Piece of Eden

The Pieces of Eden were technologically advanced devices created by the First Civilization for various purposes. Each possessed unique properties suited to the purposes for which it was designed, with some capable of bending the thoughts of one or more individuals to the will of the user.

Prehistory
The Pieces of Eden have a long history that punctuates the tales of humanity. The Pieces of Eden were used to control humans, who were created by the First Civilization to work as slaves. Humans react to the effects of the Pieces of Eden through a unique neurotransmitter implanted in the brain.

However, interbreeding between humans and members of the First Civilization led to the creation of a hybrid race, which was immune to the hypnotic effects of the Pieces of Eden. In 75010 BCE, two of these hybrids, Adam and Eve, stole one of the Apples from their masters and escaped from captivity in Eden. Soon after, war broke out, pitting humanity against their gods.

While the rest of the First Civilization were busy battling the humans, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva were tasked with finding a way to guard against the threat of an impending solar flare. They relocated to the Grand Temple in what is now Turin, New York, a facility which could only be entered using an Apple of Eden. Opening the Temple's inner gate required another Piece of Eden, the Grand Temple Key.

By this time, the First Civilization were already able to generate small magnetic fields through the Shards of Eden, which were worn as rings. Using similar technology, they hoped to create a large magnetic field to protect the Earth from the sun's flare. However, they lacked the resources to do so, and though they attempted to create fields to protect small portions of the Earth, they were ultimately unsuccessful.

The First Civilization soon discovered that when enough humans sat in thrall of the Pieces of Eden and were forced to believe, their thoughts became reality. Jupiter, Juno and Minerva considered the possibility that they could use human belief to change the consensus. This attempt was similarly unsuccessful.

As their third option, they sent an Apple of Eden into the sky, and when it was placed, uttered the words "Make us safe." When their first attempt failed, they resolved to send a dozen more after. This act was also met with failure as there was no way to direct the beams of energy emitted by the Pieces down to the Earth.

Only ten years after the human rebellion began, the solar flare destroyed most of the Earth's surface and population, leaving roughly ten thousand humans alive and far fewer of the First Civilization. The remaining members of the First Civilization were revered as gods by the humans; knowing that extinction awaited them, they began to aid the humans and guide their culture in turn.

Middle Ages
"What of these artifacts? Messages in a bottle? Tools left behind to aid and guide us? Or do we fight for control over their refuse, giving divine purpose and meaning to little more than discarded toys?"

- Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex, page 5.

During the 12th century, the Knights Templar participated in the, aiming for conquest of the Holy Land. By the time of the Third Crusade, they were led by Grand Master Robert de Sable, and had focused their efforts on obtaining a particular Piece of Eden: Apple of Eden #2, hidden in the catacombs of Solomon's Temple in the city of Jerusalem.

Seeking the Apple to aid them in their mission and ensure their rule, the Templars used the cover of the Third Crusade to infiltrate the temple. However, one of their own betrayed them; Al Mualim, secret member of the Knights Templar and public leader of the Assassin Order, had sent his best agents to procure the device. Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Malik Al-Sayf and Kadar Al-Sayf intercepted the Templars, and the two parties engaged one another. While the Templars were able to eject Altaïr from the battle and kill Kadar, Malik successfully captured the Apple and spirited it back to the Assassin fortress in Masyaf.

Over the following year, the Assassins and Templars fought one another for control of the artifact, until the conflict was ended with the deaths of both Robert and Al Mualim at the hands of Altaïr. Originally intending to destroy the Apple, Altaïr found himself unable to do so, and instead decided to seal the Apple in the Limassol Archives. Circumstances worked against this plan however, and he decided to keep the Apple for himself, lest it fall into the wrong hands.

Over the course of his life, Altaïr gazed into the Apple frequently, basing new weaponry and assassination techniques off information gleaned from it. He recorded all he learned from the Apple in his Codex, which he would later entrust to Niccolò and Maffeo Polo. In addition to knowledge useful for the Order's purposes, Altaïr witnessed visions of the past and future within the Apple, some of which greatly disturbed him. At the end of his life, he secured the Apple within a wall of the Masyaf library, which could only be accessed by an individual bearing all of his recorded Memory Seals.

