Apple of Eden 2

The Second Apple of Eden was a Piece of Eden, a piece of ancient and technologically advanced equipment created by the First Civilization to control humankind, their workforce.

Use
Designed to create illusions and control men's minds.

Status
Caught in an explosive satellite malfunction. Possibly survived and either fell to Earth, where it's whereabouts would be unknown, or flew into space, where it would be impossible to retrieve.

Known owners

 * First Civilization (? - ?)
 * Rashid ad-Din Sinan (1191)
 * Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad (September 1191 - 1257)
 * Elizabeth I of England
 * Mahatma Gandhi
 * Abstergo Industries

High Middle Ages
"It is temptation."

- Al Mualim, about the Apple of Eden.

By the Third Crusade, ten Templars had found the Apple, which remained hidden in the catacombs of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.

Some time afterwards, in 1191, the Templar Grand Master Robert de Sable sought to take the Apple for himself. Discovering this, Rashid ad-Din Sinan, more commonly referred to as Al Mualim, sent three of his Assassins - Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and the brothers Malik and Kadar Al-Sayf - to intercept him, and take the artifact to the Assassins' fortress in Masyaf.

Despite suffering a grievous injury and losing his brother Kadar, Malik Al-Sayf was able to retrieve the Apple and bring it to Al Mualim, while Altaïr was routed by the Templars. Throughout the year, Al Mualim kept the Apple close at all times, meanwhile sending Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad to kill Robert, and the other eight Templars who knew of the Apple.

During Altaïr's absence to kill Robert de Sable, Al Mualim hypnotized the Assassins and villagers of Masyaf, corrupted by the the Apple's power and revealing himself to secretly be a Templar too. When Al Mualim was confronted by Altaïr after his return, Al Mualim utilized several of the Apple abilities to defend himself.

However, Altaïr was able to kill Al Mualim and take the Apple. Joined by Malik Al-Sayf and three other Assassins, they witnessed a map showing yet more Pieces of Eden erupting from the Apple. Altaïr, fearing that Al Mualim would still use the Apple's powers even in his death, intended to burn Al Mualim's body to be certain that he would not return from death - against the Assassins' rule to not burn a man's body. Altaïr's intentions were received both positively and negatively, with Altaïr's former friend and rival Abbas Sofian being the main person to stand against Altaïr.

"Have you anything to teach us, or will you lead us all to ruin?"

- Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, regarding the Apple.

The Order was temporarily split into two factions, with a fight erupting between the two after Abbas was angered by Altaïr after he burned their Master's body, and shoved him off the cliff they were standing on. Abbas quickly fled the scene and returned to Al Mualim's study, where he retrieved the Apple, and climbed a watchtower right outside Masyaf fortress. However, Abbas was not able to use the Apple's powers properly, and the Apple started draining the life from various Assassins in Masyaf, including Abbas himself. Altaïr, less affected than the other Assassins, was able to obtain the Apple from Abbas before it killed him. Abbas apologized, and the Order united under Altaïr.

Despite this accident, Altaïr carefully studied the Apple throughout most of his life, using it to advance the Assassin Order, creating several new techniques for the Assassins to use. Altaïr also carried it with him when journeying to Cyprus to eliminate the Templars there. Continuing to study it in secret, he wrote his discoveries in his Codex, and used it once in public to calm a mob that was falsely rallied against him.

In 1217, Altaïr, his wife Maria and son Darim had traveled to Mongolia to assassinate Genghis Khan and eliminate the Mongol threat. They returned to Masyaf ten years later, successful in their objective with help from the Mongolian Assassin Qulan Gal. However, in their absence, Abbas Sofian had killed Altaïr's second son Sef and imprisoned Malik Al-Sayf, only to later have him killed as well. With the acting leader Malik in prison, Abbas had created a council to lead the Assassin Order, with himself as its head. Altaïr and Maria faced Abbas to take the Order back, with Abbas demanding that Altaïr had over the Apple. Taunting Abbas, Altaïr let him take it, and Abbas' henchman Swami came to retrieve it. Revealing himself to be Sef's killer and that he told Sef that his father ordered his death before killing him, Swami felt Altaïr's anger reaching his body via the Apple upon touching it. A golden glow emulating from his mouth, Swami started mutilating himself, killing Maria in the frenzy. Altaïr escaped Masyaf, eventually meeting with Darim along the way, and ignited a 20-year self-exile to Alamut.

