Masyaf Key: Difference between revisions
Ezio's acquisition |
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{{Era| | {{Era|Technology|Isu}} | ||
{{Dialogue|Niccolò|Artifacts?|Altaïr|Of a kind. They are keys, each one imbued with a message.|Niccolò Polo and Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad on the Masyaf Keys, 1257.|Assassin's Creed: Revelations|Passing the Torch}} | |||
{{Dialogue|Niccolò|Artifacts?|Altaïr|Of a kind. They are keys, each one imbued with a message.|Niccolò Polo and Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad on the Masyaf | {{Item Infobox | ||
[[ | |name=Masyaf Keys | ||
The '''Masyaf Keys''', also referred to as the '''seals''' or '''keys of Altaïr''', were a collection of five [[ | |image = ACRev Memory Seal Masyaf Key.png | ||
|type = [[Precursor relic]] {{c|[[Memory Seals]]}} | |||
|powers = *Memory storage | |||
*Accessing the [[Library of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] | |||
|current = [[Yerebatan Cistern]], [[Constantinople]]<ref name="Novel">[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations (novel)|''Assassin's Creed: Revelations'' novel]]</ref> | |||
|period =*Prehistory | |||
*[[Middle Ages]] | |||
*[[Renaissance]] | |||
|created = [[Isu]] | |||
|made = Prehistory | |||
|destroyed = | |||
|notable = *[[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]]<ref name="ACR">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref> | |||
*[[Niccolò Polo]]<ref name="ACR"/> | |||
*[[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]<ref name="ACR"/> | |||
}} | |||
The '''Masyaf Keys''', also referred to as the '''seals''' or '''keys of Altaïr''', were a collection of five [[Isu]] [[Memory Seals]] containing information and memories from the [[Levantine Brotherhood of Assassins|Levantine Assassins]]' [[Mentor]] [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]]. When brought together, the keys could grant access to [[Library of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad|his library]] beneath the [[fort]]ress of [[Masyaf]],<ref name="Secret Crusade">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''</ref> which during the early 16th century was sought out by both the [[Assassins]] and the [[Templars]].<ref name="ACR"/> | |||
==Owners== | |||
*Isu (? – ?)<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref> | |||
*[[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] (all keys; ? – 12 August 1257)<ref name="ACR"/> | |||
*[[Niccolò Polo]] (all keys; 12 August 1257 – ?)<ref name="ACR"/> | |||
*[[Manuel Palaiologos]] (one key; c. 1509 – March 1512)<ref name="ACR"/> | |||
* [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] (four keys; 1511 – March 1512)<ref name="ACR"/> | |||
*Ezio Auditore da Firenze (all keys; March 1512 – April 1512)<ref name="ACR"/> | |||
*[[Ahmet]] (all keys; April 1512)<ref name="ACR"/> | |||
*Ezio Auditore da Firenze (all keys; April 1512 – June 1512)<ref name="ACR"/> | |||
*[[Ottoman Brotherhood of Assassins|Ottoman Assassins]] (all keys; June 1512 – ?)<ref name="Novel"/> | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===Altaïr's discovery=== | === Altaïr's discovery=== | ||
[[File:Lost legacy 5.png|thumb|left|250px|Altaïr holding a Memory Seal | [[File:Lost legacy 5.png|thumb|left|250px|Altaïr holding a Memory Seal]] | ||
Following the | Following the deaths of his wife [[Maria Thorpe]] and youngest son [[Sef Ibn-La'Ahad|Sef]], and his deposition at the hands of [[Abbas Sofian]], Altaïr entered into exile in the Assassin fortress of [[Alamut]]. During this time, Altaïr was directed to an Isu [[Alamut Temple|temple]] underneath the fortress by his [[Apple of Eden 2|Apple of Eden]], where he found a number of Memory Seals.<ref name="Secret Crusade"/> | ||
Altaïr | Taking six seals for himself, Altaïr researched the artifacts and discovered their ability to store recorded memories.<ref name="Secret Crusade"/> He would subsequently imbue the seals with his own memories, which he intended to serve as a message to future Assassins, though he was unsure exactly for whom or why.<ref name="Passing the Torch">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[Passing the Torch]]</ref> | ||
In 1257, | Following his return to Masyaf in 1247, Altaïr began construction of a secret library underneath the fortress and used five of his Memory Seals as the keys. In 1257, as Masyaf came under siege by the advancing [[Mongol Empire]], Altaïr passed the five keys and his [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex|codex]] to his guests, the merchants–turned–Assassins [[Niccolò Polo|Niccolò]] and [[Maffeo Polo]], who promised to hide them.<ref name="Passing the Torch"/> The two then escaped from the Mongols with the help of Altaïr's other son [[Darim Ibn-La'Ahad|Darim]] and safely arrived in the city of [[Constantinople]], where they hid the keys and founded an [[Assassins Guilds|Assassins Guild]], though they lost Altaïr's Codex to the Mongols along the way.<ref name="Secret Crusade"/> | ||
