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

Piece of Eden

2010-05-04T10:47:13Z

82.25.53.177: /* Trivia */

{{Era|Good}}
[[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''' 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 for derived from 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 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 this 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, foremost among which being the Apple of Eden. However, as time continued, so groups of individuals begun 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.

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 to be 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 it's way to Cyprus, where it was buried away until it's discovery and exhumation by the Knights Templar in 1487<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

Centuries later, whilst hacking into the [[Animus]], the mysterious [[Subject 16]], discovered that throughout history, the Pieces of Eden had had an extensive history of changing hands, with many historically notable figures, many Templars or Assassins, laying claim to them; Napoleon Bonaparte, George Washington, Gandhi, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Tsar Nicholas II, Winston Churchill and even 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 mapping the location of, 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 of the Earth; unbeknownst to humanity and indeed, many employees of Abstergo Industries, the satellite would contain at least one Apple, and spread it's power out on a global scale<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

==Characteristics==
===Abilities===
[[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 obediance; 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 intereact with and change the passage of time, possibly creating paradoxes<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, while at least one provided an inpenetrable barrier, that would protect the wearer from any attempt at penetration<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

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 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]] occured 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" />.

===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 passed ''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 existance 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 of Eden, and the Staff.]]
Below is a list of known Pieces of Eden to exist, including their owners;

'''01: The First Apple''', also called the ''Apple of Eden''

: '''Use:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.
: '''Status:''' Destroyed during the experimental incident at Denver International Airport. (Mentioned in dialogue with Lucy during the first Assassin's Creed).
: '''Neutral Ownership:''' [[Those Who Came Before]], "Christ-figure", [[Girolamo Savonarola]], [[Napoleon]], Houdini.
: '''Assassin Associated Ownership: '''Adam and Eve, Abel, [[Al Mualim]], [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]].
: '''Templar Associated Ownership:''' [[Cain]], [[Al Mualim]], [[Rodrigo Borgia]].

'''02: The Second Apple'''

: '''Use:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.
: '''Status:''' Caught in an explosive satellite malfunction. Possibly survived, but, if so, it is impossible to retrieve in the darkness of space.
: '''Neutral Ownership:''' Those Who Came Before, Elizabeth I of England, Gandhi.
: '''Assassin Associated Ownership:''' None.
: '''Templar Associated Ownership:''' [[Mary I of England]].

'''03: The Third Apple'''

: '''Use:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.
: '''Status:''' Unknown.
: '''Neutral Ownership:''' Those Who Came Before, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, [[John F. Kennedy]].
: '''Assassin Associated Ownership:''' None.
: '''Templar Associated Ownership:''' [[Lyndon B. Johnson]].

'''04: The Fourth Apple'''

: '''Use:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff. Possibly helped in the development of weapons and technology throughout the centuries.
: '''Status:''' Unknown
: '''Neutral Ownership:''' Those Who Came Before.
: '''Assassin Associated Ownership:''' [[Nikola Tesla]].
: '''Templar Associated Ownership:''' [[Thomas Edison]], [[Henry Ford]], [[Adolf Hitler]].

'''05: The Fifth Apple'''

: '''Use:''' Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.
: '''Status:''' Unknown
: '''Neutral Ownership:''' Those Who Came Before.
: '''Assassin Associated Ownership:''' None.
: '''Templar Associated Ownership:''' N.A.S.A.

'''25: The Sword'''

: '''Use:''' Unknown.
: '''Status:''' Unknown.
: '''Neutral Ownership:''' Those Who Came Before, Perseus, [[King Arthur]], Sigurd, Joan of Arc.
: '''Assassin Associated Ownership:''' None.
: '''Templar Associated Ownership:''' [[Alexander the Great]], [[Attila the Hun]], [[Genghis Khan]].

