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Created page with "{{Era|Timeline}} {{Mission Infobox |prev = Resurrection Day |next = Brexit |image =ACOD A Fresh Start 18.png |objective = Locate and secure Staff of Hermes Trismegistus |date = October 2018 |place = *United Kingdom **London *Greece **Argolis **Attika **Boeotia **Thera |result = *Assassin victory **Staff Hermes Trismegistus obtained **Juhani Otso Berg incapacitated *Victoria Bibeau killed |side1 = *Assassins|..."
 
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{{Era|Timeline}}
{{Era|Timeline}}
{{Conjecture}}
{{Mission Infobox
{{Mission Infobox
|prev = [[Resurrection Day]]
|prev=[[Resurrection Day]]
|next = [[Brexit]]
|next=[[Brexit]]
|image =ACOD A Fresh Start 18.png
|image=ACOd Layla Kassandra.jpg
|objective = Locate and secure [[Staff of Hermes Trismegistus]]
|objective=Locate and secure the [[Staff of Hermes Trismegistus]]
|date = October 2018
|date=October 2018
|place = *[[United Kingdom]]
|place=*[[United Kingdom]]
**[[London]]
**[[London]]
*[[Greece]]
*[[Greece]]
Line 13: Line 14:
**[[Boeotia]]
**[[Boeotia]]
**[[Thera]]
**[[Thera]]
|result = *[[Assassins|Assassin]] victory
|result=*[[Assassins|Assassin]] victory
**Staff Hermes Trismegistus obtained
**Staff of Hermes Trismegistus obtained
**[[Juhani Otso Berg]] incapacitated
**[[Juhani Otso Berg]] incapacitated
*[[Victoria Bibeau]] killed
*[[Victoria Bibeau]] killed
|side1 = *[[Assassins|Assassin Brotherhood]]
|side1=*Assassins
**[[Assassin cell#Layla Hassan's cell|Layla Hassan's cell]]
**Layla Hassan's [[Assassin cell]]
|side2 = *[[Templars|Templar Order]]
|side2=*[[Templars]]
*[[Abstergo Industries]]
*[[Abstergo Industries]]
**[[Sigma Team|Sigma Team 6]]
**[[Sigma Team]]
|commanders1 = [[William Miles]]
|commanders1=[[William Miles]]
|commanders2 = Juhani Otso Berg
|commanders2=Juhani Otso Berg
|ppl1 = *[[Layla Hassan]]
|ppl1=*[[Layla Hassan]]
*Victoria Bibeau†
*Victoria Bibeau †
*[[Kiyoshi Takakura]]
*[[Kiyoshi Takakura]]
*[[Alannah Ryan]]
*[[Alannah Ryan]]
|ppl2 = *Juhani Otso Berg
|ppl2=*Juhani Otso Berg
*3 Abstergo guards
*3 Abstergo agents
|casual1 = Victoria Bibeau
|casual1=Victoria Bibeau
|casual2 = 2 Abstergo guards
|casual2=2 Abstergo agents
|civilian = [[Kassandra]]
|civilian=[[Kassandra]]
}}  
}}  
In 2018, a '''search for the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus'''<ref name="ACOD Artbook">''[[The Art of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – Present Day</ref> was undertaken by an [[Assassin cell#Layla Hassan's cell|Assassin cell]] assembled by Mentor [[William Miles]] and led by ex-Abstergo Industries employee-turned-Assassin [[Layla Hassan]].<ref name="ACOD MD">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – [[21st century conversations#Assassin's Creed: Odyssey|Modern day]]</ref>
In 2018, a '''search for the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus'''<ref name="ACOD Artbook">''[[The Art of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – Present Day</ref> was undertaken by an [[Assassin cell]] assembled by the [[Assassins]]' [[Mentor]] [[William Miles]] and led by [[Layla Hassan]], a former [[Abstergo Industries]] employee who had joined the Assassins.<ref name="ACOD MD">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]</ref>


