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Templars

2010-05-23T21:45:29Z

74.78.77.122:

{{WP-REAL}}{{Era|AC|ACAC|AC2|Templars|Crusade|Ren|Good}}
{{FAimp}}
{{Faction Infobox

|image = Knights.png
|imgdesc = The Templars used many variations on this red cross pattée as their symbol.
"Behold the mark of [[Cain]]." -Subject 16
|game = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''
|religion = [[Wikipedia:Atheism|Atheist]] (pretend to be [[Wikipedia:Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]])
|location = Throughout the world.
}}
{{quote
|May the [[Father of Understanding]] guide us.
|Templar motto
}}

The '''Knights Templar --''' or '''Brotherhood''' as they called themselves -- was a religious military order-turned corporate giant during the second and third millennium A.D. (Anno Domini/ In the Year of Our Lord). Founded during the First Crusade, the Knights Templar sought to create a perfect world, although the means by which they sought to do so were questionable. Sworn enemies of the [[Order of Assassins]], the Templars suffered a crippling blow during the [[Third Crusade]], largely due to the work of the Assassin Altaïr, but survived.

Adopting a less public position, the Knights Templar retreated into the shadows and thrived, continuing their war against the Assassins throughout the Renaissance, and into the [[Modern Times|Modern era]].

==Ideals and goals==
The military order of the Knights Templar was founded publicly in 1129 to counter the increasing threat against the Holy Land by the [[Saracens]], and to protect the city of [[Jerusalem]]<ref name=HC>The History Channel, ''Decoding the Past: The Templar Code'', 7 November 2005, video documentary written by Marcy Marzuni</ref>. Over time, the Templars began to believe it within their power to unite the world in peace<ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>.
Their system of belief changed greatly upon the discovery of the [[Pieces of Eden]]; the realization of the non-existence of God led Order to become atheistic, although they publicly maintained the pretence of following the Christian ways so as to not lose the support of the Church<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>.

Realizing the power that the Pieces of Eden held over man, the Knights Templar began to seek out the artifacts. In 1191 [[Robert de Sable]], then the Grand Master of the Order, personally sought the fabled ''Apple of Eden'', buried in the catacombs beneath [[Solomon's Temple|Solomon's Temple]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. The theft of the piece of Eden by the Order of Assassins brought the two great powers into a sustained conflict with one another, ending with the death of [[Armand Bouchart]] in [[Limassol]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref>. Despite this setback, the Order maintained its belief in creating a world of peace through manipulation of the Pieces of Eden.

By their reasoning, with no afterlife or ultimate punishment or reward after death, there was no reason to oblige notions of morality or ethics; the end always justified the means, no matter how heinous. They thought that only this life was important, rather than preparing for a non-existent next life. With so many lower class people kept in line by the promise of an afterlife, and so many upper class men blissfully ignoring such ideals, the Templars vowed to make a better world; one of lasting peace, no matter the cost<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

As time progressed, the Templars' interest in the Pieces of Eden became more about seeking the power and domination that the artifacts offered. Their goals changed as they sought to control and unify the entire world using the Pieces of Eden to create a "New World Order"<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

==History==
===Third Crusade===
[[File:Assassins-creed-altair-1.jpg|thumb|A Knight Templar battles with Altaïr.]]
Founded in Jerusalem in 1129, the Knights Templar sought a world at peace with itself. By 1191, they had come to the realization that such peace could only be maintained through use of the [[Pieces of Eden]], and made it their quest to gather as many as they could<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. That same year, after the theft of the ''Apple of Eden'' by the assassins [[Malik A-Sayf]] and [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] from [[File:Maria-Templar-Robert-de-Sable.jpg|thumb|left|160px|Maria Thorpe, a Templar posing as Robert de Sable.]]the Templars, the Brotherhood entered into a brief period of sustained conflict with their Assassin enemies. Over the course of the year, ten Templar leaders from both [[Crusader]] and [[Saracen]] backgrounds fell to the blades of the assassin Altaïr, who was serving penance for crimes committed during the theft. The deaths included not only the Grand Master of the Order, but also [[Al Mualim]], leader of the Order of Assassins in Syria and the only Templar not willing to share the power of the Apple with his nine brothers<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

With their leadership effectively wiped out by a single assassin, the Brotherhood retreated to the island of [[Cyprus]] under the command of a new Grand Master, [[Armand Bouchart]]. Pursued by Altaïr, the Templars were wiped out once again, although the treasures of the [[Templar Archive]] in Limassol were spirited away before they could be found<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />. The death of Armand forced the Order to consider its position carefully, and by 1312 the Order had officially disbanded. In reality, the Order continued to thrive, adopting a much more secretive position in world affairs.

===Renaissance===
By the late 15<sup>th</sup> Century, the Brotherhood had regained a position of strength on the world stage, spreading deep into the Church and nobility of [[Italy]]. Under the command of [[Rodrigo Borgia]], the Knights Templar sought to unify northern Italy under their command, and regain the Apple of Eden which they knew to be buried in Cyprus<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. Targeting [[Lorenzo de' Medici]], Duke of [[Florence]], the Templars found themselves confronted by the assassin [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze]], who whilst not knowing of their Templar allegiances, was rapidly piecing together the clues. Following a near fatal encounter with Giovanni himself, Borgia arranged for the trial and execution of Giovanni and his three sons – [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|Federico]], [[Petruccio Auditore|Petruccio]] and [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio]] – for the crimes of High Treason against the city of Florence. Corrupting the city official [[Uberto Alberti]], the city guards arrested Giovanni and two of his sons, narrowly missing their chance to capture the third, Ezio, who had been delivering and collecting letters for his father<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

Realizing too late, the treachery of Uberto Alberti, whom his father had considered a friend<ref name="Assassin's Creed:Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref>, Ezio appeared at the execution of his family, watching in horror as his father and brothers were hanged; he narrowly escaped such a fate himself. Unconcerned with the remaining Auditore, the Templars continued in their mission to assume control of the cities of northern Italy. In 1478, the Templar affiliated [[House of Pazzi]] made their push for control. In what would become known as the [[Pazzi conspiracy]], the family struck against the Medici during Mass, killing [[Giuliano de' Medici]] and fatally wounding Lorenzo, who was saved only by the timely intervention of Ezio Auditore, the son who had been allowed to escape. Lorenzo's survival and the arrival of Ezio spelt doom for the Pazzi family, who were left to their fate by Rodrigo Borgia. [[Vieri de' Pazzi|Vieri]], [[Francesco de' Pazzi|Francesco]] and [[Jacopo de' Pazzi]] were all slain by the lone assassin whilst[[File:Renaissance_Templar_Carlo_Grimaldi.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Ezio strikes at Carlo Grimaldi, a Renaissance Templar Leader.]] the Templars acknowledged their defeat in Florence, instead turning the attention to the city of [[Venice]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

Utilising the [[House of Barbarigo]], the Brotherhood assumed control of Venice briefly in 1485, before they were once again overthrown by the lone Assassin. The distraction of controlling the city had been beneficial to the Templars however, as it had distracted the Assassins from noticing the preparations being made for the retrieval of the piece of Eden from Cyprus. Two years later, in 1487, the Templar expedition returned to Venice with ''the Apple'' in hand. Bringing it to Borgia, an undercover Ezio engaged the Templar Grand Master and, with the assistance of his fellow Assassins, forced the Templars out of the city once more<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. With the Apple in the hands of the Assassins, the Brotherhood approached the [[House of Orsi|brothers Orsi]] – [[Ludovico Orsi|Ludovico]] and [[Checco Orsi|Checco]] – to obtain a map detailing the location of the Codex pages from the wife of the Templar [[Girolamo Riario]] – [[Caterina Sforza]]. Invading [[Forlì]], the Orsi brothers demanded the map, and ''the Apple'' in exchange for the lives of Sforza's children. The brothers were rebuked, and assaulted the [[Rocca di Ravaldino]]. Together with the city guards, the Assassins Ezio Auditore and [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] held off the assault, although a second succeeded in claiming ''the Apple'' briefly<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì">''[[Battle of Forlì (DLC)|Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì]]''</ref>.