'''34: The Staff'''

: '''Use:''' Designed to control men's minds and bodies; it has a spot in the headpiece where an Apple of Eden can placed to enhance the mind control powers. Its bottom end is sharpened and can be use as a spear in combat.
: '''Status:''' Either Destroyed in the [[Tunguska Explosion]] or blown to an unknown location by the blast.
: '''Neutral Ownership:''' Those Who Came Before, Egyptian Pharaohs, Moses, Saint Peter, Czar Nicholas II.
: '''Assassin Associated Ownership:''' [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]].
: '''Templar Associated Ownership:''' [[Alexander the Great]], [[Rodrigo Borgia]], [[Rasputin]].

'''66: The Shroud'''
: '''Use:''' Unknown; possible function is to heal any ailment, wound, or even resurrect the dead. The Templars were behind the crucifixion of Christ to gain possession of the Shroud. Somehow Jesus' disciples were able to recover the Shroud and probably used it to resurrect their Master. After this, traces of the Shroud has disappeared. It was definitely used for healing, a characteristic of the shroud exemplified in the story of the sick lady who touched Jesus' robe, whose health was restored back to normal.
: '''Status:''' Unknown
: '''Neutral Ownership:''' Those Who Came Before, Jason, Joseph, David, [[Jesus]].
: '''Assassin Associated Ownership:''' None.
: '''Templar Associated Ownership:''' Rasputin (reputed).

According to the [[E-mails|computers]] at [[Abstergo]] found by Miles during the one week he spent imprisioned in their labs, the Templars are in possesion of a Piece of Eden which can turn back time. It is currently being hidden in a special facility because the Templars are too worried about damaging the timeline.<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
#Salisbury Plain, England
#Loch Ness, Scotland
#Maroantsetra, Madagascar
#Nara, Japan
#Somewhere close to Goodhouse, South Africa, near the border between South Africa and Namibia
#Kuwait
#Delhi, India or the Taj Mahal in India, just a short distance south of Delhi
#Persepolis, now mordern day Shiraz, Iran
#Jerusalem, Israel
#Colombia, South America, around the area of the Igara Paranda 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 Ocean, close to the Assassin's temple located at 91 degrees W
#The Atlantic Ocean, in an area where it was believed that Atlantis was believed to have existed
#The Atlantic Ocean, a few hundred miles off the coast of Brazil
#The Antartic Ocean, on the side of Antartica facing up towards the Atlantic
#The Indian Ocean, almost cross sectioned with the tips of Inda, Africa and the Southwestern tip of Australia
#The Antartic Ocean, the side of the Antartic ocean that faces up towards the Indian Ocean
#Archangel, Russia
#Andorra le Vella, Andorra
#Imperatriz, Brazil
#Barrow, Alaska
#La Rioja, Argentina
#An area close to Hervey Bay, Queensland, Austrailia
#An area around South Cross, in Western Austrailia
#Somewhere in the middle of the Island of Sumatra, Indonesia
#Beijing, China
#Somewhere in the Atali 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 both destroyed in the DIA Satellite Incident, 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 can be explained by the protoganist in each having acquired his or her own Piece of Eden (i.e.: the Greek myth of Perseus, King Arthur, et cetera).
*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]], 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.
*The maps in Assassin's Creed I and II show that there are only 50 Pieces of Eden, but Subject 16 says the Shroud is Piece of Eden 'number 66'. This could be because there might only be 50 known Pieces of Eden on Earth at the time.

*Although the map displaying the locations of the Pieces of Eden was shown to Altaïr in 1191, it displays countries and continents (such as Australia) that were unknown at this time to Europeans or Middle-Easterns. Given that [[Minerva]] foresaw Desmond using the Animus to see through Ezio's eyes, it is likely that the map was also intended for Desmond with the locations of Pieces of Eden in modern times, and that Altaïr was merely the vessel for the information.

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}
{{AC}}
{{ACII}}
{{ACSeries}}
[[Category:Assassin's Creed Series]]

Synchronization

2010-04-29T07:30:36Z

82.25.53.177:

'''Synchronization''' (or, for short, '''Synch''') is [[Assassin's Creed]]'s series' equivalent of a health meter. Since the events of [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] and [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] experienced by [[Desmond]] in the [[Animus]] have already taken place in the past, Synchronization is a measure of how synchronized, or close to, Desmond's actions in the Animus are with the actual events in the past. If all Synchronization is lost, the simulation restarts from an earlier point.

