User:Soranin/Sandbox4

The Fall

"I first caught sight of the Emperor and was struck by the size of the man, and although cumbersome and heavy, he was still a mighty figure. The look of his bright eyes made quite an impression on me. As he passed where I was standing he raised his head for a second and to this day I can remember what it felt as our eyes met. It was a look as cold as steel, in which there was something threatening, almost frightening, and it struck me like a blow." - French artist Alexandre Benois, on meeting Alexander Ill (Memoirs)

After his father's assassination in 1881, Alexander III assumed the title of Tsar and began his 13-year reign, which was characterized by fierce, autocratic rule. Although he stabilized the government and enjoyed peace with neighboring Europe and Asia, he did so at the expense of the working class and peasantry, crushing liberal opposition, sending thousands of political dissidents into Siberian exile, and abolishing the free press. He was known to be an imposing, brutish figure with formidable physical strength and an iron will.

In late October of 1888, Alexander and his family were aboard the Imperial Train en route to St-Petersburg from Crimea. While the family was eating in the dining car, the train derailed at high speed and crashed near Borki station. According to the official version of events, Alexander held the collapsed roof of the ruined car on his shoulders while his children clambered from the wreckage. Investigations into the cause of the crash have yielded inconclusive results.

In 1894 Alexander III died from kidney failure. It has been speculated that the onset of infection was related to injuries he sustained during the Borki train disaster...

The Tunguska event, or Tunguska blast, or Tunguska explosion, was an enormously powerful explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, at about 7:14 a.m. KRAT (0:14 UT) on June 30 (OS. June 17), 1908.

The explosion is believed to have been caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet fragment at an altitude of 5-10 kilometres (3-6 mi) above the Earth's surface. Different studies have yielded varying estimates of the object's size, with general agreement that it was a few tens of metres across.

"At breakfast time I was sitting by the house at Vanavara Trading Post ,40 miles south of the explosion, facing north. I suddenly saw that directly to the north, over Onkoul's Tunguska Road, the sky split in two and fire appeared high and wide over the forest. The split in the sky grew larger, and the entire northern side was covered with fire. At that moment I became so hot that I couldn't bear it, as if my shirt was on fire; from the northern side, where the fire was, came strong heat. I wanted to tear off my shirt and throw it down, but then the sky shut closed, and a strong thump sounded, and I was thrown a few metres.” - Testimony of S. Semenov, as recorded by Leonid Kulik's expedition in 1930.

Nikola Tesla (10 July 1856 — 7 January 1943) was an inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer. He was an important contributor to the birth of commercial electricity, and is best known for his many revolutionary developments in the field of electromagnetism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Because of his 1894 demonstration of wireless communication through radio and as the eventual victor in the War of Currents, he was widely respected as one of the greatest electrical engineers who worked in America. Tesla demonstrated wireless energy transfer to power electronic devices as early as 1893, and aspired to intercontinental wireless transmission of industrial power in his unfinished Wardenclyffe Tower project.

Because of his eccentric personality and his seemingly unbelievable and sometimes bizarre claims about possible scientific and technological developments, Tesla was ultimately ostracized and regarded as a mad scientist by many late in his life.

The Chain

Following the events of The Fall, Orelov defected to the United States only to have his wife and daughter torn from him during one of the Palmer Raids.

The Palmer Raids were attempts by the United States Department of Justice to arrest and deport radical leftists, especially anarchists, from the United States. The raids and arrests occurred in November 1919 and January 1920 under the leadership of Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. Though more than 500 foreign citizens were deported, including a number of prominent leftist leaders, Palmer's efforts were largely frustrated by officials at the U.S. Department of Labor who had responsibility for deportations and who objected to Palmer's methods. The Palmer Raids occurred in the larger context of the Red Scare, the term given to fear of and reaction against political radicals in the U.S. in the years immediately following World War I.

On August 1, 1919, Palmer put 24 year old J. Edgar Hoover in charge of a new division of the Justice Department's Bureau of Investigation; the General Intelligence Division. It would investigate the programs of radical groups and identify their members.

