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My secondary sandbox.
Ever since Darius, a Proto-Assassin, eliminated the Persian king Xerxes,
the hidden blade has become the signature weapon of the Brotherhood of Assassins.
It is usually hidden using an armband and can be deployed in a flash, revealing a formidably sharp point. Thanks to modifications made by Altaïr, you no longer need to cut off a finger to use it to its best advantage. Some Assassins, however, continue to mutilate themselves out of tradition and devotion to the Brotherhood.Made under duress by Leonardo da Vinci for the Baron de Valois, this pistol of rare precision includes several innovations never seen on weapons of this era. It can be immediately identified thanks to its golden metal spinning wheel.
In Venice, the Doge is the first magistrate of the republics of Venice and Genoa. He is elected for life. From the Palazzo Ducale, he leads the armies, presides over the Senate, can declare war and sign peace. He is responsible for the Council of Ten, an assembly made up of the lords of the most powerful Venetian families. The current Doge, elected in 1501, is Leonardo Loredan. He is a cultured merchant and a fine politician.
Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, born in 1480, is the most famous of Leonardo da Vinci's apprentices. He maintains an ambiguous relationship with the Maestro, made of a deep friendship, but also of some mischief due to the young apprentice's passion for gambling. A few years ago, this passion almost cost the Assassins dearly when Salaì failed to keep track of his mission: Protect Leonardo. Fortunately his courage, his insight and some decisive help from Ezio allowed the Assassins to find the Maestro safe and sound. Salaì would do just about anything for Leonardo da Vinci, and the feeling is probably mutual.
Leonardo da Vinci, aged 57 in 1509, is one of those rare people who are gifted in all they choose to do. His first meeting with Ezio was more than thirty years ago and Ezio still carries the hidden blade that the genius repaired and upgraded for him. As a staunch ally, Leonardo enabled the Assassins to technologically surpass their Templar enemies thanks to numerous inventions, including the flying machine. The Maestro, as we sometimes call him, has the habit of appearing without warning, whether in Rome, Florence or where he is now, Venice.
Niccolò Orsini di Pitigliano (1442 - 1510) was a Leader of Italian mercenaries. He was the Captain-General of the Venetians during the war against the Cambrai league.
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, born in 1469, is a Florentine with many talents. Philosopher, politician and member of the Brotherhood of Assassins since he was 19, Niccolò is one of those who allowed Ezio to join the Brotherhood. He is a powerful enemy of the Borgias and has helped Ezio dismantle one of their bases in Rome. He faithfully supports Ezio in all circumstances, despite the apparent discord between the two men. It was probably at his request that Niccolò temporarily left his native Florence to lend a hand once again to the Assassins in Rome. His political visions will have to wait a few more years before being written down on paper in his famous book: The Prince.
The Bocca di Leone ("Lion's Mouth") were boxes made for denunciation. They often bore the shape of a human or animal mouth. Some were dedicated to various types of accusations: Concealment of income, favors, misdemeanors linked to public health, etc. Denunciations could not be completely anonymous (except in case of emergency) and were processed according to a sophisticated investigation system. The lion sometimes appeared on the boxes as a reference to the Lion of Venice, emblem of the Republic.
The Assassins know the secrets of a civilization that existed long before humanity. lts members were known under the names Isus, Precursors or First Civilization. Some elements of their technology have endured, such as the Pieces of Eden. As rare as they are powerful, they have been used repeatedly to influence the course of humankind's history. The Assassins are trying by all means to prevent Templars from finding and using the fragments.
Among the Pieces of Eden, the Staves were created to take control of the body and mind of humans. Used properly, they are an extremely powerful instrument of control, which can be used for good or evil. Doubt remains as to whether their extraordinary powers, such as levitation or invisibility, are real or are simply illusions.
The famous Lion of Venice is none other than a representation of Saint Mark, decorated with wings inspired by the Bible. When its fore paws are crossed, one rests on the ground and the other on the water, symbolizing the balance of Venetian powers between land and water. When depicted with a book, it symbolizes peace, whereas it is sometimes holding a sword during periods of armed conflict.
The Animus was originally a technological project of Abstergo Industries, a facade for the Order of the Templars. Thanks to a DNA fragment, it allows the person who is connected to explore and relive the memories of their ancestors - their Genetic Memories. Improved over time, used by both Assassins and Templars, the latest versions of the Animus are no longer dependent on the user's DNA and allow anyone to explore the memories of a subject as long as they have their DNA. The newest versions of the Animus, HR-8 and HR-8.5, developed under the supervision of Sophia Rikkin and Layla Hassan, are now portable and do away with the need to use a DNA sample. The Memory only needs to be saved in order to share it with others. However, it happens that the Animus experiences some failures when displaying the Memories. These are the glitches that Assassins sometimes fear. It is rumored that some of these glitches may have been intentionally introduced into the Animus code by the Templars... If so, only an Assassin from the present day can help us!
Lucrezia Borgia, from a famous family of Templars, is cruel and merciless, just like her brother Cesare. Her use of excessive violence and her poisonings are almost legendary. Bold and independent, she defied social conventions by entertaining many romantic relationships during her numerous marriages. The few people who have really known her have been able to recognize the fragility beneath her arrogance and violence, no doubt linked to her family's turbulent history. During her two encounters with Ezio, they both tried to take advantage of the situation by playing the muddle game of seduction. She is still mad with rage at having let herself be taken in by her own game. She ruminates on a revenge that will certainly be terrible.
Cynical, sarcastic and self-confident, Shaun works for the Brotherhood as a historian and analyst. His knowledge is a valuable source of information for modern Assassins who are looking for Pieces of Eden and other First Civilization resources from the memories of various historical figures. Shaun offers precious help to people who visualize their genetic memories through the Animus. He creates databases for the Assassins by analyzing people, locations and eras from historical experiences. With Rebecca Crane, Desmond Miles and William Miles, Shaun was na essential member of the Assassins team who located an Apple of Eden and then the Great Temple in 2012, which changed the course of the conflict between Assassins and Templars. After perilous missions to London and Madrid, Shaun seems to have disappeared. Rumors of his reappearance were true!
When Leonardo da Vinci was forced to create war machines for the Borgias in 1499, his creative genius took over and he invented a whole system of combat automatons - it was still theoretical at that time - that can be set up in advance so that they travel a certain distance before setting off the bomb they are harboring. Overcome by remorse, he managed to hide his blueprints, but the Borgias were finally able to get their hands on them and turned them over to the Favero, who managed to finalize them. Fortunately, the Brotherhood also managed to create working prototypes thanks to Leonardo.
This small group of fierce Templars aims to fight the Assassins with their own methods. Trained like true counter-Assassins, the Crows are specialists in disguise, infiltration and, of course, assassination. They all wear clothes and accessories that evoke their favorite animal, the crow. Moreover their former leader, Sirus Favero, was nicknamed il corvo (the raven). In an attempt to preserve their anonymity, they use the names of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The Assassins will have to face the four Crows led by Cesare Borgia including the formidable Matteo Favero, son of the historic leader of the Crows.
This megacorporation, created in 1937, is the result of a strategy of the Order of the Temple to sustainably transform the world and make it conform to the values and visions of the Templars. Today, it is a sprawling conglomerate that extends its sinister wings over sectors as varied as medical, pharmaceutical or video game industries. Abstergo is the inventor of the Animus.
VENICE//ITALY//1485 Leonardo da Vinci was extremely interested in the idea of creating a device with which a person could fly like a bird. He began sketching a project inspired by the flight of birds themselves. Da Vinci developed a machine that was known as the "ornithopter". Although it was not assembled in life, according to the drawings it can be called the ancestor of today's helicopters. Around 1480, Da Vinci completed a glider that had a wingspan of over ten meters. He stopped working on the project for several years, until Ezio Auditore came to Da Vinci and asked him to use his machine to enter the Doge's Palace in order to save the current ruler of Venice from the Templar conspiracy. Even though the machine was completely destroyed after a successful flight, Ezio's move took an important step towards the possibility of creating a workable aircraft.
