Piece of Eden

Characteristics
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.

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 Altaïr, or more appropriately, one of his ancestors, was born lacking these "dormant receptors". As Desmond's genetic family are seemingly the only of which that possess this resistance. Why such a severe neurological mutation such as this (severe, due to the fact that humans were created, specifically to be controlled by the artifacts through these receptors), were to occur is left for speculation. A possible idea is that natural evolution disposed of this in an effort to make humans more suitable independantly, rather than being solely reliant on their masters for food and shelter. This is could also be explained by another truth file from subject 16 "Bloodlines" which shows that Altair and Ezio gained their powers from a mixed bloodline where normal humans bred with Those Who Came Before.

Confirmed Artifacts
01: The First Apple: Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.

Status: 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.

Status: Caught in an explosive satellite malfunction. Most likely survived, but impossible to retrieve in the darkness 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.

Status: Unknown

Owners: Those Who Came Before, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, 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. Possibly helped in the development of weapons and technology throughout the centuries.

Status: Unknown

Owners: Those Who Came Before, "The Invention of Gunpowder", Nikola Tesla(A), Thomas Edison(T), Henry Ford(T), Adolf Hitler(T)(!), Assassins.

05: The Fifth Apple: Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.

Status: Unknown

Owners: Those Who Came Before, NASA(T).

25: The Sword: Designed to possibly cut through anything and block any attack. It also probably "passed" along an immense knowledge of combat tactics to the wielder, allowing them to take on entire armies. It's said that Attila the Hun's sword had an attack called the "Scourge of Mars". It was so terrifying that none dared to speak of the details...if there were any that survived it, that is. So it's also possible that with a single stroke, it can carve down hundreds of men.

Status: Unknown

Owners: Those Who Came Before, Perseus, Alexander the Great(T)(!), Attila the Hun(T), King Arthur, Sigurd, Genghis Kahn(T)(!), 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.

Status: Destroyed in the Tunguska Incident.

Owners: Those Who Came Before, Egyptian Pharaohs, Moses, Alexander the Great(T)(!), John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, Saint Peter, Rodrigo Borgia(T), Ezio(A), Unknown, Czar Nicholas II, Rasputin(T)(!).

66: The Shroud: Unknown, possibly allowed the resurrection of the dead, able to heal any ailment. The Templars were behind the crucifixion of Christ, allowing them to steal the artifact, although his disciples may have used it to heal Jesus before the Templars stole it. The Shroud appears to be red in color, with a "golden layer" woven on the inside, most likely the golden layer is the "technological part" of the artifact. Altaïr mentions a Golden Fleece in a codex page concerning his set of armor, suggesting he had woven it into his armor. This could very well be possible, as he had acces to the locations of the Pieces of Eden.

Status: Unknown

Owners: Those Who Came Before, Joseph, David, Jesus Christ, Templars.

(T) = A Templar/worked with Templars (A) = Assassin/Worked With Assassins (!)= Confirmed Assassinated by the Assassins



Locations of the Artifacts
According to the Codex Map there are exactly 48 Pieces of Eden remaining in the world. Here are the proposed locations of each in no particular order. One was located on the moon, but then another was destroyed in the satelite incident and then staff was destroyed, so at one time there was 50.. Not every location seems to hold some kind of historical value to the world, that is because the Templars already have some and they are being held at their facilities, which is why some seem so out of place. The same can possibly also be said about the Assassins, although it's not likely since Lucy said there was so few of them and they are losing the war so far.


