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==Usage and effects== | ==Usage and effects== | ||
{{Quote|Take this. You'll attract no attention, and take fewer lives.|James Kidd giving Edward Kenway a blowpipe, 1716.|Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag|Overrun and Outnumbered}} | {{Quote|Take this. You'll attract no attention, and take fewer lives.|James Kidd giving Edward Kenway a blowpipe, 1716.|Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag|Overrun and Outnumbered}} | ||
Sleep darts were used to temporarily incapacitate enemies without killing them, useful for infiltrators that wished to leave no evidence of their actions. On the other hand, berserk darts were used | [[File:ACLib Berserk Darts.png|thumb|250px|left|Berserk darts used by Aveline de Grandpré]] | ||
Sleep darts were used to temporarily incapacitate enemies without killing them, useful for infiltrators that wished to leave no evidence of their actions.<ref name="ACIV"/><ref name="ACRogue"/><ref name="ACO"/><ref name="ACMir">''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage]]''</ref> On the other hand, berserk darts were used to make a target fight with others, be it with their own allies or with nearby [[civilian]]s, before the poison would kill them, thus dealing with the target while also causing a distraction if needed.<ref name="AC3L">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]''</ref><ref name="ACIV"/><ref name="ACRogue"/><ref name="ACU">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]''</ref><ref name="ACMir"/> | |||
Poison darts varied in their effects depending on the composition, from simply causing a slow death, like the darts used by [[Aveline de Grandpré]],<ref name="AC3L"/> to a more complex three stage based poisoning, like the darts used by [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]]:<ref name="ACB"/> | |||
#After being hit, the target would soon begin to clutch at their chest and struggle to remain standing, as the poison's effects set in. | #After being hit, the target would soon begin to clutch at their chest and struggle to remain standing, as the poison's effects set in. | ||
#The poison began to have serious effects on the target. They began to flail helplessly in a circle, striking anyone who came within their reach. If they had a weapon, they may have drawn it and flailed it around as well. | #The poison began to have serious effects on the target. They began to flail helplessly in a circle, striking anyone who came within their reach. If they had a weapon, they may have drawn it and flailed it around as well. | ||
| Line 15: | Line 18: | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===Ptolemaic Egypt=== | ===Ptolemaic Egypt=== | ||
During the 1st century BCE, the [[Medjay]] [[Bayek]] of [[Siwa]], utilized two types of darts: a sedative that | During the 1st century BCE, the [[Medjay]] [[Bayek]] of [[Siwa]], utilized two types of darts: a sedative that caused targets to fall unconscious for a while, and a highly poisonous one that caused dizziness, nausea, and eventually death.<ref name="ACO"/> | ||
===Islamic Golden Age=== | ===Islamic Golden Age=== | ||
The [[Hidden Ones of Alamut]] that operated in [[Baghdad]] during the 9th century regularly used a blowpipe and darts during their missions, which could be equipped from their [[Assassin bureau| | The [[Hidden Ones of Alamut]] that operated in [[Baghdad]] during the 9th century regularly used a blowpipe and darts during their missions, which could be equipped from their [[Assassin bureau|bureaus]]' arms stock.<ref name="ACMir"/> In the 860s, [[Basim Ibn Ishaq]] acquired a blowpipe from one of the Banū Mūsā brothers—[[Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Musa|Abu Jafar Muhammad]], [[Ahmad ibn Musa|Ahmad]], and [[Al-Hasan ibn Musa|Al-Hasan]]—sometime following his assassination of the [[Order of the Ancients]] member [[Mas'ood Al-Ya'qoob]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage]]'' – [[First Order]]</ref> Although he initially trained with just sedative darts, Basim could [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed: Mirage)|upgrade]] them to deliver poison or hallucinogens with sufficient supplies.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage]]'' – [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed: Mirage)|Crafting]]</ref> | ||
===Renaissance=== | ===Renaissance=== | ||
[[File:The Trickster P2 4.png|thumb | [[File:The Trickster P2 4.png|thumb|250px|Ezio firing a poison dart at Mirela Djuric]] | ||