Ottoman Empire
By 1454, an Apple of Eden had fallen into the hands of Sultan Mehmet II of the Ottoman Empire. Using its powers, Mehmet was able to conquer Constantinople and subdue the Byzantine Empire, taking Constantinople as his new capital. Mehmet II died in 1481 and he was succeeded by his oldest son, Bayezid II. Bayezid's brother Cem, a secret Templar, discreetly took his father's Apple of Eden for himself, hoping to use it to further the Templars' goals. However, to his dissatisfaction, the Apple refused to communicate with him despite his attempts to use it.

Cem eventually decided to leave the Apple for European Templars to retrieve later. While on his way to meet the Knights Hospitalier on Rhodes, Cem made a stop in Cyprus and hid the Apple in the Templar Archive in Limassol, where the western Templars could find it.

Modern times
By 2012, Templar front group Abstergo Industries was in the midst of a project to recover the remaining Pieces of Eden. The Animus Project was set up with the sole intention of locating the Pieces of Eden through the use of the Animus, a device based on First Civilization technology which allowed an individual to relive the genetic memories of their ancestors.

The Templars sought to manipulate the neurotransmitters that made humanity susceptible to the Pieces' hypnotic effects. To accomplish this goal, they devised the Eye-Abstergo project, which would end in the launch of an "all-in-one telecommunication" satellite into orbit around Earth. However, unbeknownst to the rest of humanity, the satellite would contain an Apple of Eden, and spread its power across the globe.

On 10 October 2012, an Assassin team of Lucy Stillman, Desmond Miles, Shaun Hastings, and Rebecca Crane located the Apple of Eden hidden by Ezio Auditore beneath the Santa Maria Aracoeli in 1506, discovered by Desmond as he relived Ezio's memories in the Animus. When Desmond touched the Apple, Juno gained access to his nervous system for a brief time. Under Juno's control, Desmond killed Lucy, who was secretly a Templar agent.

Upon release from Juno's control, Desmond fell into a coma, but was able to regain consciousness through achieving a Synch Nexus. Desmond, his father William, Shaun and Rebecca later arrived at the entrance of the Grand Temple in New York, where Desmond used the Apple to open the central chamber gate. It was only then the Assassins discovered the Grand Temple Key was needed to open the inner gate.

After William was captured by Templar agents in Cairo while looking for a power source for the Grand Temple, he was brought to Abstergo's Rome facility. Warren Vidic, a member of the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order and head of the Animus Project, proposed a deal with Desmond to exchange William for the Apple. Desmond traveled to Rome and entered the facility, killing the Abstergo agents and Daniel Cross. Arriving at Vidic's office, Desmond used the Apple to force the facility's guards to shoot Vidic and themselves, then released his father from confinement. Due to Vidic's death and failure to retrieve the Apple of Eden, the Eye-Abstergo project was put on hold indefinitely.

Characteristics and attributes
"This... piece of silver cast out Adam and Eve. It turned staves into snakes. Parted and closed the Red Sea. Eris used it to start the Trojan War; and with it, a poor carpenter turned water into wine."

- Al Mualim, speaking to Altaïr about the Apple.

Amongst the greatest tools known to man, the Apples of Eden can control the human mind by interacting with a neurotransmitter located deep in the human brain. Other Pieces of Eden are capable of warping reality, creating illusions, ensuring total obedience and healing physical injuries. Both Templars and the Assassins believe that the Pieces of Eden were responsible for many historical tales and miracles, such as, the , the miracles enacted by Jesus Christ, and the Biblical plagues that ravaged Egypt.

Abilities of the Pieces
Some Pieces of Eden were known to interact with and change the passage of time, possibly creating paradoxes. Others were able to "speak" to those who wielded them, as was the case with Ezio Auditore, Perotto Calderon and Giovanni Borgia, who spoke with Ezio's Apple and the Shroud.

