Sword of Eden 1
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- "This sword was powered not by conquest and pain, but by faith in doing the right thing. 'If the heart is strong it will not break.'"
- ―Simon Hathaway, 2016.[src]
Sword of Eden #1, cataloged by Abstergo Industries as Piece of Eden 25, was one of the Swords of Eden, sword-like artifacts created by the First Civilization scientist, Hephaestus to fight during the War of Unification. These Pieces of Eden seemed to grant their bearers great power and leadership, and were later used by influential humans in battle.
This particular Sword was long thought to have been damaged during the French Revolution, but Professor Simon Hathaway, a Templar historian who was in the process of exploring the memories of his ancestor Gabriel Laxart in 2016, discovered that the Sword had been missing a vital component that had prevented it from functioning fully since the Hundred Years' War.
History
The Sword of Eden was created by Hephaestus, "the maker", during the Isu Era to bring about the end of the War of Unification.[1] Although effective in its own right, the weapon was designed to work in sync with a spherical, scarlet Piece of Eden known as the Heart which sat inside the Sword's pommel.[2]
By the early 14th century, the Sword and the Heart were in possession of the Knights Templar. In 1307, the Templars were branded heretics by Pope Clement V, with their base, the Parisian Temple, subsequently being attacked by King Philip the Fair's forces. During this assault, Grand Master Jacques de Molay entrusted his advisor with hiding the Sword.[3]
The advisor obliged, concealing the Sword along with de Molay's codex within a secret underground chamber, but was killed shortly thereafter by Thomas de Carneillon.[3] De Molay, however, had removed the Heart from the blade and, while in prison awaiting execution, buried it away within some graffiti on the wall of his cell in the Chinon Château.[2]
In 1429, during the Hundred Years' War, Jeanne d'Arc, guided by her 'voices', obtained the Heart during her stay Chinon in Coudray Tower while awaiting an audience with the then uncrowned Charles VII of France. She later obtained the Sword itself which at some point had been buried underneath Church of Sainte-Catherine at Sainte-Catherine-de-Fierbois. Jeanne used the Sword's full power sparingly as she was unaware of it's true nature.[2]
After many successful battles using the Sword to inspire her comrades and cow their enemies, Jeanne lost during the Siege of Paris, where it was recovered by Templar agents and placed back in the secret chamber. The Heart, however was thrown into the Seine by Geoffroy Thérage, believing it to be the unburnable heart of Jeanne after her execution.[2]
In 1794, during the French Revolution, the Sword was acquired by François-Thomas Germain, who used the Sword during his fight with Arno Dorian and Élise de la Serre. The Piece of Eden granted the Grand Master extraordinary abilities, such as teleportation and deadly energy blasts. However, in a reckless flurry of attacks, Élise struck a blow to the Sword which destabilized its power source.[3]
When Germain attempted to retaliate with another energy blast, the Sword malfunctioned, with the subsequent explosion demolishing much of the Temple, killing Élise and mortally wounding Germain himself. Following the event, the weapon ended up in Arno's possession; having lost most of its remaining powers during the conflict and as a result of Élise's attack. Despite this, however, the Sword remained as one of the most powerful weapons in Arno's arsenal.[3]
By 2016 the unpowered Sword was held once again by the Templars, being displayed in Alan Rikkin's office. That year, Simon Hathaway, newly inducted member of the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order attempted to find a way to fix the Sword by diving into the genetic memories of his ancestor, Gabriel Laxart, who served under Jeanne d'Arc. While reliving his memories, Simon was also given permission to have the Sword but not more time beyond the one week already given. After figuring out that the Heart was the missing component for the Sword, Simon took the Sword against Alan Rikkin's wishes in order find the Heart and presented the now complete sword to the Inner Sanctum members without Rikkin's interference.[2]
Trivia
- The Sword is unique in that it is the only Piece of Eden that can be kept and actively used by the main character after the game ends. The Apples of Eden are sealed away, the Staff disappears and the Shroud is returned to its resting place.
Gallery
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Jacques de Molay's advisor using the Sword to defend himself against de Carneillon -
Germain wielding the Sword
References
