Piece of Eden
The Piece of Eden is one of several ancient objects left by Those Who Came Before, possessing different effects, that is able to bend people to the will of the user. One of the greatest weapons known to man, it is capable of ending wars and (provided it is used correctly) ushering in a forced peace.
It is believed by the staff of Abstergo Industries and the Templars that the Piece of Eden, along with other artifacts like it, was the source of such miracles as the Parting of the Red Sea, the successful use of the Trojan Horse by the Greeks to win the Trojan War, the miracles surrounding "the Christ-figure" who founded the Christian faith and the Biblical plagues that ravaged Egypt, among other supernatural happenings.
Apart from its power to force almost anyone into serving its possessor,the Piece of Eden's greatest power is that its existence essentially disproves the existence of an all-powerful God. The Templar Order had already committed itself to exposing the claims of all religions as false, and the Piece of Eden is perfectly suited to the successful pursuit of this purpose.
Incidentally, each Piece of Eden also contains a holographic map of the Earth that shows the location of all the other Artifacts. The Masyaf Piece of Eden was destroyed during its experimental use by Abstergo Industries at the Denver International Airport. Using Altair's memory of events, however, the map showed the locations of the other Pieces of Eden.
After Altaïr took control of the Assassins, their new goal was to hunt down and destroy the last of the Templars and the Pieces of Eden. During the events of Assassin's Creed Bloodlines, Altaïr starts to study the artifact, writing about its powers and his own theories. When the Cypriots blamed Altaïr for the disasters that struck the island and tried to attack him, he used the Piece of Eden to control their minds, forcing them to hear the truth, that the real culprit was the Templar Grand Master, Armand Bouchart. After reaching the Archives in Limassol, and killing Bouchart, Altaïr kept the Masyaf Piece of Eden, not leaving it in the Archives as he had first intended. It is unknown what happened to the Masyaf Piece of Eden after Altaïr and Maria traveled "East". On an interesting note, the object is referred to as the "Apple of Eden" in the game.
In Assassin's Creed 2, it is revealed that the Apple and other Pieces of Eden have a rather extensive history of changing hands while decrypting the "Truth" files left by Subject 16. Notable figures in history have used the Pieces of Eden, although for varying purposes; including, but not limited to: Napoleon Bonaparte, George Washington, Gandhi, Houdini, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Tsar Nicholas II, and even Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler. It is also revealed that there are at least 3 Apples remaining in the world, which represent the three divine Golden Apples of Greek mythology.
Resistance
In an e-mail at Abstergo Industries it is revealed that the company's leaders are worried that the Pieces of Eden are not all that is needed to achieve their goal. It is mentioned that some people may be resistant to the mind control effect of the Piece of Eden and that other "Artifacts" must be found to ensure no one is left to cause trouble in the Templar's planned "New World". The only three people so far to show a resistance against the Pieces of Eden are an unnamed person present at the DIA incident, Altaïr, and Ezio. The first sends an e-mail to Dr. Vidic declaring "I know what you did" and gives a firsthand account of the artifact's failed experiment there. Of note is that this person seems to be acting alone and is therefore unlikely to know of the Templars or the Assassins and may not be a member of either organization themselves. Altaïr's resistance is shown when Al Mualim shows him the treasure but Altaïr simply says that to him it is just a piece of silver and does not understand how Al Mualim can believe it to be pure temptation as he describes. This response surprises Al Mualim who later reveals that he had shown the Piece of Eden to Altaïr in an attempt to hypnotize him, but for some reason he could not. However, even though Altaïr is resistant against its hypnotic effect, the Piece of Eden can still do some things to him such as: immobilizing him, causing him to hallucinate and clouding his mind, both of which can be observed during the final battle. Finally, Ezio's resistance is shown when he finally confronts Rodrigo Borgia in Rome. Although this instance has Ezio himself using the Apple while Rodrigo uses the Staff. But Ezio shows no resistance to the combined power of the Apple and the Staff.
There is a high potential that Altaïr passed on this gift to Desmond Miles and his other descendants. Although a small number of theories can be made upon decrypting Truth File #18 because while decrypting it Subject 16 makes comments about scientists finding a specific neurological receptor in the human brain that responds solely to the effects of the Eden artifacts. It is highly possible that all assassins have this "resistance" since historically the templars have used the pieces of eden against them.
Confirmed Artifacts
01: The First Apple: Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff. Most likely destroyed, but no confirmation.
Owners: Those Who Came Before, Adam(A)/Eve(A), Abel(A), Cain(T), Al Mualim(T)(!), Altair(A), Ezio(A), Unknown, Napoleon, Unknown, Houdini, Templars.
02: The Second Apple: Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff. (Caught in explosive satellite malfunction, most likely survived, but impossible to retreve in the blackness of space; see the AC1 emails)
Owners: Those Who Came Before, Unknown, Queen "Bloody" Mary I of England(T)(!), Queen Elizabeth I of England, Unknown, Gandhi, Templars.
03: The Third Apple: Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.