Despite the loss of ''the Apple'', Rodrigo Borgia was ultimately unfazed, and in 1492 became Pope [[w:Alexander VI|Alexander VI]] in order to gain access to the Papal staff, another of the Pieces of Eden. In 1499 Borgia was once again confronted by the assassin Ezio, this time within the [[Sistine Chapel]] itself<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

===Modern era===
Despite their defeat at the hands of the assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the Templar order continued to exist within the shadow. Infiltrating or starting up countless corporate entities, the Templars positioned its members in several world-defining positions, improving the planets technological level significantly. The Templars also worked to stiffle world progress however; [[Adolf Hitler]] used a Piece of Eden to rise to power in Germany, and subsequently started a [[w:World War II|world-wide conflict]]. He was "fought" by his Templar counterparts Winston Churchill and [[Joseph Stalin]], who ultimately won the conflict though it appears that FDR was an assassin<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

[[File:Abstergo_Desmond_Captivity.png|thumb|left|220px|Desmond held captive by Abstergo Industries.]]By the early 21<sup>st</sup> Century, the Templar fronted [[Abstergo Industries]] had expanded into a global entity, far larger and more powerful than most companies that had come before it<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. For the most part this was not treated as suspicious, although there were those within the general population who viewed the company with suspicion<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

At this time, Abstergo Industries seemingly lacked a Piece of Eden capable of controlling the minds of humanity, and as such authorised the [[Animus]]-project in order to gain access to the memories of those who might know the location of one. By September of 2012, sixteen test subjects had been "retired" before the company succeeded with the seventeenth – [[Desmond Miles]], the descendant of both Altaïr, and Ezio Auditore<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. With the location of all the Pieces of Eden now theirs, the Templars

Captured, for seven days Miles was forced to relieve the memories of his ancestor [[Altaïr]] in order to reach one specific memory the Templars were seeking. The memory registered the moment his ancestor found a holographic map containing the locations of all [[Pieces of Eden]] scattered across the world. With the info in hand, the Templars started gathering the remaining intact pieces for use in their ancient purpose of "absolute peace". Their plan of sending ''the Apple'' into orbit and use the device to control the minds of all citizens of Earth is still in progress, with the satellite launch scheduled to December 21, 2012. <ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. It should also be noted that they altered public records of history numerous times, which can explain inconsistencies with historical dates and in-game events.

==Members==
Originally crusaders of unprecedented skill, as time progressed, they began to act secretly, utilizing powerful and influential people to further their cause. Often, these people are lured to being Templars by the promise of power and glory.
===Third Crusade===
* [[Basilisk]] (Grand Master of the Knights Templar)
* [[Robert de Sable]] (Grand Master of the Knights Templar, after Basilisk)
* [[Armand Bouchart]] (Grand Master of the Knights Templar, after Robert)
* [[Tamir the Merchant]] (Black marketeer in [[Damascus]])
* [[Garnier de Naplouse]] (Grand Master of the [[Knights Hospitalier]])
* [[Talal the Slave Trader]] (Slave master in [[Jerusalem]])
* [[Abul Nuqoud]] (Merchant king of Damascus)
* [[William of Montferrat]] (Regent lord of [[Acre]])
* [[Majd Addin]] (Regent lord of Jerusalem)
* [[Jubair al Hakim]] (Head of the Illuminated and the chief [[scholar]] of Damascus)
* [[Sibrand]] (Grand Master of the [[Knights Teutonic]])
* [[Al Mualim]] (Master and leader of the [[Assassin]]s, and a former Templar)
* [[Maria Thorpe]] (Robert de Sable's steward and his own personal assassin; became ally to the Assassins)
* [[Roland Napule]] (Head of a Templar hospital in [[Tyre]])
* [[Masun]] (Traitorous assassin who is a double agent to the Templar)
* [[Alaat]] (Templar knight)
* [[Tamir (Altaïr's Chronicles)]] (A rich merchant allied to Basilisk)
* [[Master of the Tower]] (Basilisk's second-in-command, master of the art of killing)
* [[The Master's Student]] (Templar killer)
* [[Harash]] (Al Mualim's second-in-command, traitor who joined Templars)
* [[Frederick The Red]] (Templar regent of Limassol)
* [[Pirate Captain]] (Leader of Cypriot pirates who joined the Order)
* [[Osman]] (Templar knight, secretly a member of Cypriot resistance)
* [[Moloch]] (Templar regent of Kyrenia)
* [[Shalim]] (Armand Bouchart's second-in-command, son of Moloch)
* [[Shahar]] (Shalim's twin brother)
* [[Templar Agent]] (Armand Bouchart's highly trained, stealthy killer)
* [[Isaac Comnenus]] (Former ruler of [[Cyprus]] and keeper of the [[Templar Archive]])

===Renaissance===
*[[Rodrigo Borgia]] (Grand Master of the Knights Templar and Pope Alexander VI)
*[[Marco Barbarigo]] (Corrupt Doge of Venice)
*[[Silvio Barbarigo]] (Member of the Supreme Tribunal of Venice)
*[[Emilio Barbarigo]] (Corrupt Merchant of Venice)
*[[Carlo Grimaldi]] (Member of the Council of Ten of Venice)
*[[Uberto Alberti]] (The Gonfaloniere of Firenze)
*[[Jacopo de' Pazzi]] (Patriarch of the Pazzi Family)
*[[Francesco de' Pazzi]] (Head of the Pazzi Conspiracy)
*[[Vieri de' Pazzi]] (Francesco's son - Ezio's rival)
*[[Stefano da Bagnone]] (Advisor to Jacopo de' Pazzi - Pazzi Conspirator)
*[[Bernardo Baroncelli]] (Banker - Pazzi Conspirator)
*[[Francesco Salviati]] (Archbishop of Pisa - Pazzi Conspirator)
*[[Antonio Maffei]] (Priest - Pazzi Conspirator)
*[[Dante Moro]] (Personal Guard of Marco Barbarigo)
*[[Francisco Pizzaro]] (Spanish Conquistador)

===Modern Times===
*[[Alan Rikkin]] ([[Abstergo Industries]] CEO)
*[[Warren Vidic]] (Scientist of Abstergo Industries)
*[[Nancy Nilop]] ([[Abstergo Industries]] employee)
*[[Jane Birkam]] ([[Abstergo Industries]] employee)
*[[Audrey Jacobs]] (Alan Rikkin's assistant)
*[[Richard (Abstergo)|Richard]] ([[Abstergo Industries]] employee)

===Others===
*[[Cain]]
*[[Xerxes]]
*[[Alexander the Great]]
*[[Qin Shi Huang]]
*[[Atilla the Hun]]
*[[Genghis Khan]]
*[[Cleopatra]]
*Clemens Richter
*[[Caligula]]
*[[François Duvalier]]
*[[John Wilkes Booth]]
*[[Lee Harvey Oswald]]
*[[Rasputin]]
*[[Josef Stalin|Joseph Stalin]]
*[[Mary I of England]]
*[[Thomas Edison]]
*[[Henry Ford]]
*[[Adolf Hitler]]
*[[Lyndon B. Johnson]]
*[[J. P. Morgan]]
*Barak Obama

== Templar Groups ==
There are groups who act as unofficial divisions of the Templars, unrelated to them publicly, but in fact commanded by Templars (some of them through the membership of their leaders and others are part of the Templar Order itself).
*Third Crusade
**[[File:Knights Teutonic Cross.svg|30px]] [[Teutonic|Teutonic  /]] Being a part the Crusaders, Knight Teutonic are basically trusted with the task of guarding the city of Acre. The Knights Teutonic, also known as ''Order of the German House of St.Mary in Jerusalem'', was formed at the end of the 12th century in Acre itself.
**[[File:Hospitalier Crest.svg|30px]] [[Hospitalier|Hospitalier / The Knights Hospitalier also known as ''Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, Order of St. John, Knights of Malta, and Chevaliers of Malta'', was one of the Christian orders with the ]][[Third Crusade]]
*Renaissance
**[[File:Pazziingame.png|30px]] [[Pazzi|Pazzi / The '''Pazzi family''' were ]][[Tuscany|Tuscan]] nobles who were bankers in [[Florence]] during the 15th century. They are most famous for the "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazzi_conspiracy Pazzi Conspiracy]". They are also part of the [[Knights Templar]] in ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''.
**[[File:Flag of Most Serene Republic of Venice.svg|30px]] Gouverment of Venice / '''La Serenissima''' is a collective title for the governing body of ''The Most Serene Republic of Venice'', taken from its name in Italian (Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia). The term can also be used to refer to the Republic of [[Venice]] itself.[[La Serenissima| ]]

**[[File:442px-Emblem of the Papacy SE svg.png|30px]] [[Papacy|Papacy / The '''Papacy''' is the office of the ]][http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pope pope]. Besides its religious role as the official catholic order, it acted as a government ruling over a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_States large part] of Italy.
**[[File:Blason famille it Borgia01 svg.png|30px]] [[Rodrigo Borgia|Borgia / all the personal guards of Rodrigo Borgia have this sighn. ]]
*20th century
**[[File:Ford Motor Company Logo.svg|30px]] [[wikipedia:Ford Motor Company|Ford Motor Company / The '''Ford Motor Company''' is]] an American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multinational_corporation multinational corporation] based in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dearborn,_Michigan Dearborn, Michigan], a suburb of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit Detroit].
**[[wikipedia:Edison Studios|Edison Studios / '''Edison Studios''' was an ]][http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States American] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_picture motion picture] production company owned by the Edison Company of inventor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison Thomas Edison.]
**[[File:Flag of Nazi Germany (1933-1945).svg|30px]] [[wikipedia:Nazi Party|Nazi Party / the '''Nazi Party''', was a ]][http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_party political party] in Germany between 1919 and 1945 .
**[[File:Animuslogowhite.svg|30px]] [[Abstergo Industries|Abstergo Industries / modern company that works in secret to create the New World. ]]
**[[File:NASA logo svg.png|30px]] NASA / a guvernamental company that created the Apollo missions to colonize other worlds for templar purposes.
*21st century
**[[File:Animuslogowhite.svg|30px]] [[Abstergo Industries]]
**[[File:NASA logo svg.png|30px]] [[wikipedia:NASA|NASA]]

== The Historical Templars ==
[[File:Templar4.jpg|thumb|Depiction of Templars]]
{{quote|Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini Tuo da Gloriam<br>(''Latin for "Not to us God, not to us, but to Your Name Give Glory"'')|Historical motto of the Templars
}}
''Ordre du Temple'' in French, the Knights Templar are amongst the most famous of the Western Christian military orders involved in the war. They are well known by the distinctive white mantles with a red cross. Officially endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church around 1129, the Order became a favored charity throughout Christianity, and grew rapidly in membership. Despite losing their interests in Outremer, they still had financial holdings in Europe, but King Philip the 4th of France deceived Pope Clement the 5th into disbanding the Knights Templar. The Order`s Knights either fled, were executed, or absorbed into other orders like the Knights Hospitalier. The Portuguese branch changed their names to Knights of Christ.