Synchronization itself can be taken as how accurate Desmond's actions are compared to the original memories. The loss of Synchronization would therefore presumably be a sign that Desmond's (or more accurately, the player's) actions are not accurate to the past. Losing Synch by killing civilians and falling from heights would mean that Altaïr or Ezio would not have performed those actions. Furthermore, additional memories, such as rescuing civilians and collecting [[Flags]] for Altaïr, and opening Chests and collecting [[Feathers]] for Ezio, would mean that Altaïr and Ezio actually did those things. That they are optional is an indication that they aren't essential to the recreation of the events in the Animus.

==The Synch meter==
[[File:Synchronization Bar 2.png|thumb|300px|This meter from the first game has nine bars, its capacity.
Note the DNA effect, symbolizing that the meter is full.]]

Synchronization is measured by a bar in the top left corner of the HUD, dubbed the "Synch meter" or "Synch bar". This bar will display the current level of synchronization.

The Synch meter can be turned off in the Options menu, as well as all other HUD elements.

==Synchronization in Assassin's Creed==
[[File:Synchronization Bar.png|thumb|300px|This Synch Meter has a capacity of 13, but there is only one bar available.]]

If Synchronization reaches a critically low level, the screen will begin to flash blue and red to warn the player, as the current memory being played becomes unstable. If all Synchronization is lost, then the simulation will restart from an earlier point.

Synchronization can be lost for several reasons:
*killing of innocent civilians (breaks the First [[Tenets|Tenet]] of the [[Assassins|Assassins' Order]])
*being hurt in battle
*drowning (always instant death)
*jumping or falling from a great height (an extremely long fall may prove fatal, less extreme falls may hurt Altaïr or Ezio but not kill him)

At the beginning of ''Assassin's Creed'', Desmond's very first use of the Animus causes almost immediate loss of Synchronization, because his subconscious couldn't handle the stress and trauma of the memory he was in.

Any lost Synchronization will recover over time.

Logically, given that the synch bar represents the difference between Altaïr's actions and Desmond's, this means that the real Altaïr was never once injured in battle, fell from too great a height or killed innocent civilians.

==Synchronization in Assassin's Creed II==
The Synchronization bar in the first Assassin's Creed game has been replaced by a health bar, while synchronization itself has become a status which is increased by completing missions, recovering objects (Codex Pages, feathers, statues, etc.), as well as unlocking Altaïr's Armor. Maximum health is increased by buying and equipping armor, and deciphering Codex Pages. Lost health can be restored by visiting a doctor and by using medicine. The greatest maximum health is achieved by recovering Altaïr's Armor and deciphering all 30 pages of the Codex.

==Synch Meter Capacity==
The capacity of the Synchronization meter is not static. It varies from 4 to 20. Synchronization capacity is determined by two components- '''base Synchronization''' (up to 13) and '''additional Synchronization''' (up to 7).

===Base Synchronization===
Altaïr's Base Synchronization is determined by his [[rank]] in the [[Assassins|Assassins' Order]]. At the beginning of the game, his base Synchronization is 13. Once he is demoted to [[Novice]], it falls to 4.

A full table:
{| border="1" style="text-align:center" cellpadding="2"
!width="50"| Rank
!width="200"| Base Synchronization
|-
! 1
| 4
|-
! 2
| 5
|-
! 3
| 6
|-
! 4
| 7
|-
! 5
| 8
|-
! 6
| 9
|-
! 7
| 10
|-
! 8
| 11
|-
! 9
| 12
|-
! 10
| 13
|}

===Additional Synchronization===
Additional Synchronization is Synchronization that the player earns by completing additional memories, such as [[Save Citizen|saving citizens]] and Synchronizing on [[View Points]]. Once the player completes fifteen of these additional memories, the words "DNA Synchronization Augmented" will be displayed on the screen, and there will be another bar available on the Synch meter.

There can be from zero to seven bars of additional Synchronization.

{{AC}}
[[Category:Assassin's Creed Gameplay]]