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You cannot know anything. Only suspect.
This article contains content from pre-release sources that may or may not be reflective of canon upon release. This article therefore likely contains spoilers.
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The House of Folly was a genetic memory.[1]
As the Hidden Ones strive to thwart the Order of the Ancients in Baghdad, a critical message reaches them from an agent sent to spy on a remote desert excavation south of the Round City. The urgent communication reveals disturbing news: the Order of the Ancients controls a mysterious machine of unknown purpose, built within a vast underground chamber. Constructed in secrecy by a master inventor of the Order, this device aims to expand upon the groundbreaking work of Hassan at the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. Much like Hassan's Alruh, this machine is designed to unravel the mysteries encoded within the Memory Seals left behind by Those Who Came Before.
The Witnesses are tasked with infiltrating the site, penetrating the depths of the underground temple, and neutralizing all threats within. However, upon entering the chamber, the machine suddenly springs to life, ensnaring them in a swirling vortex of energy. In an instant, they are thrust into a distant memory, one from which escape may prove impossible.
Rayhan, one of Alamut's mentors, enters the room with urgency, holding a note tightly in his hand. "Alert the others—you must depart at once," he declares. "A message from one of our spies has arrived. They've discovered something significant in the desert: an underground temple housing mysterious machinery, under the control of the Order of the Ancients!"
Soon after, you find yourself under the unforgiving desert sun, the rhythmic footsteps of your camels the only sound echoing across the sand. After what feels like an eternity, your mounts obediently kneel as you dismount, climbing a dune to gain a vantage point overlooking the dig site.
Hidden from the eyes of the armed guards patrolling the area, you watch in secret. Tents flap gently in the scorching breeze, while workers go to and fro, operating pulleys and carts laden with sand and debris. As the sun begins its descent, casting an amber glow over the desert, your mission commences...
The Witnesses must evade the armed guards patrolling the site's perimeter, and devise a way to enter the tunnels to locate the mysterious machine.
As the sun dips below the horizon, the silhouette of the excavation site gradually fades, blending into the surrounding rock and sand. Despite the dimming light, the sturdy wooden cranes stand out against the deep orange hue, while turrets and wooden structures mark the perimeter of the site. Amidst the fading light, the groans of laborers persist, their voices drowned out by the authoritative commands of the guards.
- Challenges
- Patrols: Two patrols of 6 guards each stand watch over the perimeter of the excavation site. The rest of the large contingent of guards are resting in a tent inside the dig site.
- Navigate the Site: As the Witnesses move towards the center of the camp, more and more laborers are seen carrying materials or fixing shores. The Witnesses must find their way into the depths of the excavation tunnels to reach the entrance to the underground temple.
- Weaknesses
- Shift Change (minor): An influx of new laborers are expected to relieve the daytime workers retiring for the night. The Witnesses can disguise themselves as laborers to slip into the site unnoticed.
Inside the inner chambers of the Isu Vault, a complex mechanism crafted from scraps of technology left by "Those Who Came Before" hums with energy. Despite its inventor's limited understanding, the machine is operational. However, before the Witnesses can intervene, the device abruptly malfunctions, thrusting them into ancient memories belonging to the Precursors.
As you step into the inner chambers of the Temple, you find yourselves in an odd architectural vault. Within, members of the Order of the Ancients observe an engineer operating a complex machine assembled from unfamiliar technology, emitting an eerie, intense energy. Suddenly, a guard spots your presence and raises the alarm, prompting the drawing of blades. However, before any action can be taken, the device begins to malfunction. A piercing screech reverberates through the chamber, nearly rupturing your eardrums, followed by a potent wave of energy that sends everyone sprawling to the ground. Darkness envelops you as all fades to black. As you open your eyes again, you immediately feel out of place. You are in an enormous room of smooth stone with square columns rising high above you to the ceiling. Artificial lights reflect on the helmets covering your heads, on your metallic and green suits and spears. All around you, dozens of other individuals are busy completing the final procedures at their consoles. In their silver suits, the eight that must survive the end of time sit around the Yggdrasil table. A screen behind them shows the destruction raging outside in real time, the beginning of the Catastrophe. Soon, cracks open on the roof of the vault, and computer terminals begin to go offline. The ceiling starts to collapse. "None may follow, Loki least of all..." a voice rises from the table. "It is done. Now, to face our end..." The first of the eight leaves the table to head outside. The others follow one by one as they complete the upload of their consciousness. Suddenly a ninth Isu emerges from the shadows, stabbing the last of the eight who has yet to complete the upload process. You must stop him!
- Challenges
- Confront the Isu: The Isu responds to your attacks with unbeatable skill. Weapon in hand, with astonishing speed, he treats you like nothing but an annoyance. At the end of any Approach check, the Witnesses must make an additional Reaction check to avoid being injured.
- Mighty Foe: Given the skill and manifest superiority of the Isu, defeating him is a daunting task. Injuring the Isu in combat requires at least 3 separate Approach checks with 1 Raise.
- Weaknesses
- Catastrophic Surroundings (minor): The Witnesses can try to use the collapse of the vault to their advantage. For example, by pushing the Isu in front of a collapsing structure. In this case, the Witnesses overcome the Confront the Isu Challenge.
You manage to land a significant blow on the Isu, but to your surprise, he remains standing. In a swift succession of strikes, you succumb to the relentless assault, your vision blurring as you teeter on the brink of death. From this weakened state, you witness the Isu calmly seated at the Yggdrasil, initiating the upload procedure. This turn of events was not supposed to occur—someone should have intervened. In the fading light, one of you holds something in their hand—a Memory Seal...
The Witnesses awaken from the unsettling memory, finding themselves lying on the dusty floor, facing imminent danger. The device's malfunction persists, unleashing violent tremors that reverberate through the vault, threatening to destabilize its very foundation. With each seismic upheaval, the risk of the chamber being buried beneath the sands of time looms ever closer.
You're awake! The vault is shaking. Stones and dust fall from the ceiling, and a collapse is surely imminent. Members of the Order lie scattered around you, perhaps still ensnared in the bizarre memory. Meanwhile, the malfunctioning machinery whirs incessantly, unleashing sparkling energy bolts that lash out unpredictably. A deafening explosion nearby jolts you into action, prompting you to scramble to your feet. With blocks beginning to rain down from above, it's time to run for safety!
- Challenges
- Crawling Out: The main tunnel leading out of the chamber has been partially blocked by falling debris. The Witnesses must climb through a tight passage if they want to escape this way.
- Climbing Up: The Witnesses must ascend to the upper part of the excavation site to escape. However, accessing the upper level is now even more of a labyrinth than before as dangerous chasms open beneath the Witnesses' feet.
- Weaknesses
- Toss Me That Rope! (minor): If the Witnesses have a rope or a similar tool in their Gear, whenever they try to overcome the Climbing Up Challenge, any Approach check they make has 1 free Raise.
The walls groan and shudder around you. Dust chokes the air, and the ground beneath your feet trembles with each step. In a desperate sprint, you find a way out of the collapsing tunnels, guided more by instinct and a blessed sense of direction. As you burst into the open, surrounded by a thick cloud of settling dust, you can finally take a moment to savor the feeling of escape under the clear, open sky and its glowing stars...
Known Owners: Unknown
Current Status: Unknown
For more information about this Piece of Eden, see page 186 of the Assassin’s Creed – Animus Handbook.
