Essen is a city located in the center of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
After the Black Death struck Essen, nearly half the city's population was wiped out. A Templar offshoot called the Brothers of the Cross travelled across Germany offering protection from the plague, though they were secretly looking for the Ankh, a Precursor artifact. In 1350, the Brothers of the Cross and the Assassin Lukas Zurburg mysteriously vanished.[1]
In May 2014, Master Templar Juhani Otso Berg travelled to Essen in search of the Ankh. After consulting with Violet da Costa, Berg concluded that the Ankh may not be a real artifact but a trap set by the Assassins. Berg decided to abandon his search, but told Violet to keep an eye out for possible leads related to the Ankh.[2]