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He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all. |
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I wanted to ask you something. Which is… what's your name? The title of this article is conjecture. Although the subject of this article is canon, no official name for it has been given. |
The lantern is a Piece of Eden created by the Isu alongside two other artifacts: the crescent amulet and the lotus disk. It was designed to balance out the amulet's abilities, reversing all psychic damage caused to the wielder, while also having several unique powers of its own.
For centuries, the lantern was housed in the Shwedagon Pagoda, a sacred Buddhist temple in Myanmar. In 1725, the British Assassin Edward Kenway retrieved it and recovered from mental corruption brought on by the crescent amulet. The artifact was later returned to the pagoda, from where it would be taken again in 2023, this time by Edward's descendant Noa Kim, who was suffering from the amulet's corruption and the Bleeding Effect.
Owners[]
- Isu (until 75,000 BCE)[1]
- Monks from the Shwedagon Pagoda (until 1725)
- Edward Kenway (1725)
- Yun Pyeong-Gyu (1725)
- John Young (1725)
- Noa Kim (2023)
- Shimazu Sei (2023)
- Noa Kim and Nathan Zhang (2023)
Functionality[]
The lantern was created in response to the corrupting effects of the crescent amulet. As such, its abilities balanced out the amulet's own powers. Its main purpose was to reverse all the psychic damage done to an individual's mind, human or Isu, essentially "freeing" them from the amulet's control. This also allowed individuals suffering from severe cases of the Bleeding Effect to regain their sense of self.[2]
The lantern projecting an apparition of Ratonhnhaké:ton to "speak" with Noa Kim
Unlike its sister Pieces of Eden, the lantern appeared to be sentient to a degree, as it would only allow itself to be claimed by those it deemed worthy of its power. To this end, it would "test" anyone who came in close proximity with it by subjecting them to hallucinations based on their deepest fears and desires, meant to break their will. Once an individual proved themselves worthy of claiming the artifact by passing its trials, all the illusions conjured by the Piece of Eden would vanish.[3]
The artifact could also create a Synch Nexus between individuals existing at different points in time, as it transported Edward Kenway's consciousness to the future, enabling him to speak with his descendant, Noa Kim.[3] Like the Apples of Eden, it possessed advanced knowledge and could answer virtually any question it was asked. When touched, it would project symbols and images into the air while also emanating a blinding light.[4]
When the lantern was used alongside the crescent amulet, the power of the two Pieces of Eden allowed the wielder to witness events from the past, present, and even possible futures.[5] If the two artifacts were further combined with the lotus disk, the third Piece of Eden could spread their power across large distances.[6]
History[]
Early history[]
The lantern was created at some point during the Isu Era alongside its two sister Pieces of Eden, forming a set.[7] After the Great Catastrophe in 75,000 BCE, which wiped out the Isu civilization,[1] knowledge of the set, its location, and its powers was lost.[7]
18th century[]
The Zhang Wei Union's heist[]
By the early 18th century, the lantern was housed within a special compartment inside the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Burma. The temple's Buddhist monks were fully aware of the artifact's existence and capabilities, and as such sought to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, fearing that if a being with impure motives were to make use of it, it could potentially doom humankind.[8]
Edward and Saito finding the lantern inside the Shwedagon Pagoda
In 1725, the British Assassin Edward Kenway discovered the lantern's whereabouts after coming into contact with the crescent amulet, which made him experience visions of the past and the future.[9] Edward and his fellow Zhang Wei Union members subsequently sailed to Yangon, where they established contact with the monks. Believing the artifact would be safer in the Union's hands, the monks helped Edward, Shimazu Saito, John Young, and Yun Pyeong-Gyu infiltrate the city in disguise, whereupon they were left to find a way into the heavily-guarded Shwedagon Pagoda.[8]
At night, using the Celestial Chariot, a prototype hot air balloon built by Yun, Edward and Saito flew over Yangon and parachuted onto the pagoda.[8] They then entered the temple through a hole in the roof and found the lantern.[10] As Edward touched the artifact, it briefly transported his mind centuries into the future, allowing the Assassin to speak with his descendant, Noa Kim.[3]