During those twenty years, Altaïr studied the Apple more, even managing to create a hidden gun. Additionally, the Apple led Altaïr to six Memory Seals. After those twenty years of exile, Altaïr returned to Masyaf and took the Order back from Abbas with virtue - gaining the support from the Assassins - and first tested the hidden gun on Abbas, killing him.

Upon regaining control of the Order once again, Altaïr ordered the construction of a library, intending to hide all his books there. A few years later, Darim met the Venetian tradesmen Niccolò and Maffeo Polo. Inviting them to stay at Masyaf in 1257, the two men were trained by Altaïr, then 92-years old, into becoming Assassins. After a month of training, Masyaf was attacked by the Mongols under command of Hülegü Khan, seeking retaliation for Genghis Khan's death. Altaïr passed on several of his books and his Codex to the Polo brothers, and before they left Masyaf, gave Niccolò five of the six Memory Seals, which Altaïr had turned into keys needed to open his library.

Altaïr and Darim returned to Masyaf fortress after repelling a Mongol attack, and bidding each other farewell before the entrance to Altaïr's library. Darim was ordered to take Altaïr's remaining books with him to Alexandria, after which Darim realized that the library was not meant to be a library. Revealing that nobody must know what secret it contained, Altaïr entered the library and closed the gate behind him, making his way to the end of the library. There, he placed the Apple on a pedestal, before imprinting the sixth Memory Seal with a memory, and passing away.

Renaissance
During the early 16th century, the leader of the Italian Assassins and a Mentor in the Assassin Order, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, began a journey to Masyaf, hoping to find the secret that was hidden there.

Eventually finding the library, and retrieving Niccolò Polo's journal from a Templar captain called Leandros, who was trying to get into the library as well, Ezio made his way to Constantinople to retrieve the five keys and unlock the entrance to the library. After several months of searching, aided by the local Assassins Guild and a Venetian-Ottoman bookseller called Sofia Sartor, Ezio was able to obtain the keys and together with Sofia made his way to Masyaf once again.

Entering the library, Ezio found out that the secret was another Apple, but decided to not take it from its pedestal, instead leaving the artifact in the library.

Elizabethan era
"You may think this picture a riddle, an allegory, an artist's fancy. It is not. The object in the hand of the Faerie Queen is real. So is its power. And so are the goddesses."

- John Dee, describing the painting he gave Elizabeth Jane Weston.

Somehow, the Apple wound up in the hands of Queen Elizabeth I of England, an important monarch in 16th century England who succeeded her sister Mary I after she was assassinated by the Assassins. Using the Apple during her reign, her most trusted adviser John Dee was aware of Elizabeth possessing the artifact, even using one himself during his time living in Prague.

John Dee later gave a painting of Queen Elizabeth holding the Apple during an alternative rendition of the Judgment of Paris as a wedding present to the stepdaughter of his former colleague Edward Kelley, Elizabeth Jane Weston, after Queen Elizabeth's death.

Modern times
"I'll send you the driver. We've trained him with PE2 in our labs, he shouldn't be any trouble."

- An unknown Templar in a letter, talking about William Greer.

By modern times, the Apple had passed into the hands of Mahatma Gandhi, who used it to acquire a large religious following in India during the early 20th century. However, the Templars found out about this, and had Gandhi murdered on 30 January 1948, so they could recover it.

By 1963, the Templars had both the First and Second Apples, and both were used in the Kennedy assassination. William Greer, the Secret Service agent assigned to drive Kennedy's limousine, was trained in the use of the Second Apple, and was instructed to grab the Third Apple after the president was killed.

Abstergo Industries experimented with the Second Apple underneath Denver International Airport, though they eventually caused the DIA satellite accident, ultimately losing the Apple.

Trivia

 * Unlike Ezio's Apple used in Brotherhood, when the Second Apple is used in Revelations it won't harm the player's health.