Cyprus: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Zw-codex-15.png|thumb|The image of Codex Page 15 showing the map of Cyprus and the drawing in the corner.]] | [[File:Zw-codex-15.png|thumb|The image of Codex Page 15 showing the map of Cyprus and the drawing in the corner.]] | ||
'''Cyprus''' is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Originally a Templar stronghold, the island became a battleground between the [[Assassins]] and the [[Templars]] in the late 12th century. The [[Templar Archive]] was located on the island in the city of [[Limassol]] until its relocation in 1191. Cyprus was also the location of | '''Cyprus''' is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Originally a Templar stronghold, the island became a battleground between the [[Assassins]] and the [[Templars]] in the late 12th century. The [[Templar Archive]] was located on the island in the city of [[Limassol]] until its relocation in 1191. Cyprus was also the location of an [[Sixth Apple|Apple of Eden]] from the early 13th century until 1488, when it was recovered by the [[Templars]] and transferred to [[Italy]]. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
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Altaïr continued his search for the Archive, in the process of which he prevented the execution of several resistance members and assassinated key Templars in Kyrenia, including [[Moloch]] and his sons [[Shalim]] and [[Shahar]]. As a result, the Templars soon fled Kyrenia for the safety of Limassol, liberating the city.<ref name=Bloodlines/> | Altaïr continued his search for the Archive, in the process of which he prevented the execution of several resistance members and assassinated key Templars in Kyrenia, including [[Moloch]] and his sons [[Shalim]] and [[Shahar]]. As a result, the Templars soon fled Kyrenia for the safety of Limassol, liberating the city.<ref name=Bloodlines/> | ||
Following the Templars back to Limassol, Altaïr learned that the Templars had begun an even harsher crackdown in the city, arresting people at will in hopes of weakening the Resistance. In addition, the Templars began a propaganda campaign against Altaïr, accusing him of treason against the resistance. While Altaïr put a halt to the Templar's repression by assassinating several Templar captains, he later found himself surrounded by a mob of civilians accusing him of treason. He was forced to use the | Following the Templars back to Limassol, Altaïr learned that the Templars had begun an even harsher crackdown in the city, arresting people at will in hopes of weakening the Resistance. In addition, the Templars began a propaganda campaign against Altaïr, accusing him of treason against the resistance. While Altaïr put a halt to the Templar's repression by assassinating several Templar captains, he later found himself surrounded by a mob of civilians accusing him of treason. He was forced to use the Apple of Eden in his possession to convince the crowd of his innocence and rally them against Bouchart and the Templars.<ref name=Bloodlines/> | ||
With the help of ex-Templar [[Maria Thorpe]], Altaïr infiltrated the Templar Archive underneath Limassol Castle, only to find that the Archive had been moved during his time in Kyrenia. He killed Bouchart before escaping the collapsing Archive.<ref name=Bloodlines/> Altaïr later wrote in his [[Codex]] that Cyprus eventually came under control of the Assassins.<ref name=AC2>''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref> In 1193, he and Maria held their wedding on the island in Limassol.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''</ref> | With the help of ex-Templar [[Maria Thorpe]], Altaïr infiltrated the Templar Archive underneath Limassol Castle, only to find that the contents of the Archive had been moved during his time in Kyrenia. He killed Bouchart before escaping the collapsing Archive.<ref name=Bloodlines/> Altaïr later wrote in his [[Codex]] that Cyprus eventually came under control of the Assassins.<ref name=AC2>''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref> In 1193, he and Maria held their wedding on the island in Limassol.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''</ref> | ||
===Hiding place of the Apple=== | ===Hiding place of the Apple=== | ||
At some later point, Altaïr sealed | At some later point, Altaïr sealed his [[Sixth Apple|Apple of Eden]] in a well-hidden treasury on Cyprus, where it remained hidden from both the Assassins and the Templars for several centuries.<ref name=AC2/> By 1486, the Grand Master of the Templars [[Rodrigo Borgia]] discovered the location of the Apple and dispatched a fleet of ships to Cyprus to recover it. After two years, the fleet located the Apple and removed it from Cyprus, taking it back to [[Venice]].<ref name=AC2/> | ||
==Cities== | ==Cities== | ||
Revision as of 21:49, 10 July 2011
Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Originally a Templar stronghold, the island became a battleground between the Assassins and the Templars in the late 12th century. The Templar Archive was located on the island in the city of Limassol until its relocation in 1191. Cyprus was also the location of an Apple of Eden from the early 13th century until 1488, when it was recovered by the Templars and transferred to Italy.