In the early 1500s, during Ezio Auditore's time in [[Rome]], his friend [[Leonardo da Vinci]] fashioned a dart-firing upgrade for the Assassin's [[Poison Blade]]. These darts | In the early 1500s, during Ezio Auditore's time in [[Rome]], his friend [[Leonardo da Vinci]] fashioned a dart-firing upgrade for the Assassin's [[Poison Blade]]. These darts were filled with the same poison used in the blade, which prompted Ezio to purchase bigger [[pouch]]es for an increased capacity.<ref name="ACB"/> Ezio also procured some ingredients as a [[Shop quest|favor]] for the [[doctor]] of [[Tiber Island]], receiving in return a faster acting poison, capable of killing a target in roughly half the amount of time compared to the kind of poison he had been using previously.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' – [[Shop quest]]</ref> | ||
Ezio continued using poison darts later in his life, particularly during his travels in [[Constantinople]].<ref name="ACR">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref> He notably utilized one such dart to assassinate the [[Templars|Templar]] [[Mirela Djuric]], who herself had been using poison to eliminate her targets.<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Revelations'' – [[The Trickster, Part 2]]</ref> | Ezio continued using poison darts later in his life, particularly during his travels in [[Constantinople]] in 1511.<ref name="ACR">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref> He notably utilized one such dart to assassinate the [[Templars|Templar]] [[Mirela Djuric]], who herself had been using poison to eliminate her targets.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[The Trickster, Part 2]]</ref> | ||
===Golden Age of Piracy=== | ===Golden Age of Piracy=== | ||
In 1670, the [[Mentor]] of the [[West Indies Brotherhood of Assassins|West Indies Assassins]], [[Bahlam]], used an unusually potent sleep dart to subdue the [[Sage]] [[Thomas Kavanagh, Jr.|Thom Kavanagh]]<ref>''Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'' – [[Thom Kavanagh's letters]]: "14. THE ASSASSYN"</ref> before safely transporting him to the Assassin camp of [[Tulum]], where Thom awoke some days later.<ref>''Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'' – Thom Kavanagh's letters: "15. RESTE AND REPASTE"</ref> | In 1670, the [[Mentor]] of the [[West Indies Brotherhood of Assassins|West Indies Assassins]], [[Bahlam]], used an unusually potent sleep dart to subdue the [[Sage]] [[Thomas Kavanagh, Jr.|Thom Kavanagh]]<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Thom Kavanagh's letters]]: "14. THE ASSASSYN"</ref> before safely transporting him to the Assassin camp of [[Tulum]], where Thom awoke some days later.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – Thom Kavanagh's letters: "15. RESTE AND REPASTE"</ref> | ||
[[File:Overrun and Outnumbered 3.png|thumb|250px|Mary Read giving a blowpipe to Edward Kenway]] | [[File:Overrun and Outnumbered 3.png|thumb|250px|left|Mary Read giving a blowpipe to Edward Kenway]] | ||
In [[Golden Age of Piracy|early 18th-century]] [[Caribbean]], the West Indies Assassins [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag)|crafted]] darts from animal bones for use in both sleep and berserk darts, which were fired from blowpipes.<ref name="ACIV"/> In 1716, the [[Piracy|pirate]] [[Edward Kenway]], who later became affiliated with the Brotherhood, received his first blowpipe from his friend [[Mary Read]] and used it to repel a [[Royal Navy]] attack on Tulum.<ref>''Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'' – [[Overrun and Outnumbered]]</ref> Edward later managed to enhance the darts' effectiveness by crafting upgrades from the hides of different animals.<ref>''Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag'' – [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag)|Crafting]]</ref> | In the [[Golden Age of Piracy|early 18th-century]] [[Caribbean]], the West Indies Assassins [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag)|crafted]] darts from animal bones for use in both sleep and berserk darts, which were fired from blowpipes.<ref name="ACIV"/> In 1716, the [[Piracy|pirate]] [[Edward Kenway]], who later became affiliated with the Brotherhood, received his first blowpipe from his friend [[Mary Read]] and used it to repel a [[Royal Navy]] attack on Tulum.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Overrun and Outnumbered]]</ref> Edward later managed to enhance the darts' effectiveness by crafting upgrades from the hides of different animals.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag)|Crafting]]</ref> | ||