===Ezio's acquisition=== | ===Ezio's acquisition === | ||
In | In 1509, the [[Byzantine Rite of the Templar Order|Byzantine Templars]] recovered one of the keys, which had been hidden underneath [[Topkapı Palace]], after an earthquake struck the city. The Templars also found [[The Secret Crusade|Niccolò Polo's journal]], which contained further information on the keys and Altaïr's library.<ref name="Wounded Eagle">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[The Wounded Eagle]]</ref> Believing the knowledge inside the library could lead the Templars to the [[Grand Temple]], their [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] [[Ahmet]] placed [[Manuel Palaiologos]] in charge of an expedition to find the other four keys,<ref name="Escape">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[Escape (Revelations)|Escape]]</ref> and ordered [[Leandros]] to lead a regiment of [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] remnant soldiers to occupy Masyaf.<ref name="Hangman">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[The Hangman]]</ref> | ||
[[File:Cistern 12.png|thumb|250px|Ezio retrieving a key from a statue | [[File:Cistern 12.png|thumb|250px|Ezio retrieving a key from a statue]] | ||
That same year, [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]], Mentor of the [[Italian Brotherhood of Assassins|Italian Assassins]], learned of the existence of Altaïr's library and the keys after reading a document left behind by his late father, [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|Giovanni]]. Curious and driven by a desire to obtain answers about his Order, Ezio left [[Rome]] in 1510 and arrived at Masyaf in early 1511, encountering Leandros and his men, who took him captive.<ref name="Hangman"/> After a long struggle, Ezio managed to escape and kill Leandros, from whom he acquired Niccolò's journal.<ref name="Wounded Eagle"/> | |||
Ezio journeyed to Constantinople | Following this, Ezio journeyed to Constantinople and started his search for the keys, eventually finding one underneath Niccolò's old trading post.<ref name="Yerebatan Cistern">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[The Yerebatan Cistern]]</ref> By that point, however, the trading post was inhabited by the [[Venice|Venetian]] bookseller [[Sofia Sartor]]; with her assistance, Ezio was able to decode a map showing the locations of all the keys in Constantinople.<ref name="Quid Pro Quo">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[Quid Pro Quo]]</ref> | ||
With every key that Ezio | With every key that Ezio recovered,<ref name="Galata Tower">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[Galata Tower (memory)|Galata Tower]]</ref><ref name="Forum of the Ox">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[The Forum of the Ox]]</ref><ref name="Maiden's Tower">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[The Maiden's Tower]]</ref> he found himself reliving a significant moment in Altaïr's life and learning more about the Levantine Mentor's struggles.<ref name="Mentor's Keeper">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[The Mentor's Keeper]]</ref><ref name="Mentor's Wake">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[The Mentor's Wake]]</ref><ref name="New Regime">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[A New Regime]]</ref><ref name="Mentor's Return">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[The Mentor's Return]]</ref><ref name="Passing the Torch"/> In time, Ezio recovered all five keys, including the one that the Byzantine Templars had in their possession,<ref name="Last of the Palaiologi">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[Last of the Palaiologi]]</ref> and returned to Masyaf in order to open the library.<ref name="Homecoming">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[A Homecoming]]</ref> | ||
Inside, Ezio found no books or weapons as he and his Templar enemies had believed they would | [[File:Lost_legacy_6.png|thumb|left|250px|Ezio discovering the final Memory Seal]] | ||
Inside, Ezio found no books or weapons as he and his Templar enemies had believed they would, but the skeleton of Altaïr, holding his sixth and final Memory Seal.<ref name="Homecoming"/> As Ezio took the artifact, it showed him the final moments of Altaïr's life, including the fact that he had hidden his Apple of Eden inside the library.<ref name="Lost Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[Lost Legacy (memory)|Lost Legacy]]</ref> Ezio then went to retrieve the Apple, but recalling all the suffering it had brought Altaïr, ultimately decided against it and left it inside the library.<ref name="The Message">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[The Message]]</ref> | |||