//MESOPOTAMIA//-3500 The round object known as the Wheel was invented around 3500 BC. in Mesopotamia. This invention revolutionized transportation and manufacturing. The oldest known wheels were made from wooden discs tied together with cross-braces. The design of the wheel has been greatly improved over the following centuries. Spoked wheels, for example, appeared around 2000 BC in Asia. The Middle Ages are characterized by the overwhelming use of wheels as a means of transforming energy sources such as water, wind and various animals. Even after more than fifty centuries, the wheel plays an important role in the life of mankind.
MASYAF//SYRIA//1176 In the second half of the XII century, Salah Ad'Din directed his forces to capture the mountain fortress Masiaf, surrounding it with camps of his people. After receiving information about the impending siege from the spy Ahmad Sophian, Umar Ibn-La'Ahad was sent on a special mission. His goal was to infiltrate Salah Ad'Din's tent at nightfall to leave a "message" for the Sultan. Although he was successfully completed the first half of his mission, Umar was discovered by Salah Ad'Din himself while trying to get out of the tent. This forced the desperate Assassin to flee, killing one noble to secure his escape. After finding the Assassin spy Ahmad in the ranks of the Saracens, he was tortured in captivity, after which the Saracens were able to negotiate a peace treaty with Al Mualim. Only they asked to exchange Ahmad for Umar. If the Brotherhood would refuse them,then the forces of the Saracens would be directed to the continuation of the siege of Masyaf. After a hopeless debate, Al Mualim ultimately yielded to Umar. In the last minutes of his life, Umar heard the desperate cries and cries of his son, 11-year-old Altair.
CONNECTICUT//USA//1928 The peaceful hermit life of Nikolai Orlov and his son Innocent in their hut in the forests of Connecticut was interrupted by uninvited guests. Sergei, an elderly Assassin and former acquaintance of Nicholas, encouraged him to return to the Brotherhood and share the secrets he had learned. When he refused, Sergei grabbed Innokentiy, brandishing a knife. Nikolai knocked the weapon out of the Assassin's hands and strangled him to death. Guessing what was going on, Innocent's father subjected his son to intense and sometimes tough training. Nikolai believed that without hard training, his son would not be able to master the necessary skills in time. In winter, during the snowfalls, Nicholas's predictions came true, and several Assassins came to their hut. After a painful battle in the surrounding forest, Nikolai eventually managed to nullify the number of his opponents, but was seriously wounded in the process - in both legs.In a desperate last attempt to secure his son's escape, Nikolai grabbed the last of the attackers and urged Innokenty to shoot the man, understanding the consequences. Although initially he refused, the boy still pulled the trigger. The bullet went through Nicholas and the Assassin, killing both. Left alone with a hostile world, broken but rebellious, Innocent took the Hidden Blade from his father and disappeared into the forests, going to the nearest city - Hartford.going to the nearest town - Hartford.going to the nearest town - Hartford.
FLORENCE//ITALY//1476-12-29 Finally entangled in the investigation, which he himself had been conducting for decades, the Assassin Giovanni Auditore da Firenze nevertheless discovered a Templar conspiracy that threatened the very foundation of the Renaissance Italy. His hunt for the truth took him away from his home in Florence in Venice, captured by the Barbarigo family and Milan, usurped by corrupt officials, but at the same time made him the main target of Rodrigo Borgia's anger. When Giovanni gathered enough evidence to expose the conspiracy, he was betrayed by his friend Uberto Alberti, who was the Gonfalonier of Florence at the time. At the direction of Rodrigo Borgia, Giovanni was unjustly arrested and, along with his sons Federico and Petruchio, was hanged in the Piazza della Signoria. This event was witnessed by his only surviving son, Ezio, whose life after that changed once and for all.
KANATAHSÉHTON//BRITISH AMERICA//1769-10-04
FREIBURG//GERMANY//1924
VALLEY FORGE//USA//1777-12-14
MONTERIGGIONI//ITALY//1500-01-01
ROME//ITALY//1503-08-16
VALENCIA//SPAIN//1507-03-02
NEW ORLEANS//NEW FRANCE//1773-10-13
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Need to mark for deletion, but for the meanwhile I'm putting them up here so I can see more unused files. These are the files for which there is no argument whether they should be deleted or not, like fanart, old ACFanon files, and files that have since been reuploaded with higher quality or removing UI elements:
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All these files have been tagged to delete:
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Grenadier Hanger | This officer’s claymore is a modern day descendant of the two-handed broadsword. The sword’s name comes from the Gaelic word "claidheamh". The blade is straight and very strong. Its handle is made of wire binding. The basket hilt of this English made sword is called "incomplete" because it is not fully rounded, not because it is unfinished! |
| Hanger Claymore | Basket-hilt claymores have been popular since the 17th Century in Scotland and England. Every city makes a distinguishing hilt and the swords are known by their fabrication cities’ names, such has Glasgow or Stirling. This sword’s finely crafted hilt is made of steel and is covered with brass. A prominent pommel proudly sits on top. |
| Silver Claymore | This claymore shows better maneuverability, duration and protection than most other models. Silver covers the brass hilt. |
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Rope darts | These ropes are equipped with a lethal grappling knife at the end, allowing you to pull a single opponent from a group and bring them to melee reach. It can also be used to pull an enemy into the air and hang them above ground. |
| Smoke bombs | Smoke bombs release a dense smoke screen that blinds anyone standing in it. Made from gunpowder and phosphorous, they can give you the upper edge during a fight and can help you escape pursuers. |
| Trip mines | Inspired by the German Fladdermine this pressure-operated mine is smaller and more subtle. Its ceramic shell contains 2 pounds of an explosive mixture. Shards of glass and metal are mixed with the gunpowder to enhance the casualties. Stepping on the wire sets off a Dutch snaphaunce detonator for an instant explosion. |
| Poison darts | These highly toxic darts have their tips dipped in extract of Cicuta virosa - also known as Water Hemlock. This plant’s poisonous effects directly attack the nervous system, causing paralysis, loss of consciousness, and even death. |
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Blowpipe | A smaller version of the hunting blowpipes used by the pre-Columbian Mayan peoples of the Yucatan peninsula. |
| Rope dart | The rope dart, or sheng biao, first appeared in China during the Teng dynasty between the 7th and 10th centuries AD. Its current design was first distributed among the Assassins by the 16th century Assassin, Shao Jun. |
Built on top of the ruins of an Augustinian Convent that burned down in 1471, Santo Spirito was designed by Brunelleschi, the same bloke who did the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore and San Lorenzo. As with San Lorenzo, he died before Santo Spirito was finished.
The church was completed as per his specifications except for the facade, which was left blank, presumably when the Pope decided to reallocate funds for a country house.
Michelangelo lived in Santo Spirito when he was 17, after Lorenzo de' Medici died. While there, he studied the corpses from the convent's hospital and sculpted a naked crucifix that shows off his fascination with the male form, as does, you know, David, the Sistine Chapel ceiling, most of his sculptures and almost anything he ever touched.
Date of Birth: 1472.
Profession: Exiled Ruler of Florence, Noble.
The oldest son of Lorenzo de' Medici, Piero is primarily known in history circles as a colossal fuck up. Piero the Unfortunate (yup, that's his nickname) took over as leader of Florence in 1492, and failed to keep Charles VIII of France from marching into Italy to reclaim Naples in 1494. Then, when Charles demanded control over Tuscany, Piero surrendered Florence's fortresses without a fight.
Outraged, and under the influence of Savonarola, the Florentines chased Piero out of Florence and sacked the Palazzo Medici. Piero hid out in Venice for a couple years. Then, true to form, he was drowned in the Garigliano River while fleeing from battle in 1503.
Date of Birth: 1455.
Profession: Architect.
After graduating from the University of Pisa, Sandro received his first commission: to build a bank for the Pazzi family. Unfortunately, the bank collapsed halfway through construction and Sandro was run out of town.
Little else of note is known about him, except that he was registered on the Vatican's payroll in 1510, as a member of the demolition crew that destroyed the old St. Peter's Basilica to make way for the new one.