In 1725, during his travels in [[Southeast Asia]], Edward had the [[Zhawang Corporation|Zhang Wei Union]]'s engineer [[Yun Pyeong-Gyu]] build him a custom blowpipe similar to the one he had used in the Caribbean. As Yun lacked the necessary knowledge to craft the darts for the blowpipe, he enlisted the aid of [[Xialun Qing]], who used her knowledge of medicine and alchemy to | In 1725, during his travels in [[Southeast Asia]], Edward had the [[Zhawang Corporation|Zhang Wei Union]]'s engineer [[Yun Pyeong-Gyu]] build him a custom blowpipe similar to the one he had used in the Caribbean. As Yun lacked the necessary knowledge to craft the darts for the blowpipe, he enlisted the aid of [[Xialun Qing]], who used her knowledge of medicine and alchemy to craft both sleep and berserk darts.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 41|Episode 41]]</ref> | ||
===Seven Years' War=== | ===Seven Years' War=== | ||
In July 1752, then-Assassin [[Shay Cormac]] discovered an [[air rifle]] while infiltrating [[Mount Vernon]]. Being surprised by a guard, Shay accidentally shot him with a sleep dart and, amazed with the weapon's silence, decided to take it for himself, using berserk darts against a number of guards in the way to finding [[Lawrence Washington]].<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Rogue'' – [[By Invitation Only]]</ref> He would also [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed: Rogue)|improve]] the effectiveness of both berserk and sleep darts,<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Rogue'' – [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed: Rogue)|Crafting]]</ref> as well as eventually use [[Grenade launcher|grenades]] with the same functions.<ref name="ACRogue"/> | In July 1752, then-Assassin [[Shay Cormac]] discovered an [[air rifle]] while infiltrating [[Mount Vernon]]. Being surprised by a guard, Shay accidentally shot him with a sleep dart and, amazed with the weapon's silence, decided to take it for himself, using berserk darts against a number of guards in the way to finding [[Lawrence Washington]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[By Invitation Only]]</ref> He would also [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed: Rogue)|improve]] the effectiveness of both berserk and sleep darts,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed: Rogue)|Crafting]]</ref> as well as eventually use [[Grenade launcher|grenades]] with the same functions.<ref name="ACRogue"/> | ||
===18th century Louisiana=== | ===18th century Louisiana=== | ||
[[File:Power of Voodoo 6.png|thumb | [[File:Power of Voodoo 6.png|thumb|250px|Aveline using her blowpipe to poison a Spanish patrol]] | ||
In 1766, [[Agaté]] gifted [[Aveline de Grandpré]] the blowpipe of his former mentor, [[François Mackandal]], after discovering an [[Baptiste|impostor]] had been using Mackandal's name to gather followers in the [[Louisiana Bayou]].<ref>''Assassin's Creed III: Liberation'' – [[The False Mackandal]]</ref> | In 1766, [[Agaté]] gifted [[Aveline de Grandpré]] the blowpipe of his former mentor, [[François Mackandal]], after discovering an [[Baptiste|impostor]] had been using Mackandal's name to gather followers in the [[Louisiana Bayou]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[The False Mackandal]]</ref> Two years later, [[Gérald Blanc]] built a [[Parasol gun|parasol]] capable of firing darts, which Aveline could utilise while dressed up as a lady without attracting any attention.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Prélude to Rebellion]]</ref> Also in 1768, the [[Houngan (San Danje)|Houngan]] of [[San Danje]] gifted Aveline a new poison he had been testing, one that would drive the victim momentarily hysterical, allowing Aveline the use of berserk darts.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Vanishing Slaves]]</ref> | ||
===American Revolution=== | ===American Revolution=== | ||
During the [[American Revolution]], the Assassin [[Ratonhnhaké:ton]] [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed III)|crafted]] poison darts from [[Lead|lead ore]] and [[sulfur]] in the [[Davenport Homestead]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed III)|Crafting]]</ref> Besides its use on human targets, the poison darts were | During the [[American Revolution]], the Assassin [[Ratonhnhaké:ton]] [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed III)|crafted]] poison darts from [[Lead|lead ore]] and [[sulfur]] in the [[Davenport Homestead]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed III)|Crafting]]</ref> Besides its use on human targets, the poison darts were useful for [[hunting]], as a great number of animals were weak to the poison's effect, be they predators, such as [[bear]]s,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: Bear]]</ref> [[bobcat]]s,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: Bobcat]]</ref> and [[cougar]]s,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: Cougar]]</ref> or prey, such as [[beaver]]s,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: Beaver]]</ref> [[elk]]s,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: Male Elk]]</ref> or [[hare]]s.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: Hare]]</ref> | ||