History
Templar conquest
Formerly ruled by the Greeks and the Roman Empire, the island was controlled by the Byzantine Empire from 395 until 1191. The Templars also operated in secret on Cyprus for nearly a decade prior to 1191, establishing a hidden Templar Archive underneath Limassol Castle with the help of Isaac Comnenus, a Templar and the ruler of Cyprus. At the height of the Third Crusade in 1191, Comnenus angered Richard I, leading Richard to overthrow Comnenus and seize control of Cyprus. While Richard initially used Cyprus in his war against the Saracens, the Templars convinced him a few months later to sell the island back their Order, as they worried that his forces would discover their Archive.[1]
Headquartering themselves in Limassol Castle, the Templars began taking an unusually active role in governing the island, imposing harsh and arbitrary new laws to subdue the restless population. Residents began staying within their homes for fear of suffering abuse at the hands of the Templars, leaving the streets of Limassol and Kyrenia devoid of all but Templar patrols and a few civilians. At the same time, the Templars attempted to win over the population through charitable donations and the building of churches. As the citizens of Cyprus became more restless of Templar brutality against them, a Resistance against Templar rule began to take shape.[1]
After the assassination of Grand Master of the Templar Order Robert de Sable by the Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Armand Bouchart became the new Grand Master and ordered a retreat of the Templars in Israel to Cyprus. Altaïr, now serving as the Assassin Order's Grand Master, pursued them to Limassol.[1]
Resistance and liberation
- Main article: Hunt on Cyprus
Arriving in Limassol, Altaïr heard rumors of a Templar Archive on Cyprus, which he believed might contain knowledge and artifacts as powerful as the Apple. He began to track down the Archive, while at the same time helping the fledgling local Resistance. His assassination of Fredrick the Red, the head of the Templar guard in Limassol, lead Bouchart to give all Templar soldiers immunity from any crime committed while attempting to discover Fredrick's murderer. However, fearing for his life after learning of Altaïr's presence on the island, Bouchart retreated to Kyrenia, with Altaïr in pursuit.[1]
Upon arriving in Kyrenia, Altaïr was asked by Barnabas, a resistance leader, to kill Jonas, a resistance member collaborating with the Templars. Jonas' death sparked a riot in Kyrenia due to his respected status in Cypriot society. Altaïr later learns that Jonas' death and the riot were an act of subterfuge by the Templars, as the real Barnabas had been executed before his arrival and impersonated by a Templar agent.[1]
Altaïr continued his search for the Archive, in the process of which he prevented the execution of several resistance members and assassinated key Templars in Kyrenia, including Moloch and his sons Shalim and Shahar. As a result, the Templars soon fled Kyrenia for the safety of Limassol, liberating the city.[1]
Following the Templars back to Limassol, Altaïr learned that the Templars had begun an even harsher crackdown in the city, arresting people at will in hopes of weakening the Resistance. In addition, the Templars began a propaganda campaign against Altaïr, accusing him of treason against the resistance. While Altaïr put a halt to the Templar's repression by assassinating several Templar captains, he later found himself surrounded by a mob of civilians accusing him of treason. He was forced to use the Apple of Eden in his possession to convince the crowd of his innocence and rally them against Bouchart and the Templars.[1]
With the help of ex-Templar Maria Thorpe, Altaïr infiltrated the Templar Archive underneath Limassol Castle, only to find that the contents of the Archive had been moved during his time in Kyrenia. He killed Bouchart before escaping the collapsing Archive.[1] Altaïr later wrote in his Codex that Cyprus eventually came under control of the Assassins.[2] In 1193, he and Maria held their wedding on the island in Limassol.[3]
Hiding place of the Apple
At some later point, Altaïr sealed his Apple of Eden in a well-hidden treasury on Cyprus, where it remained hidden from both the Assassins and the Templars for several centuries.[2] By 1486, the Grand Master of the Templars Rodrigo Borgia discovered the location of the Apple and dispatched a fleet of ships to Cyprus to recover it. After two years, the fleet located the Apple and removed it from Cyprus, taking it back to Venice.[2]
Cities
Trivia
- At the end of Sequence 11 in Assassin's Creed II, it is hinted that there were Assassins on Cyprus.
Gallery
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Concept art of a port in Cyprus -
Concept art of a city in Cyprus
References
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