1)
#Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - (The Shroud?)
#Machu Picchu, Peru - (The Crystal Skulls?)
#Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
#Aasiaat, Greenland
#Chichen Itza, Mexico
#San Antonio, Texas
#Montréal, Quebec
#New York City, New York
#Washington D.C.
#Lake Okanagan, British Columbia
#Coloma, California

== Possible Artifacts and Functions ==
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.
*The Crystal Skulls: Quartz skulls found in Ancient Temples. Telepathic Communication. Currently possessed by the Templars.
*The "Philadelphia Artifact": Time travel, said to have been lost in the failed experiment.
*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.
*The Spear of Christ: Said to protect its user from death, but causes instant death when lost.

== 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.

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

Desmond Miles

2009-12-08T08:27:47Z

217.68.34.193: Undo revision 15955 by 173.80.214.129 (talk)

{{Character Infobox
|image =Desmond2.png
|imgdesc =
|name =Desmond Miles
|status =Alive
|arabic =
|alias =Subject Seventeen
|meaning =
|faction =[[Assassins]]
|appear =''[[Assassin's Creed]]'', ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
|period =Modern times (2012)
|voice =[[Nolan North]]
}}
{{Quote|I'm a bartender, for God's sake! What do you want, me to teach you how to mix a martini?|Desmond to Vidic and Lucy}}
'''Desmond Miles''' is the primary protagonist of the ''[[Assassin's Creed series]]''.

==Biography==
===Early life===
Desmond was born on a assassin hideout much like [[Masyaf]], a modern day Assassin enclave called 'The Farm', isolated and 'off the grid' as it was. Desmond was apparently supposed to be born and raised as an assassin. He was unable to leave this small community of thirty or so people, but wanted to as he believed that they were "just a bunch of hippies who wanted to fight the man." He later escapes by himself, claiming that he wanted to see the rest of the world. Desmond states that he has no regrets leaving his father or mother and at one point when Vidic accuses him of being an assassin he responds "I'm not an assassin...not anymore". At some time in his life, Desmond became a bartender. Desmond never used his real name before being taken. He used cash only, he was found from his fingerprint needed for a motorcycle license.

===''[[Assassin's Creed]]''===
The story starts off with flashes of [[Altaïr]] in an odd cloudy area which will turn out to be the garden at the back of the home base in Masyaf. After about five minutes, Desmond wakes up to find himself on top of a machine and two figures with lab coats near him. He has no recollection of getting to where he is now and is told that he is being held captive. When he questions why, the answer he receives is somewhat unbelievable.

The people in the lab coats are [[Lucy Stillman|Dr. Lucy Stillman]] and [[Warren Vidic|Dr. Warren Vidic]]. They run the [[Animus]] project for [[Abstergo Industries]]. The Animus is a device used to extract genetic memory from an individual about their ancestors. According to Dr. Vidic, the memories of our past relatives are stored in our DNA.

Desmond is told that he has information that someone needs. While Desmond claims to be nothing more than a bartender, it is alluded to that he is an assassin, or at least was one at some point in the past. He seems to have the same age, weight, and height as [[Altaïr]] at the time that the Animus decodes. He also wears a white hooded-sweatshirt, similar to [[Altaïr]]'s clothing. Desmond also has a scar on the right side of his face, going downwards across the lips, Altaïr also has a identical scar. You can see it if you get Altaïr to face a wall or cliff and move the camera around to see his face close up. Moreover, his ancestors were assassins. There is a specific memory in the life of his ancestor Altaïr that the Doctors are trying to access, but Desmond's subconscious mind is blocking access to the memory and they need his help to access it. If he refuses to assist them, they threaten to induce a coma, continue their work, and, when done with Desmond, leave him to die.

Without much choice, Desmond agrees to help them.

Over the next few days, Desmond is removed from the Animus several times; either to give him time to rest or as occurred at one point, because the Animus was overheating. During these periods he finds that someone has left the code for his sleeping quarter’s door in his closet, allowing him to go out into the Animus chamber alone, where he accesses Abstergo's computer system, trying to learn why he was brought there. He does this both with Stillman's access pen, that she apparently forgot, and Vidic's which he stole. He however remains unable to escape and learns nothing that makes his captives goals clear. At one point his memory viewing is interrupted by a group of Assassins who have apparently launched a rescue attempt, caught in a gun battle with Abstergo's guards. Desmond however cannot see this only hear the gunfire. Vidic later states that these Assassins were not only killed, but were the last of the Assassins, possibly as a means of demoralising Desmond; Lucy Stillman's actions, however, suggest otherwise. After accessing the target memory Abstergo’s executives order Desmond killed, but some quick thinking on Lucy’s part spares him this fate and he is ordered to be kept at Abstergo until he has no possible use to them. By this point Desmond begins to develop “the bleeding effect” (mentioned in Lucy's E-Mails as affecting previous test subjects) as he manifests Altaïr’s eagle vision allowing him to see cryptic messages written on the walls of the chamber (presumably test subject sixteen, the subject before Desmond, who is alluded to in the E-Mails) and see that Lucy Stillman is indeed his ally.