===French Revolution=== | ===French Revolution=== | ||
The [[Parisian Brotherhood of Assassins]] used a miniaturized [[crossbow]] attached to the [[Hidden Blade]] to fire darts discreetly. The projectile mechanism was called the [[Phantom Blade]].<ref name="ACU" | The [[Parisian Brotherhood of Assassins]] used a miniaturized [[crossbow]] attached to the [[Hidden Blade]] to fire darts discreetly. The projectile mechanism was called the [[Phantom Blade]].<ref name="ACU"/> On 19 January 1791, [[Arno Dorian]] received his first Phantom Blade from the [[Mentor]] [[Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau|Honoré de Mirabeau]] in recognition of his successful assassination of the Templar [[Charles Gabriel Sivert]].<ref name="The Kingdom of Beggars">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[The Kingdom of Beggars]]</ref> Over the course of the [[French Revolution]], he made frequent use of it in his missions, as did other Assassins who accompanied him.<ref name="ACU" /> After October 1792,<ref name="Starving Times">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Starving Times]]</ref><ref name="The Escape">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[The Escape (Unity)|The Escape]]</ref> he had it upgraded, allowing him to fire two darts without reloading and to launch berserk blades.<ref name="Ranged Skills">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Skill Tree (Assassin's Creed: Unity)|Skill Tree]]: Improved Phantom Blade</ref> | ||
===Victorian London=== | ===Victorian London=== | ||
[[File:ACS Hallucinogenic Darts.png|thumb|250px|Hallucinogenic darts used by Jacob and Evie Frye]] | [[File:ACS Hallucinogenic Darts.png|thumb|250px|left|Hallucinogenic darts used by Jacob and Evie Frye]] | ||
In 1868 [[London]], | In 1868 [[London]], [[Alexander Graham Bell]] adapted a dart mechanism to work with the [[Assassin Gauntlet]]s used by [[Jacob Frye|Jacob]] and [[Evie Frye]], attaching it to the top of their gauntlets, having had the idea after intercepting a message with the recipe for a powerful hallucinogenic serum.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – [[Cable News]]</ref> The darts were also highly combustible, and would explode if launched into a heat source. This had the added effect of spreading the toxin over a wider area, affecting multiple people.<ref name="ACS"/> The twins later [[Gang Upgrades|invested]] money to bring down the cost of the dart,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – [[Gang Upgrades]]</ref> and also [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed: Syndicate)|improved]] its capabilities after locating the relevant schematics.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – [[Crafting (Assassin's Creed: Syndicate)|Crafting]]</ref> | ||
== | ===Modern times=== | ||
In 2016, the teenager [[Javier Mondragón]] received a hybrid crossbow-pistol that could fire sleep darts from the Assassin [[Griffin (Assassin)|Griffin]].<ref name="TotK Ch16">''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan]]'' – Chapter 16</ref> He used the weapon to tranquilize several [[Abstergo Industries]] guards while infiltrating [[the Aerie]] alongside [[Owen Meyers]] to rescue their captive friends.<ref name="TotK Ch18">''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan]]'' – Chapter 18</ref> Later, during their search for a prong of the [[Trident of Eden]] in [[Mongolia]], [[Grace Collins]] used Javier's crossbow-pistol to momentarily incapacitate Griffin and his fellow Assassin [[Yanmei]] due to her distrust of them.<ref name="TotK Ch27">''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan]]'' – Chapter 27</ref> | |||
In 2023, an agent of the [[Zhawang Corporation]] approached [[Noa Kim]] while he was in [[Macau]]'s [[A-Ma Cultural Village]] with the Abstergo doctor and Templar [[Shimazu Sei]]. The agent offered to help Noa escape from Abstergo's captivity, but the young man refused, wishing to learn more about his family's history by reliving Edward Kenway's [[Genetic memory|memories]] at Abstergo. Seeing he could not convince Noa to come willingly, the agent shot him with a tranquilizer dart, but it had no effect and Noa pinned the man against a wall. Eventually, the agent relented and decided to respect Noa's wishes to be left alone for the time being.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 23|Episode 23]]</ref> | |||
==Behind the scenes== | |||
In ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'', firing a poison dart at a [[Horsemen|horseman]] would force him to dismount, and the effects would skip to the poison's third stage. In the game's [[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)|novelization]] the poison darts were thrown as opposed to being projectiles fired from the wrist. | |||