Owners: Those Who Came Before, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt(T), John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson(T)
04: The Fourth Apple: Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.
Owners: Those Who Came Before, "The Invention of Gunpowder", Nikola Tesla(A), Thomas Edison(T), Henry Ford(T), Adolf Hitler(T)(!), J. Robert Oppenheimer(T), Assassins.
05: The Fifth Apple: Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.
Owners: Those Who Came Before, NASA(T).
25: The Sword: Unknown function.
Owners: Those Who Came Before, Perseus, Attila the Hun(T), Alexander the Great(T), King Arthur, Sigurd, Joan of Arc, Templars.
34: The Staff: Designed to control men's minds and bodies; it has a spot in the headpiece where an Apple of Eden can placed to enhance the mind control powers. (Destroyed in the Tunguska Event.)
Owners: Those Who Came Before, Egyptian Pharaohs, Moses, Alexander the Great(T), John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, Rodrigo Borgia(T), Ezio(A), Unknown, Czar Nicholas II, Rasputin(T)(!)
66: The Shroud: Unknown function, but possibly designed to resurrect the dead.
Owners: Those Who Came Before, David, Jesus Christ, Templars
(T) = A Templar / Templar Group (A) = Assassin / Worked With Assassins (!)= Confirmed Assassinated by the Assassins
Locations of the Artifacts
- Giza, Egypt
- Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania - (The Apple #?)
- The Gambia
- Timbuktu, Mali
- Atlas Mountains, Morocco
- Canary Islands, Spain
- Vologda Oblast, Russia - (The Staff?)
- Chernobyl, Ukraine - (The Staff? or a failed templar project)
- Sighişoara, Transylvania - (The Apple #4)
- Rennes-le-Château, France
- Salisbury, England (The Sword?-Excalibur)
- Loch Ness, Scotland (apple#?)
- Uluru, Australia
- Nara, Japan
- Xi'an, China - (The Sword?)
- Lake Baikal, Siberia
- Bareilly, India
- Persepolis, Iran
- Jerusalem, Israel - (The Apple #1)
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - (The Shroud?)
- Machu Picchu, Perú - (The Crystal Skulls?)
- Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
- Aasiaat, Greenland
- Chichen Itza, Mexico
- San Antonio, Texas
- Montréal, Quebec
- Lake Okanagan, British Columbia
- Coloma, California
Possible Artifacts and Functions of Death
These artifacts are based on the locations given in Assassin's Creed, and the clues and hints found in all the games.
- The Holy Grail: Although the Templars doubt its existence as a biblical artifact, it could prove to be real. Possible Functions: Grants eternal life, among other things.
- The Crystal Skulls: Quartz skulls found in Ancient Temples. Telepathic Communication. Currently possessed by the Templars, possibly found near the Nazca Lines.
- The "Philadelphia Artifact": Time travel, said to have been lost in the failed experiment.
- The Golden Fleece: A seemingly weightless and indestructible piece of armor or a cloak. In his Codex, Altair speculates that it could have truly existed and was actually made of a unique metal compound he had discovered how to create using knowledge contained within the Apple. Shortly after creating his set of armour with the metal, Altair destroyed anything that could lead to its discovery or creation, fearing the knowledge could one day fall into the hands of the Templars.
- The Spear of Destiny: Said to protect its user from death, but causes instant death when lost.
- The Philosopher's Stone: Turn any substance into pure gold. Possibly what started the gold rush in Coloma, California.
Notes
It may be interesting to note that in Assassin's Creed, Al Mualim and Robert De Sable both want to use the Apple of Eden to control the population and enforce peace. But as the Templars continue to thrive, they seem obsessed with power. Rodrigo Borgia, the Spaniard, comes into possession of the Staff. Instead of using it to forcefully control his followers, he seems to desire it only for the power it brings him. (He is seen leading his congregation in prayer—if he controlled their minds, they would stand around like sheep. There would be no reason to pray.) He also talks of killing God solely for the power it will bring him. While the Templars first sought the Pieces of Eden in a quest for peace, they were corrupted and seem now to only desire power.
It should be noted that every major historical event or scientific discovery has been attributed to its catalysts having in their possession a Piece of Eden. As seen in the sections above, the Pieces are all at the heart of history. For example, Edison made his invention while he has the Apple of Eden in his possession. It is also known that Lee Harvey Oswald, as well as his co-conspirators, is mentioned in a letter discussing who will receive a Piece of Eden next.
It is stated in one of the CODEX pages that a Piece of Eden can not be destroyed, however this could just be due to the lack of sufficient technology in the middle ages when the CODEX was written. It is stated in a letter to Tesla (part of the Truth Video unlock events) that when the sender of the letter finds the Piece of Eden they are looking for, can he use his mastery of electricity to permanently destroy the Piece of Eden. Unfortunately, this resulted in the Tunguska Explosion.
Trivia
- One of the Pieces of Eden is shown to be in Montreal, Canada. This is likely to be an inside joke as Ubisoft Montreal, who made the Assassins Creed franchise is based there.