Another of the minor gates in the Mura Aureliane (Aurelian Wall), the Porta Clausa was mostly used as a service entrance. Due to its historical insignificance, city officials eventually blocked the gate and left it to ruin. Sound familiar, taxpayers?
| Name | Setting | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| THE CHALLENGE OF BARLETTA | Barletta, Italy | The Frenchman Charles de la Motte questions the courage of Italy and has called a tournament to prove his men are superior. He questions our chivalry. While our knights will certainly fight with honor, we will not. We cannot afford to give France this victory. Do not enter the tournament, but use whatever means necessary to weaken the enemy before it begins. | The Italians trounced their French challengers. Our knights fought with such vigor that they were favored to win regardless of the poison's effect on their opponents. Regardless, the victory was deemed fair and the French soon retreated. |
| PENITENCE | Venice, Italy | A German Jew, Asher Lämmlein, has proclaimed himself a forerunner of the Jewish Messiah. Though he seems to preach charity and repentance, his power grows too quickly and his followers threaten our work. Convince Lämmlein that he must disappear. | With Asher Lämmlein's disappearance, his followers have begun to disperse and the Year of Penance has ended. History will label him a false prophet, but if his power had continued unopposed, he could have become something much more dangerous. |
| A WATERY GRAVE | Volterra, Italy | The poet scholar, Michael Tarchaniota Marullus, has been our most valuable informant. His natural charisma and wild poetry has gained him access to some of the most powerful people of our time. In service to our guild, he has also made many enemies. He have agreed to fake his death. Craft his drowning in the River Cecina and see to his safe disappearance. | The public has been informed of Marullus' drowning. They will mourn him even as he enjoys the remainder of his life, free from danger. His work will likely gain more popularity posthumously. |
| PIERO THE UNFORTUNATE | Gaeta, Italy | Piero de' Medici is nothing like his father. His cowardice has gained him Charles VIII's favor and the fool even supports his new master on the battlefield. Our ties to his family and his unpredictable behavior have left us no choice. Medici must be killed. | True to his character, Piero was caught fleeing from the Battle of Garigliano. He was killed quietly and deposited into the river. When he is found, he will be considered a battlefield casualty. |
| SPACEMEN | Bologna, Italy | Two scholars work hard to understand the science behind the heavens, Domenico Maria Novara and his young assistant, Niccolò Copernico. They are close to a breakthrough, one that will embarrass the church. As a result, their lives are in danger. Intercept their assassin and allow them to work undisturbed. | The assassin was intercepted and slain before he could reach the scholars. They continue their work, oblivious to this specific plot, but aware that the papacy is a constant threat to their science. |
| VANISHING ACT | Calicut, India | Our trouble with Portugal has not ended. Our spies learned of Manuel's disappointment with Cabral and his impending response to our defiance in Calicut. Vasco da Gama now sails for Calicut with a fleet 800 men strong. The implications should be obvious. You must board a merchant vessel and deliver a warning. | Vasco da Gama's assault on Calicut was relentless. He bombarded the city and slaughtered hundreds of men, women, and even children. The Brotherhood escaped the onslaught, but da Gama has left several of his cruel captains to control the city. |
| EVERYONE'S A CRITIC | Rome, Italy | As a Master of Ceremonies at the papal court, Johannes Burckard witnesses and records the most shameful secrets of the Borgia papacy. He also enjoys a little embellishment. Rodrigo has found out that Johannes has kept a diary and he wants it seized. He has also ordered the death of the impudent author. You will ensure that the attempt fails. | Rodrigo's agents have been killed. Though he is a discreet man, Burckard has enough clout to cause a serious blow to the Borgia. He continues his anti-papal criticism and will gain a larger audience one day. |
| DEFENDING THE DUCHESS | Rome, Italy | Urbino's Duchess, Elisabetta Gonzaga risks her life to attend Borgia's Jubilee. No doubt Cesare views her presence here as an insult and he will not let it go unanswered. You are to ensure that the Duchess exits Rome unharmed. | The Borgia attempted to apprehend Elisabetta, but we thwarted them. She has survived her trip to Roma, though her family continues to struggle against Cesare's greed. She may be a valuable ally in the years to come. |
| HARSH WORDS | Camerino, Italy | As Cesare sets his eyes upon Camerino, we must fight to protect her. Bartolomeo's brother, Abbot Bernardino, actively works against the Borgia in Camerino, but the Church has grown suspicious. Mercenaries have been sent to restrain Bernardino, but you will intercept them first. | Abbot Bernardino is safe for now. He will continue to send us information from Camerino and we will try to hold it for as long as we can. |
| DINNER DATE | Venice, Italy | Machiavelli has been tracking one of Borgia's trained killers and believes he has finally found a way to catch her. The Venetian ambassador, Antonio Giustinian, recently pushed Rodrigo too far. As an "apology" for losing his temper, Rodrigo has arranged a dinner between Antonio and a lady of the court, whom we suspect to be the murderess. You will go in Antonio's stead. | As expected, Rodrigo's assassin intended to murder Giustinian. Once she realized her trap had been sprung, she attempted to flee but did not escape. Giustinian assures us he will continue to cause trouble in Borgia's court as long as we protect him from retaliation. |
| TRAITOR | Ferrara, Italy | Giovanni Sforza's humiliation at the hands of Lucrezia Borgia and her family makes him a valuable ally. As her former husband, he has unique insight into their operations. We will need to gain his trust. The diplomat Pandolfo Collenuccio has betrayed Giovanni's city, Pesaro, to the Borgia. Bring him to us. | We have taken Pandolfo Collenuccio. As a gesture of good will to Giovanni Sforza, we have gifted him the traitor. In return, he has agreed to a meeting with Machiavelli. |
| THE LESSER EVIL | Siena, Italy | Pandolfo Petrucci, the tyrant of Siena, appears to be loyal to the Borgia, but we know that he secretly plots against them. He underestimates Cesare's spies. Cesare has invited Petrucci to a meeting in Senigallia, where he will be executed. You must prevent him from attending that meeting. | Petrucci's men put up a fight and we were forced to kill several of them before we could deliver our message. Should he choose to follow our advice, he will avoid that meeting and live to oppose Cesare's forces. |
| SECOND PLACE | Savona, Italy | Many in the papacy believe Rodrigo bought his way into the papal throne, perhaps none of them as vocal as Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere. Cesare will send his henchmen to Savona to deal with Rovere. You must stop them while we send warning. | We called upon our courtesan allies to board a ship with Borgia's men. While the men were distracted, we sabotaged their supplies and ensured that they will not reach Savona before the cardinal can escape. Rather than kill them, we believe sending them back to report their failure will do more damage to our enemy. |
| MY ENEMY'S ENEMY | Constantinople, Ottoman Empire | Rodrigo is wary of any peace between Venice and the Ottoman Empire, though it draws near. We can be sure Borgia mercenaries will attempt to disrupt this treaty, so you must be on guard. It is critical that our involvement remains secret. Work within the shadows. Success means we solidify Borgia's enemies. | As expected, Rodrigo sent a small band of mercenaries to remove key players from the negotiations. We killed them before they could leave the port. With our careful manipulation, the sultan of Constantinople and the doge of Venice were able to reach an agreement. Free trade has resumed, but more importantly, we have weakened the Borgia. |
| PUPPET GOVERNMENT | Florence, Italy | Machiavelli's connections with Pier Soderini present us with an interesting opportunity. Florence will soon elect him gonfaloniere for life, granting him significant power and Machiavelli plans to be a constant whisper in his ear. Soderini's election has several vocal opponents among the Piagnoni. | We silenced the Piagnoni and Soderini's election went as planned. Though Machiavelli doubts Soderini's ability to lead, he is convinced he will be able to mold him to fit our needs. |
| AGE OF DISCOVERY | Ottoman Empire | As powerful nations launch their expeditions into uncharted seas and claim pieces of the New World, we must ensure that our Brotherhood expands to keep our enemy in check. An exceptional Ottoman cartographer, Piri Reis, has begun to compile detailed maps of these territories. Find his workshop and steal what you can. | The Ottoman Empire has developed stunning maps of the world, and while we do not doubt their accuracy, we are a bit overwhelmed by the necessity to act quickly; some of these maps track our common enemy to the new colonies. We must infiltrate these voyages and ensure that we are equally represented in the New World. |
