Egyptian Rite of the Templar Order

I wanted to ask you something. Which is... what's your name? This article title is conjecture. Although the article subject is canon, no official name for it has been given.

"Strange that you want the same things we want: peace, order. And, yet our ideas will survive. You could kill me but you cannot kill us."

―Gaius Julius Rufio to Bayek, 38 BCE.

The Egyptian Rite of the Templar Order, also known as the Order of the Ancients in its early years, is the oldest branch of the Templar Order which has operated in Egypt since the Eighteenth Dynasty. Originally founded by the Pharaoh Smenkhkare with the goal of finding and exploiting ancient Isu technologies, the Order grew into a global organization that sought to shepherd humanity towards their vision of a New World Order by recreating Isu societies on Earth.

By the time of the Ptolemaic dynasty, the Order had managed to gain control of most of Egypt by influencing a number of pharaohs and was only opposed by the Medjay, an ancient group of warriors that served as protectors of the pharaoh and the Egyptian people. Following a campaign of extermination against the Medjay, the group was reduced to a single member, Bayek of Siwa, who in 49 BCE embarked on a personal vendetta against the Ancients after they inadvertently killed his son Khemu.

Bayek and his allies systematically dismantled the Order's influence in Egypt by assassinating its key members, forcing the Ancients to turn their attention to new territories, primarily Rome. They successfully brought Gaius Julius Caesar into their fold and, through him, began influencing the newly-crowned Pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra.

However, the Order eventually lost its sway over Cleopatra following Caesar's assassination by the Hidden Ones, an organization co-founded by Bayek and his wife Aya. Although they made several attempts to rebuild their presence in Egypt, most notably in 38 BCE through a Roman invasion led by General Rufio, they would never again hold the same level of influence.

During the Middle Ages, the Knights Templar, the successors of the Order of the Ancients, managed to establish a foothold in Egypt during its rule by the Ayyubid dynasty. However, the Templars failed to prevent the Egyptian Assassins from delivering the Scepter of Aset to the Mamluks, who used it to overthrow the Ayyubids and start the Bahri dynasty. A century later, the Templar agent Leila assassinated Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad and recovered the Scepter of Aset from the Assassin Numa Al'Khamsin, but failed to bring it back to the Order as she fell down a well and became amnesiac.

The Egyptian Templars were still active by the time of the Renaissance, but the Ottoman Assassins regularly stymied their activities in Alexandria.

History

Ancient Egypt

Formation

Smenkhkare's tomb

The Egyptian Rite was founded as the Order of the Ancients in 1334 BCE by Pharaoh Smenkhkare. Smenkhkare had come into contact with the advanced technology of the Isu, and established the Order as an Isu worshipping cult for the purpose of obtaining more Pieces of Eden from the Eeyoo Sekedoo Aat vault. After his death, Smenkhkhare's tomb would be built on top of the vault.

In the centuries following its formation, the Order's goal shifted from simply acquiring Isu technology to creating a New World Order. Its members believed it was their duty to guide humanity towards global peace, and would influence world leaders or seek the power of the Pieces of Eden to further their goals. While the Order eventually spread its influence to other regions, it continued to maintain a strong presence in Egypt.

Ptolemaic dynasty

Under the Ptolemaic dynasty, the Order tried to unify Egypt through Hellenization. As the Medjay, an elite group who protected the Pharaoh and the people of Egypt, were a symbol of the Old Kingdom, the Order sought their elimination.

In 70 BCE, the Ancient Raia hired the mercenary Bion to eradicate the last three Medjay bloodlines. Bion was largely successful in his quest, reducing the Medjay to a single member: Bayek, the son of Siwa's Medjay Sabu. However, around 56 BCE, Bayek killed Bion with the help of his girlfriend Aya and mother Ahmose, and later also tracked down Raia and assassinated him in his home in Alexandria.

Two Order members standing behind Ptolemy XIII

By 49 BCE, the Order held sway over the Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII, convincing him to oust his sister and co-ruler Queen Cleopatra, which allowed the Order to effectively control Egypt. In order to further their ambitions of ruling Egypt and beyond, they set their sights on uncovering the secrets of an Isu vault in the Siwa Oasis.

To do so, five masked Order members kidnapped Bayek and his young son Khemu. With an Apple of Eden in their possession, the Ancients demanded that Bayek unlock the vault. However, the Medjay lacked the proper knowledge, and in the ensuing struggle, Bayek accidentally killed his own son, leading him to swear revenge against the Order.

Over the following two years, the members of the Order were systematically hunted down by Bayek and his wife Aya, Cleopatra's agent. After Bayek killed Medunamun in 48 BCE, the Order lost control of their Apple of Eden. As their ranks began to thin, the Ancients' leader, the Roman proconsul Flavius Metellus, began to solidify the Order's influence over Julius Caesar, the dictator of the Roman Republic.

