Masyaf Key
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He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning recent or upcoming releases from the Assassin's Creed series. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all. |
- Niccolò: "Artifacts?"
- Altaïr: "Of a kind. They are keys, each one imbued with a message."
- —Niccolò Polo and Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad on the keys.[src]
The keys of Altaïr, also referred to as seals, were a collection of five First Civilization artifacts concealing information and memories from the Grand Master of the Assassin Order Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, their original owner. When brought together, the keys would grant access to Altaïr's library in the fortress of Masyaf,[1] which was desired by both the Assassins and the Templars.[2]
History
Altaïr's discovery
While he was in exile in the castle of Alamut during the early 1240s, Altaïr was directed to the artifacts by the Apple he had in his possession. He retrieved these artifacts and hid them.[1]
After researching about them, Altaïr discovered that the keys contained messages, though he did not know to whom they were intended.[1]
In 1257, whilst Masyaf was about to be besieged by the Mongols, Altaïr passed the keys and his Codex on to his guests, Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, who promised to hide the keys. They escaped from the Mongols with the help of Altaïr's son Darim, and safely arrived in their home of Constantinople, where they hid the keys and formed an Assassins Guild.[1]
Ezio's acquisition
In 1510, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the Mentor of the Italian Assassins, learned of the existence of Altaïr's library and its keys after reading a document left behind by his late father, Giovanni. Curious and driven by a desire to obtain answers about his Order, Ezio left Rome for Masyaf.[2]
Ezio arrived in Masyaf in mid 1511, at which point one of the keys had come into possession of the Templar Leandros, the captain of a group of Byzantine remnants. After a long struggle, Ezio was able to kill Leandros and obtain the key, at which moment Ezio relived the memory of Altaïr saving his former mentor Al Mualim from a Templar attack on Masyaf.[2]
Ezio journeyed to Constantinople, where he continued his search for the keys, eventually finding one underneath Niccolò Polo's old trading post, which, at that point, was inhabited by the Venetian bookseller Sofia Sorto. With her assistance, Ezio was able to decode a map showing the locations of all keys in Constantinople.[2]
Trivia
- The markings on the keys are similar, if not identical, to a symbol shown in the Vatican Vault at the end of Assassin's Creed II. When Minerva speaks of the Temples, she shows Ezio an image of a step pyramid, above which is a symbol resembling one of the keys.
Gallery
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Ezio retrieving a key from Leandros' body.
Notes and references
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