==Prelude==
==Background==
In October 2016,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Heresy]]'' – Chapter 2</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Heresy]]'' – Chapter 8</ref> at a secret Abstergo facility known as [[the Aerie]], a group of teenagers were brought together in order to access a collective simulation known as the [[Ascendance Event]]. Led by the Templar and [[Instruments of the First Will|First Will Instrument]] [[Isaiah]], he had planned to use the teenagers to find the [[Trident of Eden]].<ref name="LD Ch22">''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants]]'' – Chapter 22</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods]]'' – Chapter 2</ref> The psychiatrist [[Victoria Bibeau]] assisted him in this,<ref name="LD Ch22"/> though after all was said and done she grew discontent with Abstergo and the Templars.<ref name="Getting the Team Together">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – [[Layla Hassan's personal files#2018|Layla Hassan's personal files]]: Getting the Team Together</ref>
With the Assassins having covertly watched Layla's and [[Deanna Geary]]'s revolutionary work involving the [[Animus|Portable Animus HR-8]], their Mentor William Miles travelled to the [[Hotep Cavern]] in [[Egypt]] in late 2017 to recruit Layla, after hearing that Abstergo had sent the [[Templars|Templar]] task force [[Sigma Team]] to kill her for failing to report in with the company. Though initially wary, Layla accepted his offer to work for the Assassins when he pointed out that Abstergo would not stop hunting her.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]: "Meeting William Miles"</ref>


In August 2018, the Assassins thwarted an attempted [[Resurrection Day|resurrection]] of the [[Isu]] [[Juno]]. Though it did not come without cost, through a uneasy alliance with the Templars, the Assassin [[Charlotte de la Cruz]] was killed under the debris of the exploded underground base of [[Álvaro Gramática]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Uprising]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Uprising 12|Issue #12]]</ref>
All too aware of the danger that [[Isu]] [[Piece of Eden|artifacts]] posed to [[human]]ity, and in an effort to track down more items before Abstergo found them, William assembled a team to find and acquire the fabled [[Staff of Hermes Trismegistus]]. The team roster consisted of the newly-[[Initiation into the Assassin Order|inducted]] Layla, the [[Japanese Brotherhood of Assassins|Japanese Assassin]] [[Kiyoshi Takakura]], and the historian [[Alannah Ryan]].<ref name="ACOD MD"/>


All too aware of the danger the Isu artifacts posed to humanity and in an effort to track down [[Pieces of Eden]] before [[Abstergo Industries]]––and by extension the [[Templars]]––could, Mentor of the Assassins William Miles assembled a team that included the newly inducted Layla Hassan, former Abstergo psychiatrist Victoria Bibeau, [[Japanese Brotherhood of Assassins|Japanese Assassin]] operative [[Kiyoshi Takakura]], and trainee [[Alannah Ryan]].<ref name="ACOD MD"/> Kiyoshi who'd previously participated in the raid on Gramática's lab in Australia was cleared for the mission though was instructed to not overdo himself. [[Harlan Cunningham]], another previous participant was considered for the cell but later put aside on the advice of William Miles.<ref name="Getting the Team Together"/>
Doctor [[Victoria Bibeau]] also joined the team as Layla's medical supervisor, and was herself another former Abstergo employee who had defected from the company.<ref name="Getting the Team Together">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – [[Layla Hassan's personal files]]: "Getting the Team Together"</ref> This defection came about as a result of Victoria's growing discontent with Abstergo and the Templars, after having assisted in their kidnapping of teenagers to access simulations collectively called an [[Ascendance Event]]<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants]]'' – Chapter 22</ref> in late 2016.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Heresy]]'' – Chapter 2</ref>
 
Kiyoshi, who had previously been injured while attacking an Abstergo [[Abstergo Industries Australia facility|facility]] in [[Australia]] that attempted to [[Resurrection Day|resurrect]] the Isu [[Juno]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Uprising]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Uprising 12|Issue #12]]</ref> was cleared for active duty but was instructed not to overexert himself. The Assassin [[Harlan Cunningham]] was also considered for the mission, but declined on the grounds of personal reasons.<ref name="Getting the Team Together"/>