Flavius wielding the Apple

Bayek and Aya aided Cleopatra in gaining power over her brother, and helped her secure a meeting with Caesar to gain Rome as an ally. Seeing an opportunity, the Order abandoned Ptolemy XIII and diverted their attention to Cleopatra, hoping to install her as the new puppet ruler of Egypt. Aya and Bayek also opened up access to the tomb of Alexander the Great, which allowed Flavius to acquire Alexander's Staff of Eden. He also retrieved the Order's lost Apple of Eden after killing Cleopatra's bodyguard Apollodorus.

With both the Apple and Staff in their possession and Cleopatra under their control through her relationship with Caesar, Flavius and Lucius Septimius opened the door of the Siwa Vault, finding a map with the locations of more Pieces of Eden. Septimius then departed with the Staff for Rome while Flavius brought the Apple to Cyrenaica, where he used the artifact to corrupt the local populace into revering him. However, he was soon confronted and killed by Bayek, who reclaimed the Apple.

Following the loss of Flavius and the Apple, the Order refocused their efforts on manipulating the Roman Republic, facing too much opposition in Egypt. Despite this, some members remained active in the country, such as Habibah, who worked as a doctor in Memphis and possessed one half of an Isu dagger once wielded by the Isu Vejovis. After the Hidden Ones made several failed attempts on her life, she relocated to the Temple of Philae, where she was killed by Khepri, who then took her piece of Vejovis' dagger.

Rufio with appartions of various Order members

In 38 BCE, as their control over Cleopatra began to dwindle, the Order attempted to regain control of Egypt, sending Gaius Julius Rufio, one of Caesar's former generals, to occupy the Sinai Peninsula. After Bayek thwarted the invasion and assassinated Rufio and his lieutenants Ampelius, Ptahmose, and Tacito with the assistance of a local Nabatean rebellion led by Gamilat, the Ancients were once again forced to put their ambitions for Egypt on halt.

By 30 BCE, the Order had completely lost its sway over Cleopatra, though another opportunity to take over Egypt would soon present itself. Following Caesar's assassination, his adopted son Octavian succeeded him as leader of both the Order and the Roman Republic, and he subsequently invaded Egypt with his forces in the War of Actium. Faced with certain defeat, Cleopatra took her own life at the advice of her old friend Aya—by then known as the Hidden One Amunet—and Egypt consequently became a province of the newly-formed Roman Empire.

Middle Ages

Following the Order of the Ancients' destruction in the late 9th century CE, it was eventually reformed into the Templar Order. By the 13th century, the Templars had managed to set up a presence in Egypt, which at the time was ruled by the Ayyubid dynasty.

Acquiring the Scepter of Aset

An Egyptian Assassin killing a Templar knight

In 1250, after the Mamluks rose up against the Ayyubids, the Templars, knowing that the Mamluks had formed an alliance with the Assassins, attempted to retrieve a Piece of Eden called the Scepter of Aset when the artifact was being brought to the rebelling Mamluks by an Egyptian Assassin. However, despite being injured, the Assassin managed to kill the Templars and brought the Scepter of Aset to the Mamluks to aid them in their efforts against the Ayyubids, effectively laying the foundation for the Bahri dynasty.

In 1340, the Templars, with the aid of a local named Hasdin Al-Bellal and the wealthy merchant Bachir Al-Djallil, managed to steal the Scepter, leaving only the fragment of a dagger's handle behind, and smuggled the artifact to their hideout in Karnak.

Assassination of the Sultan

Leila contacted by a Templar

In 1341, the Templars contacted Leila, a servant of Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad, and offered her a chance to avenge the humiliations she had suffered throughout the years; without hesitation, Leila accepted the opportunity to assassinate the Sultan.

One night, while still active as a servant, Leila was summoned by Al-Nasir. When she was asked to accompany him, Leila seduced the Sultan and killed him by slitting his throat, in the name of the "Templars' fight against oppression". She then made an attempt to flee, but was captured while making her escape from the Palace.

Later on, the Templars were tracked down to Karnak by the Assassin Numa Al'Khamsin, better known as "El Cakr", and his disciple, Ali Al-Ghraib. Arriving at night near the Temple of Amun, the two walked across a village, when Ali noticed a man wearing a dagger with the Templar cross on it. After telling this to his master, Ali started a fire as a distraction, so that Numa was able to look for the Scepter of Aset unnoticed.

Templars fighting Numa in Karnak

However, the distraction was not effective and Numa became surrounded by Templars. While the Assassin engaged in battle with his enemies, Ali stole the Scepter from the Templars. Numa and his apprentice then fled from Karnak, taking the artifact with them.