The Boston Police Strike in early September proved the nation had not emerged united from the war. On October 17, the Senate passed a unanimous resolution demanding Palmer explain what actions he had or had not taken against radical aliens and why.

At 9 pm on November 7, 1919, a date chosen because it was-the second anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution, agents of the Bureau of Investigation, together with local police, executed a series of well-publicized and violent raids against the Russian Workers in 12 cities. Newspaper accounts reported some were "badly beaten” during the arrests. Many later swore they were threatened and beaten during questioning. Government agents cast a wide net, bringing in some American citizens, passers-by who admitted being Russian, some not members of the Russian Workers. Others were teachers conducting night school, classes in space shared with the targeted radical group. Arrests far exceeded the number of warrants. Of 650 arrested in New York City, the government managed to have just 43 deported.

Brahman

Rangit Singh (13 November 1780 - 27 June 1839) founded the Sikh Empire, which extended across the Punjab region to the northwest of India from 1799 to 1849.

He was the son of a small faction leader at the head of a misl, one of numerous entities comprising the region at that time. During childhood, he suffered from smallpox which resulted in the loss of one eye. He succeeded his father at the age of twelve.

During the summer of 1799, Ranjit Singh conquered the misl of Lahore, the economic — capital of the region, with the ensuing expansion leading to his being crowned Maharajah of Punjab at twenty years of age. He then launched an attack on the Afghans, acquiring many territories where Islam was the predominant religion.

Although some of their conquests were violent, the Sikh Empire proved to be very progressive and open-minded for the times. All religions were freely allowed there, and the very rigid Hindu system of social castes did not apply in the Sikh religion, in which all men were considered equal. With the annexation of Kashmir to the north and Sindh to the south, Muslims represented more than 70% of subjects in the Sikh Empire.

Wanting to have his memory live on in the Sikh religion, Ranjit Singh ordered the sacred temple of Harmandir Sahib to be adorned. He had marble installed there, and had the exterior covered entirely in gold leaf. From then on, the western world referred to the sacred center of the Sikh religion and culture as the “Golden Temple”.

Even today, Ranjit Singh is venerated by Sikhs across the entire world as one of the great heroes of their culture. A bronze statue approximately seven meters high (22 feet) representing Maharajah Singh was unveiled in the vicinity of the Indian Parliament in August 2003.

The Koh-i-Noor is a 105-carat diamond. Almost certainly one of the most desirable gems on the planet, it has passed through the hands of many dynasties on the Indian subcontinent. There are some who believe the diamond to be the fabled Syamantaka Mani, perhaps the most famous jewel in Hindu mythology, supposed to be blessed with magical powers.

In 1850, the diamond was confiscated from the Sikh Empire by the British East India Company and became part of the British Crown Jewels when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877. The diamond is currently set into the Crown of Queen Elizabeth and is on display at the Tower of London.

It is believed that the Koh-i-Noor carries with it a curse which affects men who wear it, but not women. All the men who owned it have either lost their throne or had other misfortunes befall them. Queen Victoria is the first reigning monarch to have worn the gem. Since Victoria's reign, the stone has generally been worn by the Queen Consort, never by a male ruler.

Amritsar

Situated in the northwest of India in the Punjabi state, Amritsar is the spiritual center of the Sikh community. The city owes its name to the sacred pool constructed in 1573 by Ram Das, the fourth ranked guru in Sikhism. In 1588 his successor Guru Arjan ordered the construction of a sacred place at the same location where Guru Nanak, the very first guru, would go to meditate. The Harmandir Sahib, known in the western world as the “Golden Temple”, was completed in 1604. Guru Arjan had the manuscript of his commandments installed there. His writings today are the basis of the Sikh faith, which considers this book as the words of its last living guru.

In 1801, Ranjit Singh was crowned Maharajah of Punjab, subsequently creating the Sikh Empire. During his reign, Amritsar became the region's capital.

