Piece of Eden

A Piece of Eden is one of several ancient objects left by Those Who Came Before, each possessing different effects and are known to be capable of bending the thoughts of one or more individuals to the will of the user.

History
Those Who Came Before, an ancient and incredibly advanced race of beings, came to Earth long ago. Exactly who they were, how long ago they arrived on Earth, or how they came to die out, is still for the most part largely unknown. What is known, however, is that it was they who not only created humanity (in their own image) but they also created the Pieces of Eden.

In Assassin's Creed II, Minerva reveals that her kind created humanity as a slave race. In order to ensure their acquiescence and loyalty, humanity was engineered to be susceptible to specific hypnotic power. This power was focused specifically through technology later known as Pieces of Eden. Because of this, humans and Those Who Came Before lived peacefully albeit unequally for some time. However, two humans, Adam and Eve gained some became resistant to the power of their masters' technology, prompting them to rebel and to steal one of the Pieces of Eden, known only as "the Apple", a story mirrored in the Bible with Eve stealing from the Tree of Knowledge.

When the Knights Templar discovered the existence of the Pieces of Eden, they described them all to be apples of the Tree of Knowledge, further cementing the original Biblical story, although not all of the Pieces are necessarily "apples". Believing that all supernatural phenomena have roots in the use of Pieces, the Templar Order committed itself to exposing all religious and spiritual miracles as false, ultimately destroying the concept of religion.

In Assassin's Creed, Al Mualim of the Assassin Order gained a Piece of Eden, the original Apple, and attempted to use it to establish forced peace. However, his plans were thwarted by Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, who then took control of the Apple and the Assassin Order. After doing so, he established a new goal &mdash; to hunt down and destroy the last of the Knights Templar and the remaining Pieces of Eden. Altaïr studies artifact, writing about its powers and his own theories, this collection of writings later became known as "The Codex".

During the events of Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, 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 &mdash; that the real culprit was Armand Bouchart, the Templar Grand Master. Altaïr them travels to the Archives in Limassol, his intention being to store the Apple and leave it. However, when he arrives, he decides to keep it instead and its later status is unknown.

In Assassin's Creed II, while decrypting "The Truth" files left by Subject 16, it is revealed that the Apple and other Pieces of Eden have a rather extensive history of changing hands. Many notable figures in history (some Knights Templar and some obtaining the artifacts by pure coincidence) have used the Pieces of Eden for varying purposes. Such individuals include, but are not limited to, Napoleon Bonaparte, George Washington, Gandhi, Houdini, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Tsar Nicholas II, Winston Churchill and even Adolf Hitler. One can even go so far as to claim that every major historical event and scientific discovery can be attributed to a Piece of Eden, as the Pieces seem to be at the very heart of all of human history.

Abilities
The greatest tools known to man, the Pieces of Eden are capable of warping reality, creating illusions, starting and ending wars, and ushering in forced peace. It is believed by Abstergo Industries and the Knights Templar that Piece of Edens were the sources of "miracles" such as the Parting of the Red Sea, the successful use of the Trojan Horse, the miracles surrounding "the Christ-figure" who founded the Christian faith, and the Biblical plagues that ravaged Egypt, among other supernatural happenings.

Incidentally, each Piece of Eden also contains a holographic map of the planet, Earth, showing the locations 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 Altaïr's memory of events, however, the map showed the locations of the other Pieces of Eden.

Each of the Pieces of Eden contain a great deal of energy and the destruction of one causes explosions similar to nuclear blasts, powerful enough to level a major city. According to one of the Truth files, the Tunguska Explosion on June 30, 1908 was caused when a Piece of Eden was destroyed and all of its internal energy was released at once. It is also believed that a Piece of Eden was used in the Manhattan Project in during World War II.

There also exists a theory that the Pieces are omni-synched, allowing each of the Pieces to be synchronized with one another throughout time and space. Evidence of this theory includes Altaïr's Apple being able to provide him with a map of the remaining 46 Pieces. Evidence of temporal synchronization includes the same map not displaying the locations of the Pieces lost in the Tunguska and satellite incidents.