Having reached the end of his journey, Ezio also decided to retire from his life as an Assassin and start a family with [[Sofia Sartor]]. During a brief visit to Constantinople in June 1512, the couple sold Sofia's bookshop to the [[Ottoman Brotherhood of Assassins|Ottoman Assassins]], and also entrusted them with all six of Altaïr's Memory Seals. The Assassins went on to hide them beneath the bookshop, within the [[Yerebatan Cistern]].<ref name="Novel"/> | |||
== | ===Modern times=== | ||
By 2013, [[Abstergo Industries]] had learned about the Masyaf Keys and their usage by Altaïr to convey a message to Ezio, though not their whereabouts. In an embedded file that was later recovered by an [[Abstergo Entertainment]] [[Noob|employee]] via hacking, the keys were listed among the few known Memory Seals in existence and were speculated to still be functional.<ref name="AC4">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Noob's personal files]] – Abstergo Industries: "Crypto-History: Artifacts"</ref> | |||
==Behind the scenes== | |||
The markings on Memory Seals are similar, if not identical, to a symbol shown in the [[Vatican Vault]] at the end of the 2009 video game ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' in the mission "[[In Bocca al Lupo]]". When [[Minerva]] spoke of the [[Temple (Isu)|Temples]], she showed Ezio an image of a step pyramid, above which was a symbol resembling one of the keys. | |||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
<gallery | <gallery captionalign="center" position="center" widths="180"> | ||
Keys of Altair Concept.JPG|Concept art of the keys by [[Martin Deschambault]]. | Keys of Altair Concept.JPG|Concept art of the keys by [[Martin Deschambault]] | ||
ACR Masyaf Key.png|Ezio holding one of the Masyaf Keys | |||
A favour 5.png|Ezio and Yusuf | ACR_Galata_Keys.png|The Masyaf Keys in the Galata headquarters | ||
ACR_Ezio_reliving_memory.png|Ezio reliving the memory stored within one of the keys | |||
A favour 5.png|Ezio and Yusuf gazing at a Masyaf Key | |||
Escape 6.png|Ezio with the final Masyaf Key | |||
Exchange 1.png|Ezio packing the keys up for the exchange | |||
ACR Memory Seals.png|Render of the keys | |||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
== | ==Appearances== | ||
{{ | *''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]'' {{1st}} | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' | |||
*[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations (novel)|''Assassin's Creed: Revelations'' novel]] | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Rebellion]] – [[The Ottoman Connection]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Where's the Assassin?]]'' {{c|non-canon}} | |||
{{ | ==References== | ||
{{ | {{Scroll box|content={{Reflist}}}} | ||
[[Category: | {{Isu}} | ||
[[Category: | {{ACR}} | ||
[[Category:Isu technology]] | |||
[[Category:Precursor relics]] | |||
Latest revision as of 00:43, 1 August 2025
The Masyaf Keys, also referred to as the seals or keys of Altaïr, were a collection of five Isu Memory Seals containing information and memories from the Levantine Assassins' Mentor Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. When brought together, the keys could grant access to his library beneath the fortress of Masyaf,[3] which during the early 16th century was sought out by both the Assassins and the Templars.[2]
Owners[edit | edit source]
- Isu (? – ?)[4]
- Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad (all keys; ? – 12 August 1257)[2]
- Niccolò Polo (all keys; 12 August 1257 – ?)[2]
- Manuel Palaiologos (one key; c. 1509 – March 1512)[2]
- Ezio Auditore da Firenze (four keys; 1511 – March 1512)[2]
- Ezio Auditore da Firenze (all keys; March 1512 – April 1512)[2]
- Ahmet (all keys; April 1512)[2]
- Ezio Auditore da Firenze (all keys; April 1512 – June 1512)[2]
- Ottoman Assassins (all keys; June 1512 – ?)[1]
History[edit | edit source]
Altaïr's discovery[edit | edit source]
Following the deaths of his wife Maria Thorpe and youngest son Sef, and his deposition at the hands of Abbas Sofian, Altaïr entered into exile in the Assassin fortress of Alamut. During this time, Altaïr was directed to an Isu temple underneath the fortress by his Apple of Eden, where he found a number of Memory Seals.[3]
Taking six seals for himself, Altaïr researched the artifacts and discovered their ability to store recorded memories.[3] He would subsequently imbue the seals with his own memories, which he intended to serve as a message to future Assassins, though he was unsure exactly for whom or why.[5]
