Instruments of the First Will

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"We submit ourselves to eternal servitude in service of a grander fulfillment. We submit the world to itself it being a product that feeds life to life and death to death."

―John Standish, 2013.

Instruments of the First Will
Organizational information
Founder(s)	Juno
Locations	Worldwide
Predecessor(s)	Order of the Ancients (possibly)
Religion	Worship of Juno Isu paganism
Historical information
Active	Until August 2018

The Instruments of the First Will, also known as the Juno cult, was a secretive polytheistic religious organization who worshipped the First Civilization as their deities. A Sage, a reincarnation of Juno's Isu husband Aita in human form, often held a prominent position within the Instruments of the First Will.

A collective secret society that drew membership and resources from within both the Templars and the Assassins, their primary mission was to revive their Isu deities, most notably Juno, and allow them to rule the world in deference to mankind's origin as a First Civilzation slave race.

The Instruments of the First Will became an enemy in common between the Assassins and the Templars, whose brief alliance in August 2018 to counter the Instrument threat dismantled the cult when Juno's "Resurrection Day" plot was undone and the Isu was assassinated. Though the cult was effectively neutralized by their upheaval, their impact continued years afterwards, as the Assassin historian Shaun Hastings later referenced them in 2020 when musing over the Templars' precursors, the Order of the Ancients.

History

Origins

The exact origin of the Instruments of the First Will is unclear. Project Anthropos was initiated during the Isu Era with directions that humanity should be considered instruments of the Isu, not their offspring. Juno herself had begun amassing followers among her own people before the Great Catastrophe. Former Abstergo Industries employee Sebastian Monroe spoke of the cult around 2016 and pointed out that the rumors held that the Instruments of the First Will were a secret faction from within the Templars.

In 2020, the Assassin historian Shaun Hastings theorized that there may be a connection between the Instruments and the Order of the Ancients, the Isu-worshipping precursor of the Templars, due to their common reverence of the First Civilization as well as sharing much of the same theology and philosophies. Shaun even went as far as to point out the fact that the Instruments of the First Will are far more likely to be a proper reincarnation or successor of the Order of Ancients than the Templar Order.

During the First World War

In 1916, a war nurse who was a member of the cult and her associate were taking soldiers’ blood in "odd looking cubes" for an unknown purpose. Winston Churchill recommended to the British Assassin Lydia Frye to silencing her and her associate, which the Assassin did. Another member, a spy, was detained by the British Military in the Tower of London. He started making fanatic claims about the Assassin's Brotherhood, so Churchill suggested it would be in Lydia’s best interests to silence him. He eventually broke out and tried to escape. Lydia sneaked into The Tower of London and tricked the guards into murdering him.

After ridding much of the spies’ strongholds and weapons, Lydia eventually tracked down the spies to their main hidden hideout. After she killed the German Templar spies, the Master Spy appeared and began to battle her while "calling out" to his beloved. After a short fight, he was forced to escape by using a flash grenade and flew to the cult's main stronghold. At the Stronghold, the Master Spy had all of his followers burn up all of their things relating to Juno or the Isu. After catching up to the Master Spy surrounded by his followers in a Stronghold, she killed them all. Churchill thanked her for this service to Britain.

Infiltrating and hacking Abstergo

In operation around 2013, one of the Instruments of the First Will's primary agents was head of Abstergo IT, John Standish, who was also a Sage. During his time at the Abstergo Entertainment office in Montreal, John distributed the collective's manifesto throughout the building via QR codes on sticky labels. John provided the Assassins with intel through a research analyst. He also got the analyst to hack into confidential folders regarding Abstergo data regarding the Precursors and Templars.

However, Abstergo got wind of the hackings and detained all of the research team. John Standish, not wanting to expose himself, reassures Melanie Lemay, the acting head of the Sample 17 Project, that he would find the hacker within a week's time. Meanwhile, he gets the research analyst to go to the main servers to wipe out evidence of the hackings. His true intentions were to provide Juno, now a digital being, with the research analyst's body so as to transfer her essence into.

Juno was weak from being in the servers and was not strong enough to shift her essence into the analyst's body, thus foiling John's plans and enraging him. He went insane, exposed himself as a Sage and injected a non-lethal amount of poison into the analyst. John was killed by the Abstergo security team and the analyst eventually recovered from the poisoning.

Locating the Shroud of Eden

In 2015, Master Templar Álvaro Gramatica desired one of the Shrouds of Eden in his attempt to vastly accelerate the progress of his Phoenix Project. Juhani Otso Berg and Violet da Costa managed to recover the Shroud from the Buckingham Palace's vault, after Sigma Team repelled the Assassin interference. After handing the Shroud to Álvaro, Violet—secretly an Instrument of the First Will—spoke to Juno informing her that the Shroud was in Abstergo's possession. Though Violet expressed fear of the danger that might befall Juno should anyone discover her plans, Juno reassured her that she had achieved her mission admirably and that she would save the world.