Assassins

6

The Chasqui

Quila is a chasqui, a courier used to carry messages across the Inca empire. Not only were they incredibly strong runners, chasqui were trained to read and decipher the Quipu, or knotted ropes, and pass on the message it held. The Chasqui could, and often would, run up to 240km a day, and so had to be agile and physically very fit.

The chasqui ran along a vast network of purpose built roads and rope bridges that spanned the Inca empire, which at its height was two million square kilometers. There were stopping points called tambos which were used as relay stations for the chasqui to pass the message on to the next runner.

Templars

1

The Order that would save humankind...

The Order of the Knights Templar is a secret organization that has operated globally for millennia. While the story of the Order's origin has been lost to the sands of time, it is believed to have taken an active role in the shaping of humanity since it freed itself from enslavement to the mysterious progenitor race known as The Ones Who Came Before.

The Templars have worked tirelessly towards a better future for humanity, and have been instrumental in bringing about significant change and progress in the world. However, it is this very desire for a better world, and the methods by which the Templars believe it will be attained, that puts them in direct opposition to the Assassin Brotherhood.

The Templars believe that it is though control and guidance that humankind will achieve perfection - in essence, freedom through control - whereas the Assassins believe It Is though individual self-expression and open access to all knowledge that humankind will reach its full potential. These two ideologies have a similar goal; it is the method by which they Intend to reach it that differs, and has caused centuries of bloodshed.

The Templars [sic] ideology has attracted some of the greatest minds of all ages to their cause, the most remarkable and successful of which have often been - men and women of science, and they have suffered greatly for their beliefs. As visionaries, the ideas they championed were usually significantly before their time, which left them vulnerable to attack and censorship. Never was this more true than during the Dark Ages in Europe, where countless brilliant minds were silenced and made to suffer for their foresight.

In the 12th century, the leading Templars were able to align themselves with the Church, and so were able to pursue their agendas free from persecution. However, their main goal, the betterment of humanity though scientific and technical knowledge, was never made public, and remained a closely guarded secret. For almost two hundred years, the Templars were able to steer a course for humankind that would bring about great advances In medicine, the military, even in basic living conditions. They were influencers, advising kings and emperors on how best to rule.

They were also under attack. Their numbers were being systematically depleted by the Assassin Brotherhood. The issue came to a head in the 13th century when the Templars were denounced as heretics, and forced to disband. This decision was taken by the last publicly recognized Grand Master of the Order of the Knights Templar, Jaques de Molay. Making the ultimate sacrifice, he was burned at the stake, letting everyone think that the Templar Order would die with him. Unbeknownst to them, however, de Molay had selected nine trusted members of the Order to go forth into the world and spread the Templars philosophy, armed with their knowledge of The Ones Who Came Before. In doing this, de Molay ensured that the Order would live on, and could continue to work towards their ultimate goal.

The Order entered what they now consider to be a dark age. Despondency and corruption were rife, with leadership coming from those who had little respect for the original altruistic philosophy. Despite this, the Templars were still at the vanguard of scientific development during this time, and loyal members worked tirelessly toward their ultimate goal. The European colonization of the New World gave the Templars the opportunity to recover and rebuild, and the chance to retaliate and turn the tables on their foe, wiping out much of the Brotherhood leadership, and destroying any Assassin influence in the region.

The Templar Order's goals have evolved over time, with the dawning of the 20th century marking a turning point for the organization.

Following decades of innovation and Invention, culminating in the astounding technological and scientific advancements seen during the Industrial Revolution, the Templars recognized that continued progress at that rate could lead them to their goal faster and more successfully than they had ever dreamed. Capitalism would be the tool that would allow the leaps in development that the Templars knew were within their reach.

In the uncertain days before the Second World War, Abstergo Industries was formed. For the second time In Its history, the Templars had a public face, although the true aims of the Order, and the very existence of the Order itself, remained a secret. Only a few employed by Abstergo were Templars. Through the work of its many divisions, Abstergo would provide the means by which the Templars notion of a perfectly functioning capitalist society could be brought about. As a multinational corporation with concerns spanning all areas of modern life, Abstergo was the perfect front for the Templar Order to pursue their agenda.