| DIGGING GRAVES | Massa Marittima, Italy | Massa Marittima has long competed against the church over its invaluable alum mine and the church responded with the excommunication of the city's citizens. As Cesare bolsters his war effort, he sends his soldiers to claim the Massa Marittima mine. You will stand in their path. | Cesare's men have been slain. The citizens of Massa Marittima generously rewarded us with materials from their mine and we believe we will be able to negotiate a long term supply deal with them. |
| DOWN WITH THE SHIPS | Piombino, Italy | As Cesare expands his empire, he continues to displace nobles and claim their territory. We can make these conquests much less profitable to the Borgia. Iacopo Appiano, Lord of Piombino was ejected from his port city. He tells us that Cesare's men load their spoils on several merchant vessels, set for Roma. Sabotage them. | We reclaimed what we could from Piombino's ships and sank the rest. There is still much for the Borgia to plunder, but we have left them an awful mess in the port to hamper their progress. |
| ART APPRECIATION | Siena, Italy | Our Brotherhood uses cryptic means to record our history, but none quite as sophisticated as our artistic ventures. Pinturicchio already works with us, but will soon meet with his understudy, Raphael. We need you to attend that meeting. | Raphael hesitated when we presented our proposal. He believes his work will be mired by outside influence, but we assured him our messages are subtle and interpreted only through figures and their gestures. He has agreed to aid us at a future time, perhaps through tapestries. |
| SORE LOSER | Venice, Italy | A man hated by his own people, Pandolfo Malatesta was excommunicated by the church, stripped of his city, Rimini, and abandoned by his own subjects. You will make sure his spirit is not broken. We need to spread Cesare's army thin, creating as many distractions as we can. | Malatesta has earned his reputation. He is a murderer and a rapist. Nevertheless, we have convinced him to fight back against the Borgia. He will try to reclaim Rimini when he is able to muster the forces. Hopefully he will fall in battle. |
| CUTTING STRINGS | Cerignola, Italy | Louis d'Armagnac and the French army move to engage the Spanish at Cerignola. You will deliver a message to d'Armagnac before the battle begins. It is a forged letter from Cesare, vastly underestimating the Spanish forces and promising Italian reinforcements. The French will be slaughtered. | The battle ended as predicted. The French engaged the Spanish and d'Armagnac never received his reinforcements. He was cut down by enemy gunfire alongside his men. His courier will report the results to Louis XII, straining the Borgia alliance with France. |
| POINTING FINGERS | Cesena, Italy | One of Cesare's captains, Ramiro d'Orco, continues to butcher the citizens of Cesena. Fear prevents them from action. You must infiltrate the crowd and give them a voice. Turn them against the Borgia. | We had the crowd demanding blood and they received it. Ramiro d'Orco's body was cut in twain and displayed for his citizens. Though the Borgia seem to be avoiding blame for d'Orco's actions, we did cause them to murder one of their own tyrants. |
| LEVERAGE | Rome, Italy | One of Cesare's trusted friends keeps a dangerous secret from him. Duarte Brandao was once Sir Edward Brampton and called England his home, but fled from deadly politics. You will use this knowledge to bend his loyalty to us. Find out what he knows. | Fortunately Brandao fears Cesare as well as England. He will not risk either discovering his identity. He has provided us with battlefield reports and maps. Our scholars are reviewing them now. |
| BODY SWAP | Rome, Italy | Cesare enjoys a disgusting sport each month, lining up Borgia prisoners in a courtyard and ravaging them with his crossbow from the balcony above. You will intercept his escorted prisoners and free them. Cut the tongues from the guards, strip them, and send them into the courtyard. Leave the rest of the work to Cesare. | Cesare's guards screamed and wept while he laughed. He is an excellent shot and quickly slaughtered the entire group. He will not be amused when he discovers their identities. |
| PROMISE UNKEPT | Venice, Italy | With the death of Marco Barbarigo, we left Venice in the care of Agostino Barbarigo, who swore to avoid his brother's path of corruption and his link to the Borgia. He has failed. He secretly courts the Borgia and has become known for his greed, extortion and for selling justice. | We have poisoned Agostino in several small doses. He will soon appear to grow ill and eventually die. We will make sure his successor receives a warning about his allegiances. |
Kadir was a member of the Ottoman Artillery Corps with secret ties to the Quizilbash, a rebellious group of anti-Ottoman dissidents in the eastern reaches of the Empire.
A skilled and conceited man, he desired power and influence, and came to feel that mere military service was a task well beneath him. Ever in pursuit of power, he maintained close and constant contact with the Templars, selling them weapons and information in exchange for money and access to important people.
Have yet to check 'Locations'.
Thomas Jefferson was the principal writer of the Declaration of Independence, and went on to be the third president of the United States.
Jefferson was born in Virginia, the son of a wealthy plantation owner - which is the type of upbringing that gets you into all the right political circles. Now, normally the wealthy and powerful sided with the British during the Revolution, but Jefferson was college educated and widely-read, which may be why he became convinced that the Colonists had a point about the British screwing them over.
Jefferson wrote extensively about the British obligations to the Colonists - which he regarded as a kind of contract that the government was violating by imposing taxes. Incidentally I do mean he 'wrote' about it, because unlike some other revolutionary leaders, Jefferson wasn't a great speaker. That didn't stop him from making his mark, of course - in 1775 he was sent to the Continental Congress as a representative for Virginia, where he wrote most of the Declaration of Independence. Sweet gig for a writer.
Interestingly, Jefferson tried to include a paragraph in the Declaration that blamed King George for slavery in the colonies. The paragraph was voted out - and more than a little ironic, since Jefferson owned a plantation, complete with more than a hundred slaves. Publicly, however, he was an abolitionist. Which was lovely for him – and I'm sure the people he owned were very proud.
Jefferson went on to hold a number of political offices - he was the governor of Virginia in 1780-82, and then became the American Minister to France in 1784. When he returned to the United States he joined George Washington's cabinet as the first Secretary of State, where he fought for stronger states and a weaker federal government, in opposition to Alexander Hamilton. He was elected President in 1800.
Don't tell him any of that, though. You'll totally ruin the surprise.
Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was a General in the Continental Army, and the person credited with transforming the US army from a disorganized militia to a fighting force capable of defeating the British. Just look at the name. That’s a name you’d trust going into battle.
Von Steuben got his start in the army as a teenager in the Prussian army, rising to the rank of Captain before being discharged. He was introduced to Ben Franklin in 1777 while Franklin was travelling in Europe. Franklin knew the Continental Army needed training and Von Steuben was an excellent candidate. Franklin wasted no time writing a glowing letter of introduction to George Washington. Before the year was out, Von Steuben was in Valley Forge - bringing with him his pet greyhound, which he wouldn't leave behind. (Making him a rival for Charles Lee, though Von Steuben was probably better-groomed. I have no idea why there's a connection between military geniuses and dogs.)
When Von Steuben arrived, he started by training one "model company" of soldiers who would in their turn train others, and effective way of spreading the training through the ranks. He also wrote a manual outlining his training method – in German, later translated.
In fact, Von Steuben spoke very little English, but could curse quite thoroughly in French and German, which he did frequently (you always learn the rude words first, don’t you?). Unfortunately for him, the effect of his cursing somewhat lost on the troops, so to make the point, Von Steuben would call over his translator and order him to curse at the soldiers instead. I'm not sure if the translator had one of the best jobs in the army - or one of the worst.
I’m going with best.
Harrison was a noted clock-maker, originally from Yorkshire. He's best-known for solving the problem of tracking longitude on extended ship voyages. If that sounds somewhat dull, please remember in the 18th century this was a life-or-death problem. Though that doesn’t change the fact that it involves phrases like ‘tracking longitude’, and I’m sorry, but that’s still dull.
It was tricky finding a satellite signal for sat nav in those days, so knowing the east-west position of your ship during an ocean crossing was vitally important- and extremely tricky. You could navigate by the stars - but that only worked if the sky was clear and the water was calm. Alternately you could keep an accurate clock. Unfortunately, most clocks of the day couldn't keep time on a rocking ship - or withstand the damp conditions of a sea voyage.
