Piece of Eden

2011-01-06T03:04:54Z

76.95.82.108: /* Confirmed Pieces of Eden */

{{Era|Featured}}
[[File:Zw-eden-slave.png|thumb|300px|The Piece of Eden used by [[Those Who Came Before]] to enslave humans]]
{{Quote|They're gifts, Mr. Miles. From Those Who Came Before.|Dr. [[Warren Vidic]] on a Piece of Eden|Assassin's Creed}}
The '''Pieces of Eden''' (also known as '''P.O.E'''<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"> ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' </ref>) were technologically advanced pieces of equipment created by the [[First Civilization]]; each possessed unique properties, and all were known to be capable of bending the thoughts of one or more individuals to the will of the user.

==History==
{{Quote|Current examination of Subject Seventeen indicates that aside from the Piece of Eden, all other artifacts related to Christ-figure are literary devices derived from the Piece of Eden, and not actual objects.|[[Alan Rikkin]] [[e-mail]] on the Pieces of Eden adoption as biblical and historical artifacts|Assassin's Creed}}
[[Those Who Came Before]], also known as the First Civilization,<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref> were an ancient yet advanced race of beings that lived on Earth long before humanity. The creators of the Human race, the First Civilization had used the Pieces of Eden to control their slaves through hypnotic trances.<ref name= "Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref> Whether humanity was created to be susceptible to the effects of the Pieces of Eden, or if the Pieces were created after humanity remains unknown; [[Minerva]] attributed the peace between humanity and their "gods" to the effects of the Pieces of Eden.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

Eventually however, two humans, [[Adam and Eve]] became immune to the hypnotic effects of the Pieces of Eden, and stole one of the Pieces – the Apple of Eden – from their masters. Soon after a war broke out, pitting humanity against their gods. Despite their strength in technology, the Pieces of Eden failed to protect the creators from the slaves, who heavily outnumbered the masters. The war ended catastrophically for both sides, and both humanity and their gods were forced to work together to rebuild their world.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Eventually though, the gods became extinct, and their Pieces of Eden were lost to the annals of history.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

Over the centuries, the Pieces of Eden resurfaced; seen as religious artifacts or holy relics, the foremost among them being the Apple of Eden. However, as time continued, groups of individuals began to see the Pieces of Eden for what they truly were, advanced technologies to be exploited. As early as the 12<sup>th</sup> Century, the [[Knights Templar]] were actively seeking and obtaining numerous Pieces of Eden<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>, in the hopes of uniting the world in peace much like Those Who Came Before had done,<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> and in 1191, they sought the Apple itself.

[[File:Poemap.jpg|thumb|Altaïr, looking at the map of locations of Pieces of Eden.]]
Led by the [[Robert de Sable|Grand Master]] of the Order, the Knights Templar used the cover of the [[Third Crusade]] to infiltrate the catacombs of [[Solomon's Temple]], in the city of [[Jerusalem]], where they knew the Apple was located. Unfortunately for them, [[Al Mualim]], leader of the [[Assassins|Order of Assassins]] and secretly also, a Knights Templar, had sent his best to capture the device. [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] and the [[Malik A-Sayf|brothers]] [[Kadar A-Sayf|A-Sayf]] intercepted the Templars, and despite the death of Kadar and Altaïr being thrown from the battle early on, the Assassins prevailed and spirited the Apple to their fortress in [[Masyaf]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> For a year the Assassins and Knights Templar fought one another for control of the artifact, until finally the deaths of both Robert de Sable and Al Mualim at the hands of Altaïr ended the conflict. Originally intending to destroy the Apple, Altaïr found himself unable to do so, and instead decided to seal the Apple in the [[Limassol]] [[Templar Archive|Archives]] after he had liberated it from the Templars; circumstances worked against this however, and he decided to keep the Apple himself, lest it fall into the wrong hands.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref> Ultimately, the Apple did find its way to Cyprus, where it was buried away until its discovery and exhumation by the Knights Templar in 1488.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> The Apple was shipped to Venice, but [[Ezio Auditore|Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] managed to procure it before it could go into Templar hands. However, during the events of [[Battle of Forlì]], the Apple was taken from Ezio by Savonarola, and Savonarola used it to cause the Bonfire of Vanities in Florence. Ezio went to Firenze to kill Savonarola and take the Apple back.