In-game files from ''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' contained an unused description for the poison darts: | |||
:''These highly toxic darts have their tips dipped in extract of Cicuta virosa - also known as Water Hemlock. This plant’s poisonous effects directly attack the nervous system, causing paralysis, loss of consciousness, and even death.'' | :''These highly toxic darts have their tips dipped in extract of Cicuta virosa - also known as Water Hemlock. This plant’s poisonous effects directly attack the nervous system, causing paralysis, loss of consciousness, and even death.'' | ||
In ''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'', the effects of berserk darts would not wear off. In addition, firing a second dart at an already-poisoned target would cause them to collapse immediately. | |||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
<gallery position="center" widths="180" captionalign="center"> | <gallery position="center" widths="180" captionalign="center"> | ||
ACO Sleep dart.png|Sleep darts used by Bayek | ACO Sleep dart.png|Sleep darts used by Bayek | ||
ACB Poison Darts.png|Poison darts used by Ezio Auditore | |||
AC4 Berserk Darts.png|Berserk darts used by Edward Kenway | AC4 Berserk Darts.png|Berserk darts used by Edward Kenway | ||
ACFT - Blowpipe.png|Edward's blowpipe and darts used in Southeast Asia | ACFT - Blowpipe.png|Edward's blowpipe and darts used in Southeast Asia | ||
ACRG Sleep Dart.png|Sleep darts used by Shay Cormac | ACRG Sleep Dart.png|Sleep darts used by Shay Cormac | ||
ACRG Berserk Dart.png|Berserk darts used by Shay | ACRG Berserk Dart.png|Berserk darts used by Shay | ||
AC3 Poison Dart.png|Poison darts used by Ratonhnhaké:ton | AC3 Poison Dart.png|Poison darts used by Ratonhnhaké:ton | ||
ACLib Poison Darts.png|Poison darts used by Aveline de Grandpré | ACLib Poison Darts.png|Poison darts used by Aveline de Grandpré | ||
ACS Assassin Gauntlet 1.jpg|The dart gun atop an Assassin Gauntlet | ACS Assassin Gauntlet 1.jpg|The dart gun atop an Assassin Gauntlet | ||
ACS Hallucinogenic Darts Concept.jpg|Unused concept art of Victorian era hallucinogenic darts | ACS Hallucinogenic Darts Concept.jpg|Unused concept art of Victorian era hallucinogenic darts | ||
ACFT - Tranquilizer dart.png|Noa Kim shot by a tranquilizer dart | |||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
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*''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' | *''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' | *''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan]]'' | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]'' | *''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]'' | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage]]'' | *''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage]]'' | ||
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[[Category:15th century weapons]] | [[Category:15th century weapons]] | ||
[[Category:16th century weapons]] | [[Category:16th century weapons]] | ||
[[Category:17th century weapons]] | |||
[[Category:18th century weapons]] | [[Category:18th century weapons]] | ||
[[Category:19th century weapons]] | [[Category:19th century weapons]] | ||
[[Category:21st century weapons]] | |||
[[zh:飞镖]] | |||
Latest revision as of 17:06, 11 December 2025
A dart is an airborne long-range weapon used to silently deal with targets. Depending on the type of chemical applied to the dart, these could be used to sedate (usually called sleep darts),[1] poison (poison darts)[2] or cause hallucinations (berserk darts[3] or hallucinogenic darts)[4] on the victim.
Being both a subtle and long distance weapon allowed for its users to stay unnoticed by their targets, which made darts a weapon widely used by the Assassins and Templars throughout history, though methods of delivery differed: from blowpipes[1] to modified guns.[5]
Usage and effects[edit | edit source]
Sleep darts were used to temporarily incapacitate enemies without killing them, useful for infiltrators that wished to leave no evidence of their actions.[1][5][3][6] On the other hand, berserk darts were used to make a target fight with others, be it with their own allies or with nearby civilians, before the poison would kill them, thus dealing with the target while also causing a distraction if needed.[7][1][5][8][6]
Poison darts varied in their effects depending on the composition, from simply causing a slow death, like the darts used by Aveline de Grandpré,[7] to a more complex three stage based poisoning, like the darts used by Ezio Auditore:[2]
- After being hit, the target would soon begin to clutch at their chest and struggle to remain standing, as the poison's effects set in.