Resistance
Adam and Eve are believed to be the first humans that were naturally immune to the Pieces of Eden, with other humans later in history (such as Altaïr and other Assassins) also developing immunity. In an e-mail to Abstergo Industries it is revealed that the company's leaders believe some people may be resistant to the mind control effect of the Pieces of Eden and that other such items must be procured to ensure no one is left to cause trouble in the Templar's planned "New World".

Although there is no concrete explanation for immunity to the Pieces, Subject 16 describes something unusual in one of his truth files. He comments on scientists discovering a specific neurological receptor in the human brain that does not seem to react to any known stimulus. It has been theorized that this receptor reacts with the Pieces of Eden and is what allows them to work. However, some humans are born with the severe neurological mutation of these receptors being simply absent. How this mutation came to occur is still unknown but a possible idea is that natural evolution disposed of it in an effort to make humans more suitable independently, rather than being solely reliant on their masters for food and shelter. Another possible explanation is implied by another Truth File which implies that Altair and Ezio gained their immunity and other abilities from a mixed bloodline, having genetic material from both humans (who have the receptors) and Those Who Came Before (who do not).

This mutation seems to be genetic in nature, as Altaïr and his descendants, Desmond Miles and Ezio Auditore da Firenze, are all immune to the Pieces. These three individuals are only ones specifically named to lack these neuro receptors, although in an e-mail to Abstergo Industries, an unknown person contacts Dr. Warren Vidic about the DIA incident, declaring "I know what you did" and gives a firsthand account of the artifact's failed experiment.

Altaïr's resistance is shown when Al Mualim attempts to use the Piece of Eden to control Altaïr, but for some reason could not. However, even though Altaïr is resistant against its hypnotic effect, the Piece of Eden was still able to affect him in other ways such as immobilizing him, causing him to hallucinate and clouding his mind. Ezio's resistance is shown when he finally confronts Rodrigo Borgia in Rome. However, during this confrontation Ezio also has obtained a Piece of Eden and it can be argued that he may not be naturally resistant to the artifacts and it is possible that his own Piece is protecting him from Borgia's.

Confirmed Artifacts


01: The First Apple


 * Use: Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.
 * Status: Most likely destroyed, but no confirmation.
 * Neutral Ownership: Those Who Came Before, Adam and Eve, Abel, Cain, Jesus (possible), Muhammad (possible), Solomon's Temple, Girolamo Savonarola, Houdini.
 * Assassin Associated Ownership: Al Mualim, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze.
 * Templar Associated Ownership: Al Mualim, Napoleon, Knights Templar.

02: The Second Apple


 * Use: Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.
 * Status: Caught in an explosive satellite malfunction. Possibly survived, but if so it is impossible to retrieve in the darkness of space.
 * Neutral Ownership: Those Who Came Before, Elizabeth I of England, Gandhi.
 * Assassin Associated Ownership: None.
 * Templar Associated Ownership: Mary I of England, Knights Templar.

03: The Third Apple


 * Use: Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.
 * Status: Unknown.
 * Neutral Ownership: Those Who Came Before, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy.
 * Assassin Associated Ownership: None.
 * Templar Associated Ownership: Lyndon B. Johnson.

04: The Fourth Apple


 * Use: 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
 * Neutral Ownership: Those Who Came Before.
 * Assassin Associated Ownership: Nikola Tesla, Assassin Order.
 * Templar Associated Ownership: Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Adolf Hitler.

05: The Fifth Apple


 * Use: Designed to create illusions and control men's minds; can be used in conjunction with the Staff.
 * Status: Unknown
 * Neutral Ownership: Those Who Came Before.
 * Assassin Associated Ownership: None.
 * Templar Associated Ownership: NASA.

25: The Sword


 * Use: 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. It created illusions that unnerved their opponents. It is quite possible that the Sword could actually be the legendary Excalibur seeing as it was used by King Arthur. This would explain why King Arthur was such an experienced warrior.
 * Status: Unknown.
 * Neutral Ownership: Those Who Came Before, Perseus, King Arthur, Sigurd, Jeanne d'Arc.
 * Assassin Associated Ownership: None.
 * Templar Associated Ownership: Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, Knights Templar.

34: The Staff


 * Use: 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. Its bottom end is sharpened and can be use as a spear in combat.
 * Status: Destroyed in the Tunguska Incident.
 * Neutral Ownership: Those Who Came Before, Egyptian Pharaohs, Moses, Saint Peter, Czar Nicholas II.
 * Assassin Associated Ownership: Ezio Auditore da Firenze.
 * Templar Associated Ownership: Alexander the Great, Rodrigo Borgia, Rasputin.