===''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''===
{{Spoiler}}
Desmond starts off Assassin's Creed II still held within Abstergo, right where we left off at the end of the first game. Lucy arrives and demands him to get into the Animus before Abstergo discovers what she's done. Desmond agrees and, inside the Animus, he experiences the birth of one of his ancestors , [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] due to the comparison of DNA Memory between him and [[Subject 16]] (Which speculates they might be related). Lucy soon after pulls him out and the two attempt to escape from the Abstergo building. Along the way, Abstergo security soon finds out they're trying to leave, meaning at times they have to take action in order to avoid being captured as they escape. Also, when they start to sneak around a large office-like room, they come across a number of Animus machines along the way, and when Desmond asks Lucy about them she tells him to be silent. At the final door, a password is needed that Lucy does not have, however Desmond uses his Eagle Vision, an ability he has just acquired from the Bleeding Effect, to see fingerprints on the keypad, putting in the code soon after. The final point of the escape pits Desmond and Lucy against a group of guards at the parking lot exit. Lucy hides Desmond in the trunk of a car and she drives off to an Assassin hideout, whilst he endures the bumps on the journey. 

When they arrive, the two of them meet [[Shaun Hastings]] and [[Rebecca Crane]], both of whom are Assassins, just like Lucy. She tells Desmond they want him to become an Assassin member, and can train him in a matter of days using the memories of Ezio. With the Bleeding effect, Ezio's skills will be passed to Desmond, making him faster, stronger, more agile and therefore become a better fighter, highly maneuverable and a key member of the Modern-day Assassin order. He accepts stating he wants revenge on what Abstergo did to him, leaving Lucy happy he wants to join as he is plugged into the Animus where his journey as Ezio, begins.

Midway through the game, Desmond is retracted from the Animus. Lucy didn't want him staying in Ezio's memories for too long, otherwise he may face the mental degradation [[Subject 16]] had suffered. She also wants to see how much Desmond has picked up from his time as his ancestor, tasking him with initiating security protocols around the Assassin hideout. Just as he begins, however, vivid hallucinations develop as he begins seeing people from Altair's time period, around different parts of the hideout. Lucy says that if they only occur for a little while, he should be fine. Unfortunately for Desmond, at one point after finishing his task, the visions start to become more real and he is taken back to one Altair's memories, even though he isn't linked to the Animus. Here, Desmond learns of Altair having a secret lover in the Templar, [[Maria]], the decoy of Robert de Sable in the first Assassin's Creed. As Altair leaves, Desmond wonders why he isn't following him. instead, he moves towards Maria where he enters her womb, obviously showing that Altair's child and another of Desmond's ancestors has been conceived.

During his time inside the Animus, at the end of the game a "[[Those Who Have Gone Before|god]]", [[Minerva]], warns Desmond through Ezio of the destruction of the world. Immediately after getting out of the Animus, Lucy informs Desmond that their stronghold is under attack and she hands him a hidden blade. An old friend is introduced, as Vidic appears and says that he has come back to claim Desmond. Lucy and Desmond, now synchronized with both Altaïr and Ezio, fight off the Vidic's henchmen. His hand-to-hand combat skills are much improved from the escape from Abstergo, and he begins to show a mastery of disarming, countering, free running and climbing techniques. When Desmond finally confronts Vidic he begins to flee, but promises that their victory is only temporary. Lucy decides they must leave the safehouse and says that they have another safehouse somewhere up north. She also informs Desmond that they have the Animus onboard and he should delve back in, looking for anymore memories that may reveal more information, whilst she and the others try to analyze Minerva's warning and Subject 16's video.
{{Spoiler End}}

==Appearances==
*(2 games)
**''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' (First appearance)
**''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''

==Trivia==
*He is modeled after model Francisco Randez and voiced by [[Nolan North]].
*Desmond possess the same scar in his mouth as his ancestors Altaïr and Ezio did.
*Desmond's clothes allude to those worn by both Ezio and Altaïr, albeit in a more modern style. He has a hood (although it is not worn over his head), and his jacket is white - similar to Altair's robes, and Ezio's clothing, which is originally referred to as "Assassin White". Concept Art of him with his hood up show that it has the "eagle-beak" shape his ancestors' clothes had.
*Desmond acquires a Hidden Blade at the conclusion of Assassin's Creed 2.  The original owner of the blade is uncertain, but it shares the same design as Ezio's.  
*Desmond obtains Eagle Vision from his ancestor Altaïr and his fighting and free-running skills from his ancestor Ezio through the Bleeding Effect in the Animus.
*It is likely that Lucy and Desmond will enter a relationship in [[Assassin's Creed III]], given that Lucy cares very much about Desmond and (as seen in Assassin's Creed II) he apparently returns those feelings. For example, when Lucy panics because she is afraid that Abstergo will find them, Desmond tries very hard to comfort her.
*At times during the game, Desmond's eyes appear to be a golden yellow colour, as do Ezio's, greatly resembling the eyes of an eagle.

{{AC}}

{{ACII}}
[[Category:Assassin's Creed Characters|Miles, Desmond]]
[[Category:Assassins|Miles, Desmond]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters|Miles, Desmond]]
[[Category:Descendant of Altaïr]]