In fact, the problem was so important that British parliament was offering £20,000 for a solution - a tidy sum. Harrison took up the challenge, and made 4 versions of his clock - the last was only 5 seconds off on a cross-ocean voyage to Jamaica. Even so. That made them 5 seconds late, and I hope they were fined.
Unfortunately when Harrison tried to claim the prize money, Parliament said his results were coincidence - maybe because they were hesitant to shell out the money, but possibly more because one of Harrison's competitors was serving as the Royal Astronomer, and didn't like being showed up. It took the intervention of the King himself before Harrison got his money. By then, he was 80 years old. Still. You can buy VERY fancy zimmers with twenty grand.
William Prescott was the Colonel in charge of the Continental Army troops sent to fortify Bunker Hill in 1775. He's often credited (and that’s a kind way of saying ‘blamed’) for the decision to fortify Breed's Hill instead - a military disaster.
Prescott had a reputation for being a passionate, brave fighter. He was one of the last to leave Bunker Hill when the rebels retreated – fighting British bayonets with his ceremonial sabre. He got several holes in his waistcoat from the adventure, which he loved to show his fellow soldiers, but which must really have annoyed his tailor.
Prescott is also somewhat famous for telling the troops "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes' – a warning to conserve ammunition until the enemy were close enough that the shots would hit. The saying is also attributed to Israel Putnam, and it's memorable enough that both men likely used it - I'll let other historians get into fistfights over who said it first.
Prescott went on to fight in New York City in 1776, and then returned home to Massachusetts. He fought again in the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, but apart from that he retired from army life. I'd wager he showed off those bayonet holes until the day he died, though.
Robert Newman was the sexton of Christ Church (known today as the Old North Church), and a personal friend of Paul Revere’s. It was Newman who hung the lanterns from church steeple to warn riders in Charlestown that the British were marching on Lexington and Concord. Two lanterns – indicating that the British were travelling by sea.
(And because it's a pet peeve of mine - you may have heard that Newman put up the lanterns to warn Revere about the British approach - it's one of those historical details everyone seems to get wrong. Revere already knew about the raid, and in fact had been the one to pass the knowledge on the Newman. The lanterns were meant as a warning to lookouts in Charlestown - a backup in case Revere was caught before he managed to leave town. Please learn this so you can impress girls on first dates, as I do, though they often seem so overwhelmed by it they rarely call again. That’s the power of knowledge, and it’s dangerous.)
Newman had some difficulty with his clandestine plan, though. His family home was serving as a boarding house, and several British officers were staying there. Newman managed to elude them by saying he was tired, going to bed, and escaping out a side window, like something out of a cartoon. His friend, John Pulling, helped him get the lanterns to the top of the tower while a third man guarded the church door.
Newman was later questioned about his actions that night – possibly because a twenty-something announcing he's going to bed early is inherently suspicious – but he talked his way out of arrest, and fled Boston.
When Newman returned to the city, he went back to his old job as church sexton. There’s evidence he took money to show tourists around the church crypt – including displaying the body of John Pitcairn. Which might have something to do with Newman being replaced by a new sexton in 1788.
The son of a Boston rope worker, Harold Ring got his start as a young man, fighting on the city's docks. How magical. By the age of 19 he was earning money boxing for a local club - though at the time boxing was still technically illegal, what with it essentially just being two men hitting each other about the face and neck. By the age of 25 he was considered one of the best boxers in the colonies - certainly the best in Boston, an unofficial title he would hold until he was in his late 30s.
In 1745, inspired the publication of Jack Broughton's first rules for Boxing as a sport – what a masterstroke to have rules; boxers really are great thinkers - Ring founded the Boston Brawlers - the first legal club of its kind in the area. He was dedicated to making the sport safer for fighters (as safe as it can be when your job is to beat the stuffing out of someone, at any rate.) The Brawlers were a great success, and the organization operated in and around the dockyards for decades before moving to a new location in Beacon Hill at the turn of the 19th century.
Do you know how many one-legged sailors in history have gone by the nickname of "Peg Leg"? Here's a hint - it's more than one. This guy wasn't easy to find. But for you - I make an extra effort.
Peg Leg started out as George Chilton, originally of the Massachusetts Bay colony. He signed onto a merchant vessel as a young teen, working mainly as a deckhand. By the time he was in his early 20s, he'd travelled the world several times over - probably logging more miles than your average jetsetter does today. (Too bad there were no 'frequent sailor miles' - he could've earned some free trips or some leatherette luggage tags.)
In 1732, Chilton was sailing on board the "Rachel" when the ship ran into trouble. It was due to arrive in Boston in June, but after it had been missing for 2 months, Chilton was found drifting on a lifeboat miles from shore, suffering from dehydration, and watched over by a single seagull. The Rachel itself was never found. To this day, he tells people they’re just “on a break”.
Chilton claimed to have no knowledge of what happened to the ship or its crew - but he considered the seagull a personal friend and kept it with him from then onward, despite the hygiene issue it obviously presented, and the fact that walking around chatting with a seagull made him look completely insane.
For a time he had trouble signing on to crews - not only because of his pet, but because he was considered "bad luck", and possibly responsible for murdering an entire crew. For several years he took work as he could find it, until the whole affair blew over. The ship disappearing affair, I mean – I’m not saying he had an affair with that seagull.
By 1740, Chilton was travelling the world regularly, but his leg was smashed by a cannonball in a run-in with a privateer vessel in 1747. After that he walked with a crutch - and later a wooden leg, hence his nickname.
While his claims of having met William Kidd are obviously false (Kidd was hanged in 1701), he's definitely sailed with some of Kidd's former crew - most notably Hendrick van der Huel, who captained the Octavius when Peg Leg served on it in the late 1750s.
Simon Girty was a hunter and trader in the Ohio Valley, who worked for the British during the American Revolution.
Girty was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at a time when it was contested territory between the European Colonists and the local Indigenous nations. When Girty was in his early teens, his family was captured by a Seneca war party, so Girty spent several years as an adoptee, learning the Seneca language (and probably several other languages as well). Those skills would come in handy - Girty eventually became an interpreter, most famously between the Iroquois and the British during the later years of the American Revolution.
I don't mean 'famously' in a good way, by the way. Girty had a reputation as a heavy drinker, with a volatile temper and boorish manners. During one of his raids on the Continental Army, some of the Delaware in the party tortured a Patriot colonel to death. Depending on which account you believe, Girty either pleaded for the colonel's life - or encouraged his torturers and taunted him as he died.
Of course, since Girty was on the losing side of the war and not a particularly sympathetic figure, most history books take the dimmer view of his actions.
BEHAVIOR: Elk are skittish and good at detecting threats. Unlike male elk, female elk will not charge at a threat.
WEAKNESS: Bait, poison darts
HUNTING TIPS: Remain undetected by hiding in the trees or place bait, then hide, and perform an assassination when the Elk is close enough. You can also use a poison dart to slow the Elk and kill it.
PARTS USED: Many, including pelt, heart.
These are some of the most sought-after technological remnants from the ever-mysterious First Civilization. The apples were originally created by our friendly First Civ masters in order to control the huddled masses - that is, humanity. These artifacts can control minds and create illusions that pretty much everyone is susceptible to. They're also repositories of First Civilization knowledge - meaning if you know how to access them, you can use the Apples to develop incredibly advanced technology.
Naturally, the raw power of the apples have made them a target of ambitious and unscrupulous types for centuries, and have been used by leaders throughout history to influence the course of important events. The Assassin mentor Al Mualim had one in Masyaf in the 12th century - but he succumbed to its power and began to use it for control, rather than research. (Turns out that old saying about absolute power corrupting absolutely is true).
It eventually passed into the hands of Al Mualim’s star pupil, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, a Levantine Assassin who unlocked its true power and purpose, then had the good sense to lock it away in a vault, far from greedy hands. But nothing this valuable stays put for long, and in the final years of the 16th century Templars working for Queen Elizabeth of England sent out an envoy to find and recover it.
