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'''Israel''', officially the '''State of Israel''', is a country in the [[Middle East]], bordering the [[Mediterranean Sea]] with [[Syria]]. | |||
==History== | |||
===Ancient history=== | |||
[[Moses]] led the Hebrew slaves out of [[Egypt]] with a [[Staves of Eden|Staff of Eden]], who settled in Israel. [[David]], the second King of Israel, used the [[Shroud of Eden]] to defeat {{Wiki|Goliath}}.<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref> David's son Solomon built a [[Solomon's Temple|temple]] to house the [[Ark of the Covenant]], which contained an [[Apple of Eden 2|Apple of Eden]].<ref name="AC1">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref> David's 1st century descendant [[Jesus Christ|Jesus]] possessed the Shroud, which the Romans crucified him to gain possession of. His cousin [[John the Baptist|John]] possessed a Staff, which presumably passed to Jesus' disciple [[Peter]] and his successors to the [[Papacy]].<ref name="AC2"/> | |||
===Medieval history=== | |||
During the Middle Ages, the [[Crusaders]] and [[Saracens]] waged war to control [[Jerusalem]]. Despite being under Saracen control, the Knights Templar still had a presence in Solomon's Temple, guarding the prize that made their fortune and power. [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], [[Malik Al-Sayf]] and his brother [[Kadar Al-Sayf|Kadar]] were sent to steal the Apple: despite Altaïr's arrogance bungling the operation and Kadar's death, Malik managed to recover the Apple. To redeem himself, Altaïr was sent to assassinate the nine leaders of the Templar Order by himself: he hunted for [[Talal]] and [[Majd Addin]] in Jerusalem, and [[Garnier de Naplouse]], [[William of Montferrat]] and [[Sibrand]] in the Crusader-held city of [[Acre]]. Finally, he was sent to kill [[Robert de Sable]] in Jerusalem, but the Templars were prepared for him and used [[Maria Thorpe]] as a decoy.<ref name="AC1"/> | |||
Altaïr rode to [[Arsuf]] where de Sable was attending a [[Battle of Arsuf|battle]] with [[Richard I of England]]. Altaïr defeated de Sable in combat, but before he died, de Sable informed him that [[Rashid ad-Din Sinan|Al Mualim]] was also a Templar.<ref name="AC1"/> | |||
==Moral ambiguity== | ==Moral ambiguity== | ||
{{Quote|What follows are the three great ironies of the Assassin Order: (1) Here we seek to promote peace, but murder is our means. (2) Here we seek to open the minds of men, but require obedience to a master and set of rules. (3) Here we seek to reveal the danger of blind faith, yet we are practitioners ourselves.|[[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]]'s [[Codex]]|Assassin's Creed II}} | {{Quote|What follows are the three great ironies of the Assassin Order: (1) Here we seek to promote peace, but murder is our means. (2) Here we seek to open the minds of men, but require obedience to a master and set of rules. (3) Here we seek to reveal the danger of blind faith, yet we are practitioners ourselves.|[[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]]'s [[Codex]]|Assassin's Creed II}} | ||
Revision as of 00:46, 7 April 2013
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea with Syria.
History
Ancient history
Moses led the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt with a Staff of Eden, who settled in Israel. David, the second King of Israel, used the Shroud of Eden to defeat Goliath.[1] David's son Solomon built a temple to house the Ark of the Covenant, which contained an Apple of Eden.[2] David's 1st century descendant Jesus possessed the Shroud, which the Romans crucified him to gain possession of. His cousin John possessed a Staff, which presumably passed to Jesus' disciple Peter and his successors to the Papacy.[1]
Medieval history
During the Middle Ages, the Crusaders and Saracens waged war to control Jerusalem. Despite being under Saracen control, the Knights Templar still had a presence in Solomon's Temple, guarding the prize that made their fortune and power. Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Malik Al-Sayf and his brother Kadar were sent to steal the Apple: despite Altaïr's arrogance bungling the operation and Kadar's death, Malik managed to recover the Apple. To redeem himself, Altaïr was sent to assassinate the nine leaders of the Templar Order by himself: he hunted for Talal and Majd Addin in Jerusalem, and Garnier de Naplouse, William of Montferrat and Sibrand in the Crusader-held city of Acre. Finally, he was sent to kill Robert de Sable in Jerusalem, but the Templars were prepared for him and used Maria Thorpe as a decoy.[2]
Altaïr rode to Arsuf where de Sable was attending a battle with Richard I of England. Altaïr defeated de Sable in combat, but before he died, de Sable informed him that Al Mualim was also a Templar.[2]
Moral ambiguity
- "What follows are the three great ironies of the Assassin Order: (1) Here we seek to promote peace, but murder is our means. (2) Here we seek to open the minds of men, but require obedience to a master and set of rules. (3) Here we seek to reveal the danger of blind faith, yet we are practitioners ourselves."
- ―Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex[src]
Despite their relative benevolence to the majority of Templar activities, many Assassins expressed discomfort with their Order. When Desmond Miles was rescued by the Assassins, he assumed they were the "good guys", but Shaun Hastings advised him to "not get carried away", reminding him their function was to kill people. Rebecca Crane acknowledged "it's not ideal. And taking a life is never easy. But sometimes there's no other way. Sometimes, Desmond, people have to die for things to change."[1] Desmond's ancestor Connor tried to avoid killing William Johnson, and when he had to, he told his Mentor Achilles that "I thought it might bring clarity. Or instill a sense of accomplishment. But all I feel is regret." Achilles comforted him, explaining to "hold fast to that. Such sacrifices must never come lightly."[3]
Both Desmond and Lucy Stillman fell out with their leader William Miles: his cold demeanour and the harsh training he put them through since childhood led Desmond to regard his father as a "[prison] warden" rather than a father.[4] Lucy defected to the Templars after being sent to infiltrate them, telling Clay Kaczmarek that William was "using" them and claimed "he doesn't think about the lives he's hurting. We aren't people to him."[5]
Nikolai Orelov served the Order to please his father, with whom he had a negative relationship. When he left, he felt "I began as a crusader for change and now I am no better than a common grave-robber."[6] When the Assassins in the FBI began holding his family hostage to make him give up his secrets, he opined to his son Innokenti "These are not honourable men, Kenya. They are killers. They live by old laws which apply only to them and then call themselves heroes." However, Orelov was also brutal towards his son when training him to fight the Assassins. Viewing these events via his genetic memory, Orelov's great-grandson Daniel Cross deemed the Assassins "a family of wolves, opportunistic, savage. They'll turn on each other at a moment's notice: they're anarchists. And anarchy can never lead to a unified world."[7]
Connor expressed disdain for the Assassins' secrecy, an opinion shared centuries earlier by some Assassins under Altaïr's leadership, who disagreed with him taking the Order back underground. Altaïr wrote "They grow angry, insisting it is a mistake to shroud ourselves. They say it slows our work. But they do not understand the risks. To expose ourselves now would be too dangerous. I fear we would be branded madmen and attacked."[1]