When activated, Apples of Eden are capable of extending a pulse of energy that can drive those in the surrounding area to insanity and death. Doing so has a detrimental effect on the physical health of the wielder if they are unskilled in the Apples' use, but a capable user is not as easily afflicted. Altaïr, for example, was able to use Apple #2 for a limited duration without adverse affects at age 92. Using the Pieces' powers in short bursts can also minimize the negative effects dealt by the artifacts, though to what extent is unknown.

Destruction of a Piece
Following the destruction of Apple of Eden #2 during an experiment at the Denver International Airport, the Templars found themselves in need of another artifact with similar properties. Seeking access to a map that indicated the location of all Pieces of Eden, Abstergo kidnapped Desmond Miles in order to view the memories of his ancestor, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. This would allow them to see the very same map that Altaïr discovered in 1191.

Each of the Pieces of Eden contained a great deal of potential energy, and the destruction of one could cause an explosion on the scale of a nuclear blast. One such explosion occurred in 1908, in the region of Tunguska, Russia. The Imperial Sceptre, one of the Staves of Eden, was seemingly destroyed when Nikola Tesla fired at the Tunguska facility with his wireless electric weapon, attempting to strike a blow against the Templars.

However, the blast failed to totally destroy the Staff, and at least one shard remained. The Staff shard still possessed powers of mind control, as demonstrated by Grigori Rasputin. While he was in possession of the shard, he brainwashed, the consort of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, as well as several disciples like Khioniya Guseva.

Resistance
"I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID. I SAW HIM. HE HAD A METAL BALL. IT OPENED. THEY WENT CRAZY. SHOOTING. STABBING. TORE EACH OTHER TO PIECES. I KNOW IT WAS YOU PEOPLE. SAW THE LOGO. HEARD THE NAME. I'M GOING TO TELL. ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN. YOU'LL BE EXPOSED. THEY'LL KNOW THE TRUTH. AND THEN YOU WILL PAY. YOU CRAZY BASTARDS. YOU'LL PAY."

- An unidentified individual's e-mail to Dr. Warren Vidic.

Although the First Civilization created humanity to be susceptible to the Pieces of Eden, eventual cross-breeding between the gods and their slaves led to the birth of a hybrid species. These new humans possessed some of the natural abilities of their gods and were free of the neurotransmitter necessary for the Pieces of Eden to control them.

The first two known hybrids were Adam and Eve, who later stole one of the Apples of Eden and instigated the Human-First Civilization War. Members of their lineage inherited these natural abilities and immunity to the Pieces, although the Pieces' ability to physically manipulate them remained. These traits were passed down through generations to the likes of Altaïr, Ezio and Desmond.

By the early 21st century, the Templars were aware that some humans were immune to the Pieces' mind control. On at least one occasion, Dr. Warren Vidic received an email from an individual unaffected by the Apple's power, who threatened to expose what they had seen when an Apple was used on others.

Confirmed Pieces of Eden
Apples of Eden are all capable of controlling the minds of men, creating illusions and, to a degree, permitting control over physical bodies. The Apples can be used in conjunction with a Staff, which increases the strength of both Pieces. Other Pieces include the Shroud, which heals the wounds of those it touches; the Ankh, capable of resurrecting the dead; and the Sword, a Piece possessed by many great rulers through the centuries, including King Arthur and Attila the Hun. A Sword was also in possession of the Knights Templar by 1307, and was subsequently entombed beneath the Temple in Paris. Centuries later, it was recovered by the Grand Master and Sage, François-Thomas Germain.

The Crystal Skulls were Pieces scattered throughout Central and Southern America which allowed for unassisted telepathic communication between their owners. At one point, a Crystal Skull came into the possession of Giovanni Borgia, who made use of its power in 1542. Similar artifacts known as Crystal Balls allowed users to access the Nexus and communicate with members of the First Civilization. One of the Crystal Balls was notably used by the Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton to communicate with Juno. In addition, the Assassin Aveline de Grandpré discovered a Prophecy Disk in the First Civilization Temple of Chichen Itza, which showed her the election of Eve as the leader of humanity's rebellion against the First Civilization.

In North America, William Kidd discovered the Shard of Eden, which creates as a magnetic shield around the user and repels all metallic objects. There was also the Grand Temple Key which, when combined with three ancient power sources, allowed the holder to open the gate to the inner chambers of the Grand Temple.