==The search==
==The search==
===Herodotos' ''Lost Histories''===
===Herodotos' ''Lost Histories''===
[[File:Introduction - Layla and the spear - Assassins Creed Odyssey.png|thumb|250px|Layla retrieving the broken Spear of Leonidas]]
[[File:Introduction - Layla and the spear - Assassins Creed Odyssey.png|thumb|250px|left|Layla retrieving the broken Spear of Leonidas]]
In October 2018, after using Abstergo research she'd kept after defecting,<ref name="FoA MD">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' ''[[The Fate of Atlantis]]'' – [[21st century conversations#Assassin's Creed: Odyssey|Modern day]]</ref> Layla Hassan located the ''[[Lost Histories]]'' of [[Herodotos]] and through analysing and cross-referencing locations he'd mentioned in it, Hassan and her team located the broken [[Spear of Leonidas]] formerly owned by a [[Sparta]]n [[Mercenary|''misthios'']] known as [[Kassandra]] who was also the grand-daughter of [[Leonidas I of Sparta]].<ref name="ACOD MD"/>
In October 2018, after using Abstergo research she had kept following her defection from the company,<ref name="Judgment of Atlantis">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[The Fate of Atlantis: Judgment of Atlantis]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]: "End of the trials"</ref> Layla located the [[Greece|Greek]] historian [[Herodotos]]' missing volume ''[[Lost Histories]]'' from his 5th century BCE work ''{{Wiki|Histories (Herodotus)|Histories}}''. By cross-referencing locations mentioned in the tome, Layla and her team located the broken [[Spear of Leonidas]] that [[Leonidas I of Sparta|Leonidas I]]'s granddaughter [[Kassandra]] had wielded while operating as a ''[[Mercenary|misthios]]''.<ref name="ACOD MD"/>


Although the remnants of any genetic data present on the spear was severely damaged, Layla extrapolated what she could and formatted her Animus HR-8.5 to fill in the blanks with secondary information gleamed from Herodotos. Through the Animus, she was able to relive the memories of Kassandra throughout the [[Peloponnesian War]] in 431 BCE.<ref name="ACOD MD"/>
Although the remnants of any genetic data present on the [[Spears of Eden|Spear of Eden]] were severely damaged, Layla extrapolated what she could and formatted her updated Animus HR-8.5 to fill in the blanks with secondary information gleaned from Herodotos. Through the Animus, she relived Kassandra's [[Genetic memory|genetic memories]] of the [[Peloponnesian War]] between [[Sparta]] and [[Athens]].<ref name="ACOD MD"/>


After learning the location and capabilities of [[The Forge (Isu)|the Forge]], Layla excitedly expressed this to Victoria. Though the doctor showed significant concern for Layla's mental wellbeing after spending a long time in the Animus and instructed that she rested before going back to Kassandra's memories. After stretching her legs and talking to Alannah and Kiyoshi, Layla re-entered the Animus session.<ref name="ACOD MD"/>
After learning the location and capabilities of the [[Ancient Forge]], Layla excitedly expressed this to Victoria. However, Victoria was greatly concerned for Layla's mental well-being after spending prolonged time in the Animus, and instructed that she rest before going back to Kassandra's memories. After stretching her legs and talking to both Alannah and Kiyoshi, Layla re-entered the Animus simulation.<ref name="ACOD MD"/>


===Discovering Atlantis===
===Discovering Atlantis===
When Kassandra found her father [[Pythagoras]] underneath [[Thera]] (then known as Santorini) by 422 BCE, Layla exited the session excited that they'd found Atlantis. Victoria however, believed she was delirious and couldn't believe that Pythagoras would've been alive by then. Though after some reassuring, Victoria relented and the cell left their London hideout for the ''[[Altaïr II]]'' bound for Thera.<ref name="ACOD MD"/>
After experiencing Kassandra's memory of meeting her father [[Pythagoras]] beneath [[Thera]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – [[A Family's Legacy]]</ref> Layla left the Animus, excited that she had found Atlantis. Victoria, however, thought she was delirious and was in disbelief herself that Pythagoras had survived almost a century beyond his recorded historical death. After some reassuring from Layla, Victoria relented and the cell left their [[Layla Hassan's hideout|hideout]] in [[London]], [[England]], for the ''[[Altaïr II]]'' bound for Thera.<ref name="Finding Atlantis">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]: "Finding Atlantis"</ref>
 