They were among the most skilled fighters at the time, which is reflected in the game. Their ruthlessness against non-Catholics was also infamous; this also is reflected in the game.

== See Also ==
*[[List of Templar Locations|List of Templar Locations in ''Assassin's Creed'']]

==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}

{{AC}}
{{ACII}}
{{ACSeries}}
[[Category:Templars| ]]
[[Category:Factions]]

Assassins

2010-05-23T21:35:02Z

74.78.77.122:

{{Era|ACAC|AC|ACB|AC2|AC2D|Assassins|Crusade|Ren|Modern|Good}}
{{WP-REAL|Hashshashin}}

{{Faction Infobox

|image = Aclogo.png
|game = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''
|religion = Various
|nationality = [[Wikipedia:Arab people|Arab]] (AC), Mixed (AC II), Mixed (Modern Times)
|location = [[Masyaf]] (AC), [[Monteriggioni]] (AC II)
}}

{{Quote|We work in the dark, to serve the light. We are Assassins.|[[Niccolò Machiavelli]]|Assassin's Creed II}}
The '''Assassins''', also known as the '''Hashshashin''', were an organized Order of Assassins, who fought a continuous secret war with their greatest adversaries: the [[Knights Templar]] for over one-thousand years. The assassins, if not the order itself, had existed since at least 456 BC, throughout the Roman era, the [[Assassin's Creed|Third Crusade]], the [[Assassin's Creed 2|Renaissance]], and into the [[Modern Times|21<sup>st</sup> Century]].

==The Order==
{{quote|Laa shay'a waqi'un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine<br>("Nothing is true, everything is permitted" in Arabic)''|The Assassin's Creed|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:AssassinGuard.png|thumb|Rauf, a combat instructor, wearing similar robes to other high ranked Assassin guard in Masyaf.]]
The order believed in a strong set of values that strictly governed their way of life, the Creed, which consisted of three [[tenets]]:
#"Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent."
#"Hide in plain sight, be one with the crowd"
#"Never compromise the Brotherhood<ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>."
These tenets permeated every aspect of the Assassins' daily life, as well as their fight for "peace in all things". The Assassins carried out their duties through political strategic assassination, in the hope that killing one individual, would lead to the salvation of thousands. The assassins believe that they fight on behalf of those who do not possess the abilities, resources, or knowledge to speak out against those who abuse their power<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>.

[[File:AssassinInformant.png|thumb|left|An Assassin informant.]]
Despite their service to those who would otherwise suffer, the Assassins were still feared by the general populous, due mainly to their method of ensuring peace. The Assassins were most feared due to their terrifying reputation for taking life in public places before many witnesses – done so as to bring fear into the hearts of those who might abuse their power or corrupt the innocent – before vanishing into the crowd without a trace<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. To assist in this, the assassins used a particularly efficient weapon for assassinations: the [[hidden blade]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, a single thrust from which could end the life of its victim.

However, in order to ascertain which death might best assist the assassins' goals, extensive political knowledge was a must have, and so the assassins remained always in tune with the ever-changing politics surrounding them. Obtaining the information was the job of low-level members of the Order, who would be stationed throughout the cities of the world; these spies would watch the local nobles and rulers, looking for signs of corruption or membership in the [[Knights Templar]]. Once gathered, any information was passed on to the assassins' who were responsible for the execution of the assassination<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

===Training===
The assassins spent their entire lifetime training to kill<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. From an early age they were taught to observe their surroundings and plan ahead; combat was a must and its training was continuous, with a focus on bladed weapons of all sorts being their expertise. However, despite such a focus on combat, the greatest consideration in the assassins' training was concealment; stealth was the greatest weapon of the assassin and everything about their life, the clothes they wore, where the lived, even how they walked emphasised a devotion to concealment<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. It was the duty of an assassin to reach their target and stand beside them, before they struck, and sink away into the crowd<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

The other significant focus of an assassins training was maneuverability. By the time an assassin reached the rank of [[Master Assassin]], he was also a master of an early form of [[Free-Running|parkour]] widely utilised by the assassins. Widely seen as alien and naive by the general populous, this method of movement allowed the assassins to reach areas not normally accessible to man. From scaling a wall to climbing to one of a city's many [[view point]]s, parkour gave the assassins a significant advantage over the average city guard.

==History==
===The Third Crusade===
[[File:Almualimassassins.png|thumb|300px|Al Mualim and the Assassins in the fortress of Masyaf.]]
In 1191, during the Third Crusade, the Syrian branch of the Assassins Order was centred in the fortress of [[Masyaf]], deep within the kingdom of the Holy Land. Led by [[Al Mualim]], the assassins battled with the Templars and their leader, [[Robert de Sable]], over ideologies and the means with which to accomplish them. It is during the Third Crusade that the assassins learnt of a Templar interest in an [[Piece of Eden|ancient artifact]] hidden within the catacombs of [[Solomon's Temple]] and decided to keep it from their grasps; the mission was a success, although a costly one. With the death of one assassin and the arrival of the Templar army at the gates of Masyaf, the assassins proceeded to literally crush most of the Templar army under a concealed onslaught of rolling logs, before driving the Templars from the village below.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />

Following the assault, the assassin blamed for the loss of life that day – [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] (Arabic-Flying One, Son of None) – was severely reprimanded, and then tasked with removing nine influential individuals who plagued the Holy Land with their corrupt rule. As Altaïr made his way down the list, made up of both Crusader and Saracen individuals, the revelation that their goal – to bring peace to the people of the Holy Land – was just, unsettled him greatly, as he felt his victims were "misguided perhaps but pure in motive". This was a view shared by Al Mualim, who agreed with their goals, but felt their attitude of "the end justifies the means" undermined the good they sought to ensure. As his mission progressed, Altaïr sought to know what bound his victims together, and the realization that they were all Templars only served to reinforce the assassins’ determination to bring an end to the Templar plot.

By the end of the year the assassins' were victorious over their Templar enemies; [[Robert de Sable]], Grand Master of the Knights Templar was dead, however the treachery of one of their own had also hit the assassin order hard. Al Mualim, Grand Master of the Order of Assassins, and a former member of a coalition of ''ten'' Templar leaders, was revealed to be a traitor, and killed by the very man he had sent to eliminate his fellow Templar conspirators. With Al Mualim dead, Altaïr took over as Grand Master of the Order, leading the assassins in their attempts to rebuild their strength following the costly conflict.

Eventually, it was decided that the Piece of Eden was too great a threat to keep in Masyaf, and the decision was made to keep it on the island of Cyprus, it the Limassol archives<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref>. However, following the liberation of the island from its Templar rulers, the Piece was kept by Altaïr until at least he completed his fabled [[Codex]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

===Renaissance===
{{Quote|In this modern age, we are not as literal as our ancestors; but our seal is no less permanent…|Mario Auditore|Assassin's Creed II}} The Order continued to thrive, despite being forced to adopt an even more secretive and isolated existence<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. During the time period known as [[The Renaissance|the Renaissance]], the Assassin Order had apparently "gone underground". The reason for this is explained inside the Codex pages, where [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad|Altaïr]] states that even though the Templar Order was served a crushing defeat in the Holy Land and Cyprus, they still survived in more inconspicuous ways. As such, Altaïr believed that the Assassins too had to change tactics so as to live on<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

Having abandoned the fortress of [[Masyaf]], the assassins spread out across the Mediterranean world, taking up residence in places like northern Italy and Spain; however, the Templars too had done as much, head-quartering themselves in Rome. By 1321 the Assassin's Order had successfully integrated itself into modern day life of northern Italy, widely unknown to the average folk. That same year a young sailor by the name of Domenico, the son of an assassin, was apprenticed to the poet [[Dante Alighieri]], also an assassin, who was transporting the Codex of Altaïr from Venice to Spain<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt">''[[Auditore Family Crypt|Uplay Content - Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Family Crypt]]''</ref>. During the voyage, pirates under the employ of the Templars ambushed the ship looking for the Codex, killing Dante, as well as the wife of Domenico. Fortunately for the assassins, Domenico had managed to break apart the Codex and hide it from the pirates before he and his son were forced overboard<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt" />.

[[File:Asslogorenaissance.png|thumb|left|Renaissance variation of the Assassins' symbol.]]Eventually returning to Venice, Domenico found his father and his patron, [[Marco Polo]], an ally of the assassins, dead. So Domenico emptied the accounts of Messer Polo and travelled to the city of Florence under the assumed name of Auditore; eventually constructing the [[Auditore Family Villa|Auditore Villa]] in the city of [[Monteriggioni]], which became the centre of the Assassin's Order in Italy<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt" />.