Pursuing the Assassins

In 2017, Jasdip Dhami had defected to the Instruments of the First Will due to him becoming disillusioned by the Assassins and the Templars' methods and ideology. He told Bishop that he opposed the idea of using initiates in their "eternal war" with the Templars. He ambushed an Assassin cell in Hong Kong, while the Assassins were trying to break into an Abstergo Industries to find information regarding the Phoenix Project, and murdered all of the Assassins present there, aside from Charlotte de la Cruz who had tried to escape Dhami but he pursued her and fought her on top of Moneo's vehicle.

During the fight, an Instrument managed to injure Moneo with a shruriken and the van crashed. Charlotte interrogated Jasdip but both of them had to flee before the authorities arrived. Jasdip then ambushed the Assassins Kiyoshi Takakura and Arend Schut Cunningham in Abstergo Entertainment Facility in Montreal. Jasdip manages to decapitate Felix Oladele, an Animus Specialist and the Assassins' primary objective. Jasdip fought the two Assassins and manages to heavily wound them both. Before Jasdip could deliver the killing blow to Arend, Kiyoshi shot Jasdip in the back. Jasdip then tried to flee through the window, but fell of the window cleaner's mobile.

Encountering the Black Cross

After the Master Templar Juhani Otso Berg began to suspect that there is a splinter cell within the Templar Order, he took up the mantle of the Black Cross in an attempt to discover them. His search landed him to Berlin, Germany, where he caught up to Heinrich Hart, a man he believed to be an Assassin spy. After a brief struggle with him, he deduced that he is not an Assassin. After momentarily recovering, Heinrich Hart proclaims that he was not a Templar either but rather "her" instrument, before setting off an explosion which killed 170 people.

Berg survived the explosion and flew back to his safe house. The Assassin My'shell Lemair and Berg began a full scale investigation of the financial and investment irregularities within their own Orders. The Instruments then ambushed the Templar Otso Berg and Assassin Lemair, which Otso Berg knocking the Assassin out before engaging the Instruments, killing five of them with his bare hands before collapsing.

Jasdip Dhami, who had survived and recovered the fall, grabbed Otso Berg and stated to him that he no longer wished to avenge his sister, but to serve his New God. Before the Instruments fled the scene, Jasdip warned the Templar Otso Berg to stop his investigation in the Instrument's affairs or else he would slaughter his daughter, before lifting Otso Berg up and tossing him over a guard rail. An Erudito member who was secretly a member of the Instruments attempted to assassinate Charlotte when her mind was briefly trapped inside The Grey, but he was discovered by Galina Voronina before he could assassinate Charlotte, then was brutally restrained and interrogated by her, to no success.

Back at the Instruments' Base

Back an the Instruments of the First Will's HQ, da Costa argued and scolded Jasdip Dhami over his brutal treatment of Berg, since he is her friend and she also believed that she could recruit Otso Berg to the Instrument's cause. Jasdip Dhami stated that it is not her right who gets to join the Instruments of the First Will and that privilege only belonged to their god, Juno. He even stated that only Juno gets to decide who gets to see Eden reborn once more.

At that moment, Juno appeared to her lieutenants on an overhead large monitor and stated that she needed the Koh-i-Noor from Charlotte. Dhami then guided Desmond Miles' son Elijah, a Sage, to a crowd of awaiting Instruments, where Jasdip informed the ecstatic Instruments of their God's success. The Instrument's recent operations have forced the Templars, namely Berg, to unofficially ally themselves with the Assassins, namely Charlotte's crew, in taking down the Instruments.

Later, after the Instruments discovered the location of Gramática's secret lab, where the Templar was sequencing the DNA of the Isu, a strike team of Juno's followers as well as Elijah and their prisoner, André Bolden, travelled there. Upon their arrival, the team, led by da Costa and Dhami, discovered that Gramatica succeeded as he was bragging about his genius, before revealing themselves to the dumbfounded scientist. Da Costa then stated that they were there for the Phoenix Project, so as to create a new clone body for their mistress.

Juno's new body.

Juno's Resurrection Day

Meanwhile her Instruments began finding a way to receive the Koh-i-Noor and bring along Elijah, who contained First Civilization DNA due to being a Sage. The Instruments invaded and took over the laboratory of Gramatica, as well as took him hostage. Gramatica extracted First Civilization genes from Elijah's bone marrow to create an Isu fetus, after which he used the power of a few strands of the Shroud of Eden to accelerate the maturation rate of the Isu fetus, transforming Juno into an adult Isu within 24 hours.

Juno's Powers.