Two days later, El Cakr arrived at the Sultan’s palace in Cairo. Although the Sultan’s Emirs expected Numa to hand over the artifact, the Assassin did not trust the Emirs and told them the artifact would remain in Assassin hands until a dignified successor to the throne would be presented. Interpreting Numa’s words as an insult, the Emirs locked him up in the same prison cell as Leila.

After convincing Numa that she was not a true believer of the Templar cause and had merely used them in order to kill the sultan, the two escaped and headed for a safe house that Leila had arranged in the city in order to lay low after the murder of the Sultan. There, she seduced Numa into a sexual encounter.

Killing El Cakr

While Numa was in prison, the Templars managed to capture Ali at the Temple of Edfu and tortured him, breaking his wrist. Eventually he cracked, agreeing to help them eliminate his master in exchange for his life. Not long after, Numa arrived at the Temple and noticed Ali's bandaged wrist before the Templars surrounded him and Ali.

Leila dueling Numa

As Leila came forward, her identity still unknown to El Cakr, she explained that the Scepter was no longer the only priority of the Order and that Numa was such a nuisance that his death was now a new priority. Lowering her hood, she told El Cakr that she felt no hate towards him but had to follow orders before she began dueling with him.

Perfectly trained, Leila revealed that everything she had told Numa about her commitment to the Templars was a lie before putting a dagger into his heart, instantly killing Numa before the eyes of his distraught apprentice. However, keeping her promise to spare Ali, Leila let the shaken Assassin apprentice go.

Losing the Scepter

Leila falling down the well

When Leila went to the Sultan's Emirs in Cairo to deliver them the artifact, she discovered that the ankh-shaped box was empty. Quickly rushing in pursuit of Ali, Leila happened to spot the Scepter's luster at the bottom of a well near Edfu Temple, where Ali had thrown the scepter. However, Leila fell while climbing up with the object. Suffering a head injury, Leila remained lifeless in the pit for three days before being rescued and tended to by passing Bedouins.

Having become amnesiac, Leila forgot her allegiance to the Templars and the very existence of the Scepter, which remained in the well. She then left with the Bedouins, but died nine months later from internal bleeding while giving birth to the child she had conceived with El Cakr during their night in the safe house.

Renaissance

In 1505, Odai Dunqas, a cousin of the Sennar Sultanate's first ruler Amara Dunqas, relocated to Alexandria and encountered the Templar philosophy, which he came to embrace. Calling himself "The Guardian of the Truth", he joined the Templars soon after in the hopes of making his ambitions a reality.

In 1511, during an excavation of the destroyed Library of Alexandria, the Mamluk Sultanate's soldiers discovered two Memory Seals in a chest dating from 331 BCE. After Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Mentor of the Italian Brotherhood, sent several Assassins from Constantinople to Alexandria to retrieve the seals, Templar soldiers launched an offensive to recover the artifacts. Despite successfully ambushing the Assassins and stealing the seals, the Templars subsequently lost them again when the Assassins organized a search party and recovered them.

Members

Order of the Ancients

18th dynasty

• Smenkhkare (founder)

Ptolemaic dynasty

• Actaeon
• Ampelius (Roman Rite)
• Berenike
• Eudoros
• Flavius Metellus (leader; until 47 BCE) (Roman Rite)
• Habibah
• Hetepi
• Khaliset
• Ktesos
• Livius

• Lucius Septimius (Roman Rite)
• Medunamun
• Pothinus
• Ptahmose (Roman Rite)
• Raia
• Rudjek
• Gaius Julius Rufio (leader; 38 BCE) (Roman Rite)
• Tacito (Roman Rite)
• Taharqa
• Theotimos

Egyptian Rite

Bahri dynasty

• Leila

Allies and puppets

Ptolemaic dynasty

• Augustus (Roman Rite)
• Bion
• Gaius Julius Caesar (Roman Rite)
• Cleopatra (betrayed)
• Gennadios
• Kensa
• Melitta
• Ptolemy XIII
• Venator

Bahri dynasty

• Hasdin Al-Bellal
• Bachir Al-Djallil

Burji dynasty

• Odai Dunqas (Byzantine Rite)

Gallery

• 
  The emblem of the Egyptian branch of the Order of the Ancients
• 
  The symbol of the Snake, another name for the Order's Egyptian branch
• 
  Concept art of an Egyptian member of the Order
• 
  Egyptian members of the Order gathered for a ceremony

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed II (indirect mention only)
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations (indirect mention only)
• Assassin's Creed 4: Hawk (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed 5: El Cakr
• Assassin's Creed 6: Leila
• Assassin's Creed: Origins – Desert Oath (as the Order of the Ancients)
• Assassin's Creed: Origins (as the Order of the Ancients)
  • The Hidden Ones
• Assassin's Creed: Origins comic (as the Order of the Ancients)
• Assassin's Creed: Escape Room Puzzle Book (as the Order of the Ancients)