- The poison began to have serious effects on the target. They began to flail helplessly in a circle, striking anyone who came within their reach. If they had a weapon, they may have drawn it and flailed it around as well.
- The target was overcome completely by the poison and fell on the ground, still experiencing the effects caused by the toxin running through their veins. After a short time; the target died, after the poison had sapped away all of their energy.
History[edit | edit source]
Ptolemaic Egypt[edit | edit source]
During the 1st century BCE, the Medjay Bayek of Siwa, utilized two types of darts: a sedative that caused targets to fall unconscious for a while, and a highly poisonous one that caused dizziness, nausea, and eventually death.[3]
Islamic Golden Age[edit | edit source]
The Hidden Ones of Alamut that operated in Baghdad during the 9th century regularly used a blowpipe and darts during their missions, which could be equipped from their bureaus' arms stock.[6] In the 860s, Basim Ibn Ishaq acquired a blowpipe from one of the Banū Mūsā brothers—Abu Jafar Muhammad, Ahmad, and Al-Hasan—sometime following his assassination of the Order of the Ancients member Mas'ood Al-Ya'qoob.[9] Although he initially trained with just sedative darts, Basim could upgrade them to deliver poison or hallucinogens with sufficient supplies.[10]
Renaissance[edit | edit source]
In the early 1500s, during Ezio Auditore's time in Rome, his friend Leonardo da Vinci fashioned a dart-firing upgrade for the Assassin's Poison Blade. These darts were filled with the same poison used in the blade, which prompted Ezio to purchase bigger pouches for an increased capacity.[2] Ezio also procured some ingredients as a favor for the doctor of Tiber Island, receiving in return a faster acting poison, capable of killing a target in roughly half the amount of time compared to the kind of poison he had been using previously.[11]
Ezio continued using poison darts later in his life, particularly during his travels in Constantinople in 1511.[12] He notably utilized one such dart to assassinate the Templar Mirela Djuric, who herself had been using poison to eliminate her targets.[13]
Golden Age of Piracy[edit | edit source]
In 1670, the Mentor of the West Indies Assassins, Bahlam, used an unusually potent sleep dart to subdue the Sage Thom Kavanagh[14] before safely transporting him to the Assassin camp of Tulum, where Thom awoke some days later.[15]
In the early 18th-century Caribbean, the West Indies Assassins crafted darts from animal bones for use in both sleep and berserk darts, which were fired from blowpipes.[1] In 1716, the pirate Edward Kenway, who later became affiliated with the Brotherhood, received his first blowpipe from his friend Mary Read and used it to repel a Royal Navy attack on Tulum.[16] Edward later managed to enhance the darts' effectiveness by crafting upgrades from the hides of different animals.[17]
In 1725, during his travels in Southeast Asia, Edward had the Zhang Wei Union's engineer Yun Pyeong-Gyu build him a custom blowpipe similar to the one he had used in the Caribbean. As Yun lacked the necessary knowledge to craft the darts for the blowpipe, he enlisted the aid of Xialun Qing, who used her knowledge of medicine and alchemy to craft both sleep and berserk darts.[18]
Seven Years' War[edit | edit source]
In July 1752, then-Assassin Shay Cormac discovered an air rifle while infiltrating Mount Vernon. Being surprised by a guard, Shay accidentally shot him with a sleep dart and, amazed with the weapon's silence, decided to take it for himself, using berserk darts against a number of guards in the way to finding Lawrence Washington.[19] He would also improve the effectiveness of both berserk and sleep darts,[20] as well as eventually use grenades with the same functions.[5]
18th century Louisiana[edit | edit source]
In 1766, Agaté gifted Aveline de Grandpré the blowpipe of his former mentor, François Mackandal, after discovering an impostor had been using Mackandal's name to gather followers in the Louisiana Bayou.[21] Two years later, Gérald Blanc built a parasol capable of firing darts, which Aveline could utilise while dressed up as a lady without attracting any attention.[22] Also in 1768, the Houngan of San Danje gifted Aveline a new poison he had been testing, one that would drive the victim momentarily hysterical, allowing Aveline the use of berserk darts.[23]
American Revolution[edit | edit source]