While maturing, Consus appeared to Juno and told her that she will never win. While Juno reassured him that she has her body, the Koh-i-Noor and she has been inside Charlotte's head, Consus stated that Charlotte's will is greater than Juno's and it is why she will loose. Upon reaching maturity, Juno spoke with Gramatica and commented how disgusted she used to be with vocal cords, until she did not have hers for a millennia, before deciding to be let out of the machine.

Juno's demise.

Juno emerged out and discover her new energetic powers. She used her new powers to subdue and eliminate most of her opponents and even subdue Charlotte in a telekinetic hold. But suddenly she was approached by Consus' spirit ad he mocked her lack of growth and stubborn immaturity. Ultimately, Violet's fears were proven right when Elijah took his revenge on his mother's murderers, and was the one using the Koh-i-Noor to make Juno think she had won, when in reality she was speaking to a coffee mug. Upon escaping the illusion, she demanded Elijah hand over the Koh-i-Noor, only to be shocked as he set her up and gave Charlotte an opening to assassinate Juno by thrusting her Hidden Blade through Juno's throat.

The remains of Juno were most likely destroyed when Otso Berg exploded the facility. Juno's high ranking follower, Violet was executed by Otso Berg for her blasphemy against humanity. The rest of Juno's instruments were mostly arrested by the Templars and the remaining Assassins had fled the explosion of Alvaro Gramatica's facility. By this time, Elijah had long fled with the Koh-i-Noor in his hands. After their central deity was killed, the religion quickly crumbled and disbanded.

Ideology

Foundations and Memberships

Being an religious organization that holds a strict supremacist view of the Isu, the members of the Instruments of the First Will believe that humanity should submit to and worship the First Civilization once more. Their primary purpose is the release of Juno's essence from her imprisonment and create a new body for her essence to inhabit and re-enter the physical world. At most times, a high-ranking member of the cult is often a Sage. Examples of these are John Standish or The Master Spy.

Religious Belief System

Unlike the Templar Order or the Assassin Brotherhood, who both view the Isu as an extremely advanced precursor species to humanity, the Instruments instead view the Isu as deities to be worshiped. Their theological beliefs are similar to the zealous views of the Order of the Ancients. The Instruments of First Will wish to take over the world so as to turn humanity into slaves for the First Civilization.

They believe that the First Civilization, particularly Juno, will establish a New World Order by which all of humanity will live progressively and happily under her absolute rule. The members of this cult are often very fanatical. Examples of this are Heinrich Hart's suicide bombing, which killed 170 people, in the name of Juno. While their primary goal has always been to revive Juno into a physical vessel so as to allow her to take over the world. It is still speculated that they also wish to resurrect other members of the Isu race as well. Despite these speculations, in one of the breach memos, it did state that they would revive the Isu race as well.

The Pieces of Eden

Juno has commissioned her followers to find various Pieces of Eden so as to use them for her ultimate goal. The Instruments of the First Will have infiltrated Abstergo Industries, the Templar Order and various Assassin Cells, so as to get close to the Templars' and the Assassin's Pieces of Eden. Juno seems to regard the Shroud of Eden as a necessary tool for her rebirth into the physical world.

Infiltrating the Assassins and Templars

Members of this cult has infiltrated both the Assassins Brotherhood and the Knights Templars and are extracting resources from both of them to further progress with their goals. Examples of this are Violet da Costa, who is also a high ranking Templar Knight and a secret member of The Instruments of the First Will. There is also one known Assassin, Jasdip Dhami, who defected to the Instruments of the First Will and is hunting his former Assassin allies and possibly Templar allies.

So far at least two known Instruments have infiltrated Abstergo Industries. One of them is a Sage John Standish who had infiltrated Abstergo Entertainment in Montreal, Canada and the other is an engineer, Heinrich Hart, who had infiltrated an Abstergo Branch in Berlin, Germany developing experimental technologies, such as his electrical whip.

Post-Mortem Belief System

It is their firm belief that after their death, Juno will reward them by allowing their essence into The Grey, a post-mortem paradise like realm. It is stated by Juno that her loyal followers will live on happily forever.

Members

• Juno (central deity)

20th century

• Master Spy (Sage)
• Glaucia Acosta
• Rufus Grosvenor

21st century

• Violet da Costa
• Jasdip Dhami
• Elijah (Sage; betrayed)
• Heinrich Hart
• Guernica Moneo
• John Standish (Sage)
• Isaiah (betrayed)
• Richmond
• Stephen Heggenes

Gallery

One of the sticky notes spread around the Montreal office

All the sticky notes found form the Juno symbol

The Instruments' emblem in an Abstergo Entertainment restroom

Behind the scenes

The Instruments' emblem is the symbol of the asteroid 3 Juno, the symbol itself is meant to be a scepter topped with a star. The emblem can also be seen in The Lost Archive memory The Truth.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Rogue
• Assassin's Creed: Unity
• Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
• Assassin's Creed: Uprising
• Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide (2nd ed.)
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (mentioned only)