While their methods and goals have evolved, at its root the Templar Order believes in the betterment of humanity through technological and scientific advancement. For centuries uncounted, the search for relics left by The Ones Who Came Before, called Pieces of Eden, has occupied the Order. Significant resources have been devoted to acquiring as many of these unique artifacts as possible, in order that the technology they possess is harnessed and can be used for the greater good of humanity.

2

The City, the Sea and the Shanghai Bund...

Today, Shanghai Is not just China's largest city but also the world's. It has a population of 24 million people and is the country's financial and economic hub, as well as being the world's busiest container shipping port. And it's the port that has made the city - sat on the Huangpu River - a manmade tributary of the Yangtze River, a source of international intrigue, power struggles and hostility.

Shanghai was one of a number of ports opened up to foreigners after the signing of the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. The treaty was struck between China and Britain and it was agreed that land would be given over to the British in the city so they could more closely control their interests.

Naturally, the new arrivals chose to be situated where they could keep the keenest eye on those interests - the banks lining the Huangpu River. And with them they brought their own aesthetics and styles. Westernised buildings began to appear along a section of the riverfront known as The Bund. The British were joined by the United States in 1844 and a Concession was granted to the French in 1848. In 1868, the foreign powers consolidated their hold into the Shanghai International Settlement and a legal and bureaucratic headache of epic proportions was born for all involved.

The running of the Settlement fell to the largely British-controlled Shanghai Municipal Council (SMC). As western influence made itself felt, the SMC took over virtually all aspects of daily life within the Settlement, despite the fact that It was not actually a foreign colony - it was still, on paper, controlled by the Chinese government, and should have been operated along the lines of an embassy or foreign consulate.

However, it was very much a self-contained entity. The SMC acquired local companies to provide power and utilities; it had its own police force and legal system; it even controlled the transport network, its trams and rickshaws. Drivers of the latter were said to need three licenses to ply their trade - one for the Chinese areas of the city, one for the Settlement, and another for the French Concession! Such rigorously maintained bureaucracy naturally led to friction with the local Chinese and the British found themselves at the receiving end of a serious international incident when members of the Shanghai Municipal Police opened fire on Chinese protestors on May 30th, 1925.

The Municipal Police was largely recruited from locals, but foreigners, once again largely British and Commonwealth officers, filled the higher ranks; there was also a large contingent of Japanese. Within the Settlement, Japanese-controlled cotton mills had become the focus of sometimes-violent demonstrations. After a Japanese foreman shot one of the demonstrators, rioting, mass protests and strikes followed.

The situation was exacerbated by the arrest of a number of Chinese students within the Settlement. Crowds gathered outside the police station where they were being held. Naturally, reports of what followed are at best confused, with the policemen in the Station claiming that the crowd had turned violent and were attempting to force their way into the station, hoping to release the imprisoned students. In the melee, the officer in charge apparently opened fire on the protestors, triggering a volley from his men. As many as nine people in the crowd were killed and many others gravely injured.

The incident instigated a wave of rioting and strikes that left hundreds dead and seriously threatened foreign, and in particular British, interests in the Settlement. However, while Britain did not find itself directly culpable for the shootings, the threat to the Settlement's economic wellbeing, as well as pressure from its foreign partners, was enough to institute major change to the way the Settlement was run.

Despite the sometimes-volatile nature of the Settlement, it maintained a reputation for luxury and wealth. The Roaring Twenties were not lost on the foreigners living in Shanghai and the Settlement brimmed with nightclubs and dancehalls that swung to the raucous sound of Jazz.

The Bund itself housed a number of luxury hotels, banks and offices, built in a plethora of styles - Gothic, Renaissance, Neo-Classical and, of course, Art Deco. Amongst the most famous is the Shanghai Club Building, built in 1864 to house a men's club for members of the then British Concession. The original was torn down and replaced in 1910 by a Baroque Rival structure six storeys high that remained one of Shanghai's most exclusive venues during the 1920s. Another, the Palace Hotel, was the vision of Sir Victor Sassoon. Construction began in 1927, and the building, which survived the Japanese Invasion of 1937, remians a jewel on the Bund, and one of Shanghai's most popular attractions.