This apple – Apple number two, to be precise - ultimately made its way into Abstergo’s hands in the 20th century, and was the lynchpin of their current plan to subdue and suppress all free thought and action in the world … until they blew the damn thing up in a pretty dodgy experiment. Since that time we learned of the existence of at least five more apples, the sixth of which once belonged to the Italian assassin Ezio Auditore, and which you, Desmond, were kind enough to recover for us. So thanks for that. (and you might wish to make a note of the date – my thanks are few and far between…)
This sixth apple has an equally storied history, and first came to attention of modern Templars after the Ottoman Mehmet II used it to compel the besieged Byzantines to open the gates of Constantinople and let their enemies walk right in. A few decades on, Mehmet’s grandson, Cem – a young man with loose Templar allegiances – stole the apple and hid it in an abandoned Templar archive on Cyprus, hoping to use it as a bargaining chip in his dealings with the powerful Rodrigo Borgia. But this parlay ended badly for the wayward Ottoman prince. He was captured by the Hospitallers on Rhodes and tortured until he revealed the apple’s location. In 1486 Rodrigo sent a group of Templars to locate the apple and deliver it to him.
But on the eve of this apple’s arrival in Venice in 1488, Ezio and his Assassins intercepted it and claimed it as their own. Over the next two decades the sixth apple changed hands a few times, falling into the clutches of both Girolamo Savonarola and Cesare Borgia, before finding its penultimate resting-place in a vault below Santa Maria in Aracoeli. I say penultimate because it's in our hands, and I’ll be damned if I know where it’s going to end up after the mess we’re in now.
Whatever happens, I have to give our ancient ancestors their due. It is incredible to consider that, millennia after the First Civ has been wiped from the earth, the apples are still working perfectly – a fact that is nothing short of amazing, given that I need to replace my mobile phone every other year, and that bloody fridge is still on the blink.
A swamp-dwelling bon-vivant, Roussillon was so lazy he hired women to fight his battles for him. An alleged family man with a love of drink and fast women--which may be more legend than reality--, Roussillon was rather loud for a smuggler. Evidence suggests that he would have gone out of business, had it not been for his partner, Élise Lafleur.
Combative and proud, Élise Lafleur was a straight-shooter and true friend to anyone who dared to stick around. Not easily intimidated, she did not suffer fools or liars. Her work with the people of San Danje betrayed a kind heart, while her success with Roussillon’s business revealed a keen mind.
Baptiste was born to slavery in Saint-Domingue, in the 1720s. (Official records unavailable). A childhood playmate of new arrivals Jeanne and Agaté, he fell under the spell of revolutionary leader François Mackandal and joined “his” Brotherhood in the early 1730s.
Later that decade, he fled the plantation with Agaté and Mackandal, in response to some threat, real or imagined.
Baptiste was born to slavery in Saint-Domingue, in the 1720s. (Official records unavailable.) A childhood playmate of new arrivals Jeanne and Agaté, he fell under the spell of revolutionary leader François Mackandal and joined “his” Brotherhood in the early 1730s.
Later that decade, he fled the plantation with Agaté and Mackandal, in response to A VERY REAL threat FROM THE TEMPLAR ORDER.
After losing his mentor, WHO WAS SENTENCED TO DEATH BY FIRE in 1758 FOR LEADING AN UPRISING AGAINST WHITE SLAVE OWNERS IN SAINT-DOMINGUE, and then his friend Agaté, WHO LEFT IN SEARCH OF JEANNE, he left the Brotherhood, DISILLUSIONED, and JOINED THE TEMPLAR ORDER, CONVINCED THAT THEIR METHODS WERE MORE ALIGNED WITH HIS ambitions.
BAPTISTE ASSUMED THE IDENTITY OF HIS MENTOR, GOING SO FAR AS TO AMPUTATE HIS OWN ARM TO COMPLETE THE ILLUSION. DISGUISED AS MACkandAL, HE RECRUITED A STRONG FOLLOWING OF DISGRUNTLED ACOLYTES, TRAINED THEM IN THE STYLE OF MAROON WARRIORS, and FOLLOWED AGATÉ TO NEW ORLEANS, WHERE HE SOUGHT TO EXPOSE and ERADICATE THE BROTHERHOOD, and TRANSFER LOCAL POWER TO THE handS OF THE TEMPLARS, FIRST BY CONTROLLING TRADE ON THE RIVER, UNDER THE MASK OF SPANISH INFLUENCE, and THEN BY POISONING THE RULING CLASS OF NEW ORLEANS.
HIS PLANS WERE INTERRUPTED BY AVELINE DE GRANDPRÉ, BY WHOSE Hand HE DIED. SOME OF HIS FOLLOWERS REMAINED IN THE SWAMP, A VIOLENT and UNPREDICTABLE ELEMENT.
Born: 1713
Died: ????
Jennifer "Jenny" Scott Kenway was the first and only child of Caroline Scott and Edward Kenway. Born in Bristol, after Edward Kenway's departure to the West Indies, she was raised by her mother and her mother's parents.
Despite being the issue of a legitimate marriage, Jenny's grandfather, Emmett, treated her with disdain and contempt, owing to his hatred of her father Edward Kenway. Thankfully her grandmother -- Caroline's mother, Elizabeth -- was ever a source of strength, and she brought much joy to a life otherwise marked by idleness and boredom.
Around 1719 or 1720, fate took a turn for the worse as Caroline fell gravely ill. Emmett, believing his daughter's malady a mere "complaint of the nerves," ignored the seriousness of his daughter's situation until it was too late. Caroline died before Jenny was seven.
Shortly after, a letter arrived at the Scott household addressed to Caroline. It was from Edward Kenway, Caroline's estranged husband and Jenny's father. Eager to rid his household of the girl he had always found to be a burden, Emmett Scott made arrangements to send his granddaughter to live with Edward in the West Indies, hardly caring if Edward's claim to have made a small but reasonable fortune there were true.
In late August of 1722, Jenny boarded a ship bound for the West to meet her father for the first time...
Originally a hunting lodge built for Louis XIII, the Palace of Versailles was expanded into one of the largest palaces in the world, and the seat of the French monarchy, under the reign of his successor, Louis XIV. The royal family abandoned the palace for the Tuileries in Paris at the outset of the French Revolution. After the King's arrest, Versailles, along with all royal possessions, was confiscated and sealed. The furnishings were sold at auction in 1793, and in 1794 it was turned into a museum. Despite the various restorations, empires, and revolutions that followed, Versailles would never again be a center of political power.
(I went here on a school trip once. Yawnsville. I’d much rather visit it through an Animus! –V.)
The Davenport Homestead was a collection of buildings that served as the headquarters for the Colonial Assassin Brotherhood. Achilles built a manor for his family and a barracks for Assassins to rest in in between their missions throughout the colonies. The homestead also included a natural port for supplies and visiting ships.
Achilles used the terrain as a natural obstacle course and training ground, where his Assassins could hone the skills needed to promote freedom throughout the colonies.
(It doesn’t feel like a nice “home” does it? Feels more like boot camp for hooded weirdoes. –V.)
In 1782, French writer Louis-Sebastien Mercier described Paris as follows: "Paris is too large, seen politically; it is an outsized head for the body of the state. But today, it would be too dangerous to remove the tumor rather than to let it subsist. There are diseases that, once they take root, are indestructible".
At the time of the French Revolution, Paris, with its 600,000 inhabitants, was no longer the largest city in Europe. London, with nearly one million inhabitants, had already surpassed it. *
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* It would be unbecoming of me to boast at this point.
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At the time, Paris was comprised of three main districts, each with its own specific historical characteristics. While the terms "rive gauche" (left bank) and "rive droite" (right bank) were increasingly commonplace by the end of the 18th century, "Université", "Cité", and "Ville" were still the names most commonly used.
The Cité was the center of monarchic and religious power. It was home to the Bishop, the Parliament and the Senate. Underpinned by religious tradition, the seat of royal power was appropriately located beside Nôtre-Dame-de-Paris.
Further south on the left bank was the district known as the Université, or Latin quarter, since the language taught there was Latin. Up to 30,000 students could be found there in any one year.
To the north, on the right bank, was the Ville, the merchant city and home to the Hôtel de Ville (city hall), in other words, the municipal authority personified by the Prévôt des marchands (provost of the merchants) and the aldermen.