After Edward assured Noa that he would keep fighting for the future,[3] he retrieved the Piece of Eden before he and Saito left the Shwedagon Pagoda through a secret tunnel.[2] The pair then escaped Yangon with help from the Buddhist monks, just as the guards became aware of the lantern's theft and began searching for the culprits. Edward thanked the monks for their aid and promised to return the lantern to the pagoda once he was done using it.[5]
Modern times[]
Recovery by Noa Kim[]
In 2023, Noa Kim, Shimazu Sei, Yuki, and Nathan Zhang discovered the lantern's location in the Shwedagon Pagoda through the genetic memories of Edward Kenway relived by Noa.[9] After traveling to Yangon, the group devised a plan to infiltrate the temple and retrieve the Piece of Eden so they could use it to cure Noa, who was suffering from the Bleeding Effect and believed himself to be Edward.[10]
Noa taking the lantern
While Nathan and his Doom Eagle thugs engaged in a shootout with the soldiers guarding the pagoda as a distraction, Noa and Sei infiltrated one of the nearby temples. There, they found a secret underground passage leading to the central pagoda and used it to reach their destination.[10] As soon as they approached the Piece of Eden, however, they were both forced to overcome a series of trials created by the artifact in order to claim it.[11]
Sei was confronted by an apparition of Mitsuko Nakamura, who taunted her about her work at Abstergo Industries over the years, during which Sei had indirectly killed numerous test subjects through the Animus Project. She was also confronted by apparitions of Yuki and a Shimazu clan member, representing the guilt Sei felt for turning her back on her family and losing her purpose. With the help of an apparition of Saito, who encouraged her to forge her own path, Sei overcame these emotions, but the guilt she felt for the Animus Project's casualties proved too strong and she was rendered unconscious.[11]
Meanwhile, Noa came face-to-face with an apparition of Bartholomew Roberts and then Edward himself, whom he was forced to fight. Realizing that he could not defeat Edward and that this was not the purpose of the trial, he surrendered, prompting the Piece of Eden to initiate its next "test". Projecting an apparition of Noa's father, the artifact offered to help Noa solve the mystery of his roots, but he refused and declared that he would follow his own path instead of looking into the past for answers. Satisfied with the response, the lantern's illusions vanished and Noa was allowed to claim the artifact. In the process, he also got the chance to meet and speak with Edward through a Synch Nexus created by the Piece of Eden.[3]
Safeguarded by the Zhawang Corporation[]
- Noa: "The worst-case scenario here is if they manage to round us all up and take the artifact from me. That's why we need to keep hold of at least one of the artifacts, just so they don't get their hands on both. With that in mind, I'm going to leave the second artifact with you, Sei."
- Sei: "Understood. I'll do whatever I can to help until we've found all the artifacts."
- —Noa entrusting the lantern to Sei, c. 2023.[src]-[m]
Noa holding the lantern and the crescent amulet
After retrieving the lantern, which cured him of his Bleeding Effect, Noa and Sei escaped through the same hidden tunnel used by their ancestors and regrouped with Yuki and Nathan, who had barely managed to flee Sigma Team's attack on the Shwedagon Pagoda.[2] With both the lantern and the crescent amulet in his possession, Noa used the two Pieces of Eden to look into the past and witness Edward's own escape from the pagoda in 1725.[5]
After the group reached their hideout outside the city, they discussed their next course of action. As Yuki and Nathan had different ideas of what to do with the Pieces of Eden in their possession, they argued until Noa stopped them. Declaring that he would only use the artifacts if absolutely necessary, Noa decided to keep the amulet while entrusting the lantern, which had been placed in a briefcase, to Sei. The doctor swore to protect it, and the group left their hideout, heading to Yangon's harbor to flee the country and escape from the Abstergo forces hunting them.[5]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assassin's Creed: Initiates – Timeline
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 101
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 100
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 105
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 102
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 96
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 41
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 97
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 92
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 98
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 99
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