Despite the order "modernising" since the 12<sup>th</sup> Century, they still retained many of the rituals and practices, albeit altered. The practice of removing ones ring finger had as such been removed, although the seal of the Order was branded upon the finger instead; such was the induction of [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] in 1487. By this time, [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] had become Grand Master of the Order of Assassins, with members throughout the major cities of northern Italy. Although significantly fewer in number, the assassins' were supported by the courtesans, thieves and [[Mercenary|condottieri]] of Florence and Venice; the guilds of which were each run by a member of the Order<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

During this time period, the Assassins entered another period of increased hostilities with the Templars, who were attempting to overthrow the ruling [[House of Medici]] in Florence, and the Doge of Venice. Having already killed the [[wikipedia:Galleazzo Maria Sforza|Duke of Milan]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref> in 1476, [[Rodrigo Borgia]] – the Grand Master of the Knights Templars – brought the noble families of [[House of Pazzi|Pazzi]], Barbarigo and [[House of Orsi|Orsi]] together<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />, to accomplish his goals. Entering into conflict with the assassins, Borgia dealt a crippling blow to the Order of Assassins in 1476, when he executed the experienced warrior [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze]] and his [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|two]] [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|sons]], although a third son, Ezio, managed to escape. With the aid of Ezio, the assassins' were able to counter Borgia's plot over a twenty-three year campaign, defeating him at every turn<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

In 1487, the Order of Assassins learned that the Templars had retrieved an important artifact from the island of Cyprus, and deemed its capture necessary. Following the artifact from L'Arsenale di Venezia, Ezio managed to overpower and replace the Templar guard carrying the artifact. Under this guise, Ezio met with Borgia himself and the two engaged in battle; Borgia fled upon the arrival of the assassins, and the artifact fell once again into the hands of the assassins. The assassins of this age however, were unaware of the nature of the artifact, although they did recognise it as one of the Pieces of Eden mentioned within Altaïr's Codex<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

===Modern Times===
{{Quote|We lost two more teams last night. That's eight more of us just…gone.|Lucy Stillman|Assassin's Creed II}}
By the 21<sup>st</sup> Century, the world had changed vastly<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. Whilst the Order of Assassins had kept to their policy of desert camps and isolation from society<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, the Templars had begun to infiltrate society further; taking the form of many corporations such as [[NASA]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. The Templars continued to search for and investigate the various Pieces of Eden they discovered throughout this period<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, whilst the assassins continued their war against them; notably being responsible for the destruction of at least one Templar-controlled in Siberia in 1908, known as the [[Tunguska explosion]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. However, by the year 2012 the Templars, under the guise of their front company [[Abstergo Industries]] had begun kidnapping assassins, or those related to them in an attempt to locate even more Pieces of Eden<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. Notable captives included the mysterious [[Subject Sixteen]] and [[Desmond Miles]] – a descendant of both Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

Eventually, the assassins were able to free Desmond Miles<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, with the aid of [[Lucy Stillman]], an assassin who had been working undercover at Abstergo for at least three years by 2012<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. Following this, Desmond agreed to aid the assassins in their quest to defeat Abstergo, mostly for revenge, but also for closure. Utilising the [[Animus|Animus 2.0]], a copy of the machine used by Abstergo to explore his genetic memories previously<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, Desmond followed the memories of Ezio Auditore, learning as he went, adopting his skills in combat and free-running. However, despite his presence, the war with the Knights Templar had taken a turn for the worse; with their numbers dwindling, the Order of Assassins were beginning to lose the war<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

[[Shaun Hastings]] mentions to Desmond that the Templars are using the map obtained from Desmond's genetic records of Altaïr's memory, to locate and collect the remaining Pieces of Eden around the world, however Lucy provided her fellow Assassins with a copy of the map and the "other teams" are currently working to intercept the Templars before they can get their hands on any of the Pieces (and so far they have apparently been successful). Whether or not this means that the Assassins have obtained any of these Pieces has not been specified.

==Known assassins==
[[File:Zw-renaissance-assassins.png|thumb|400px|Ezio's initiation into the brotherhood.]]
{{quote|The seeds were planted as two worlds became one. Behold, the Assassins, the children of two worlds!|Subject 16|Assassin's Creed II}}

The assassins had existed since before the turn of the first millennium; several known figures included [[Darius]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, the killer of [[Xerxes I of Persia|Xerxes]], [[Iltani]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, [[Wei Yu]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, [[Amunet]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> and [[Leonius]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. Historically however, the fore-bearers of the assassins have existed since before recorded time, possibly reaching as far back as [[Adam and Eve]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

===Medieval and Renaissance periods===
During the Third Crusade, the Syrian sect of the Order of Assassins was mainly made up of native, Syrian-born individuals, although some, like Altaïr, were born to parents of both religions. Led by [[Al Mualim]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed " />, and later [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] himself<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, other members included [[Harash]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />, [[Malik A-Sayf|Malik]] and [[Kadar A-Sayf]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Raoul]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Abbas]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Masun]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Jamal]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Bahir]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Karim]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /> and [[Qulan Gal]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, the death-bringer of [[Genghis Khan]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. Allies also included various individuals, such as [[Adha]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles">''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''</ref>, and even former Templars like [[Maria Thorpe]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. Others included [[Dante Alighieri]] and [[Domenico Auditore]] <ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, founder of the Auditore Villa.

Later on, during the Renaissance, the Order's numbers had dwindled significantly. Having become much more secretive, members of the Order often had occupations and lives outside of the Order, ranging from artists<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Renaissance">''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]''</ref>, to thieves<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, to royal treasurers<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery">''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''</ref>. The Grand Master at the time, [[Niccolò Machiavelli|Niccolò di Bernado dei Machiavelli]] was a Florentine noble, as well as diplomat, political philosopher, musician, and playwright<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. Others included the Florentine banker [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, and his brother [[Mario Auditore]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, caretaker of the Auditore Villa and condottieri leader, [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, [[Paola]] and [[Sister Teodora]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, the heads of the Florentine and Venetian courtesans respectively, [[Antonio]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, the head of the Venetian Thieves Guild, [[La Volpe]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, the head of the Florentine Thieves Guild, [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, condottieri of Venice, and [[Luis Santangel]] and [[Raphael Sanchez]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />, Finance minister to Ferdinand II and Treasurer of Queen Isabella I respectively<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />.

Once again, the Order had many allies amongst the common folk of Italy, and also amongst the nobility. Foremost among them was [[Leonardo da Vinci]], Ezio's closest friend and a genius of invention. Others included [[Caterina Sforza]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì">''[[Battle of Forlì (DLC)|Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì]]''</ref>, the Countess of [[Forlì]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, [[Lorenzo de' Medici]], the ruler of Florence<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, [[Agostino Barbarigo]], the Doge of Venice from 1486<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, and the famed explorer [[Christoffa Corombo]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />.

===21<sup>st</sup> Century===
During the 21<sup>st</sup> Century the Order had sunk even further into hiding, with the numbers fewer than ever<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. Although it was known that more existed, only four were known by name; [[Desmond Miles]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Lucy Stillman]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Rebecca Crane]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> and [[Shaun Hastings]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, the Order's historian.

==Known victims==
{{Quote|Find them, kill them… In doing so, you will sow the seeds of peace.|[[Al Mualim]] to Altaïr|Assassin's Creed}}
Over the centuries, the Order of Assassins killed hundred, if not thousands of individuals who they saw to be corrupt in their ways and a danger to humanity. Their intense rivalry with the Knights Templar also ensured that many underlings who served their Templar masters often shared the same fate<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

Below is a chronological list of the victims of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad;

<div style="float:left; width:48%;">
*[[Tamir (Altaïr's Chronicles)|Tamir of Damascus]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[Alaat]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[Roland Napule]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[The Master's Student]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[Master of the Tower]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[Harash]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[Basilisk|Lord Basilisk]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[Tamir|Tamir, the arms dealer]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Garnier de Naplouse]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Talal]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Abu'l Nuqoud]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[William of Montferrat]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
</div>

<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Majd Addin]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Jubair al Hakim]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Sibrand]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Robert de Sable]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Al Mualim]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Frederick the Red]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
*[[Moloch]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
*[[Dark Oracle]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
*[[Shalim]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
*[[Shahar]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
*[[Pirate Captain]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
*[[Armand Bouchart]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
</div>
<br clear="all" />
Below is a chronological list of the victims of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a "&dagger;" indicates the victim was ultimately spared;

<div style="float:left; width:48%;">
*[[Uberto Alberti]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Vieri de' Pazzi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco de' Pazzi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Jacopo de' Pazzi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Stefano da Bagnone]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Bernardo Baroncelli]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Antonio Maffei]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco Salviati]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Emilio Barbarigo]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Marco Barbarigo]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Silvio Barbarigo]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
</div>

<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
[[File:Hashashin by wraithdt.jpg|thumb|right|Artist's depiction of a Hashashin in battle]]
*[[Dante Moro]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Carlo Grimaldi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Checco Orsi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì " />
*[[Ludovico Orsi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì " />
*[[Gaspard Martinez]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
*[[Pedro Llorente]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
*[[Juan de Marillo]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
*[[Tomas Torquemada]] &dagger;<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
*[[Girolamo Savonarola]]<ref>''[[Bonfire of the Vanities (DLC)|Assassin's Creed II: Bonfire of the Vanities]]''</ref>
*[[Rodrigo Borgia]] &dagger;<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
</div>
<br clear="all" />