[[File:ACOD - Layla before Atlantis.png|thumb|250px|Layla standing before the Gateway to Atlantis]]
When the ship reached the verified coordinates, Layla disembarked and continued by diving underwater. Navigating the subnautical cave system, she eventually found the [[Gateway to the Lost City]] and, after changing out of her scuba gear, set up her Animus again to continue exploring Kassandra's memories and find an explanation on how to power up the Atlantean pillars.<ref name="Finding Atlantis"/>
 
Gaining the knowledge she needed, Layla activated the pillars and powered up an [[Isu map]]. After some brief troubleshooting, Layla got the mechanism working to its full capacity. To her surprise, Kassandra appeared to greet her, having been kept alive for over two millennia by the Staff of Hermes' power. Warning Layla about the dangers of the Pieces of Eden, Kassandra instructed her to destroy all the artifacts once she accomplished her goal of maintaining balance between order and chaos.<ref name="Meeting Kassandra">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]: "Meeting Kassandra"</ref>
 
After Layla promised to do so, Kassandra relinquished the Staff to her, thus completing her purpose as "the Keeper." Without the Staff's powers preventing her from aging, Kassandra passed away moments later.<ref name="Meeting Kassandra"/>
 
===The Heir of Memories===
[[File:ACOD The Heir of Memories Memory Screenshot 03.png|thumb|250px|left|Layla with the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus]]
Returning to the Animus to gather any loose data she might have missed, Layla witnessed Kassandra's interactions with [[Aletheia]], an Isu whose consciousness was preserved within the Staff.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[The Lost Tales of Greece]]'' – [[The Heir of Memories]]</ref> To learn more about her role as the "Heir of Memories", Layla explored the tombs of [[Agamemnon]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[The Lost Tales of Greece]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]: "Exploring the Tomb of Agamemnon"</ref> [[Eteokles]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[The Lost Tales of Greece]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]: "Exploring the Tomb of Eteokles"</ref> and [[Orion]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[The Lost Tales of Greece]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]: "Exploring the Tomb of Orion"</ref> which Aletheia had instructed Kassandra to find.<ref name="Three Symbols Entombed">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[The Lost Tales of Greece]]'' – [[Three Symbols Entombed]]</ref>
 
Inside the tombs, Layla discovered hidden symbols which served as part of the key needed to unlock the [[Great Seal to Atlantis]].<ref name="Lost Tales">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[The Lost Tales of Greece]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]: "Unlocking the Seal to Atlantis"</ref> The other part was a password discovered by the sculptor [[Phidias]], whom Kassandra's half-brother [[Alexios|Deimos]] had murdered.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[The Lost Tales of Greece]]'' – [[Phidias' Murder]]</ref> To learn the password, Layla reluctantly relived Deimos' memories,<ref name="Opening the Throne Room">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[The Lost Tales of Greece]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]: "Opening the Thone Room"</ref> an act that would prove to have lasting negative effects.<ref name="Torment of Hades">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[The Fate of Atlantis: Torment of Hades]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]</ref>
 
After accessing the Great Seal, Layla finally met Aletheia, who offered to teach her about her role as the Heir of Memories.<ref name="Lost Tales"/> By reliving Kassandra's memories of exploring [[Aletheia's simulations]], Layla learned how to master the Staff's powers and what her role as the Heir meant. Concerned for her well-being, Victoria followed Layla to Atlantis to monitor her.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[The Fate of Atlantis: Fields of Elysium]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]</ref>
 
The Assassins' location was eventually compromised as members of [[Sigma Team]] descended upon them. While Kiyoshi eliminated the Sigma operatives who attacked the ''Altaïr II'',<ref name="Opening the Throne Room"/> Layla dealt with the Templars who entered the Great Seal to Atlantis. Later, during a [[Bleeding Effect]]-induced manic episode, Layla accidentally struck Victoria with the Staff when the doctor tried to forcefully end her Animus sessions. Immediately regretting her actions, Layla mourned her friend's death and begged Aletheia for a second chance to prove she would not let her emotions consume her.<ref name="Torment of Hades"/>