According to emails read by Desmond Miles in 2012, at least one Piece of Eden existed that granted the ability to manipulate time. Concerns over possible paradoxes, however, led to Abstergo Industries locking it away.

Known locations of Pieces of Eden
After seeing the Apple's projection indicating the location of all Pieces of Eden, Altaïr copied the map and hid it within his Codex so that only his descendants might find it. Based on the Codex map, the following locations have been identified as containing a Piece of Eden:


 * 1) Giza, Egypt
 * 2) Lake Victoria, Africa, more on the Kenyan side
 * 3) The Gambia River, Gambia
 * 4) Timbuktu, Mali
 * 5) Taza, Morocco
 * 6) Canary Islands, Spain
 * 7) The Southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, near the volcano of Opala
 * 8) Odessa, Ukraine
 * 9) Kharkiv, Ukraine
 * 10) Rennes-le-Château, France
 * 11) Salisbury Plain, England (presumably at )
 * 12) Loch Ness, Scotland
 * 13) Maroantsetra, Madagascar
 * 14) Nara, Japan
 * 15) Somewhere close to Goodhouse, South Africa, near the border between South Africa and Namibia
 * 16) Inside or near Boston, Massachusetts, United States
 * 17) Delhi, India or the Taj Mahal in India, a short distance south of Delhi
 * 18) Persepolis, modern day Shiraz, Iran
 * 19) Jerusalem, Israel
 * 20) Around the area of the Igara Parana River, Colombia
 * 21) Nazca, Perú
 * 22) South-western Sri Lanka
 * 23) Hellissandur, Iceland
 * 24) The area of Sabiene Island, Nunavut, Canada
 * 25) Around Phoenix, Arizona, United States
 * 26) Washington, D.C., United States
 * 27) Juneau, Alaska, United States
 * 28) In Padang West Sumatera and about Mid until East Java island, Indonesia
 * 29) The middle of the South Pacific Ocean
 * 30) The Pacific Ocean, close to the coast of Mexico
 * 31) The South Pacific Ocean, near the coast of the Easter Island and Chile
 * 32) The Atlantic Ocean, in an area where Atlantis was believed to have existed
 * 33) The Atlantic Ocean, a few hundred miles off the coast of Brazil
 * 34) The Antarctic Ocean, on the side of Antarctica facing towards the Atlantic
 * 35) The Indian Ocean, almost cross sectioned with the tips of India, Africa and the southwestern tip of Australia--a small island called Ile Amsterdam
 * 36) The Antarctic Ocean, the side of the Antarctic ocean that faces towards the Indian Ocean
 * 37) Arkangelsk, Russia
 * 38) Andorra le Vella, Andorra
 * 39) São Paulo, Brazil
 * 40) Barrow, Alaska
 * 41) La Rioja, Argentina
 * 42) Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia
 * 43) Uluru/Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, Australia
 * 44) Somewhere in Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia
 * 45) Beijing, China
 * 46) Somewhere in the Altay Mountains in southwestern Mongolia
 * 47) Somewhere along the northern Coast of Chukotka province, Russia
 * 48) An area close to Tiksi, Russia

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 legend can be explained by the protagonist in each having acquired his or her own Piece of Eden (i.e. the Greek myth of Perseus, King Arthur, etc).
 * During his battle with Rodrigo Borgia in the Sistine Chapel, Ezio created copies of himself, much like Al Mualim did against Altaïr. If Ezio's robes are customized, or if the Armor of Altaïr is worn, his copies appeared with different sets of armor and colors. If he was not customized, each copy would be perfectly identical to the real Ezio, besides his weapon.
 * Both the Codex map and the map projection show that there were only fifty Pieces of Eden at that time, though Subject 16 said the Shroud was Piece of Eden 66. This discrepancy has yet to be rectified.
 * In the French and German version of Assassin's Creed II, the Shroud was referred to as number 36, not 66. Whether this is a mistake in the translation or not remains to be clarified.
 * The Chalice was initially thought to be a Piece of Eden; however, besides the Shroud, all other artifacts linked to the Christ-figure were confirmed to be merely literary tools.