Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies – Volume 1: Die Glocke

Assassin's Creed Conspiracies Volume 1: Die Glocke, is the first volume of Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies, a two-part story published in French by Les Deux Royaumes.

Following the end of the first cycle by Corbeyran and Defali, Die Glocke is written by Guillaume Dorison and illustrated by Jean-Baptiste Hostache, and was released in October 2016. It was published in English by Titan Comics in August 2018.

The story is set during World War II, featuring the race for the Atomic Bomb, and follows a new Assassin hero who influences the course of history in 1943.

Synopsis

New era - New adventure - New Assassin. Europe, World War II. On the sidelines of the race for the atomic bomb, discover the story of Eddie Gorm and his integration into the Assassin Brotherhood while he infiltrates the Templars to foil their plan to create a devastating weapon.

Eddie Gorm is the boss of the docks and his only obsession is to run his small business. For this, the docker does not shrink from anything: diversion of military rations, traffic of alcohol and settling of account in the district of the East End.

The war? The Nazis? This is the problem of others.

Except that when death knocks on his door, he has no choice: only man to save the world from atomic horror, Eddie finds himself propelled despite himself in the midst of a millennial conflict between the Order of Templars and the Brotherhood of Assassins.

Plot synopsis

On 27 February 1943, Eddie Gorm jumps down from a plane in Norway and travels towards the Vemork Hydroelectric Factory. There, he kills two guards and infiltrates the factory grounds. Taking a scientist hostage, Eddie makes his way towards a hidden chamber where he encounters a man who awaited him inside a meticulously built machine.

Three years earlier, on 7 September 1940, Eddie and his dock crew fight against Spencer and his men over the latter selling weapons illegally on Eddie's docks in the East End. After teaching Spencer a lesson, Eddie and his partner Stan talk about their business running dry as Stan books a meeting with a gangster named "Jack Turpin" and his right hand man Robert Burton. After their meeting, Eddie immediately rejects Turpin's proposal as he wants to steer clear of any transactions between him and any gangsters part of the war, despite illegally selling weapons to the highest bidder.

Eddie returns home and meets with his niece Justine and nephew Paul, who say strangers came to ask about him. Later, he talks with his sister-in-law, Maria, who convinces him to leave London for all of their well-beings. That night, Eddie goes to meet Stan, but is met by both Boris Pash and his lieutenant Julia Dusk. Despite a brief altercation, the three discuss the true nature of Mr. Turpin, who is actually a secret German spy named Otto Hammerstein working for Gero Kramer on the Uranprojekt, the Nazis' atomic bomb.

Although Eddie rejected Otto's offer, Pash and Dusk push for him to agree instead and become an undercover spy under Otto. Eddie rejects their offer but their meeting is cut short once bombs start to fall on London. While all three survive, Eddie goes to check on his family but is too late as Justine, Paul, and Maria were all killed by one of the first bombs. Eight days later, Pash and Dusk search for Eddie in an abandoned train station. There, they find a drunken Eddie and offer him a chance to become a spy once more. After a brief discussion, Eddie agrees to join Pash's mission.

Five days later, Eddie agrees to take a deal with Otto as he and his dock crew infiltrate a secret French Allied base with Otto. After the French officers are tied up, Eddie and his men steal the valuables while Otto interrogates the officers. However, Stan holds Otto at knifepoint after hearing about his ties with Germany. Eddie catches up with Otto and Stan as Hammerstein offers him a better stake if he saves his life. Reluctant and saddened, Eddie kills his partner and saves Otto to gain his trust.

Two years later, in September 1942, Otto and Eddie are at a Nazi party in Berlin at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Heredity, and Eugenics. While there, they meet with Josef Mengele, who states that Kramer would like to meet Otto's protégé. Alone, Kramer speaks with Eddie and accuses him of being unfaithful to them due to his past military history. Eddie relieves the tension by stating that England let him be dishonorably discharged and his brother to be killed in the gulag. Satisfied, Kramer entrusts Eddie with protecting the Uranprojekt's lead scientist, Werner Heisenberg.

Shortly afterwards, a drunken and enraged Eddie almost kills himself until he is visited by his handler Julia Dusk. Dusk reminds him to continue the mission despite his moral beliefs. The next day, at the Kaiser-Wilhelmina Institute of Chemistry, Kramer gives a speech about the recent scientific accomplishments led by Heisenberg as Eddie and Hammerstein stand on the sidelines. After Otto expresses his passion for the atomic bomb achievement, Eddie becomes fed up and stabs him in the side. While the Nazis see the attack, Eddie holds Heisenberg hostage and takes him to his lab for interrogation.

Threatened by Eddie, Heisenberg admits that the Uranprojekt is a farce and that the real invention is Kramer's experiment called Die Glocke, which was funded by a company called Abstergo. Before he can react to the information, Eddie is blindsided by Heisenberg with a flask as Otto and his men barge into the lab. Immediately, a smoke grenade comes through a window as Dusk enters to save Eddie. During the confusion, Otto is killed by Eddie before he and Dusk escape. However, Dusk is hit by a bullet as they flee the institute.

Eddie carries an unconscious Julia down to the streets and is met by both Pash and Burton. As they all drive away, Eddie attacks Burton only to be halted by Pash, who reveals that Burton is on their side. At the abandoned El Dorado bar, while Burton tends to the injured Dusk, Pash informs Eddie of the ongoing battle against the Templars, who started every historical calamity up to and including the current war. Revealing himself and Burton to be Assassins, Pash informs Eddie of his own Assassin lineage while Eddie divulges Die Glocke's location in Vemork, Norway. Seeing limited options, Eddie asks to be trained as an Assassin to stop Kramer.

Back at Vemork in 1943, Eddie and Kramer begin to fight each other. After a lengthy fight, Eddie gains the upper hand until Kramer blocks his knife attack and chokes him into unconsciousness. When he wakes up, Eddie finds himself hooked into the machine as Kramer looks over him. Kramer introduces both Die Glocke and its inventor, a still-living Nikola Tesla. The Templar discusses Pash's duplicity as he informs Eddie of "Those Who Came Before" and their artifacts, the Pieces of Eden. Revealing that Die Glocke is powered by an Apple of Eden, Kramer shows its power by showcasing his superhuman strength and regeneration gained from the artifact.

Explaining Die Glocke as a time-distortion machine that allows the user to relive memories of the past, Kramer admits his desire to use it to establish a new power over Europe, with himself as the leader. Aware of Eddie's Assassin lineage, Kramer hopes to use the memories of his ancestors to locate more Pieces of Eden that will allow him to accomplish his goal. With that, he orders Tesla to activate Die Glocke, causing Eddie to begin screaming in pain.

In another time, a female scientist named Alice and her husband are having trouble with their Animus as they check on their patient, Maxime. Realizing the Animus malfunctioned at the same time Eddie was in Die Glocke, both scientists conclude that there must be more to the story due to Maxime being Eddie's grandson. While Alice's husband sees Maxime wake up, the latter states that he is not Maxime but Eddie Gorm.

Collections

• Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies – The Complete Collection

Media

Editions

• ISBN 9782918771524; 21 October 2016; Les Deux Royaumes; FR paperback
• ISBN 9781785867194; 1 August 2018; Titan Comics; US paperback
• ASIN B07D334HPS; 8 August 2018; Titan Comics; US eBook

Gallery

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  French cover

Trivia

• "Die Glocke" (English: the bell) was a purported top secret Nazi technological device or secret weapon that was developed during the War.