Modern times

Modern Times refer to the time between the beginning of the 20th century and 2012, the year in which Desmond Miles begins to access the memories of his ancestors, all of whom were Assassins.

Description
The war between Assassins and Templars still continues in secret. The Assassins have become largely diminished and have gone into hiding, while the Templars' influence has greatly expanded, controlling many puppet corporations such as Abstergo. Many historical events have been orchestrated by the Templars and Assassins, including the Tunguska event, the Manhattan Project, and even World War II.

By 2012, Earth has already begun to decay. Reading Warren Vidic's e-mail reveals that a 'Second Plague' has struck Africa, leaving 96% of Africans dead in a three month period, and the continent nearly uninhabited. Another e-mail states how illegal immigration into Mexico from the United States of America has become widespread. The motion-picture industry has collapsed, as the last film studio closed due to piracy, and the rising prominence of video games. The U.S. and E.U. are constructing jointly owned oil platforms in the Weddell Sea. 'Hurricane Season' has become a yearly occurrence, as hurricane duration, frequency, strength, and location have increased to the point where most coastal cities must live in constant fear of the devastating storms.

In September of 2012, Abstergo Industries was being investigated for manipulating a small town's water supply, in order to test a synthetic drug referred to as New Fluoride. This has pressured Abstergo to launch their Eye-Abstergo satellite -- secretly a Piece of Eden-powered mind-control device -- on December 21st, sooner than planned.

At the end of Assassin's Creed II, Minerva revealed that the Earth is going to experience a geomagnetic reversal in the near future, leading to a period where solar radiation could easily penetrate to the surface of the planet and cause severe catastrophe. It is possible that the Pieces of Eden will be used to thwart this disaster.

The present-day segments of Assassin's Creed are confirmed to take place in Italy, since writing in the Abstergo parking lot and hideout is in Italian, and Florentine-style buildings can be seen through the hideout's windows. Interestingly, although it is assumed that the Hideout and Abstergo Industries are in present-day Italy, most of the characters speak with an American accent.

To reinforce the idea of an Italian setting, after the events of Assassin's Creed II, Desmond, Lucy, Shaun and Rebecca take base in the Sanctuary under the Auditore Family Villa in the remnants of Monteriggioni.

Assassins

 * Nikolai Orelov
 * Aleksandr Ulyanov
 * Desmond Miles
 * Lucy Stillman
 * Rebecca Crane
 * Shaun Hastings
 * Subject Sixteen

Templars

 * John Pierpont Morgan
 * Thomas Edison
 * Henry Ford
 * Harvey Firestone
 * Grigori Rasputin
 * Adolf Hitler
 * Joseph Stalin
 * J. Robert Oppenheimer*
 * Abraham Zapruder
 * Lyndon B. Johnson
 * William Greer
 * Lee Harvey Oswald
 * Alan Rikkin
 * Warren Vidic
 * Nancy Nilop
 * Jane Birkam
 * Aubrey Jacobs
 * Richard

Unknown

 * Leila Marino
 * Daniel Cross*

* = Debatable