Koh-i-Noor

"The transcription reads: 'He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman can wear it with impunity.'"

―Hamid explaining the Koh-i-Noor's cursed legacy, 1839.

The Koh-i-Noor (English: Mountain of Light), or Syamantaka Mani as it was formerly known, was a Piece of Eden in the form of a diamond that held such an immense amount of power that it could bind all of the other Pieces' fates. It was also rumored that only women could control its power.

History

Having passed through the hands of many dynasties on the Indian subcontinent, the Koh-i-noor ended up in the possession of Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire, in the early 19th century. Wary of the artifact's curse and its power, Singh decided to hide it in an ancient temple located beneath his summer palace. 

It was stolen in the year 1839 by the Assassin Arbaaz Mir and hidden on Raza Soora's person, who later gave it to Singh's granddaughter Pyara Kaur. As Pyara attempted to leave Amritsar's imperial palace after her grandfather's assassination, the princess was set upon by the British Templar Francis Cotton.

To defend her, Raza clawed at Cotton's forehead with his nails, allowing Pyara the time to activate the Piece of Eden. Suddenly possessed by an unknown member of the First Civilization, the being gave a statement referring to humanity as "splintered", but that the race was guided through messages left behind by their own across time.

Horrified at the appearance of the being, Cotton fired multiple shots at the Precursor, though upon striking the Koh-i-Noor with a bullet, the diamond shattered and severed Pyara's connection to the First Civilization woman. As Arbaaz shielded Raza from the blast, the force of the energy's release gave form to a tiger, which brutally savaged Cotton, leading to the latter's demise. Some time later, the Koh-i-Noor reconstructed itself.

In 1850, the diamond was confiscated by the British East India Company and became part of the British Crown Jewels when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877. However, through the events uncovered within the Brahman V.R., it was made known to Jot Soora that the famous diamond which resided within the British Crown Jewels was not the true Koh-i-Noor, but a replica.

Precursor statement

"We are one of many but essential to the unity of all. Splintered though we may appear within the limited notion of this moment, we exist as one, as we always have and always will. You have been fragmented, children, but know that you are also whole. Do not allow your concept of time to act as a paralyzing veil when the fate of all you hold dear rests in your hands. We speak through this vessel to you, this time and medium and anchor that we might commune. We must exist freely at all points for your race, our children, to exist and to remain free. Shroud this intelligent lens until you become united and can realize this heart, our heart, to be the one that endowed your precious breath. And never doubt the lengths to which we will go to protect what is precious to us."

―Pyara Kaur (possessed), 1839

Gallery

• 
  Nāder Shāh observing the Koh-i-Noor
• 
  Pyara Kaur activating the Koh-i-Noor
• 
  A member of the First Civilization appearing from the Koh-i-Noor
• 
  The Koh-i-Noor destroyed

Reference

• Assassin's Creed: Brahman