Below is a chronological list of the victims of other known assassins<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />;

*[[Xerxes I of Persia|King Xerxes the Great]], by [[Darius]] in 456 BC
*[[Alexander the Great]], by [[Iltani]] in 323 BC
*[[Qin Shi Huang]], by [[Wei Yu]] in 210 BC
*[[Cleopatra]], by [[Amunet]] in 31 BC
*[[Caligula]], by [[Leonius]] in 41 AD
*[[Genghis Khan]], by [[Qulan Gal]] in 1227 AD
*[[Mary I of England]], by unknown in 1558 AD
*[[Adolf Hitler]], by unknown in 1945 AD

==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}

{{ACAC}}
{{AC}}
{{ACB}}
{{ACII}}
{{AC2D}}
{{ACSeries}}
[[Category:Assassin's Order]]

Assassins

2010-05-23T21:30:18Z

74.78.77.122:

{{Era|ACAC|AC|ACB|AC2|AC2D|Assassins|Crusade|Ren|Modern|Good}}
{{WP-REAL|Hashshashin}}

{{Faction Infobox

|image = Aclogo.png
|game = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''
|religion = Various
|nationality = [[Wikipedia:Arab peoples|Arab]] (AC), Mixed (AC II), Mixed (Modern Times)
|location = [[Masyaf]] (AC), [[Monteriggioni]] (AC II)
}}

{{Quote|We work in the dark, to serve the light. We are Assassins.|[[Niccolò Machiavelli]]|Assassin's Creed II}}
The '''Assassins''', also known as the '''Hashshashin''', were an organized Order of Assassins, who fought a continuous secret war with their greatest adversaries: the [[Knights Templar]] for over one-thousand years. The assassins, if not the order itself, had existed since at least 456 BC, throughout the Roman era, the [[Assassin's Creed|Third Crusade]], the [[Assassin's Creed 2|Renaissance]], and into the [[Modern Times|21<sup>st</sup> Century]].

==The Order==
{{quote|Laa shay'a waqi'un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine<br>("Nothing is true, everything is permitted" in Arabic)''|The Assassin's Creed|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:AssassinGuard.png|thumb|Rauf, a combat instructor, wearing similar robes to other high ranked Assassin guard in Masyaf.]]
The order believed in a strong set of values that strictly governed their way of life, the Creed, which consisted of three [[tenets]]:
#"Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent."
#"Hide in plain sight, be one with the crowd"
#"Never compromise the Brotherhood<ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>."
These tenets permeated every aspect of the Assassins' daily life, as well as their fight for "peace in all things". The Assassins carried out their duties through political strategic assassination, in the hope that killing one individual, would lead to the salvation of thousands. The assassins believe that they fight on behalf of those who do not possess the abilities, resources, or knowledge to speak out against those who abuse their power<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>.

[[File:AssassinInformant.png|thumb|left|An Assassin informant.]]
Despite their service to those who would otherwise suffer, the Assassins were still feared by the general populous, due mainly to their method of ensuring peace. The Assassins were most feared due to their terrifying reputation for taking life in public places before many witnesses – done so as to bring fear into the hearts of those who might abuse their power or corrupt the innocent – before vanishing into the crowd without a trace<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. To assist in this, the assassins used a particularly efficient weapon for assassinations: the [[hidden blade]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, a single thrust from which could end the life of its victim.

However, in order to ascertain which death might best assist the assassins' goals, extensive political knowledge was a must have, and so the assassins remained always in tune with the ever-changing politics surrounding them. Obtaining the information was the job of low-level members of the Order, who would be stationed throughout the cities of the world; these spies would watch the local nobles and rulers, looking for signs of corruption or membership in the [[Knights Templar]]. Once gathered, any information was passed on to the assassins' who were responsible for the execution of the assassination<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

===Training===
The assassins spent their entire lifetime training to kill<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. From an early age they were taught to observe their surroundings and plan ahead; combat was a must and its training was continuous, with a focus on bladed weapons of all sorts being their expertise. However, despite such a focus on combat, the greatest consideration in the assassins' training was concealment; stealth was the greatest weapon of the assassin and everything about their life, the clothes they wore, where the lived, even how they walked emphasised a devotion to concealment<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. It was the duty of an assassin to reach their target and stand beside them, before they struck, and sink away into the crowd<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

The other significant focus of an assassins training was maneuverability. By the time an assassin reached the rank of [[Master Assassin]], he was also a master of an early form of [[Free-Running|parkour]] widely utilised by the assassins. Widely seen as alien and naive by the general populous, this method of movement allowed the assassins to reach areas not normally accessible to man. From scaling a wall to climbing to one of a city's many [[view point]]s, parkour gave the assassins a significant advantage over the average city guard.

==History==
===The Third Crusade===
[[File:Almualimassassins.png|thumb|300px|Al Mualim and the Assassins in the fortress of Masyaf.]]
In 1191, during the Third Crusade, the Syrian branch of the Assassins Order was centred in the fortress of [[Masyaf]], deep within the kingdom of the Holy Land. Led by [[Al Mualim]], the assassins battled with the Templars and their leader, [[Robert de Sable]], over ideologies and the means with which to accomplish them. It is during the Third Crusade that the assassins learnt of a Templar interest in an [[Piece of Eden|ancient artifact]] hidden within the catacombs of [[Solomon's Temple]] and decided to keep it from their grasps; the mission was a success, although a costly one. With the death of one assassin and the arrival of the Templar army at the gates of Masyaf, the assassins proceeded to literally crush most of the Templar army under a concealed onslaught of rolling logs, before driving the Templars from the village below.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />

Following the assault, the assassin blamed for the loss of life that day – [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] (Arabic-Flying One, Son of None) – was severely reprimanded, and then tasked with removing nine influential individuals who plagued the Holy Land with their corrupt rule. As Altaïr made his way down the list, made up of both Crusader and Saracen individuals, the revelation that their goal – to bring peace to the people of the Holy Land – was just, unsettled him greatly, as he felt his victims were "misguided perhaps but pure in motive". This was a view shared by Al Mualim, who agreed with their goals, but felt their attitude of "the end justifies the means" undermined the good they sought to ensure. As his mission progressed, Altaïr sought to know what bound his victims together, and the realization that they were all Templars only served to reinforce the assassins’ determination to bring an end to the Templar plot.

By the end of the year the assassins' were victorious over their Templar enemies; [[Robert de Sable]], Grand Master of the Knights Templar was dead, however the treachery of one of their own had also hit the assassin order hard. Al Mualim, Grand Master of the Order of Assassins, and a former member of a coalition of ''ten'' Templar leaders, was revealed to be a traitor, and killed by the very man he had sent to eliminate his fellow Templar conspirators. With Al Mualim dead, Altaïr took over as Grand Master of the Order, leading the assassins in their attempts to rebuild their strength following the costly conflict.

Eventually, it was decided that the Piece of Eden was too great a threat to keep in Masyaf, and the decision was made to keep it on the island of Cyprus, it the Limassol archives<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref>. However, following the liberation of the island from its Templar rulers, the Piece was kept by Altaïr until at least he completed his fabled [[Codex]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

===Renaissance===
{{Quote|In this modern age, we are not as literal as our ancestors; but our seal is no less permanent…|Mario Auditore|Assassin's Creed II}} The Order continued to thrive, despite being forced to adopt an even more secretive and isolated existence<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. During the time period known as [[The Renaissance|the Renaissance]], the Assassin Order had apparently "gone underground". The reason for this is explained inside the Codex pages, where [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad|Altaïr]] states that even though the Templar Order was served a crushing defeat in the Holy Land and Cyprus, they still survived in more inconspicuous ways. As such, Altaïr believed that the Assassins too had to change tactics so as to live on<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

Having abandoned the fortress of [[Masyaf]], the assassins spread out across the Mediterranean world, taking up residence in places like northern Italy and Spain; however, the Templars too had done as much, head-quartering themselves in Rome. By 1321 the Assassin's Order had successfully integrated itself into modern day life of northern Italy, widely unknown to the average folk. That same year a young sailor by the name of Domenico, the son of an assassin, was apprenticed to the poet [[Dante Alighieri]], also an assassin, who was transporting the Codex of Altaïr from Venice to Spain<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt">''[[Auditore Family Crypt|Uplay Content - Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Family Crypt]]''</ref>. During the voyage, pirates under the employ of the Templars ambushed the ship looking for the Codex, killing Dante, as well as the wife of Domenico. Fortunately for the assassins, Domenico had managed to break apart the Codex and hide it from the pirates before he and his son were forced overboard<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt" />.

[[File:Asslogorenaissance.png|thumb|left|Renaissance variation of the Assassins' symbol.]]Eventually returning to Venice, Domenico found his father and his patron, [[Marco Polo]], an ally of the assassins, dead. So Domenico emptied the accounts of Messer Polo and travelled to the city of Florence under the assumed name of Auditore; eventually constructing the [[Auditore Family Villa|Auditore Villa]] in the city of [[Monteriggioni]], which became the centre of the Assassin's Order in Italy<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt" />.