[[File:ACOD - Layla before Atlantis.png|thumb|250px|left|Layla standing before the Gateway to Atlantis]]
[[File:ACOD FoA JoA Layla Hassan impaling Otso Berg.png|thumb|250px|Layla impaling Berg]]
When the ship reached the verified coordinates, Layla disembarked and continued by diving underwater. Navigating the subnautical cave system Layla eventually found the [[Gateway to the Lost City]], and after changing back into her usual outfit Layla set up her Animus again and explored more memories in order to find an explanation on how to power up the Atlantean pillars.<ref name="ACOD MD"/>
After Layla relived the last of Kassandra's memories in the simulations, Aletheia warned her about an interloper,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[The Fate of Atlantis: Judgment of Atlantis]]'' – [[The Fate of Atlantis (memory)]]</ref> and Layla awoke from the Animus session. The [[Master Templar]] [[Juhani Otso Berg]], Sigma Team's leader, revealed himself to Layla and demanded the Staff. During their conversation, Layla offered to compromise with Berg, telling him the artifact could be used to heal his sick daughter [[Elina Berg|Elina]], but the Templar angrily cut her off for daring to speak his daughter's name.<ref name="Judgment of Atlantis"/>


Gaining the knowledge she needed, Layla activated the pillars and powered up the Isu projected map of artifacts. After some brief troubleshooting, Layla got the mechanism working to its fullest capacity and to her surprise, Kassandra herself--kept alive for nearly two-thousand years by the power of the Staff, appeared to greet her. After conversing for a time, Kassandra bestowed the Staff upon Layla thus completing her purpose as the Keeper and succumbed to the effects of aging without the Staff keeping her alive.<ref name="ACOD MD"/>
Seeing she could not reason with Berg, Layla fought and defeated him using the Staff and the skills she had acquired through the Bleeding Effect. After mocking the injured Berg, Layla decided not to kill him, though she impaled his lower spine with the Staff, paralyzing him and causing him to pass out from blood loss. She then radioed the ''Altaïr II'', asking for extraction alongside Victoria's body and the unconscious Berg.<ref name="Judgment of Atlantis"/>


===Learning the Staff's capabilities===
==Aftermath==
Returning to Kassandra's memories to gather any loose memories she'd missed, Layla (through Kassandra) interacted with [[Aletheia]], an [[Isu]] whose subconscious mind was inside the Staff. To learn her role as the Heir of Memories, Layla learned of the tombs of [[Agamemnon's Tomb|Agamemnon]], [[Tomb of Eteokles|Eteokles]], and [[Tomb of Orion|Orion]] through Kassandra memories and then traveled to them outside the session.<ref name="FoA MD"/>
Although successful in retrieving the Staff, Layla's relationship with Kiyoshi and Alannah was damaged beyond repair after they learned about her unintentional killing of Victoria. As a result, Layla was re-assigned to a smaller Assassin cell with [[Shaun Hastings]] and [[Rebecca Crane]]<ref name="ACV MD">''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]</ref> because of their similar experience in losing a teammate when [[Desmond Miles]] was influenced by an [[Apple of Eden 6|Apple of Eden]] to kill [[Lucy Stillman]] in 2012.<ref name="ACB MD">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' – [[21st century conversations|Modern day]]</ref> To ensure a similar incident did not occur again, William had Shaun place a mood stabilizer on Layla's neck, limiting the Staff's influence and the Bleeding Effect.<ref name="ACV MD"/>


Through numerous trials set by Aletheia, Layla learned the powers of the Staff and what her role as the Heir of Memories meant. Concerned for her wellbeing Victoria soon followed after Layla into the Gateway to monitor her. Their location then became compromised as members of [[Sigma Team|Sigma Team 6]] descended upon them. Later, during a [[Bleeding Effect]] rage influenced by the memories of [[Alexios|Deimos]], Layla inadvertedly killed Victoria.<ref name="FoA MD"/>
However, Layla struggled with the intense guilt she felt for Victoria's death and began [[Tobacco|smoking]] and taking pills to cope with her feelings.<ref name="ACV MD"/> At one point, she tried writing a letter to Victoria's parents to inform them of the circumstances of their daughter's death and her role in it, but abandoned the idea halfway through.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' – [[Layla Hassan's personal files]]: "Letter to Victoria Bibeau's parents"</ref> Kiyoshi was similarly affected by Victoria's death and, in 2019, recounted the incident to [[Kō Risa]] and her cousin [[Mari]] while explaining the dangers of the Bleeding Effect to them.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun]]'' – [[The Bleeding Effect]]</ref>