 * 1) Giza, Egypt (home of the pyramids, Sphinx, and the many tombs near them)
 * 2) Lake Victoria, Africa, more on the Kenyan side
 * 3) The Gambia River, Gambia (This is one of the three stops that was part of the slave trade route, 3 million slaves were sent to Europe and the Americas from this spot for 3 centuries, it would make sense if the Templars had used a Piece of Eden on them to make a profit)
 * 4) Timbuktu, Mali
 * 5) Taza, Morocco
 * 6) Canary Islands, Spain
 * 7) The Southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, curiously near the volcano of Opala
 * 8) Odessa, Ukraine
 * 9) Kharkiv, Ukraine
 * 10) Rennes-le-Château, France (this is a major site for modern day Templar legends, featured in the Da Vinci Code, it was the supposed origin point of a group called the Priory of Sion)
 * 11) Salisbury Plain, England (The Sword?) (This was supposedly the plain where King Arthur died. Before doing so he asked a squire to take him to the lake that belonged to the Lady of the Lake, where he threw the sword in and she caught it before it even touched the water, then took it back down where it supposedly rests to this day.)
 * 12) Loch Ness, Scotland
 * 13) Maroantsetra, Madagascar
 * 14) Nara, Japan (Isonokami Shrine outside of Nara City is home to one of the three national treasures of Japan, the Kusunagi, a mythical sword that was supposedly used by the sea and storm god Susanoo to kill the demon serpent, Yamata no Orochi. Supposedly the sword can cut through anything, and can even create wind blasts if swung through the air. The Shinto priests who keep the shrine absolutely refuse to let anyone see or examine their treasure, allowing only the Emperor of Japan to know of it's existence.)
 * 15) Somewhere close to Goodhouse, South Africa, near the border between South Africa and Namibia
 * 16) Kuwait
 * 17) Delhi, India or the Taj Mahal in India, just a short distance south of Delhi
 * 18) Persepolis, now modern day Shiraz, Iran (This is where leaders like Darius and Xerxes ruled the Persian Empire, Xerxes was killed by the first ever hidden blade used by an Assassin.)
 * 19) Jerusalem, Israel - (The Apple #1)
 * 20) Somewhere in the jungle near the southern border of Colombia, South America; around the area of the Igara Paranda River
 * 21) Nazca, Perú - (The Crystal Skulls?)
 * 22) Colombo, Sri Lanka
 * 23) Hellissandur, Iceland
 * 24) The area of Sabiene Island, Nunavut, Canada (it's really hard to tell with this one because the map blurs out which peninsula or island it could be on, but basically it is somewhere in the bay where Sabiene Island is, or along the coast of it in that area)
 * 25) Phoenix, Arizona, or somewhere outside the city
 * 26) Washington D.C. (possible locations include the White House, the Washington Monument, the Capital building, although there are probably many others)
 * 27) Juneau, Alaska
 * 28) An area close to Pulau Ratewo, Papua
 * 29) The middle of the South Pacific Ocean
 * 30) The Pacific Ocean, close to the coast of Mexico
 * 31) The South Pacific Ocean, close to the Assassin's temple located at 91 degrees W
 * 32) The Atlantic Ocean, in an area where it was believed that Atlantis was believed to have existed
 * 33) The Atlantic Ocean, a few hundred miles off the coast of Brazil
 * 34) The Antartic Ocean, on the side of Antarctica facing up towards the Atlantic
 * 35) The Indian Ocean, almost cross sectioned with the tips of Inda, Africa and the Southwestern tip of Australia
 * 36) The Antartic Ocean, the side of the Antartic ocean that faces up towards the Indian Ocean
 * 37) Archangel, Russia
 * 38) Andorra le Vella, Andorra
 * 39) Imperatriz, Brazil
 * 40) Barrow, Alaska
 * 41) La Rioja, Argentina
 * 42) An area close to Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia
 * 43) An area around South Cross, in Western Australia
 * 44) Somewhere in the middle of the Island of Sumatra, Indonesia (possibly Lake Toba)
 * 45) Beijing, China
 * 46) Somewhere in the Atali Mountains in southwestern Mongolia
 * 47) Somewhere along the northern Coast of Chukotka province, Russia
 * 48) An area close to Tiksi, Russia

Possible Artifacts and their Functions; Temple locations
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. Possible owners: Jesus.
 * The Crystal Skulls: Quartz skulls found in Ancient Temples. Telepathic Communication. Currently possessed by the Templars, possibly found near the Nazca Lines. There are more than two, although the number is unknown at this time, but it's possible there could be at least 13.
 * The "Philadelphia Experiment" artifact: Time travel, said to have been lost in the failed experiment. According to reports, a Navy destroyer ship disappeared for a few minutes, supposedly having traveled to the future. When it reappeared and was searched, most of the men were gone or they were there but dead, with pieces of their bodies melted into the metal of the ship. According to the email in the first AC, it was locked away in a safe location, and curiously, on the Codex map it shows a dot in the middle of the Nevada desert...in Area 51?
 * The Golden Fleece: A seemingly weightless and indestructible piece of armor or 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. Possible Owners: Jason of the Argonauts
 * The Spear of Destiny or Holy Lance: Said to protect its user from death, but causes instant death when lost. Also it's possible that when thrown it can never miss it's target and can't be stopped in mid-flight. Supposedly pierced the side of Christ at his crucifixion, although Biblically the man who pierced Christ was said to live forever, until he found out and killed himself with the spear. Possible Owners: Longinus, Constantine, Charlemagne and other Holy Roman Emperors
 * The Philosopher's Stone: Turn any substance into pure gold. Possibly what started the gold rush in Coloma, California.