During the American Revolution, the Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton crafted poison darts from lead ore and sulfur in the Davenport Homestead.[24] Besides its use on human targets, the poison darts were useful for hunting, as a great number of animals were weak to the poison's effect, be they predators, such as bears,[25] bobcats,[26] and cougars,[27] or prey, such as beavers,[28] elks,[29] or hares.[30]
French Revolution[edit | edit source]
The Parisian Brotherhood of Assassins used a miniaturized crossbow attached to the Hidden Blade to fire darts discreetly. The projectile mechanism was called the Phantom Blade.[8] On 19 January 1791, Arno Dorian received his first Phantom Blade from the Mentor Honoré de Mirabeau in recognition of his successful assassination of the Templar Charles Gabriel Sivert.[31] Over the course of the French Revolution, he made frequent use of it in his missions, as did other Assassins who accompanied him.[8] After October 1792,[32][33] he had it upgraded, allowing him to fire two darts without reloading and to launch berserk blades.[34]
Victorian London[edit | edit source]
In 1868 London, Alexander Graham Bell adapted a dart mechanism to work with the Assassin Gauntlets used by Jacob and Evie Frye, attaching it to the top of their gauntlets, having had the idea after intercepting a message with the recipe for a powerful hallucinogenic serum.[35] The darts were also highly combustible, and would explode if launched into a heat source. This had the added effect of spreading the toxin over a wider area, affecting multiple people.[4] The twins later invested money to bring down the cost of the dart,[36] and also improved its capabilities after locating the relevant schematics.[37]
Modern times[edit | edit source]
In 2016, the teenager Javier Mondragón received a hybrid crossbow-pistol that could fire sleep darts from the Assassin Griffin.[38] He used the weapon to tranquilize several Abstergo Industries guards while infiltrating the Aerie alongside Owen Meyers to rescue their captive friends.[39] Later, during their search for a prong of the Trident of Eden in Mongolia, Grace Collins used Javier's crossbow-pistol to momentarily incapacitate Griffin and his fellow Assassin Yanmei due to her distrust of them.[40]
In 2023, an agent of the Zhawang Corporation approached Noa Kim while he was in Macau's A-Ma Cultural Village with the Abstergo doctor and Templar Shimazu Sei. The agent offered to help Noa escape from Abstergo's captivity, but the young man refused, wishing to learn more about his family's history by reliving Edward Kenway's memories at Abstergo. Seeing he could not convince Noa to come willingly, the agent shot him with a tranquilizer dart, but it had no effect and Noa pinned the man against a wall. Eventually, the agent relented and decided to respect Noa's wishes to be left alone for the time being.[41]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, firing a poison dart at a horseman would force him to dismount, and the effects would skip to the poison's third stage. In the game's novelization the poison darts were thrown as opposed to being projectiles fired from the wrist.
In-game files from Assassin's Creed III contained an unused description for the poison darts:
- These highly toxic darts have their tips dipped in extract of Cicuta virosa - also known as Water Hemlock. This plant’s poisonous effects directly attack the nervous system, causing paralysis, loss of consciousness, and even death.
In Assassin's Creed: Unity, the effects of berserk darts would not wear off. In addition, firing a second dart at an already-poisoned target would cause them to collapse immediately.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
Sleep darts used by Bayek -
Poison darts used by Ezio Auditore -
Berserk darts used by Edward Kenway -
Edward's blowpipe and darts used in Southeast Asia -
Sleep darts used by Shay Cormac -
Berserk darts used by Shay -
Poison darts used by Ratonhnhaké:ton -
Poison darts used by Aveline de Grandpré -
The dart gun atop an Assassin Gauntlet -
Unused concept art of Victorian era hallucinogenic darts -
Noa Kim shot by a tranquilizer dart
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations
- Assassin's Creed III
- Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
- Assassin's Creed: Rogue
- Assassin's Creed: Unity
- Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
- Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan
- Assassin's Creed: Origins
- Assassin's Creed: Mirage
- Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple
References[edit | edit source]
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