Despite the order "modernising" since the 12<sup>th</sup> Century, they still retained many of the rituals and practices, albeit altered. The practice of removing ones ring finger had as such been removed, although the seal of the Order was branded upon the finger instead; such was the induction of [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] in 1487. By this time, [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] had become Grand Master of the Order of Assassins, with members throughout the major cities of northern Italy. Although significantly fewer in number, the assassins' were supported by the courtesans, thieves and [[Mercenary|condottieri]] of Florence and Venice; the guilds of which were each run by a member of the Order<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

During this time period, the Assassins entered another period of increased hostilities with the Templars, who were attempting to overthrow the ruling [[House of Medici]] in Florence, and the Doge of Venice. Having already killed the [[wikipedia:Galleazzo Maria Sforza|Duke of Milan]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref> in 1476, [[Rodrigo Borgia]] – the Grand Master of the Knights Templars – brought the noble families of [[House of Pazzi|Pazzi]], Barbarigo and [[House of Orsi|Orsi]] together<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />, to accomplish his goals. Entering into conflict with the assassins, Borgia dealt a crippling blow to the Order of Assassins in 1476, when he executed the experienced warrior [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze]] and his [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|two]] [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|sons]], although a third son, Ezio, managed to escape. With the aid of Ezio, the assassins' were able to counter Borgia's plot over a twenty-three year campaign, defeating him at every turn<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

In 1487, the Order of Assassins learned that the Templars had retrieved an important artifact from the island of Cyprus, and deemed its capture necessary. Following the artifact from L'Arsenale di Venezia, Ezio managed to overpower and replace the Templar guard carrying the artifact. Under this guise, Ezio met with Borgia himself and the two engaged in battle; Borgia fled upon the arrival of the assassins, and the artifact fell once again into the hands of the assassins. The assassins of this age however, were unaware of the nature of the artifact, although they did recognise it as one of the Pieces of Eden mentioned within Altaïr's Codex<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

===Modern Times===
{{Quote|We lost two more teams last night. That's eight more of us just…gone.|Lucy Stillman|Assassin's Creed II}}
By the 21<sup>st</sup> Century, the world had changed vastly<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. Whilst the Order of Assassins had kept to their policy of desert camps and isolation from society<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, the Templars had begun to infiltrate society further; taking the form of many corporations such as [[NASA]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. The Templars continued to search for and investigate the various Pieces of Eden they discovered throughout this period<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, whilst the assassins continued their war against them; notably being responsible for the destruction of at least one Templar-controlled in Siberia in 1908, known as the [[Tunguska explosion]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. However, by the year 2012 the Templars, under the guise of their front company [[Abstergo Industries]] had begun kidnapping assassins, or those related to them in an attempt to locate even more Pieces of Eden<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. Notable captives included the mysterious [[Subject Sixteen]] and [[Desmond Miles]] – a descendant of both Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

Eventually, the assassins were able to free Desmond Miles<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, with the aid of [[Lucy Stillman]], an assassin who had been working undercover at Abstergo for at least three years by 2012<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. Following this, Desmond agreed to aid the assassins in their quest to defeat Abstergo, mostly for revenge, but also for closure. Utilising the [[Animus|Animus 2.0]], a copy of the machine used by Abstergo to explore his genetic memories previously<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, Desmond followed the memories of Ezio Auditore, learning as he went, adopting his skills in combat and free-running. However, despite his presence, the war with the Knights Templar had taken a turn for the worse; with their numbers dwindling, the Order of Assassins were beginning to lose the war<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

[[Shaun Hastings]] mentions to Desmond that the Templars are using the map obtained from Desmond's genetic records of Altaïr's memory, to locate and collect the remaining Pieces of Eden around the world, however Lucy provided her fellow Assassins with a copy of the map and the "other teams" are currently working to intercept the Templars before they can get their hands on any of the Pieces (and so far they have apparently been successful). Whether or not this means that the Assassins have obtained any of these Pieces has not been specified.

==Known assassins==
[[File:Zw-renaissance-assassins.png|thumb|400px|Ezio's initiation into the brotherhood.]]
{{quote|The seeds were planted as two worlds became one. Behold, the Assassins, the children of two worlds!|Subject 16|Assassin's Creed II}}

The assassins had existed since before the turn of the first millennium; several known figures included [[Darius]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, the killer of [[Xerxes I of Persia|Xerxes]], [[Iltani]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, [[Wei Yu]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, [[Amunet]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> and [[Leonius]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. Historically however, the fore-bearers of the assassins have existed since before recorded time, possibly reaching as far back as [[Adam and Eve]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

===Medieval and Renaissance periods===
During the Third Crusade, the Syrian sect of the Order of Assassins was mainly made up of native, Syrian-born individuals, although some, like Altaïr, were born to parents of both religions. Led by [[Al Mualim]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed " />, and later [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] himself<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, other members included [[Harash]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />, [[Malik A-Sayf|Malik]] and [[Kadar A-Sayf]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Raoul]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Abbas]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Masun]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Jamal]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Bahir]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Karim]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /> and [[Qulan Gal]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, the death-bringer of [[Genghis Khan]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. Allies also included various individuals, such as [[Adha]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles">''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''</ref>, and even former Templars like [[Maria Thorpe]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. Others included [[Dante Alighieri]] and [[Domenico Auditore]] <ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, founder of the Auditore Villa.

Later on, during the Renaissance, the Order's numbers had dwindled significantly. Having become much more secretive, members of the Order often had occupations and lives outside of the Order, ranging from artists<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Renaissance">''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]''</ref>, to thieves<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, to royal treasurers<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery">''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''</ref>. The Grand Master at the time, [[Niccolò Machiavelli|Niccolò di Bernado dei Machiavelli]] was a Florentine noble, as well as diplomat, political philosopher, musician, and playwright<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. Others included the Florentine banker [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, and his brother [[Mario Auditore]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, caretaker of the Auditore Villa and condottieri leader, [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, [[Paola]] and [[Sister Teodora]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, the heads of the Florentine and Venetian courtesans respectively, [[Antonio]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, the head of the Venetian Thieves Guild, [[La Volpe]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, the head of the Florentine Thieves Guild, [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, condottieri of Venice, and [[Luis Santangel]] and [[Raphael Sanchez]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />, Finance minister to Ferdinand II and Treasurer of Queen Isabella I respectively<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />.

Once again, the Order had many allies amongst the common folk of Italy, and also amongst the nobility. Foremost among them was [[Leonardo da Vinci]], Ezio's closest friend and a genius of invention. Others included [[Caterina Sforza]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì">''[[Battle of Forlì (DLC)|Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì]]''</ref>, the Countess of [[Forlì]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, [[Lorenzo de' Medici]], the ruler of Florence<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, [[Agostino Barbarigo]], the Doge of Venice from 1486<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, and the famed explorer [[Christoffa Corombo]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />.

===21<sup>st</sup> Century===
During the 21<sup>st</sup> Century the Order had sunk even further into hiding, with the numbers fewer than ever<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. Although it was known that more existed, only four were known by name; [[Desmond Miles]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Lucy Stillman]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, [[Rebecca Crane]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> and [[Shaun Hastings]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, the Order's historian.

==Known victims==
{{Quote|Find them, kill them… In doing so, you will sow the seeds of peace.|[[Al Mualim]] to Altaïr|Assassin's Creed}}
Over the centuries, the Order of Assassins killed hundred, if not thousands of individuals who they saw to be corrupt in their ways and a danger to humanity. Their intense rivalry with the Knights Templar also ensured that many underlings who served their Templar masters often shared the same fate<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

Below is a chronological list of the victims of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad;

<div style="float:left; width:48%;">
*[[Tamir (Altaïr's Chronicles)|Tamir of Damascus]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[Alaat]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[Roland Napule]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[The Master's Student]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[Master of the Tower]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[Harash]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[Basilisk|Lord Basilisk]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />
*[[Tamir|Tamir, the arms dealer]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Garnier de Naplouse]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Talal]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Abu'l Nuqoud]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[William of Montferrat]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
</div>

<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Majd Addin]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Jubair al Hakim]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Sibrand]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Robert de Sable]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Al Mualim]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Frederick the Red]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
*[[Moloch]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
*[[Dark Oracle]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
*[[Shalim]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
*[[Shahar]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
*[[Pirate Captain]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
*[[Armand Bouchart]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />
</div>
<br clear="all" />
Below is a chronological list of the victims of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a "&dagger;" indicates the victim was ultimately spared;

<div style="float:left; width:48%;">
*[[Uberto Alberti]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Vieri de' Pazzi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco de' Pazzi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Jacopo de' Pazzi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Stefano da Bagnone]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Bernardo Baroncelli]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Antonio Maffei]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco Salviati]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Emilio Barbarigo]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Marco Barbarigo]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Silvio Barbarigo]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
</div>