There are 8 locations of Temples mentioned by Minerva that could possibly help save the human race, and more than likely where Desmond and the other modern day Assassins will be heading in the third AC game.


 * New York City, NY, USA; possible locations include the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Library, Madison Square Garden, etc. It's hard to determine because New York city has a huge underground network system, it could be hiding in plain sight, or it could be so far down that no one could possibly have seen it, able to rise up from the earth at will and just hasn't for thousands of years.
 * The Galapagos IslandsCodexmapcopy.jpg
 * Somewhere in the middle of the country of Cameroon, Africa; Cameroon is literally in the heart of Africa, covered in dense jungle, it would be completely possible to hide a temple in it and never see it from the sky above.
 * Somewhere in the Badain Jaran Desert in China.
 * Somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean, parallel to the one on the Galapagos Islands. Possible coordinates are S 44 degrees, W 91 degrees (the west part is the longitude that the Galapagos islands are located on)
 * Hidden in the fjords in Northern Norway, possibly close to the peninsula/islands near Hinnoya, Norway.
 * Somewhere in the middle of the island of Java, Indonesia. (Possibly Borobudur Temple, the largest Hindu Temple in the world)
 * Somewhere in the ocean south of the southeastern tip of Australia.

All the temple locations are parallel to each other, first appearing in a curved row of three, a row of two to make the parallel fold across the map, and then a curved row of three again.

Other possible Pieces of Eden. These are just something to think about, since the POE's were part of most of history and myths, it's possible these could also exist.


 * The Wand or Elder Wand: Every great sorcerer, wizard, or magician that could have possibly existed in the real world has been said to have a wand, thus the source of their power. Functions: this Piece of Eden could possibly allow the user the ability to warp reality, thus making making some form of magic spells possible. People who might have owned it: Circe, Merlin, the Fairy Godmother of some fairy tales. Has a high chance of existing, since the Sword was once wielded by King Arthur.
 * The Boots: Numerous legends abound about boots that can grant either super speed or flight, like the Seven-league Boots or the Winged Sandals of Hermes.
 * The Hammer: There is only one real mention of a mystic hammer and that is of Mjolnir, the Norse thunder god Thor's warhammer. It was rumored to be unbreakable and able to control the elements of the storms. It has been noted lately that it's possible that Thor could have been a real person and was such a fantastic warrior that the Vikings actually worshiped him as the warrior god. It was also noted that in the real world, the Knights Templar were actually on good terms with the Viking community. Could be possible that they presented a Piece of Eden to them in the game world as a motion of good faith?
 * The Helmet: Used by Perseus, along with the Sword, the Helmet of Hades made the wearer invisible once put on.
 * The Shield: Perseus also used a mythical shield given to him by Athena (Minerva in the Roman culture). It's supposedly unbreakable and one of it's qualities is it's mirrored finish, which enabled him to supposedly kill the Gorgon without looking at it and thus turning to stone. It's possible that the Gorgon part was a myth, but instead was a person who possessed a Piece of Eden that could turn any who saw it into stone, and it just so happened to look like the head of a foul beast. It's noted that in just about every modern day statue that depicts Perseus, he is holding the head of Medusa in his hands.
 * The Second Sword: There are thousands of myths and legends that tell of magic/enchanted swords all throughout history, some of them existing in the hands of other people at the same time in far off places. So it's possible that there might be a second Piece of Eden that is a Sword. There is obviously more than one apple shaped Piece of Eden, as listed above.

Things the Pieces of Eden share in common:


 * If any one of these pieces were to be destroyed, like the Piece of Eden involved in the Tunguska Explosion, they would cause explosions similar to nuclear blasts, at least enough to level a major city. It's even been shown that at least one of these things were part of the Manhattan project in one of the glyphs left behind by Subject 16.
 * It's highly possible that The Ones that Came Before had mastered all forms of technology, including controlled nuclear fusion which is another reason these things still have power to them even after thousands of years of being used throughout human history, and another reason for the blast theory above.
 * It is possible, but very slim, that through their advanced technology, the Pieces of Eden are omni-synched: synchronized to each other throughout time and locations of where they are on the planet. It would explain why the one Apple shows the location of the remaining 46 pieces on the map shown to Altair, not showing the one lost in the satelite incident or the one lost in the Tunguska incident.

Trivia
Thanks to the glyphs, a number of legends were proven to be real in a way, thanks to the P.O.E. Here are a few:
 * The Greek Myth of Perseus.
 * King Arthur existed as he had in the legends about him and not just the way historians think he did.