Temple (Isu)

This article is about Isu research facilities. You may be looking for actual temples, places for religious rituals and services.

Ezio, my friend! How may I be of service? This article is in desperate need of a revamp. Please improve it in any way necessary in order for it to achieve a higher standard of quality in accordance with our Manual of Style.

Where are the paintings? This article is in need of more images and/or better quality pictures from official media in order to achieve a higher status. You can help the Assassin's Creed Wiki by uploading better images on this page.

"We built vaults within which to work, each dedicated to a different method of salvation. They were placed underground to avoid the war which raged above, and also as a precaution, should we fail in our efforts."

―Jupiter to Desmond Miles, 2012.

The Temple of Juno in 2012

Temples, also referred to as Vaults, are underground locations constructed by the Isu. A number of these were built in an attempt to discover a way to protect the Earth from the First Disaster, as well as any recurrence. Though Temples are located across the globe, there is a disproportionately high number of them in and around Europe than elsewhere in the world.

History

Creation

"Built by those who knew to turn away from war. They worked to protect us – to save us from the fire. If you can find them... If their work can be saved... so too might this world."

―Minerva to Ezio Auditore, 1499.

The Temples in Minerva's projections

The Temples were built by members of the First Civilization who avoided the war raging between humans and their own kind. They functioned as a way to preserve the world and its people and as such were often highly decorated with the Isu script. The Temples were established underground, as a way both to protect them from the battle present on the surface, and as a precaution should they fail to avert the coming catastrophe.

First Disaster

"Six we tried in succession, each more encouraging than the last. But none worked. And then the world ended..."

―Jupiter to Desmond Miles, 2012.

Each Temple researched a different way to prevent the disaster, and the findings were transmitted to the Grand Temple, located underneath a First Civilization municipality in modern New York. From there, three members of the First Civilization—Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva—sorted the solutions most likely to succeed. They tested six possible solutions in succession, with each being more promising than the last. However, all six solutions ultimately failed, and before any further solutions could be tested, a catastrophe decimated the planet, nearly wiping out the entire First Civilization.

Modern times

"You must go there. To the place where we labored... labored and lost. Take my words. Pass them from your head into your hands. That is how you will open the way."

―Jupiter to Desmond Miles, 2012.

Ezio within the Vatican Vault

In 2012, Minerva spoke to Desmond Miles, who relived the genetic memories of his ancestor Ezio Auditore through a machine known as the Animus. When Ezio accessed a vault under the Sistine Chapel in 1499, Minerva told Desmond about the war that had wiped out all of her kind, and its impending repeat. She also briefly told Desmond about the history of the Temples, before telling him to guard against "the cross."

Several weeks later, on 10 October 2012, Desmond and his team of fellow modern-day Assassins drove to another vault beneath the Colosseum in Rome. There, Juno spoke to Desmond as he free-ran around the Vault attempting to access the pedestal at its center. Juno informed Desmond about the history behind confrontations between humans and the First Civilization. Once Desmond had activated the Apple of Eden on the pedestal, Juno's presence took command of Desmond through the Apple and made him stab his fellow Assassin Lucy Stillman in the abdomen with his Hidden Blade, before he fell unconscious as his subconscious splintered.

Desmond and the other Assassins inside the Grand Temple

After Desmond accessed a synch nexus and separated the lives of his ancestors from his own memories, an appiration of Jupiter spoke to Desmond,telling him about the catastrophe that had previously occurred and also explaining the Temples' purposes in further detail. Lastly, Jupiter told Desmond that he needed to go to the Grand Temple in order to stop the impending cataclysm, though he also admitted that he was unsure as to whether the Temples could successfully prevent the disaster.

Known Temples

North America

• 
  Arctic Temple
  Arctic Ocean
  (destroyed)
• 
  Grand Temple
  Turin, New York
  (intact)

South America

• 
  Chichen Itza Temple #1
  Chichen Itza, Mexico(partly submerged)
• 
  Chichen Itza Temple #2
  Chichen Itza, Mexico
  (partly submerged)

Caribbean

• 
  Caribbean Vault
  Caribbean Sea
  (intact)
• 
  Observatory
  Long Bay, Jamaica(intact, buried)
• 
  Port-au-Prince Temple
  Port-au-Prince, Haiti(destroyed)

Africa

• 
  Eesfet Oon-m'Aa Poo
  Giza, Egypt.
  (intact)
• 
  Eeyoo Sekedoo Aat
  Haueris Nome, Egypt.
  (intact)
• 
  Khesesh Em Sesh Em Eeneb
  Giza, Egypt.
  (intact)
• 
  Oun-mAa Niye Ressoot
  Isolated Desert, Egypt.
  (intact)
• 
  Qeneb.too Kah'Aiye
  Desheret Desert, Egypt.
  (intact)
• 
  Seshem.eff Er Aat
  Black Desert, Egypt.
  (intact)
• 
  Siwa Vault
  Siwa, Egypt
  (intact)

Europe

• 
  Buckingham Palace Vault
  London, England
  
  (intact)
• 
  Boudicca Tomb
  East Anglia, England
  (intact)
• 
  Cassivellaunus Tomb
  Shropshire, England
  (intact)
• 
  Colosseum Vault
  Rome, Italy
  (intact)
• 
  The Forge
  Ávila, Spain
  (destroyed)
• 
  Freyja's Cave
  Mercia, England.
  (intact)
• 
  Isu Barracks
  Hampshire, England
  (intact)
• 
  Lisbon Temple
  Lisbon, Portugal
  (destroyed)
• 
  Manius's Sanctum
  Cambridge, England
  (intact)
• 
  Pythagorean Vault
  Rome, Italy
  (intact)
• 
  Saint-Denis Temple
  Saint-Denis, France
  (intact)
• 
  Vatican Vault
  Rome, Italy
  (intact)
• 
  Venutius Tomb
  Yorkshire, England
  (intact)
• 
  Yggdrasil Chamber
  Hordaland, Norway
  (intact)

Mediterranian and Mideast

• 
  Alamut Temple
  Alamut.
  (intact)
• 
  Ancient Forge
  Andros, Greece
  (intact)
• 
  Cave of the Forgotten Isle
  Phokis, Greece
  (partly collapsed)
• 
  Gateway to the Lost City
  Thera, Greece
  (intact)
• 
  Jerusalem Vault
  Jerusalem
  (intact)
• 
  Labyrinth of Lost Souls
  Messara, Greece
  (intact)
• 
  Lair of the Sphinx
  Boeotia, Greece
  (intact)

Asia

• 
  Herat Temple
  Herat, Afghanistan.
  (intact)
• 
  Tosha Khana
  Amritsar, India.
  (destroyed)