One thing that can be said for this bridge is that it has never changed names in 2,000 years despite the various floods and fires that would ravage and occasionally destroy it. The bridge has always been heavily used since it was the outlet to the Roman roads leading to Orléans and Lyon. It was also the obligatory passageway for students who attended the schools on the left bank hill of the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève.
This munitions store took up an entire neighborhood between the right bank of the River Seine and the present-day boulevard Morland, extending almost all the way to the Bastille. Its entry was at the corner of rue du Petit-Musc and the embankment.
The only remaining part of this vast complex is the library, established by the marquis de Paulmy, minister of war, who left some 100,000 volumes and 10,000 manuscripts. This collection was supplemented by works seized from the archives of the Bastille and from the abbeys of Paris. The library today holds approximately one million volumes, and 250,000 documents. *
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* Impressive. Until you remember you’ve got the whole Internet on your phone.
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The library was a place of study for such noteworthy names as Lamartine, Hugo, Dumas, Vigny, Musset and the Parnassien poets. **
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** Given they’re talking about a library, you’d think they’d have at least put those names in alphabetical order.
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The Petit Arsenal was a complex of buildings built around the Cour du Salpêtre and the Cour de l'Orme, overlooking the Bastille. *
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* “Wonderful, enigmatic views of the prison,” the estate agents would have said. Never trust a French estate agent. They invented the word “bijou”.
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A public promenade lined with elm trees connected the Grand Arsenal and the Petit Arsenal, a stone's throw from the Bastille along the canal Saint-Martin.
When news of Necker's dismissal reached Paris on July 12, a certain 29 year-old lawyer, Camille Desmoulins, leapt atop a table in the Palais Royal, brandished a pistol and urged the volatile crowd to take arms (two days later the Bastille was stormed). Desmoulins, an ardent member of the political Cordeliers Club, founded and authored the newspaper “Le Vieux Cordelier.” A friend and political ally of Danton, Desmoulins’ writings were highly influential but his politics, always highly republican, began to look conservative as the Revolution radicalized. Eventually, his childhood friend Robespierre helped to condemn Desmoulins and Danton to the guillotine.
Date of Birth: 1841 (exact date unknown).
Edward Hodson Bayley was not a great mover and shaker like Brunel or Starrick or any of the other transportation figures we associate with the Victorian era. What little we know about him comes from various logs, records, and transcripts. He was the son of a reverend and was educated in England, France, and Germany before settling in in Southwark. He established his carriage building business, E.H. Bayley & Co., and married an American named Josephine Simon. They had three children together.
According to records, Bayley patented a cart designed to distribute water or liquid manure in 1866. Imagine the sight of liquid manure as you enjoy your next cup of coffee.
In his later years, Bayley became involved in the Liberal Party and served on the boards of directors for multiple transportation companies, including the West Metropolitan Tramways Company and the London Road Car Company. No records show him working with the London General Omnibus Company, though. Odd.
Bayley was elected to the House of Commons in 1892 and lost his seat three years later. He had a quiet, peaceful retirement and died in his sleep at the age of 96, which is what we Brits call "a good innings."
One of the great political feuds of all time, right up there with Antony/Augustus, Medici/Pazzi, and Louis XVI/angry mob, the Disraeli/Gladstone rivalry got its start in 1846, when they found themselves on opposite sides of a repeal of the Corn Laws. Riveting stuff, I know. And as much as it would thrill me to no end to delve into the intricate minutiae of the moral, ethical, and political reasons these two hated each other on sight, let's be honest, you’d never read it.
(It's amazing you're even reading this. –RC)
So here, instead, is a selection of quotations in which old, dead English politicians insult each other. You're welcome.
"Posterity will do justice to that unprincipalled maniac Gladstone—extraordinary mixture of envy, vindictiveness, hypocrisy and superstition; and with one commanding characteristic—whether Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition, whether preaching, praying, speechifying or scribbling—never a gentleman." –Benjamin Disraeli
"The Tory party had principles by which it would and did stand for bad and for good. All this Dizzy destroyed." –William Gladstone
"If Gladstone fell into the Thames, that would be a misfortune; and if anybody pulled him out, that I suppose would be a calamity." –Benjamin Disraeli
"As he lived, so he died—all display, without reality or genuineness." –William Gladstone
"A sophistical rhetorician inebriated with the exuberance of his own verbosity." –Benjamin Disraeli
But the judges must award the final point to Mr. Disraeli, for when he learned that the Liberals referred to Gladstone as the G.O.M. (short for "Grand Old Man"), he remarked that it should rather stand for "God’s Only Mistake." From such a burn there is no recovery. And besides, the Queen liked Disraeli best.
Ah, I do love British politics.
Date of Birth: 10 March 1693.
Edward James Kenway was born in Swansea, Wales, to Bernard and Linette Kenway. The life of rural sheep farmers did not agree with young Edward, who developed a troublemaking streak very early on in life.
A brash teenage Edward met Caroline Scott, and despite her family’s objections (the Scotts were fairly well-to-do, and Edward still smelled of sheep), the two were quickly married. Their marriage strained under Edward’s inability to find steady work.
A desperate Edward sought to acquire riches and fame by enlisting as a privateer in the West Indies for the Royal Navy. However, the end to the War of the Spanish Succession stopped that plan in its tracks, and Edward was (rather easily) seduced into a life of piracy, rubbing shoulders with legends like Blackbeard, no less.
Edward killed and stole the identity of Duncan Walpole, an Assassin who was on his way to join the Templars, thinking it would be a great way to get rich quick. All it got him was a front row seat to an existential crisis, as Edward struggled between his desire for riches—manifested in a search for a Precursor site known as the Observatory—and a growing sense of duty and responsibility as he spent time among the Assassins in the West Indies.
After hitting rock bottom and the loss of several close friends, Edward committed himself to the Assassin cause, and helped them eliminate the Templars and secure the Observatory. After a decade abroad, Edward was ready to return home, and discovered that Caroline had died in his absence, leaving him with a daughter, Jennifer. That's why couples need to talk more. Edward and his daughter returned to England. He acquired property in London and married Tessa Stephenson-Oakley, with whom he fathered a son named Haytham.
Although the physically crushing life of a pirate caught up to him in his later years, Edward remained immersed in Assassin affairs. His natural charisma and experience in the West Indies helped him secure contacts in both high society and the London underworld. Inspired by his discovery of the Observatory, Edward and an Assassin known only as Miko continued researching the First Civilization.
In 1735, Edward was killed by mercenaries in the employ of Templar Grand Master Reginald Birch, who had spent several years worming his way into he Assassin’s life by acting as his property manager. Some consider this to be a rather ignoble end to a rather remarkable man, but it just goes to show you that not everyone who lives a hero’s life gets a hero’s death.
God, I sound wise sometimes.
18 August 1870. At 3:40 AM an unidentified woman whom Jacob Frye sometimes visited to procure information about local gangs, was brutally murdered in her Whitechapel lodgings.
Her young son Jack was awakened by his mother’s screams as three men burst into their shared room and proceeded to stab her to death before the eyes of her ten year old son.
After the murderers unceremoniously dumped the woman’s body in the Thames River, they dragged Jack, covered in his mother’s blood and babbling incoherently about ‘pigs’ and ‘templars’, to Lambeth Asylum, where he was interned in the wing for the violent criminals. Doctor Archer and Nurse Whitney signed the admission papers.
Jack is said to have cried inconsolably and screamed aloud for a certain ‘Jacob’ over and over for days, until he was gagged and silenced.
Nearly a year later, Jack appears to have escaped from the asylum with outside assistance and vanished from official records.
In 1870, a wing of Lambeth Asylum was converted for use as a maximum security psychiatric ward for the violent criminals.
The treatments as the Rotary Chair, solitary confinement and even the Electric Chair were common practices in the gaol wing of Lambeth (G Wing). The Electric Chair worked in some cases where the prisoner was suffering from depression. The Rotary Chair was presented as more of an experimental treatment as it had no scientific evidence behind the reasoning. Many of these practices only furthered along the violence of the inmates.
G Wing was not the sort of place anyone in their right mind would care to be locked up in the Victorian era. If they weren’t violent to begin with, there is little doubt that they would be scarred for life within a few months of living among the other outrageous inmate of Lambeth…
Born: 9 November 1847.