4

Du Yusheng and the Green Gang that ran Shanghai

The chaos and terror that filled a streets of Shanghai in April 1927 was orchestrated and controlled by some of the most powerful and notorious men in the city. One of them was Du Yusheng. In the refined French Concession of the International settlement .

Born in the eastern provincial town of Gaogiao, his family moved to the nearby city of Shanghai when Du was just a year old. The move was not an auspicious one, as his mother died shortly afterwards in childbirth, his sister was sold into slavery, his father died, and his step-mother disappeared and was never seen again. With no family to support him, Du returned to the countryside to live with his grandmother.

He returned to the city when he was fourteen years old and managed to secure a job in the French Concession, working on a fruit stall. His nefarious tendencies made themselves known early on, as he was fired from that role for theft. Unwilling, or unable, to return to his home town, he scraped together a meager living on the streets, eventually becoming a bodyguard in a brothel, aged only sixteen. It was this job that solidified his position as a member of the underworld, and it was In this brothel that he first became aware of the Green Gang, the secret society and criminal organization that was flourishing in the disorganization and confusion of the International Settlement and French Concession at that time. Du was intrigued, trusted and quickly became a member.

Still. a child by any standards, Du's life course was now set. After some time as a minor gang member, he was introduced to Huang Jinrong, the notorious mob boss who moonlighted as the highest ranking Chinese detective in the French Concession police. While not actually a member of the Green Gang himself, his wife, also a highly accomplished criminal, took a shine to Du, and elevated him to the coveted position of gambling and opium enforcer throughout the territory she controlled. This prestigious position allowed Du to indulge himself with the finer things in life. He dressed in the best fabrics, pure Chinese silk, and was often surrounded by beautiful, biddable, women. He was even able to buy a mansion in the French Concession, which he set about filling with wives and concubines. This was before he truly came into the power that would change the course of Chinese history.

In 1924, Huang Jinrong was arrested for the savage beating of the son of a warlord. He stepped down from his public positions immediately, and handed control of his criminal empire over to Du. In one fell swoop, he became the “zongshi” - the grandmaster of the underworld. He was controller of gambling dens, prostitution, and protection rackets, and, with the compliance of the police and colonial government, he ran the opium trade in and out of the French Concession. However, he also established a number of legitimate corporations, such as Shanghai's largest shipping company, and two banks. It was the opium trade that would plague him though, as he became heavily addicted to the drug.

Politically, the Green Gang had significantly benefited from the disjointed government of the Shanghai International Settlement and French Concession. In this murky legal environment, organized crime was allowed to thrive, driven by mass Immigration to the city and a favoring of ancestral ties. Yusheng and Jinrong became acquainted as they were both natives of the Suzhou area. As their power and Influence grew, the Green Gang were often hired by the Kuomintang to put down strikes and disrupt labor meetings. Working with other criminal organizations, the Green Gang were instrumental in the White Terror massacre of April 1927, which saw 9,000 pro-Communist strikers brutally killed tn the Shanghai streets on the orders of Chiang Kai-Shek. Following this, Du Yusheng was appointed the President of the Board of Opium Suppression, in a specatularly brazen move on the part of Chiang Kai-Shek. Du Yusheng was now unequivocally in control of the entirety of China's opium trade.

He used this position as a means to further the causes of the Nationalist army, and amassed sufficent politcal power and prestige tn that role that he was able to build and dedicate a temple to his own family. The three days of celebrations saw the great and good visiting to pay their respects. A few months after It opened, however, Yusheng had converted two of the private wings of the building to the manufacture of heroin.

Du Yusheng was not able to maintain his close relationship with Chiang Kai-Shek. The war between Japan and China that started in 1937 brought to light many of the differences in idealogy between the two. Having fled to exile in Hong Kong, Du Yusheng did not return to Shanghai until 1945. Far from being greeted as the returning hero, as he imagined, he found his position diminshed beyond recognition. He returned to Hong Kong in 1949, and eventually died there in 1951.