In 1499, Ezio used the Apple, combined with the power of Papal Staff (also a Piece of Eden) to open up the Vault underneath the Vatican. However, shortly afterward , during the Siege of Monteriggioni, Cesare Borgia took the Apple from Mario Auditore. In 1503, after liberating Rome, Ezio took back the Apple hidden in St. Peter's Basilica. After figuring out the power of the Apple, Ezio hid it in a Temple underneath the Colosseum.

Centuries later, whilst hacking into the [[Animus]], the mysterious [[Subject 16]], discovered that throughout history, the Pieces of Eden had an extensive history of changing hands, with historically notable figures, many Templars or Assassins, laying claim to them; [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], [[George Washington]], [[Mahatma Gandhi]], [[Nikola Tesla]], [[Thomas Edison]], [[Nicholas II of Russia|Tsar Nicholas II]], [[Winston Churchill]] and [[Adolf Hitler]] to name but a few.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> By 2012 however, many had fallen into the hands of the Knights Templar; seeking to obtain the rest, the [[Animus]] project was set up with the intention of locating and securing the remaining Pieces of Eden.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

This Animus project was also an important component in the Knights Templar goal of ensuring world peace, through use of the Pieces of Eden. By using the Pieces of Eden known as "the Apples", the Templars sought to manipulate the neuro-transmitters in the entire human race to achieve their goal. Eye-Abstergo, a branch of [[Abstergo Industries]], planned to launch an "all-in-one telecommunication" satellite into orbit around the Earth; unbeknownst to humanity and indeed, many employees of Abstergo Industries, the satellite would contain at least one Apple, and spread its power out on a global scale.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

In 2012, the modern-day Assassins, [[Desmond Miles]], [[Lucy Stillman]], [[Shaun Hastings]], and [[Rebecca Crane]] use the Animus to locate the Piece of Eden hidden by Ezio Auditore [[Santa Maria Aracoeli Vault|beneath]] the [[Santa Maria Aracoeli]] 1507.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

==Characteristics==
===Attributes===

{{Quote|This… piece of silver cast out Adam and Eve. It turned staves into snakes. Parted and closed the Red Sea. Eris used it to start the Trojan War; and with it, a poor carpenter turned water into wine.|[[Al Mualim]], speaking to Altaïr about [[First Apple|the Apple]]|Assassin's Creed}}

[[File:Almualimxs.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Al Mualim]] uses the Apple to project multiple images of himself.]]
Amongst the greatest tools known to man; by interacting with a neuro-transmitter located deep in the brain of the human body, the Apples of Eden could control the human mind. Other Pieces of Eden were capable of warping reality, creating illusions and ensuring total obedience; both the Knights Templar and the Order of Assassins believed that the Pieces of Eden were the sources of many historical tales and miracles, such as the Parting of the Red Sea, the Trojan Horse, and the miracles enacted by "the Christ-figure" who foreshadowed the Christian faith, and the Biblical plagues that ravaged Egypt, among other supernatural happenings. Some were known to interact with and change the passage of time, possibly creating paradoxes; these potential outcomes were deemed too risky by Abstergo, deciding that these Pieces should be sealed away for the time being.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /> Finally, at least one provided an impenetrable barrier that would protect the wearer from any attempt at penetration.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

The Pieces of Eden, or at the very least the ''Apples'', were capable of extending a pulse of energy when activated, that would drive those targeted to insanity and death. Doing so however, had a detrimental effect on the health of the wielder.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" /> However, as stated in the Codex, using a Piece of Eden (notably the Apple) in short bursts would minimize the negative effects dealt out by the artifacts; though to what extent, it did not say.