<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
[[File:Hashashin by wraithdt.jpg|thumb|right|Artist's depiction of a Hashashin in battle]]
*[[Dante Moro]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Carlo Grimaldi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Checco Orsi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì " />
*[[Ludovico Orsi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì " />
*[[Gaspard Martinez]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
*[[Pedro Llorente]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
*[[Juan de Marillo]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
*[[Tomas Torquemada]] &dagger;<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
*[[Girolamo Savonarola]]<ref>''[[Bonfire of the Vanities (DLC)|Assassin's Creed II: Bonfire of the Vanities]]''</ref>
*[[Rodrigo Borgia]] &dagger;<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
</div>
<br clear="all" />

Below is a chronological list of the victims of other known assassins<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />;

*[[Xerxes I of Persia|King Xerxes the Great]], by [[Darius]] in 456 BC
*[[Alexander the Great]], by [[Iltani]] in 323 BC
*[[Qin Shi Huang]], by [[Wei Yu]] in 210 BC
*[[Cleopatra]], by [[Amunet]] in 31 BC
*[[Caligula]], by [[Leonius]] in 41 AD
*[[Genghis Khan]], by [[Qulan Gal]] in 1227 AD
*[[Mary I of England]], by unknown in 1558 AD
*[[Adolf Hitler]], by unknown in 1945 AD

==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}

{{ACAC}}
{{AC}}
{{ACB}}
{{ACII}}
{{AC2D}}
{{ACSeries}}
[[Category:Assassin's Order]]

Isu

2010-05-22T20:21:30Z

74.78.77.122: /* Trivia */

{{spoilerhd}}
[[File:Zw-Minerva-3.png|thumb|250px|[[Minerva]] is the only known representative of "Those Who Came Before"]]
{{quote|We simply came... before.|Minerva|Assassin's Creed II}}
'''Those Who Came Before'''<ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>, also known as '''the First Civilization'''<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>, were an ancient and advanced species on Earth who created the [[Piece of Eden|Pieces of Eden]], as well as the Human race itself. Exactly who they were, where they came from and when they disappeared is largely unknown. With early humans unable to comprehend the First Civilization for what they truly were, they were viewed upon as gods.

==Knowledge==
Though various religious beliefs seem to have been based on aspects and misinterpretations of Those Who Came Before, their existence was largely unknown to humanity<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. As early as the 12<sup>th</sup> Century, both the [[Assassins]] and the [[Knights Templar]] knew that the focus of human religions, the Gods, did not truly exist, and that miracles and other supernatural were simply manifestations of the powers of the [[Pieces of Eden]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />; devices created by Those Who Came Before to control the Human race<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. However, it is unclear if the Assassins and Templars understood the origin of the Pieces at that time. By the 15<sup>th</sup> century, at least one Templar, [[Rodrigo Borgia]], was aware of the existence, if not the nature, of Those Who Came Before; he mistakenly believed that [[The Vault]] underneath the Sistine Chapel housed a living God<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

The first known instance of a human becoming aware of their existence following their disappearance was that of [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], who made mention of them in his [[the Codex|Codex]]. However, it would not be until the year 1499 that humanity would first "meet" Those Who Came Before; [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]], an Assassin, encountered a hologram of a being calling herself [[Minerva]] in The Vault. While Ezio likely told his fellow Assassins of Minerva, it is possible they still did not understand her true nature; Ezio showed great difficulty in understanding [[Minerva]]'s explanation of her existence.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

By 2012, the Templars in [[Abstergo Industries]] had a sizeable understanding of the true nature of Those Who Came Before. Whether they learned this information through the use of the [[Animus]] or had found evidence of it earlier is unknown. However, none of the Assassins seen in this time period indicated that they had previous knowledge of the existence of Those Who Came Before<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

==History==
===Creation===
{{Quote|We built you in our own image, we built you to survive.|Minerva|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:Eden-Slaves-Workshop.png|thumb|350px|Minerva, using a [[Piece of Eden]] to control humans.]]
The origin of the First Civilization are unclear; Minerva simply stated that they "came before". They were however, responsible for the creation of humanity, creating them in their own image to be a docile workforce. Research by [[Subject 16]] seemed to suggest that Those Who Came Before radically altered the genetic make-up of a pre-existing species on the planet to create humanity, leaving a sizeable gap in terms of transitional species between archaic hominids and modern humans. By 1997, the Templars had taken note of this and arranged for fake skeletons to be planted in Ethiopia, so as to limit human exposure to the possibility of the existence of Those Who Came Before<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

Control of humanity was assured through use of the Pieces of Eden, which tapped into a neuro-transmitter located deep within the human brain. However, there were humans who born without the neuro-transmitter, and could subsequently live without being influenced by the First Civilization through such means<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

===War===
{{Quote|When we were still flesh, and our homes still whole, your kind betrayed us. We who made you, we who gave you life.|Minerva|Assassin's Creed II}}
Eventually, despite humanity and the First Civilization living in peace for some time, war broke out. Possibly the result of at least two immune individuals stealing a Piece of Eden from their masters. The fate of these two – [[Adam and Eve]] – following their attempt is unknown, however humanity and Those Who Came Before soon found themselves at war with each other. While Those Who Came Before were more technologically advanced and powerful, humanity had the advantage of numbers<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

Somehow, the Piece's of Eden had lost their ability to influence humanity, whether it be through deactivation or by natural immunity building up within the Human race, remains unknown<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

====Catastrophe====
The war did eventually end, although with casualties greater than the First Civilization could have ever anticipated. The distraction of war had blinded them to all else, and their preoccupation prevented them from seeing the signs of an impending danger from the "heavens"; by the time they had noticed it, it was too late. [[Shaun Hastings]] and [[Lucy Stillman]] later hypothesized that this "danger" could have been a massive solar flare, that had flipped the Earth's weakening magnetic field, reversing the polarity and making the planet geologically unstable. This hypothesis was supported by evidence found by [[Subject 16]];

*"Near the day of purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky. - Hopi"
*"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans. - Hopi"
*"They died in the fire from the heavens."
*"[[Toba catastrophe|75ka was not a volcano]]."<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Aftermath===
{{Quote|You may not comprehend us, but you will comprehend our warning. […] And as life returned to the world, we endeavoured to ensure that this tragedy would not be repeated.|Minerva to [[Desmond Miles]], through the memories of [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]|Assassin's Creed II}}
Both races survived the catastrophe, however, few of either species remained. Working together, they rebuilt their world, though humanity continued to view Minerva's kind as Gods<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. Despite their survival, Those Who Came Before were unable to fully recover and began heading toward extinction. They knew however, that the catastrophe that had burned their world before would eventually reoccur and took steps to prevent it. Recording a holographic, yet interactive, message to serve as a warning to those who entered [[the Vault]]. In it, Minerva warned of the impending doom, and spoke of the [[Temples]] that could save Earth from destruction, built by those who "knew to turn away from war"<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

Delivering their message to the Assassin Desmond Miles, who was viewing the memories of his ancestor [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]], Minerva warned that time was short, and that "[[Templars|the Cross]]" would stand in their way. With the deliverance of that message, the last vestiges of the First Civilization died away, the Gods had become extinct<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

==Characteristics==
{{Quote|The rest is up to you, Desmond.|Minerva to Desmond Miles, through the memories of Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Assassin's Creed II}}
The First Civilization were a technologically advanced and powerful race, who seemed to possess precognitive abilities; either natural or technological. This was proven when Minerva told Ezio within the The Vault that he was simply a conduit and spoke directly to the invisible [[Desmond Miles]], who was viewing his ancestor's memories. Furthermore, [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] mentioned in [[the Codex]] that his Piece of Eden not only possessed a catalog of past events, but also future events, implying that the Pieces contain predictions made by Those Who Came Before<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

Those Who Came Before also have connections with many of Earth's religions, and likely influenced their developments directly. During her warning to Desmond, [[Minerva]] made mention of her former names, as well of those of her; Menrva, Uni and Tinia, who were later became known as Minerva, Juno and Jupiter, respectively. The former names correspond to the Etruscan Triad of Deities, while the latter are the names of their Roman counterparts, who make up the Capitoline Triad. This shift in names may be indicative why various religions have numerous similarities, as they are all based on the story of Those Who Came Before<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

==Legacy==
{{Quote|They're gifts, Mr. Miles. From those who came before.|Dr. [[Warren Vidic]]|Assassin's Creed}}
Despite the mark they left behind on Earth, the First Civilization faded into obscurity rapidly after their decline; the inability of humans to comprehend their creators as anything but Gods did however allow their names at least, to live on. The lack of evidence for their existence did not prevent all humans from learning about them however, and by the 21<sup>st</sup> Century the Knights Templar had a limited understanding of the nature of those who had lived before<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. Indeed, the technology used to view the genetic memories of ones ancestor – the [[Animus]] – was based off of technology utilised by the First Civilization<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

The Templars also knew of the existence of the Pieces of Eden, and believed them to be gifts left behind by the First Civilization for them to utilise<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. Ironically however, this situation was a significant contrast to the situation in the 15<sup>th</sup> Century, where it had been the Assassins who knew explicitly of the existence of Those Who Came Before, whilst the Templar Grand Master [[Rodrigo Borgia]] merely believed the Vault to be the location of God himself. This changed however, and five hundred years later, the Order of Assassins knew nothing of the First Civilization's existence.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Bloodline===
{{Quote|Why is it that we have these gifts, these abilities? Because it's in our blood! […] The seeds were planted as two world became one. Behold the Assassins, the children of two worlds!|[[Subject Sixteen]]|Assassin's Creed II}}
The mysterious individual known only as [[Subject 16]] at one point theorised that the true reason behind the [[Eagle Vision|abilities]] of some Assassins was genetic, suggesting a lineage including both human and creator blood. 16's own [[The Truth|genetic memories]] indicated him to be a direct descendant of both Adam and Eve, suggesting that his bloodline, if not many more, would all have access to these abilities. Indeed, Subject 16, Altaïr, Ezio and Desmond Miles all possessed [[Eagle Vision]], while Ezio and Altaïr both showed themselves resistant to the effects of the Apple<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. In addition, Ezio was able to use the Staff and the Apple to open The Vault, while Rodrigo Borgia could not<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />, and Altaïr had previously used the Apple to enlighten the people of Cyprus to [[Armand Bouchart]]'s lies<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref>.

