Piece of Eden

These are objects of great power, able to bend people to the will of the user. One of the greatest weapons known to man, it is capable of ending wars and (provided it is used correctly) ushering in a forced peace.

It is believed by Abstergo and the Templars that the pieces of Eden were the great powers behind such miracles as the Parting of the Red Sea, The Trojan War, the miracles surrounding 'the Christ-figure' and the plagues of Egypt, among other things.

Apart from its power to force almost anyone into serving the possessor, its greatest power is that it essentially disproves God. The Templar Order and the Assassins already believed they could dispel the apparent illusion of religion, and the Piece of Eden is perfectly suited to this purpose, proving the power not of God, but of "those who have gone before".

Incidentally, each one also contains a holographic map of the earth that shows the location of all the other Pieces of Eden. The Masyaf Piece (Piece 2) was destroyed during its experimental use by Abstergo at Denver International Airport. Using Altair's memory of events, however, the map showed the locations of the others.