66: The Shroud
 * Use: Unknown, possible function is to heal any ailment, wound, or even resurrect the dead. The Templars were behind the crucifixion of Christ, in order to gain the Shroud. Somehow, the disciples stole the Shroud back and possibly used it to resurrect their Messiah. After this, traces of the Shroud has disappeared.
 * Status: Unknown
 * Neutral Ownership: Those Who Came Before, Jason, Joseph, David, Jesus.
 * Assassin Associated Ownership: None.
 * Templar Associated Ownership: None.

Possible Artifacts
These artifacts are based on the locations given in Assassin's Creed, and the clues and hints found in all the games.

The Ark of the Covenant


 * Description: A vessel described in the Bible as containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed, along with Aaron's rod and manna. The Ark is believed to be built at the command of God, in accord with Moses's prophetic vision on Mount Sinai. Robert de Sable is said to have obtained this item at the beginning of Assassin's Creed.
 * Possible Function: Unknown.
 * Possible Owners: Robert de Sable, Moses, Knights Templar.

The Holy Grail


 * Description: A sacred object in certain Christian traditions, often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper. While said to possess miraculous powers, the Templars doubt its existence.
 * Possible Function: Grant eternal life, among other healing abilities.
 * Possible Owners: Jesus.

The Crystal Skulls


 * Description: Quartz skulls found in ancient temples in South and Central America. Two are believed to currently exist but the total number is unknown.
 * Possible Function: Telepathic Communication.
 * Possible Owners: Believed to be currently possessed by the Knights Templar.

The "Philadelphia Experiment" Artifact


 * Description: Said to have been lost in a 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 and those that remained were dead and somehow fused into the metal of the ship. According to the e-mails in Assassin's Creed, it was locked away in a safe location, possibly believed to be Area 51.
 * Possible Function: Time Travel.
 * Possible Owners: Knights Templar.

The Golden Fleece


 * Description: A seemingly weightless and indestructible piece of armor or cloak, Altair speculates that it could have truly existed in his Codex. He further articulates that it was actually made of a unique metal compound he created using knowledge derived from the Apple.
 * Possible Function: Indestructible and weightless armor.
 * Possible Owners: Jason of the Argonauts.

The Spear of Destiny / Holy Lance


 * Description: Said its user from death, but causes instant death when lost. Also believed to never miss its target and incapable of being stopped in mid-flight. Supposedly pierced the side of Christ at his crucifixion, although apocryphally the man who pierced Christ was said to live forever, until he found out and killed himself with the spear.
 * Possible Function: Invulnerability and precision in battle.
 * Possible Owners: Longinus, Constantine, Charlemagne and other Holy Roman Emperors

The Philosopher's Stone


 * Description: Legendary alchemical substance and for a long duration of time was the most sought-after goal in Western alchemy. Possibly what started the gold rush in Coloma, California.
 * Possible Function: Turn any substance into gold, possibly create an elixir of life.
 * Possible Owners: None.

Locations of the Artifacts


In Assassin's Creed II, upon the complete collection of the scattered pages of The Codex, the use of Eagle Vision reveals a hidden map detailing the locations of the remaining and surviving Pieces of Eden. These locations are similar to the locations provided by the global map displayed by Altaïr's Apple in Assassin's Creed.

According to the Codex Map there are forty-eight Pieces of Eden remaining in the world. While there are many speculated specific locations, the actual locations have yet to be revealed. Based on the map, not every location of a Piece holds some kind of historical or cultural value but this may be due to migration from human use.

Trivia

 * According to the glyphs and Truth files, many legends and myths throughout human history are actually historically accurate. The supernatural or paranormal parts of each can be explained by the protoganist in each having acquired his or her own Piece of Eden, i.e.: the Greek myth of Perseus, King Arthur, et cetera.
 * In Assassin's Creed II, during the battle against Borgia in the Sistine Chapel, Ezio creates "clones" much like Al Mualim did against Altaïr. If Ezio is customized, the cloned Ezios will appear with different sets of armor whereas when if he is not customized, each clone will be perfectly identical to the real Ezio.