Following the destruction of the second Piece of Eden during experimental use at Denver International Airport, the Knights Templar found themselves in need of another artifact with similar properties. Needing access to a map that indicated the location of ''all'' Pieces of Eden, the Templar front company [[Abstergo Industries]] kidnapped the descendant of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad – [[Desmond Miles]] – in order to view the memories of his ancestor. This would allow them to view the very same map Altaïr had viewed in 1191.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />

Each of the Pieces of Eden contained a great deal of energy stored within, and the destruction of one would cause an explosion on the same scale of a nuclear blast. [[Tunguska event|One such blast]] occurred in 1908, in the region of Tunguska, Russia, when the Piece of Eden known as "the Staff" was seemingly destroyed by [[Nikola Tesla]] as a strike against the Knights Templar.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> Also as revealed in [[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]] some pieces such as [[The Shroud]] can communicate with humans telepathically.

===Resistance===
{{Quote|I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID. I SAW HIM. HE HAD A METAL BALL. IT OPENED. THEY WENT CRAZY. SHOOTING. STABBING. TORE EACH OTHER TO PIECES. I KNOW IT WAS YOU PEOPLE. SAW THE LOGO. HEARD THE NAME. I'M GOING TO TELL. ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN. YOU'LL BE EXPOSED. THEY'LL KNOW THE TRUTH. AND THEN YOU WILL PAY. YOU CRAZY BASTARDS. YOU'LL PAY.|An unidentified individual's [[e-mail]] to Dr. [[Warren Vidic]]|Assassin's Creed }}
Although the First Civilization created humanity with a neuro-transmitter that forced them to accept the will of the Pieces of Eden, eventual cross-breeding between the gods and their slaves bore a hybrid species. These new humans possessed ''some'' of the [[Eagle Vision|natural abilities]] of their gods, but most notably, were free of the neuro-transmitter that bound them to the will of the Pieces of Eden<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. The first two known individuals to be born immune to the effects of the Pieces were [[Adam and Eve]], who later stole the Apple of Eden and precipitated the war that followed<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. Members of the lineage also inherited these natural abilities and immunity to the mind-control of the Pieces, although the Pieces' ability to physically control them remained<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. Individuals such as Altaïr and his descendants [[Ezio Auditore]], Subject 16 and Desmond Miles all possessed these enhanced abilities, and presumably, an immunity to the Pieces of Eden<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

By the early 21<sup>st</sup> Century, the Knights Templar were aware of both the existence of Those Who Came Before and the fact that some humans were immune to the mind control of the Apples of Eden, and as such actively sought other devices to compensate for this<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. On at least one occasion Dr. [[Warren Vidic]], an employee of Abstergo Industries, recieved an [[Vidic's e-mail|email]] from an unknown individual who had not been affected by the powers of the Apple, and threatened to expose what he had seen<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

==Confirmed Pieces of Eden==
[[File:Zw-eden-4.png|thumb|The First Apple, adorned on the Staff of Eden.]]
Besides the Apples of Eden, the First Civilization created many more Pieces of Eden. Some of these affected humanity in similar ways, whilst others affected nature and even time itself. The [[First Apple|first]], [[Second Apple|second]], [[Third Apple|third]], [[Fourth Apple|fourth]] and [[Fifth Apple|fifth Apples]] were all capable of controlling the minds of men, creating illusions and, to a degree, permited physical control over said minds<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />; the Apples could all be used in conjunction with the [[The Staff|Staff of Eden]], which increased the abilities of both Pieces<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. Other Pieces included [[the Shroud]], which would become famous to modern day humans as the "Shroud of Turin" – that which covered the body of Jesus Christ, it's properties including the ability to heal the wounds of those it touched, and [[the Sword]], a Piece that would pass through the hands of many great rulers through the centuries, including [[Arthur|King Arthur]], [[Alexander the Great]], and [[Genghis Khan]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> The [[Crystal Skulls]] were also Pieces of Eden and these would be scattered throughout central America, one of which would later be taken to Europe by [[Giovanni Borgia]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref>

According to [[e-mails]] read by [[Desmond Miles]], at least one Piece of Eden existed that granted the ability to manipulate time. Concerns over possible paradoxes however, lead to Abstergo Industries locking it away. It most likley had the form of an hourglass.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />

==Known locations of Pieces of Eden==
[[File:Codexmap.jpg|thumb|The Codex Map]]