[[File:ACOD FoA JoA Layla Hassan impaling Otso Berg.png|thumb|250px|Layla impaling Otso Berg]]
Following Berg's defeat, the Assassins took him prisoner and unsuccessfully tried [[Interrogation|interrogating]] him several times. He remained a captive until November 2019,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' – [[Layla Hassan's personal files]]: "OBergInterrogation_2Nov2019.WAV"</ref> though he later escaped and returned to Abstergo, who restored his ability to walk<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice]] – [[Tokyo XXI]]'' – [[The Cleaners]]</ref> through experiments with another [[Staves of Eden|Staff of Eden]] kept at their facility in [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice]] – [[Tokyo XXI]]'' – [[Abstergo Mystery]]</ref>
Reflecting on her actions, Layla returned to the Animus for a time before being torn from the session by Aletheia sensing the presence of an interloper. Juhani Otso Berg, Sigma Team leader approached her and some back and forth about [[Deanna Geary]] and Otso's daughter [[Elina Berg|Elina]], enraged the two of them until they came to blows. A brief scuffle ensued and Layla proved victorious, after mocking Otso Layla pushed him to the floor and impaled his lower spine paralysing him. Radioing the ''Altaïr II'', she extracted with the deceased Victoria and unconscious Otso.<ref name="FoA MD"/>


==Appearances==
==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[The Lost Tales of Greece]]''
**''[[The Fate of Atlantis]]''
**''[[The Fate of Atlantis]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun]]'' {{Fb}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' {{Imo}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Scroll box|content={{Reflist}}}}
{{Timeline}}
{{Timeline}}
{{ACOD}}
{{ACOD}}
[[Category:Timeline]]
[[Category:Timeline]]
[[Category:Expeditions]]
[[Category:Expeditions]]
[[Category:Assassin-Templar War]]

Latest revision as of 16:33, 2 June 2026

I wanted to ask you something. Which is... what's your name?
This article title is conjecture. Although the article subject is canon, no official name for it has been given.

In 2018, a search for the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus[1] was undertaken by an Assassin cell assembled by the Assassins' Mentor William Miles and led by Layla Hassan, a former Abstergo Industries employee who had joined the Assassins.[2]

Background[edit | edit source]

With the Assassins having covertly watched Layla's and Deanna Geary's revolutionary work involving the Portable Animus HR-8, their Mentor William Miles travelled to the Hotep Cavern in Egypt in late 2017 to recruit Layla, after hearing that Abstergo had sent the Templar task force Sigma Team to kill her for failing to report in with the company. Though initially wary, Layla accepted his offer to work for the Assassins when he pointed out that Abstergo would not stop hunting her.[3]

All too aware of the danger that Isu artifacts posed to humanity, and in an effort to track down more items before Abstergo found them, William assembled a team to find and acquire the fabled Staff of Hermes Trismegistus. The team roster consisted of the newly-inducted Layla, the Japanese Assassin Kiyoshi Takakura, and the historian Alannah Ryan.[2]

Doctor Victoria Bibeau also joined the team as Layla's medical supervisor, and was herself another former Abstergo employee who had defected from the company.[4] This defection came about as a result of Victoria's growing discontent with Abstergo and the Templars, after having assisted in their kidnapping of teenagers to access simulations collectively called an Ascendance Event[5] in late 2016.[6]

Kiyoshi, who had previously been injured while attacking an Abstergo facility in Australia that attempted to resurrect the Isu Juno,[7] was cleared for active duty but was instructed not to overexert himself. The Assassin Harlan Cunningham was also considered for the mission, but declined on the grounds of personal reasons.[4]

The search[edit | edit source]

Herodotos' Lost Histories[edit | edit source]