5

On April 12, 1927, the course of Chinese history was changed forever when General Chiang Kai Shek, leader of the Nationalist army, conclusively split with the Communist Party of China. Marshaling his troops, the Nationalist army carried out a purge of Communist Party members and supporters in the streets of Shanghai. An estimated 400 people lost their lives, but at least 5,000 were recorded as missing. The Purge, as it became known, laid the groundwork for what were to be some of the most turbulent years of Chinese history.

6

The Barbary Coast

The Barbary Coast (also known as the Berber Coast), was the term used by Europeans from the 16th-19th centuries to refer to the area of coastal regions of West Africa, particularly Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya - the collective land of the Berber people.

Rich in gold, ivory, and pepper, the region attracted the interest of several imperial powers and trade routes were soon established, leading to a dramatic increase In piracy.

Famed for the corsairs and privateers that dominated its waters from the 16th century onwards, the Barbary Coast also became notorious for its Slave trade.

From bases in North Africa, Barbary pirates raided ships traveling through the Mediterranean, plundering cargo and enslaving crew. Raids were also conducted along the seaside towns of Western Europe, with thousands of men, women and children captured, regardless of their race or religion. This eventually led to the Barbary Wars of the early 17th century.

7

Tripoli : The Mermaid of the Mediterranean

Founded in the 7th century BC by the Phoenicians, Tripoli (originally named Oea) is the capital and largest city in the State of Lybia.

With a history spanning several centuries, the city was held by a number of multinational states during its formative years, including the Roman and Spanish Empires, before falling to Ottoman rule in the mid-fourteenth century.

Named for the three cities encompassing the province, the Eyalet of Tripolitania quickly became one of most impressive territories along the North African Coast. Governed by a series of 'Pashas' and 'Deys', the city remained largely independent from the Sultan, despite remaining under nominal Ottoman rule.

Ruling from 1766-1838, Yusuf Karamanli was the most infamous of his dynasty. With the city a base of operation for Barbary corsairs, tensions soon escalated between the United States and North Africa. Numerous American vessels fell foul to the state's piratical practices and, following the Pasha's demand for an increase in tribute, a naval force was sent from the US to blockade the city.

These acts would lead to the Barbary Wars of the early 19th century, leaving the Ottoman Empire with little choice but to comply with the demands of the United States.

Locus

1

The Original Private Eyes

Founded In 4850 by Allan Pinkerton - an immigrant barrel-maker turned Chicago police detective - the PINKERTON NATIONAL DETECTIVE AGENCY was one of Americas most notorious crime-prevention and private security firms of the late nineteenth century.

Though Pinkerton initially specialized in train robberies and counterfeiting cases, after foiling a plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln - who would later hire the agency as his personal 'secret service' during the American Civil War - the fledgling enterprise garnered a reputation as America's go-to office for counter-intelligence and security operations. By the early 1870s it had grown into the largest private law enforcement organization in the world.

Adhering to a strict code of ethics and defined by its striking company logo (the supposed inspiration of the term 'private eye'), at its heyday, the Pinkerton agency had more agents under its employ than the standing US army and, using its extensive collection of mugshots, established the world's first criminal database. Frequently subcontracted for espionage operations by the US government, the agency also remained a favorite of the railroad companies, gaining legendary status for its role in the hunt and capture of outlaws like Wild Bill and Jesse James. But, as the century drew to a close and ownership passed to Allan's sons, Robert and William, the agency's public perception would take a turn for the worse.

Pinkerton's involvement with the labor strikes of the 1890s would ultimately prove their downfall. The company's past use of heavy-handed tactics, coupled with accusations of violence from union sympathisers, soon led to public outcry, culminating In the events of the Homestead Strike of 1892 when a firefight involving 300 Pinkerton agents led to the death of 16 men. Pinkerton's reputation was left in tatters and the company would spend years struggling to rebuild it.

Nevertheless, the Pinkerton agency endured, and today Pinkerton Inc. has grown into a billion dollar multinational organization, remaining one of the world's leading providers of security.