Following the death of Al Mualim and the Apples projection of a map indicating the location of all Pieces of Eden, Altaïr copied the map and included it in his [[Codex]], hidden away so that only one of his bloodline might see it<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. Based off of the locations given on the Codex map, the following locations can be identified as containing a Piece of Eden<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />;

#Giza, Egypt
#Lake Victoria, Africa, more on the Kenyan side
#The Gambia River, Gambia
#Timbuktu, Mali
#Taza, Morocco
#Canary Islands, Spain
#The Southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, curiously near the volcano of Opala
#Odessa, Ukraine
#Kharkiv, Ukraine
#Rennes-le-Château, France (shinter de la bollcks)
#Salisbury Plain, England (presumably at Stone Henge)
#Loch Ness, Scotland
#Maroantsetra, Madagascar
#Nara, Japan
#Somewhere close to Goodhouse, South Africa, near the border between South Africa and Namibia
#Inside or nearby Boston, Massachusetts
#Delhi, India or the Taj Mahal in India, just a short distance south of Delhi
#Persepolis, modern day Shiraz, Iran
#Jerusalem, Israel
#Colombia, South America, around the area of the Igara Parana River
#Nazca, Perú
#South-western Sri Lanka
#Hellissandur, Iceland
#The area of Sabiene Island, Nunavut, Canada
#Phoenix, Arizona, or somewhere outside the city
#Washington D.C.
#Juneau, Alaska
#An area close to Pulau Ratewo, Papua
#The middle of the South Pacific Ocean
#The Pacific Ocean, close to the coast of Mexico
#The South Pacific Oceann aparrently near the coast of the Easter Island and Chile
#The Atlantic Ocean, in an area where Atlantis was believed to have existed
#The Atlantic Ocean, a few hundred miles off the coast of Brazil
#The Antarctic Ocean, on the side of Antarctica facing up towards the Atlantic
#The Indian Ocean, almost cross sectioned with the tips of Inda, Africa and the southwestern tip of Australia - a small island called Ile Amsterdam
#The Antarctic Ocean, the side of the Antarctic ocean that faces up towards the Indian Ocean
#Archangelsk, Russia
#Andorra le Vella, Andorra
#Imperatriz, Brazil
#Barrow, Alaska
#La Rioja, Argentina
#An area close to Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia
#An area around South Cross, in Western Australia
#Somewhere in Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia
#Beijing, China
#Somewhere in the Altay Mountains in southwestern Mongolia
#Somewhere along the northern Coast of Chukotka province, Russia
#An area close to Tiksi, Russia

The other two that made up the last of the 50 pieces, one of the Apples and the Staff, were destroyed in the DIA Satellite Incident and the Tunguska blast respectively<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

==Trivia==
*According to the [[glyphs]] and [[The Truth|Truth files]], many legends and myths throughout human history are actually historically accurate. The supernatural or paranormal parts of each legend can be explained by the protagonist in each having acquired his or her own Piece of Eden (i.e.: the Greek myth of Perseus, King Arthur, etc).
*In ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'', during the battle against [[Rodrigo Borgia|Borgia]] in the Sistine Chapel, [[Ezio]] creates copies of himself, much like [[Al Mualim]] did against Altaïr. If Ezio is [[Customization|customized]], or if [[Altaïr's Armor]] is enabled, his copies will appear with different sets of armor and colors whereas when if he is not customized, each copy will be perfectly identical to the real Ezio, besides his weapon.
*Both the Codex map, and the Map projection at the end of ''Assassin's Creed'' show that there are only fifty Pieces of Eden at a time, but Subject 16 says the Shroud is Piece of Eden 'number 66'. This discrepancy has yet to be rectified.
**In the French and German version of ''Assassin's Creed II'', the Shroud is referred to as number 36, not 66. Whether this is a mistake in the translation or not, remains to be clarified.
**It is possible that the history of Stonehenge may have connections with Those Who Came Before as a Piece of Eden is located in the Salisbury plains where Stonehenge is located and the whereabouts of the Piece of Eden is presumed to be at Stonehenge.
*[[Juno]] refers to the Pieces of Eden as "our tools". This may or may not be a reference to a similar story in the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, by Phillip Pullman.
*The [[Chalice]] was initially thought to be a Piece of Eden; however, besides the Shroud, all other artifacts linked to the Christ-figure were confirmed to be only literary tools, as stated in ''Assassin's Creed I''.