Layla retrieving the broken Spear of Leonidas

In October 2018, after using Abstergo research she had kept following her defection from the company,[8] Layla located the Greek historian Herodotos' missing volume Lost Histories from his 5th century BCE work Histories. By cross-referencing locations mentioned in the tome, Layla and her team located the broken Spear of Leonidas that Leonidas I's granddaughter Kassandra had wielded while operating as a misthios.[2]

Although the remnants of any genetic data present on the Spear of Eden were severely damaged, Layla extrapolated what she could and formatted her updated Animus HR-8.5 to fill in the blanks with secondary information gleaned from Herodotos. Through the Animus, she relived Kassandra's genetic memories of the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens.[2]

After learning the location and capabilities of the Ancient Forge, Layla excitedly expressed this to Victoria. However, Victoria was greatly concerned for Layla's mental well-being after spending prolonged time in the Animus, and instructed that she rest before going back to Kassandra's memories. After stretching her legs and talking to both Alannah and Kiyoshi, Layla re-entered the Animus simulation.[2]

Discovering Atlantis[edit | edit source]

After experiencing Kassandra's memory of meeting her father Pythagoras beneath Thera,[9] Layla left the Animus, excited that she had found Atlantis. Victoria, however, thought she was delirious and was in disbelief herself that Pythagoras had survived almost a century beyond his recorded historical death. After some reassuring from Layla, Victoria relented and the cell left their hideout in London, England, for the Altaïr II bound for Thera.[10]

Layla standing before the Gateway to Atlantis

When the ship reached the verified coordinates, Layla disembarked and continued by diving underwater. Navigating the subnautical cave system, she eventually found the Gateway to the Lost City and, after changing out of her scuba gear, set up her Animus again to continue exploring Kassandra's memories and find an explanation on how to power up the Atlantean pillars.[10]

Gaining the knowledge she needed, Layla activated the pillars and powered up an Isu map. After some brief troubleshooting, Layla got the mechanism working to its full capacity. To her surprise, Kassandra appeared to greet her, having been kept alive for over two millennia by the Staff of Hermes' power. Warning Layla about the dangers of the Pieces of Eden, Kassandra instructed her to destroy all the artifacts once she accomplished her goal of maintaining balance between order and chaos.[11]

After Layla promised to do so, Kassandra relinquished the Staff to her, thus completing her purpose as "the Keeper." Without the Staff's powers preventing her from aging, Kassandra passed away moments later.[11]

The Heir of Memories[edit | edit source]

Layla with the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus

Returning to the Animus to gather any loose data she might have missed, Layla witnessed Kassandra's interactions with Aletheia, an Isu whose consciousness was preserved within the Staff.[12] To learn more about her role as the "Heir of Memories", Layla explored the tombs of Agamemnon,[13] Eteokles,[14] and Orion,[15] which Aletheia had instructed Kassandra to find.[16]

Inside the tombs, Layla discovered hidden symbols which served as part of the key needed to unlock the Great Seal to Atlantis.[17] The other part was a password discovered by the sculptor Phidias, whom Kassandra's half-brother Deimos had murdered.[18] To learn the password, Layla reluctantly relived Deimos' memories,[19] an act that would prove to have lasting negative effects.[20]

After accessing the Great Seal, Layla finally met Aletheia, who offered to teach her about her role as the Heir of Memories.[17] By reliving Kassandra's memories of exploring Aletheia's simulations, Layla learned how to master the Staff's powers and what her role as the Heir meant. Concerned for her well-being, Victoria followed Layla to Atlantis to monitor her.[21]

The Assassins' location was eventually compromised as members of Sigma Team descended upon them. While Kiyoshi eliminated the Sigma operatives who attacked the Altaïr II,[19] Layla dealt with the Templars who entered the Great Seal to Atlantis. Later, during a Bleeding Effect-induced manic episode, Layla accidentally struck Victoria with the Staff when the doctor tried to forcefully end her Animus sessions. Immediately regretting her actions, Layla mourned her friend's death and begged Aletheia for a second chance to prove she would not let her emotions consume her.[20]

Layla impaling Berg

After Layla relived the last of Kassandra's memories in the simulations, Aletheia warned her about an interloper,[22] and Layla awoke from the Animus session. The Master Templar Juhani Otso Berg, Sigma Team's leader, revealed himself to Layla and demanded the Staff. During their conversation, Layla offered to compromise with Berg, telling him the artifact could be used to heal his sick daughter Elina, but the Templar angrily cut her off for daring to speak his daughter's name.[8]

