Assassin's Creed 9 is the ninth issue of the Titan comic book series Assassin's Creed. The comic, written by Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery with art by Ivan Nunes and Neil Edwards, was released on 15 June 2016.
Publisher's summary[]
Escaping a surprise attack, the Assassins continue the hunt for Erudito, nursing their wounds as they do. Getting back into the Animus, Charlotte finds that the stakes are just as high for her ancestor Quila, who must find the strength, one more time, to do what she knows is right...[1]
Plot summary[]
2016: The cartel set the location at a sports stadium. With Galina providing cover with a sniper rifle, Charlotte makes her way through taking out opposition as she goes. The two argue over radio, with Charlotte questioning Galina's leadership qualities. Kody is tied to a chair in the centre, with a gun to his head. As Charlotte closes in, a second sniper opens fire upon her. Hiding behind some barrels, she is grabbed by one of the gang members and shot in the foot. Galina lays down enough covering fire for Charlotte to briefly escape, before a helicopter sweeps in, promptly gunning down the sniper and remaining gang members.
The occupants are Templars, led by Ortega Sanchez. Realizing Joseph had warned her that they were after her, Charlotte puts a gun to her head and warns them to back off or lose their prized prisoner. She offers to turn herself over freely, so long as Galina and Kody can be set free. Ortega refuses, however, Charlotte ups her offer by suggesting she can hand over the location of the leaders of Erudito inside 24 hours. The deal is accepted and the Templars depart.
1536: Ayar's father informs Quila that Pardo is in fact an Assassin. Declared a tool of the Spanish, the two are sentenced to death by sacrifice atop a nearby mountain. Along the way, Quila questions Pardo, who explains that he was not attempting to kill Atahualpa, but in fact save him—he was too late. As a result, he turned to drink. The quipu was originally sent by a merchant he reveals, at which point Quila realizes that Ayur's father must be behind the plot to kill the emperor. She pleads with Ayur to listen, but she is instead tied down as he lifts the club above her...[2]
Supplementary material[]
The importance and prestige of ritual sacrifice in an ever-shifting landscape
The incredible success of the Inca Empire more is difficult to understand in modern terms. It established itself, and was destroyed, in a little over a hundred years. Through violence and subjugation, the Inca gained control of vast tracts of land in the Andes, and maintained that control thanks to an intricate and regimented class system.
The success of the empire relied on the symbiotic relationship between the laboring and elite classes. The Andean mountain range the empire spanned was subject to a variety of natural disasters, situated as it was within the Pacific "Ring of Fire". Volcanic and tectonic disturbances were regular occurrences, and while the Inca government could mitigate for the damage to some extent—thanks to their well-stocked storehouses and practice of redistributing resources in times of strife—an excellent example of centrally controlled disaster relief in a pre-Industrial society—they could not explain the disasters that befell them, nor go any ways toward mitigating against future calamity. And so, like many groups before, and after, them, they turned to religion, or at least, ritual. It is the ritual of human sacrifice In Inca society that has had the greatest impact and It is recorded as being called Qhapaq Hucha, translated as "solemn sacrifice".
The ceremonies of Qhapaq Hucha took place throughout the year, and are generally believed to commemorate a significant event in the life of the Sapa Inca, such as a birth, death, or illness, as well as his succession to the throne. They could also be undertaken In order to prevent natural disasters, or as a part of a major festival. They were complicated events requiring a high degree of organization, as offerings, both human and material, would be transported to the capital city of Cuzco, before they were then redistributed to the provinces in order for the rituals to take place. Archaeological evidence seems to suggest that the majority of ceremonies took place at high-altitude, such as on mountain tops, though some evidence of ceremonies has been found on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The Sapa Inca would perform the first sacrifice, with others taking place in each province at various important huaca, religious sites, in order to ensure no corner of the empire was left without a sacrifice.
The prerequisites for being chosen as a sacrifice were that the child had to be unblemished, completely perfect, without even a freckle, and a virgin. Boys selected were generally under ten years old when they died. Girls could be older, but were normally under sixteen years old. Once selected, the boys were immediately taken to Cuzco, but the girls would often be sent to live in the acclahausi, where they would spend a few years learning to weave and sew, and could sometimes live out their days there, if they were not chosen to go onto become a sacrifice. If they were, however, they would travel to the capital as tributes, along with the offerings of silver, gold, and other material goods. They were well looked after to ensure they reached the gods as happy as could be, and were paraded through the city dressed in the finest clothes, before being paired off, one boy, one girl, and killed. There were four primary methods of sacrifice: strangulation, suffocation, a blow to the head, or being buried alive. There is no archaeological evidence to suggest that the Inca removed the hearts of their sacrifices. However, the blood of the tributes would be used to decorate statues of idols.
As the name "solemn sacrifice" suggests, it was a great honor to be chosen to give up your life for the Emperor, and the empire. Indeed, some of the sacrificial victims were infants who were still being breastfed when they were sent to Cuzco—demonstrating just how highly-esteemed the ritual was in the society. It is hard to conceive of a nursing mother willingly offering her baby up to such a fate. The ritual was sealed with prayers to the Sun God, the Thunder God, to keep the Sapa Inca safe and fruitful, and protect his children from harm.
A crucial discovery in the understanding of the Inca practice of human sacrifice was made in 1995, when an expedition by anthropologist Johan Reinhard and his Peruvian climbing partner, Miguel Zárate, uncovered the remains of a young girl, who became known as Juanita, In a crater on the side of Mt. Ampato in southern Peru. The remains were entirely frozen, and so almost perfectly preserved. Juanita provided the academic community tremendous insight into the Inca ritual, as investigation revealed that she had died as a result of a blow to the head, had eaten a meal of vegetables a few hours before her death, and was wrapped in a highly decorated tapestry for her burial. Other ice mummies were excavated from the same crater, thought to have made their way to that final resting place when a volcanic eruption in the mountain range caused an ice melt. That dislodged the original burial site, and deposited the bodies and the various offerings buried alongside them in the crater. The mummies were remarkably well-preserved, with the clothes and accoutrements of Juanita especially suggesting that she belonged to a wealthy Cuzco family, further solidifying the theory that it was a great honor to die for the glory of the Inca Empire.
Cover gallery[]
