Seismic Temple

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"We haven't found an apple, but... a tree. These Temples hold the earth together like roots. Disturb them, and Haiti falls or... Lisbon. Or any other place the Manuscript shows."

―Shay Cormac explaining his theory of the structures to Haytham Kenway, 1758

A Seismic Temple is a subterranean complex built by the Isu which comprises a vast underground network beneath Earth's crust. Each holds within them a core component vital for its structural integrity, which, if removed, triggers a violent seismic reaction. Although their original function is lost to humans, Seismic Temples may have been erected to stabilize the planet's crust or otherwise as a monumental defense system.

History

The structures were discovered by the Assassins and Templars in the middle of the 18th century via a Precursor box and the Voynich manuscript. Owing to their historical experience with Isu Vaults, the two factions initially mistook the sites revealed by the manuscript to be more Vaults and assumed that Pieces of Eden could be found there. Tragic consequences ensued from this error, beginning with Assassin Vendredi causing a 1751 Port-au-Prince earthquake massive earthquake in Haiti in 1751 that killed untold thousands. As Vendredi died at the hands of Templar Lawrence Washington before he could escape the site, he failed to report back with details of how the disaster was linked with the Port-au-Prince Temple.

The Templars and Assassins continued vying for these locations, and in late 1755, the Assassin Shay Cormac was sent to Lisbon, Portugal to uncover the relic supposedly hidden within the Isu complex below. Upon reaching the Seismic Temple, Shay removed its core device which promptly disintegrated in his hands. The entire complex summarily collapsed, taking the entire city of Lisbon down with it in a colossal earthquake exceeding magnitude 8.5. While Shay narrowly escaped with his life, hundreds of thousands perished, and the Assassin returned to the Colonial Brotherhood grief-stricken and furious, blaming their reckless pursuit of power for the catastrophe.

Miscommunication between Shay and the Colonial Brotherhood ultimately led to the former's defection to the Templars with the Voynich manuscript in hand. For the next few years, with the Precursor box still in the possession of the Assassins, and the manuscript now with the Templars, both factions strove to unlock each pieces' secrets without the other. In June 1758, Shay presented his theory of the actual nature and function of the Seismic Temples to Grand Master Haytham Kenway of the Colonial Rite, analogizing them to underground "roots" that maintained the planet's integrity. Thereafter, the Colonial Rite redirected their objective to preventing the Assassins from tampering with more Temples rather than uncovering its secrets themselves.

In October 1759, the Assassins managed to power the Precursor box once more even without aid of the manuscript and embarked on an expedition to a Seismic Temple in the Arctic. Achilles Davenport, Mentor of the Colonial Brotherhood, and his lieutenant, Liam O'Brien, arrived at the site in March 1760. Upon witnessing the Temple's core device for himself, Achilles recognized the validity of Shay's account years prior and quickly stopped Liam from touching it. It was at this point that they were confronted by Haytham and Shay who had tracked them from New York. In the altercation that followed, the device was accidentally knocked off its pedestal, unleashing yet another earthquake as the complex tore itself apart. By the time of the ordeal, Liam was dead and Achilles was crippled by Haytham, and the two Templars walked away victorious.

Appearance

• Assassin's Creed: Rogue