Voynich manuscript

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"It was written in an exotic language I did not recognize and full of drawings. Plants and animals out of an opium dream."

―Le Chasseur describing the manuscript, 1752.

Voynich manuscript

The Voynich manuscript is an illustrated codex hand-written in the Isu language.

Owners

Complete

• Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (? – ?)

Pages

• Peter Beckford (? – ?)
• Edward Kenway (1715 – 1722)
• François Mackandal (c.1751)
• Colonial Templars (1751 – 1754)
• Colonial Assassins (1754 – 1756)
• Shay Cormac (1756)
• George Monro (1756 – 1757)
• Shay Cormac (1757)
• George Monro (1757)
• Colonial Assassins (1757 – 1759)
• Shay Cormac (1759 – unknown)
• Arbaaz Mir (1839)
• Templars (1868 – 1872)
• Horace Greeley (1872)
• Alice (1872)
• Antony Henry (2020)

History

Commonly, though erroneously, believed to have been written circa 1405, the artifact was created long before. Previously in the possession of Emperor Rudolf II of the Holy Roman Empire, four of the manuscript's pages eventually wound up in the hands of Governor Peter Beckford of Jamaica by the early 18th century. After they were taken from the Beckford estate, the pages were scattered across the Caribbean, until they were eventually collected by the pirate-turned-Assassin Edward Kenway between 1715 and 1722.

American Colonies

In the following decades, the Assassins and Templars alike learned of the connection between the manuscript and the mysterious Precursor box, one of the only devices that could translate its incomprehensible text. In 1755, the inventor Benjamin Franklin was the first known human to properly use both pieces in tandem, electrifying the box with lightning. It was during this experiment that the Assassin Shay Cormac discovered the location of a hidden First Civilization Temple hidden underneath the Carmo Convent in Lisbon, Portugal.

After Shay returned to the Davenport Homestead, he stole the manuscript from Achilles Davenport's manor in an attempt to stop the Assassins from discovering another First Civilization Temple and causing another earthquake. Though Shay almost managed to escape the Homestead, he was shot by the Assassin Louis-Joseph Gaultier, and fell from a cliff. Some time later, the Templar George Monro found Shay and the manuscript. Rescuing Shay and keeping him in the care of Barry and Cassidy Finnegan, Monro took the manuscript for himself.

In 1757, Colonel Monro trusted Shay, now a Templar ally, with the manuscript, giving him the mission of discovering its secrets. Later that year, during an attack on Albany, Shay attempted to save Monro from the Assassin Kesegowaase and his native allies. Once he accomplished his mission, Shay gave Monro the manuscript and sent him to the Morrigan, while he stayed at Fort Frederick and battled Kesegowaase. When Shay managed to kill him, Kesegowaase revealed with his last words that the Assassin Liam O'Brien had already killed Monro and stolen the manuscript.

In 1759, the Assassins were making the preparations to make an excursion to another Precursor Temple, while Hope Jensen and Liam replicated the experiment Benjamin Franklin had made years ago. By doing so, the Assassins discovered that another Temple was located in the Arctic. After a lengthy chase through the structure, Liam was killed and Shay took back the manuscript for the Templar Order.

Other pages

In 1839, the Mentor of the Indian Assassins, Hamid, tasked Arbaaz Mir with the recovery of a map from the Voynich manuscript detailing information on the Koh-i-Noor diamond, during their quest to protect the artifact from falling into the British Templars' hands.

After Ulysses S. Grant's election as President of the United States in 1868, Grant's inner circle was infiltrated by members of the Templar Order, who subsequently corrupted his administration. They helped him master the powers of the prong the Assassins gave him during the war, by giving him access to a Precursor box and pages of the Voynich manuscript.

In 1872, after Grant's political rival, Horace Greeley, stole the pages in Grant's office, the Templars poisoned him and later sent one of their agents, Alice, to finish the dying man and recover the artifact. While the agent failed to kill Greeley due to the intervention of a Pinkerton agent, Tommy Greyling, she nevertheless escaped with the pages.

That same year, new pages were discovered and brought to the British Museum in London, and Alice was once again sent to steal it by her superiors. She succeeded, despite being pursued by Greyling, who allied himself with Assassins Evie Frye and Henry Green. However, after being cornered on the deck of the ship bringing her back to America, she threw the pages into the Atlantic Ocean before committing suicide.

Modern times

In 2013, Abstergo Industries warned memory research analysts at Abstergo Entertainment, who were assigned to relive the memories of European subjects during the 15th and 16th centuries, to look out for the Voynich manuscript during their Animus sessions, especially for its supposed connection to the English philosopher Roger Bacon.

In 2020, the Assassin Antony Henry mentioned the manuscript in his notes to Layla Hassan detailing his efforts translating some Isu script found in Canterbury, noting that it used a cursive form of the alphabet used in the book. He added that he had tried to translate some of the manuscript's pages, but was unsuccessful and theorized that the text required a Precursor box to decode it.

Characteristics

Despite its connection with certain Pieces of Eden, such as the Precursor boxes, the Voynich manuscript was not a Piece of Eden itself being man-made.

Trivia

• The manuscript is named after book dealer Wilfrid Voynich, who purchased it in 1912.
• It is theorized that the Voynich manuscript may have been sold to Rudolf II by John Dee. Another theory suggests that the manuscript was written by Edward Kelley, who could speak with members of the First Civilization through his Crystal Ball.
• The map Arbaaz acquired features the Voynich manuscript pages Folio 70r and 75r, as well as drawings of the Koh-i-Noor, two Apples of Eden, a Memory Seal and symbols found on Marcus Junius Brutus' drawing of the Colosseum Vault.

Gallery

• 
  Folio 33v
• 
  Folio 34r
• 
  Folio 34v
• 
  Folio 35r
• 
  The map featuring Voynich manuscript symbols and text
• Shay holding the Voynich manuscript
  Shay holding the Voynich manuscript

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Rogue
• Assassin's Creed: Brahman
• Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Locus
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (mentioned only)