Following his return to Masyaf in 1247, Altaïr began construction of a secret library underneath the fortress and used five of his Memory Seals as the keys. In 1257, as Masyaf came under siege by the advancing Mongol Empire, Altaïr passed the five keys and his codex to his guests, the merchants–turned–Assassins Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, who promised to hide them.[5] The two then escaped from the Mongols with the help of Altaïr's other son Darim and safely arrived in the city of Constantinople, where they hid the keys and founded an Assassins Guild, though they lost Altaïr's Codex to the Mongols along the way.[3]
Ezio's acquisition[edit | edit source]
In 1509, the Byzantine Templars recovered one of the keys, which had been hidden underneath Topkapı Palace, after an earthquake struck the city. The Templars also found Niccolò Polo's journal, which contained further information on the keys and Altaïr's library.[6] Believing the knowledge inside the library could lead the Templars to the Grand Temple, their Grand Master Ahmet placed Manuel Palaiologos in charge of an expedition to find the other four keys,[7] and ordered Leandros to lead a regiment of Byzantine remnant soldiers to occupy Masyaf.[8]
That same year, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Mentor of the Italian Assassins, learned of the existence of Altaïr's library and the keys after reading a document left behind by his late father, Giovanni. Curious and driven by a desire to obtain answers about his Order, Ezio left Rome in 1510 and arrived at Masyaf in early 1511, encountering Leandros and his men, who took him captive.[8] After a long struggle, Ezio managed to escape and kill Leandros, from whom he acquired Niccolò's journal.[6]
Following this, Ezio journeyed to Constantinople and started his search for the keys, eventually finding one underneath Niccolò's old trading post.[9] By that point, however, the trading post was inhabited by the Venetian bookseller Sofia Sartor; with her assistance, Ezio was able to decode a map showing the locations of all the keys in Constantinople.[10]
With every key that Ezio recovered,[11][12][13] he found himself reliving a significant moment in Altaïr's life and learning more about the Levantine Mentor's struggles.[14][15][16][17][5] In time, Ezio recovered all five keys, including the one that the Byzantine Templars had in their possession,[18] and returned to Masyaf in order to open the library.[19]
Inside, Ezio found no books or weapons as he and his Templar enemies had believed they would, but the skeleton of Altaïr, holding his sixth and final Memory Seal.[19] As Ezio took the artifact, it showed him the final moments of Altaïr's life, including the fact that he had hidden his Apple of Eden inside the library.[20] Ezio then went to retrieve the Apple, but recalling all the suffering it had brought Altaïr, ultimately decided against it and left it inside the library.[21]
Having reached the end of his journey, Ezio also decided to retire from his life as an Assassin and start a family with Sofia Sartor. During a brief visit to Constantinople in June 1512, the couple sold Sofia's bookshop to the Ottoman Assassins, and also entrusted them with all six of Altaïr's Memory Seals. The Assassins went on to hide them beneath the bookshop, within the Yerebatan Cistern.[1]
Modern times[edit | edit source]
By 2013, Abstergo Industries had learned about the Masyaf Keys and their usage by Altaïr to convey a message to Ezio, though not their whereabouts. In an embedded file that was later recovered by an Abstergo Entertainment employee via hacking, the keys were listed among the few known Memory Seals in existence and were speculated to still be functional.[22]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
The markings on Memory Seals are similar, if not identical, to a symbol shown in the Vatican Vault at the end of the 2009 video game Assassin's Creed II in the mission "In Bocca al Lupo". When Minerva spoke of the Temples, she showed Ezio an image of a step pyramid, above which was a symbol resembling one of the keys.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
Concept art of the keys by Martin Deschambault -
Ezio holding one of the Masyaf Keys -
The Masyaf Keys in the Galata headquarters -
Ezio reliving the memory stored within one of the keys -
Ezio and Yusuf gazing at a Masyaf Key -
Ezio with the final Masyaf Key -
Ezio packing the keys up for the exchange -
Render of the keys
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations novel
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Rebellion – The Ottoman Connection (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Where's the Assassin? (non-canon)
References[edit | edit source]
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