Philippines

He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all. This template should be removed from the article 14 May 2024.

The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic sovereign state in Southeast Asia composed of 7,641 islands that are situated in the South China Sea.

The nation was formed after the indigenous states were conquered by the Spanish Empire and merged into a single colony, a united identity they retained after achieving independence from the Spanish and the Americans who replaced them.

History

Spanish colonial rule

Ferdinand Magellan arriving on Cebu

In 1521, the European explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived on the island of Cebu in the Philippines to search for an Isu artifact which he had managed to track to the region. Magellan met with the island's leader King Rajah Humabon and converted him and the local indigenous population to Catholicism with the idea of turning Cebu into a colony of the Spanish Empire.

The explorer was eventually able to locate the artifact on Cebu, but Humabon informed him that it was just a piece of a larger artifact, with another fragment in the possession of Lapu-Lapu, the chieftain of Mactan Island. Magellan and his men fought against the artifact-empowered Lapu-Lapu, but were ultimately defeated and Magellan perished during the battle.

At some point in the early 18th century, the Dutch navigator Hendrik, who was investigating Magellan's legend, visited the Basilica del Santo Niño in Cebu and met a monk who told him of Magellan's search for the Isu artifacts and his fate. The monk made no mention of what happened to the artifacts after Magellan's death, so Hendrik resolved to continue investigating by himself. The navigator was eventually able to find the artifacts in the lost Khmer city of Angkor and left behind clues in his personal sea log before he was killed in Macau.

The Zhang Wei Union's ship leaving Manila

In 1725, the British Assassin Edward Kenway, who had also travelled to Southeast Asia in search of Angkor, was hired by a merchant to escort his trading vessel from Macau to Manila. Alongside his recently-established organization, the Zhang Wei Union, Edward travelled to the Filipino capital to fulfill the contract. While in the city, Edward's friend John Young found evidence that the Templars were close to locating Angkor and were influencing companies such as the East India Company and Far East Company to organize an expedition in the jungles of Indochina to find the lost city and its treasure.

After deciphiring the contents of Hendrik's sea log and learning of the navigator's investigation into Ferdinand Magellan's story, the members of the Zhang Wei Union set sail for the Philippines to follow up on Magellan's trail and find Angkor.

Modern times

In 2013, interim Mentor of the Assassin Order Gavin Banks decided to buy firearms from Emmanuel Barraza's contact, a weapon supplier in Philippines near the Sulu Sea, to be prepared for the worst once they arrived in Osaka to help the Japanese Assassins.

In 2023, an Abstergo Industries team including Doctor Shimazu Sei and her bodyguard Yuki travelled to Cebu via the Exitus to follow in Edward Kenway's footsteps as part of the Templars' efforts to acquire Angkor's treasure. Alongside Noa Kim, a descendant of Edward who had been abducted and forced to relive his ancestor's memories in the Animus, Sei and Yuki travelled around Cebu looking for leads until they were ambushed by members of the Doom Eagle, a criminal organization working with the Zhawang Corporation to rescue Noa.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Initiates (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple (first appearance)