Brazier
A brazier is a container used to burn solid fuel, such as wood or charcoal, that is typically forged out of metal and may be elevated with legs.[1][2]
History[edit | edit source]
Apart from cooking and providing light and warmth, braziers have had a military function across human societies for thousands of years. Lit braziers serve as a visual signal for a crisis and an effective means of calling for reinforcements from afar. Fortresses and military camps from ancient Greece[3] and Rome to Egypt[2] and China[4][5] all had giant braziers installed atop a high position to be lit by guards whenever the need to alert their base to intruders or enemy invaders arose. Infiltrators, be they mercenaries,[3] youxia,[5] or Hidden Ones,[2] had to be cautious of these alarms and in some cases resorted to sabotaging them with traps that would cause the brazier to explode when lit.[3][5]
A network of beacons was also a mainstay of historical defensive systems, and this was a prominent feature of the Great Wall of China, which had braziers emplaced atop turrets at regular intervals all along its length. With the towers properly manned, a single lit brazier at any point of the system would quickly set off a cascading chain of activated beacons, alerting the entire nation to danger. These beacons were not exclusive to the Great Wall as major cities in Hebei during the Tang dynasty also had designated watchtowers for this purpose. When the An Lushan Rebellion broke out in 755, the eponymous rebel had his Yeluohe shock troops seize control of beacons or otherwise cowed Tang guards into submission to deny local populations from raising the call-to-arms. Eventually, a lone Hidden One, Li E, and his partner Yan Jiming from Changshan were able to breakthrough the garrison at Julu to light its beacon, immediately reviving morale in the citizenry and igniting the whole beacon network in short order.[6]
In 1485, a more ingenious way of utilizing braziers was devised by Leonardo da Vinci to assist Ezio Auditore da Firenze in infiltrating the Palazzo Ducale of Venice and thwarting Templar Carlo Grimaldi's plot to murder Doge Giovanni Mocenigo.[7] Ezio had been unable to scale the walls of the palace[8] and decided to attempt to fly into it with Leonardo's prototype Flying Machine, which Leonardo theorized would work by using the heat from braziers as lift.[7] To pave the way, Ezio eliminated guards posted at braziers on rooftops along the flight path while the thieves of Antonio de Magianis set them alight in preparation for Ezio's flight.[7][9] Despite having to evade arrows by alarmed Venetian guards, Ezio successfully made it to the palace on the Flying Machine without injury and assassinated Grimaldi, albeit moments too late to save the doge from Grimaldi's poison.[10]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
 This list is incomplete. You can help the Assassin's Creed Wiki by expanding it.
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- Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles
- Assassin's Creed II
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
- Assassin's Creed: Origins
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- Assassin's Creed: Dynasty
- Assassin's Creed: Jade
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Brazier". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. Accessed 21 September 2023.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Assassin's Creed: Origins
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Assassin's Creed: Jade
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – Beacon Fire (Part 9)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Assassin's Creed II – Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
- ↑ Assassin's Creed II – If At First You Don't Succeed...
- ↑ Assassin's Creed II – Well Begun Is Half Done
- ↑ Assassin's Creed II – Infrequent Flier