Seeing she could not reason with Berg, Layla fought and defeated him using the Staff and the skills she had acquired through the Bleeding Effect. After mocking the injured Berg, Layla decided not to kill him, though she impaled his lower spine with the Staff, paralyzing him and causing him to pass out from blood loss. She then radioed the Altaïr II, asking for extraction alongside Victoria's body and the unconscious Berg.[8]

Aftermath[edit | edit source]

Although successful in retrieving the Staff, Layla's relationship with Kiyoshi and Alannah was damaged beyond repair after they learned about her unintentional killing of Victoria. As a result, Layla was re-assigned to a smaller Assassin cell with Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane[23] because of their similar experience in losing a teammate when Desmond Miles was influenced by an Apple of Eden to kill Lucy Stillman in 2012.[24] To ensure a similar incident did not occur again, William had Shaun place a mood stabilizer on Layla's neck, limiting the Staff's influence and the Bleeding Effect.[23]

However, Layla struggled with the intense guilt she felt for Victoria's death and began smoking and taking pills to cope with her feelings.[23] At one point, she tried writing a letter to Victoria's parents to inform them of the circumstances of their daughter's death and her role in it, but abandoned the idea halfway through.[25] Kiyoshi was similarly affected by Victoria's death and, in 2019, recounted the incident to Kō Risa and her cousin Mari while explaining the dangers of the Bleeding Effect to them.[26]

Following Berg's defeat, the Assassins took him prisoner and unsuccessfully tried interrogating him several times. He remained a captive until November 2019,[27] though he later escaped and returned to Abstergo, who restored his ability to walk[28] through experiments with another Staff of Eden kept at their facility in Tokyo, Japan.[29]

Appearances[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. The Art of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Present Day
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Assassin's Creed: OdysseyModern day
  3. Assassin's Creed: OriginsModern day: "Meeting William Miles"
  4. 4.0 4.1 Assassin's Creed: OdysseyLayla Hassan's personal files: "Getting the Team Together"
  5. Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Chapter 22
  6. Assassin's Creed: Heresy – Chapter 2
  7. Assassin's Creed: UprisingIssue #12
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Fate of Atlantis: Judgment of AtlantisModern day: "End of the trials"
  9. Assassin's Creed: OdysseyA Family's Legacy
  10. 10.0 10.1 Assassin's Creed: OdysseyModern day: "Finding Atlantis"
  11. 11.0 11.1 Assassin's Creed: OdysseyModern day: "Meeting Kassandra"
  12. Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Lost Tales of GreeceThe Heir of Memories
  13. Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Lost Tales of GreeceModern day: "Exploring the Tomb of Agamemnon"
  14. Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Lost Tales of GreeceModern day: "Exploring the Tomb of Eteokles"
  15. Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Lost Tales of GreeceModern day: "Exploring the Tomb of Orion"
  16. Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Lost Tales of GreeceThree Symbols Entombed
  17. 17.0 17.1 Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Lost Tales of GreeceModern day: "Unlocking the Seal to Atlantis"
  18. Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Lost Tales of GreecePhidias' Murder
  19. 19.0 19.1 Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Lost Tales of GreeceModern day: "Opening the Thone Room"
  20. 20.0 20.1 Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Fate of Atlantis: Torment of HadesModern day
  21. Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Fate of Atlantis: Fields of ElysiumModern day
  22. Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Fate of Atlantis: Judgment of AtlantisThe Fate of Atlantis (memory)
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 Assassin's Creed: ValhallaModern day
  24. Assassin's Creed: BrotherhoodModern day
  25. Assassin's Creed: ValhallaLayla Hassan's personal files: "Letter to Victoria Bibeau's parents"
  26. Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao JunThe Bleeding Effect
  27. Assassin's Creed: ValhallaLayla Hassan's personal files: "OBergInterrogation_2Nov2019.WAV"
  28. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of VeniceTokyo XXIThe Cleaners
  29. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of VeniceTokyo XXIAbstergo Mystery