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}
{{PoE}}
{{AC}}
{{ACII}}
{{ACSeries}}
[[Category:Assassin's Creed Series]]
[[Category:Pieces of Eden| ]]

Sanctuary

2010-12-27T02:10:01Z

76.95.82.108: /* Trivia */

{{Era|Assassins|Ren|Good}}
{{stub}}
[[File:Zw-assassin-sanctuary-1.png|thumb|400px|The Sanctuary from its entrance.]]
The '''Sanctuary''' is a location in both ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' and ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''. It was created by [[Domenico Auditore]] as a tribute to the greatest [[Assassins]] in history, and is found underneath the [[Auditore Family Villa]], with its entrance concealed behind a tall bookcase in [[Mario Auditore]]'s study. It is revealed by Mario to his nephew [[Ezio|Ezio Auditore]] as the game progresses.

It houses seven statues of seven [[Master Assassin]]s. Six of these statues are missing [[Assassin's Seal|seals]] that must be collected to unlock the gate blocking way to the seventh statue that is of none other than [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] himself, which holds the indestructible set of [[Altaïr's Armor|armor]] made by Altaïr centuries before.

In ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'', the Sanctuary serves as the next hideout for [[Desmond|Desmond Miles]] and the other modern Assassins, after the [[Hideout|first one]] was assaulted by [[Abstergo]] at the end of ''Assassin's Creed II''. However since the Sanctuary has no power, Desmond must first [[Free Running|free run]] around [[Modern Times|modern day]] [[Monteriggioni]] to reroute power to it.

==Statues==
From left to right:

*[[Qulan Gal]]
*[[Darius]]
*[[Wei Yu]]
*Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
*[[Amunet]]
*[[Iltani]]
*[[Leonius]]

==Trivia==
*The circular grate in the courtyard at the back of the Auditore Family Villa is actually the top of the Sanctuary, which allows light in.
*You can examine all the statues except Altaïr's. Additionally, the face of the statue of Altaïr surprisingly looks nothing like Altaïr's face in ''[[Assassin's Creed]]''.
*In ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'', Ezio and the villagers of Monteriggioni used a secret exit located behind Altaïr's statue to escape the Siege of Monteriggioni.
*In ''Brotherhood'', [[Lucy Stillman]] and Desmond Miles freerun through the underground tunnels to reach the Sanctuary, to set it up as a new base. It's within these tunnels that Desmond, through his suffering of the [[Bleeding Effect]], witnesses Ezio Auditore and some of Monteriggioni's villagers escape [[Cesare Borgia]]'s guards.
*In ''Brotherhood'', one of Lucy's computers in the Sanctuary displays the Memory menu from ''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''.
*In ''Brotherhood'', though the grate at the top of the Sanctuary appears broken from the inside, but when viewed from the outside, it seems undamaged.
*Desmond Miles, through the [[Bleeding Effect]], also witnessed a much older Ezio return to the Sanctuary, and look at the statues of the great Assassins.
*The secret exit's exit is present in [[Assassin's Creed II|Assassin's Creed II]], however it is blocked by a pile of logs. It is most likely that Ubisoft intended to recycle the original Monteriggioni model for use in ''Brotherhood.''

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="left" widths="229">
Arguement.png|Desmond arguing with Shaun in the sanctuary
ShaunLucyHideoutBrotherhood.png|Shaun Hastings in the Sanctuary
001624.png|Modern-day Assassins in the sanctuary
Modern Assassins (Brotherhood).JPG|The modern-day Assassins: Rebecca, Shaun and Lucy with Desmond in the animus.
</gallery>{{ACII}}
{{ACBrotherhood}}
[[Category:Good Articles]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Locations]]
[[Category:Villa Auditore]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Locations]]
[[Category:Monteriggioni]]
[[Category:Assassin Order]]

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Piece of Eden

Sanctuary