==Trivia==
*Though they play an important part in the plot of ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'', Those Who Came Before are first mentioned by [[Warren Vidic]] in ''[[Assassin's Creed]]''. When talking to Desmond, Vidic claims that Abstergo is responsible for all major human technological advances in history, though he denies that the Templars invented them, calling them "gifts...from Those Who Came Before."
*It seems that not all of the history of them was lost to the Greeks and Romans, who still worshipped them, but as Deities. When monotheism (the belief in one god or deity) came about it became farther from the truth.
*The description of Those Who Came Before bears striking similarities to the real-world [[Wikipedia:Ancient astronauts|ancient astronaut theory]].

==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}

{{ACII}}
[[Category:Factions]]

Cryptic Messages

2010-05-22T20:15:18Z

74.78.77.122: /* Messages */

{{Spoilerhd}}

When [[Warren Vidic]] and [[Lucy Stillman]] leave the building at the end of [[Assassin's Creed]], [[Desmond Miles]] is able to use his [[Eagle Vision]], much like [[Altaïr]] in the past. There are messages scribed all over the floor and walls of his room and the Animus Room. [[Subject 16]], the patient before Desmond, wrote these with his own blood to warn Desmond of what is happening.

==Messages==

{|width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col" width="20%"|Picture
!scope="col" width="30%"|Description
!scope="col" width="40%"|Explanation
|-
![[file:Symbols2.jpg|180px]]
|'''The Eye of Providence'''
Also called 'The all-seeing eye' or 'Eye of the World'. It's on the ground in front of the door [[Lucy Stillman|Lucy]] and [[Warren Vidic|Dr. Vidic]] always leave. The Eye of Horus, can also be found on the far right side of the room.
|The Eye of Providence is always related to the [[Wikipedia:New World Order (conspiracy theory)|"New World Order"]] conspiracy. Abstergo Industries is planning on instituting a "[[New World Order]]", which is why they are extracting information from Desmond Miles. They want to use the [[Piece of Eden]] to control the world.
|-
![[File:Pyramid_apple.png|180px]]
|'''Eden's Pyramid'''
Found before the door which [[Warren Vidic|Dr. Vidic]] always exits from.
|Possibly a reference to the vault in [[Assassin's Creed 2]], which [[Minerva]] talks about being others, that her kind built. The Apple above the pyramid, which seems to contain eyes, may also reference the power and control that a [[Piece of Eden]] has over a human.
|-
![[File:Barcode.png|180px]]
|'''Date'''
The numbers 12212012 make the date, 12/21/2012.
|12/21/2012 is known in different prophecies, such as in the Mayan calendar, for the day the world ends. This is three months after the events of [[Assassin's Creed]] and is the date of the release of the modern Templar Satellite.
|-
![[File:crypticmes-barcodewall.jpg|180px]]
|'''Barcode'''
This is 13:16-18, a reference to the bible, specifically the book of Revelation. This piece in the bible reads: ''"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no-one could buy or sell unless he had the mark which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom, if anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person and it's number is 666."''
|The number '''''666''''' is widely known as the "Number of the Beast", and the beast is the Devil as depicted in the Bible.
|-
![[File:Symbols3.jpg|180px|]]
|'''Pentagram'''
Found to the right of Desmond, when laying down on the Animus.
|A reversed pentagram, with two points projecting upwards, is a symbol of evil and attracts sinister forces because it overturns the proper order of things and demonstrates the triumph of matter over spirit. It is the goat of lust attacking the heavens with its horns, a sign execrated by initiates." Linked to the 666 theory.
|-
![[File:Pyramid.png|180px|]]
|'''Pyramid of Letters'''
The Pyramid of letters reads, written from bottom to top, from right to left: ''"They drained my soul and made it theirs. I drain my body to show you where I saw it"''. Found at the foot side of the Animus.
|"They drained my soul"- this is what the Animus is used for. They [the Templars], took the information and used it. "I drain my body" - Subject 16 used his blood to write all of these messages.
|-
![[File:Trinity.png|180px|]]
|'''Three Intertwining Circles'''
Symbol of the Holy Trinity. Found at the [[Animus]] at the side where you lay your head.
|Yet another reference to the bible. It relates back to the "New World Order" conspiracy.
|-
![[File:Square.png|180px|]]
|'''Square'''
The Square of Letters is also written from bottom to top, right to left: ''"Artifacts sent to the skies to control all nations, to make us obey a hidden crusade. Do not help them"''
| "Artifacts sent to the skies" - The Piece of Eden is an artifact. The Templars sent it in a Satellite to control the world.
|-
![[File:Nazcabird.jpg|180px]]
|'''[[wikipedia:Nazca Lines|Nazca Lines]]'''
The famous Nazca lines can be found near some computers on a the left platform.
|The Nazca Lines include images of a hummingbird, monkey, and a spider; they may point out the location of another Piece of Eden, or maybe a [[wikipedia:Crystal skull|Crystal Skull]], which are said to possess miraculous powers. In addition, one theory as to the creation of the Nazca Lines suggests that the Nazca people could not have had the necessary technology, and that they were 'runways' of an ancient airfield that served beings from another culture; as of such, this may reference the past civilization mentioned in Assassin's Creed II.
|-
![[File:Symbols4.jpg|180px|]]
|'''Yonaguni'''
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yonaguni Yonaguni] is actually one word - it is the westernmost island of Japan, which would explain the Japanese pictures near it.
|Just off the southernmost point of the island, there is an underwater formation named the '[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yonaguni_Monument Yonaguni Monument]', thought to be thousands of years old -- its features include flat surfaces and sharp corners, along with staircase-like structures, leading to the belief that it may be man-made. Could possibly be a reference to the lost city of Atlantis, or a past civilization.
|-
![[File:Irreparable.jpg|180px]]
|'''Irreparable Truth'''
'We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each of them lies an IRREPARABLE truth'; a message found on the left side of the wall in Desmond's bedroom.
|The 'books' are in reference to humans, and how the 'thousands of pages' symbolize our ancestors' memories: therefore, the truth cannot be erased (or 'repaired'), even if the Templars try to 're-write' history.
|}

==Other==
[[Image:Crypticmessages.jpg|thumb|300px|The message on [[Desmond]]'s bedroom wall.]]
*'''I am the [[Wikipedia:Alpha and Omega|Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End]]''': This is referenced to in Desmond's room, with the '22.13' symbol, which is the appropriate passage in the Bible.
**'''Explanation''': This is a well-known phrase from the bible. It means that God is all-powerful. This yet again links back to the "New World Order" conspiracy.
*'''3.0.0.0.0.''' This is also written in Desmond's room.
**'''Explanation''': References the Mayan Long Count calender; the Mayan calender also ties in with the 2012 conspiracy.
*'''In Desmond's room there are three more types of writing: Hebrew, Arabic and Chinese.'''
**'''Explanation''': Hebrew-עולם הבא: The writing in Hebrew means "The World to Come" (Afterlife).
**'''Explanation''': Arabic- الزلزال: The writing in Arabic means "The Earthquake" which is the 99th Sura of the [[Qu'ran]] and tells of [[Judgement Day]] and one of the signs of the end of the world.
**'''Explanation''': Asian Texts-Several quotes relating to the game and its key protagonists.
***"You reap what you sow."
***"One who wants to read into his future simply needs to write his own past."
***"A man without far sight, must have near worries."
***"Hearing is better than not hearing, observing is better than hearing, knowing is better than observing, and doing is better than knowing."
***"As a human being, if you want to know the spiritual realm of Buddha, you have to observe, you have to know that everything you see in the world comes from your own mind."
*'''Within Emperor Jiajing's sin and Quetzcoaltz's hunger lies the Answers.''': A message in Desmond's bedroom.
**'''Explanation''': The Jiajing Emperor was Emperor of China from 1521 to 1567. He is known to be a cruel ruler, and an assassination attempt was made on him in 1542 when his concubines tried to strangle him while he slept (a plot that ultimately failed). He was also obsessed with collecting elixirs and artifacts, in the hope that they would grant him everlasting life -- this could possibly mean that within Assassin's Creed, he managed to acquire a Piece of Eden.
'Quetzcoaltz' is probably a misspelling of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec deity. Quetzalcoatl was the God of the sky and creation, and was responsible for the creation of books and calenders. Depicted as a feathered serpent, he was also the symbol of death and resurrection. Among the Aztecs, the name 'Quetzalcoatl' was also a priestly title.

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