Evie is valued among the Assassins for her thoughtful planning, her ability to solve problems, and her ability to see the human side of any equation.
In 1868, Evie and Jacob successfully wrested London away from the Templars under the command of Crawford Starrick.
Jacob remained in the city to maintain control over the gangs, and reinforce the London Assassins with new initiates gathered from among the many orphans and child labourers.
Evie chose to follow Henry Green to continue her research into the Pieces of Eden, and joined the Indian Assassins.
She became fascinated with Indian culture and was particularly intrigued by the symbolism of the Goddess Kali. She learned the use of Karas, which were elegant metal bracelets used like brass-knuckles to powerful effect in hand-to-hand combat.
She also developed tools to use her enemies’ fear against them; manipulating without killing. Bombs containing hallucinogenic substances served to frighten targets, causing the Assassins’ enemies to believe they faced demons.
Around 1870 Jacob joined Evie in India with a few of his young initiates to train with the Indian Assassins for a brief period.
In 1888 she received a letter from Jacob which summoned her back to London. The missive spoke about his troubles with a rogue Assassin who was escaping his control and rallying London gangs to his side.
When Evie arrived, London was cowering in the shadow of Jack the Ripper’s Terror.
She embarked on the most dangerous and difficult investigation of her life…
Left Val-de-Travers on the early train for Paris this morning, and thence on to Le Havre to take ship for England (avoiding London, naturally, as we dare not let the Templars catch wind of our scheme). The train was hot and crowded, but our spirits remain high. Alice remains convinced that the Romano-British shrine to Sulis Minerva at Bath is built over a Precursor site, and that fabulous treasures await us; enough to secure a Mastership for all three of us. Lavinia is, I think, thrilled to have a bodyguarding assignment that is not ceremonial.
For it is into the lion’s den we go, and no mistake. Even outside the capital, the south of England is a Templar redoubt. Our wits must be as sharp as our blades, and we may yet all come to ruin. But the reward is worth the risk, of this I am certain. When we return, our names will be reckoned alongside the likes of the Auditores of Florence.
Michael Reuge
Paris
12 July 1844
We have had a most promising beginning. Upon arrival at Bath, we met with one John Philips, a geologist of no small repute. In his youth, he assisted his uncle, the equally-venerable William Smith, in an excavation of the Roman baths to restore the hot springs. While the official records claim that the spring had merely diverted into a new channel, Mr. Philips told us a most wondrous tale of a strange vault, all aglow as if with gas lamps, yet far older than even the shrine to Sulis Minerva above. Within he described a great vault that no drill could mar, and inside a garment or armour of ancient make. I am certain that this must be the Aegis Minerva, of which our forebears as far back as Marcus Junius Brutus have written.
I have engaged Mr. Philips to show us the way to the vault, which his uncle sealed up many years ago to prevent its discovery. He was at first reluctant to share what he deemed his uncle’s legacy, but I believe he was persuaded by Alice’s rather infectious enthusiasm for the enterprise.
Michael Reuge
Bath
15 July 1844
Success! Success beyond our wildest hopes! As we’d suspected, Alice confirmed that the Williams-Philips find is a Precursor trove. We are still cataloguing the complete contents, but thus far the key finds are as follows:
– A large vault containing garments in the style of Those Who Came Before. True to Mr. Philips’s word, the sarcophagus has resisted all attempts to force it open. Even the carefully controlled application of dynamite had no effect.
– 32 circular metal plates, etched with runes that defy translation and punched with numerous holes. These resemble nothing so much as the plates inside the oldest clockwork music boxes, which produce by means of a striker the melodies that so enchant their owners.
Based on a preliminary examination, Alice believes the plates serve as some sort of key to opening the Vault, though by what principle none of us can guess. We have researched extensively, but I fear Bath has not the library nor the industry to further our studies. Alice suggests that we take the Vault to London, where we might find more information in the annals of the British Museum. Lavinia is of course against it, and I confess I am not entirely sanguine about it either. But think of the acclaim if we should succeed!
Michael Reuge
Bath
18 July 1844
Over Lavinia’s objections (and, if I am honest, no few of my own), we have come to London. Lavinia hired a sturdy oxcart to haul the Vault, and we have set up shop in an underground chamber once meant to be a bank vault before the bank lost its funding. I hope we will be secure here, but already I feel the all-seeing eye of the enemy wherever I go. Alice assures us that even the Templars cannot hope to find three Assassins in a city of over two million.
I grow concerned for her, though I would not say so to her face. Alice has scarcely slept or eaten since we discovered the Vault, so consumed is she by her schemes. She is a genius with clockwork, of that there can be no doubt, but the complexity of the Vault’s machinery defies her still. Of late she has taken to scouring London’s pawn shops and curio dealers for antique music boxes, which she tears apart and refits with the plates we found in Bath. I will admit that the sounds they produce are like unto music, and when certain of them are played in a particular order they do seem to build to a common theme, but the full sequence remains elusive. Lavinia tells me that she has caught Alice singing some bit of doggerel about lunatics from Bedlam when she thought no one was listening.
Michael Reuge
London
24 July 1844
Lavinia tells me that the Templars are closing in—apparently they can find three Assassins in a city of over two million if those Assassins are asking the wrong sort of questions. We must make all haste back to the Continent, but that perforce means abandoning the Vault, and Alice will not have it. Lavinia has tried to reason with her, but Alice insists she is close to the answer. The music boxes play nonstop now. I do not know what to do.
Michael Reuge
London
30 July 1844
Addendum: Nearly captured today. The Templars know we are here, and they are hunting us in force. We must take ship now, or by dawn at the latest, but Alice assures me she needs only a few more pieces to make sense of the whole. I tried to reason with her, but she grew angry and stormed out. Lavinia has gone after her in hopes of bringing her around. A fine leader I’ve turned out to be. For my part I’ve nothing to contribute, save to pack these damnable music boxes and make them ready for shipment. We cannot take the Vault with us, but at least we may deprive the Templars of the plates.
Michael Reuge
London
30 July 1844
Lavinia is dead.
She returned in the hours before dawn, badly injured, with a tale it breaks my heart to relate. Alice has betrayed us, sold us to the Templars for the hollow promise of safety to continue her studies of the Vault. Before she died, Lavinia warned me that the Templars were coming in force. They will be here by dawn. The ports and the rail stations are all being watched—there is no escape from London for me. I write these words only in the feeble hope that some future Assassin will find them and understand what I have done.
I now thank Providence that I packed the music boxes away for easy transport. I will hide them as I can, throughout the city. Scattered, they will be as safe as I can make them. If by some miracle I survive the day, I will find my once-Sister and do justice upon her. It is not the legacy I desired, but it is the only one open to me.
We work in the dark to serve the light.
Michael Reuge
London
31 July 1844
The music is all I hear now. Day and night, waking and sleeping, it clings to me like Marley’s chains, an incessant reminder of my sins. We sought the wisdom of Minerva, but in Her temple we found only the rot within ourselves. Hubris was our undoing, my sister or brother, and if you do not turn back it will be yours as well.
The Vault is safe. The keys are scattered across London, and even I no longer recall where they are hidden. They tried to break me, you see. They tortured me with devices both earthly and otherworldly, cast me howling into Lambeth, beat me, starved me. They even brought in that mesmeric devil Elliotson, but I would not yield the secret. I was not a traitor, no—not like her. I remember my vows. I remember the Creed.
To you that have found this meagre scrap, I offer no congratulations, only condolence. The quest for the Aegis has shattered me, and claimed the lives of those I loved best. Turn back, I urge you. But if you will not, listen for the music. Find the music boxes, find the keys, and perhaps you will do what I could not and recover the treasure of Sulis Minerva.
I leave you, reader, with the words of another poor madman, born long before I and yet suffering under the same curse. Perhaps you will heed their warning and forget that e’er you saw this place, but I fear that, as I did, you will follow the verse’s path to ruin.
From the hag and hungry goblin
That into rags would rend ye,
All the sprites that stand by the naked man
In the book of moons, defend ye.
God be with you. We work in the dark to serve the light.
Michael Reuge
London
14 May 1845
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