Since the start of the Age of Sail, crew members and the ship officers on merchant ships begun drafting various forms of “handshake deals” that governed various things concerning employment issues such as terms of conducts, job descriptions, payments, and share of wealth after especially successful trading trips or discoveries made during the naval trip. As the age of pirates started spreading from the Mediterranean, Northern/Baltic Sea and Chinese seas into an organized profession where scores of ships and hundreds upon hundreds of people began seeking wealth and glory as pirates, pirate crews started devising their forms of conduct that had to be followed. Pirate codes and rules became romanticized in the future decades and centuries after the height of Golden age of Pirates, but in their original form, they represented the crucial document that enabled many pirate crews to stay organized and operational. The pirate code was popularized by the early Buccaneers (organized pirate fleets that attacked Spanish shipping and ports in the 17th century the Caribbean) under the names of Custom of the Coast, Jamaica Discipline, Charter Party, Chasse-Partie and its most commonly known form “Articles of Agreement”. To become the full member of the pirate crew, every willing person needed to sign their name on the document that detailed the rules of the particular ship, share of the plunder that each crew member will get, compensation for injuries, and the forms of punishment for disobedient crew members. During signing crew members were obliged to swear an oath of allegiance and honor, often by placing the hand on a Bible or a part of a weapon or ship (most common examples are swords, axes, crossed swords, a human skull or attack cannon). Once all new pirate members signed the pirate code, this paper was often posted in a prominent place on a ship where everyone could quickly get reminded of their oaths. In addition to the willing new recruits that pirate crews gathered in ports (and after naval boardings), unwilling members were sometimes forced into piracy. This happened mostly to the skilled artisans such as navigators and artisans that pirate crews were not willing to set free. The big point of controversy in new recruits surrounded the act of the signing of the Pirate Code article. Since authorities had zero mercy against pirates whose names they identified on pirate code article, some pirate members asked to be “forced to sign” so that they could claim innocence, while others just refused to sign their name and chose to leave identifying mark (such as the sign of the cross). Men who were caught on pirate ships had much better chance of surviving law trials when the authorities would ever catch them. Out of so many pirate codes that were used on the seas during Golden Age of Piracy, only four surviving sets are preserved today. This low number of surviving articles can be traced back to the custom of burning or tossing the pirate code pages overboard when pirates felt threatened by authorities (usually near a surrender of a ship). These are examples of pirate codes from “A General History of the Pyrates Book” by Charles Johnson. 1. Every man has a vote in affairs of moment; has equal title to the fresh provisions, or strong liquors, at any time seized, and may use them at pleasure, unless a scarcity (not an uncommon thing among them) makes it necessary, for the good of all, to vote a retrenchment. 2. Every man to be called fairly in turn, by list, on board of prizes because, (over and above their proper share) they were on these occasions allowed a shift of clothes: but if they defrauded the company to the value of a dollar in plate, jewels, or money, marooning was their punishment. If the robbery was only betwixt one another, they contented themselves with slitting the ears and nose of him that was guilty, and set him on shore, not in an uninhabited place, but somewhere, where he was sure to encounter hardships. 3. No person to game at cards or dice for money. 4. The lights and candles to be put out at eight o'clock at night: if any of the crew, after that hour still remained inclined for drinking, they were to do it on the open deck. 5. To keep their piece, pistols, and cutlass clean and fit for service. 6. No boy or woman to be allowed amongst them. If any man were to be found seducing any of the latter sex, and carried her to sea, disguised, he was to suffer death; (so that when any fell into their hands, as it chanced in the Onslow, they put a sentinel immediately over her to prevent ill consequences from so dangerous an instrument of division and quarrel; but then here lies the roguery; they contend who shall be sentinel, which happens generally to one of the greatest bullies, who, to secure the lady's virtue, will let none lie with her but himself.) 7. To desert the ship or their quarters in battle, was punished with death or marooning. 8. No striking one another on board, but every man's quarrels to be ended on shore, at sword and pistol. (The quarter-master of the ship, when the parties will not come to any reconciliation, accompanies them on shore with what assistance he thinks proper, and turns the disputant back to back, at so many paces distance; at the word of command, they turn and fire immediately, (or else the piece is knocked out of their hands). If both miss, they come to their cutlasses, and then he is declared the victor who draws the first blood.) 9. No man to talk of breaking up their way of living, till each had shared one thousand pounds. If in order to this, any man should lose a limb, or become a cripple in their service, he was to have eight hundred dollars, out of the public stock, and for lesser hurts, proportionately. 10. The Captain and Quartermaster to receive two shares of a prize: the master, boatswain, and gunner, one share and a half, and other officers one and quarter. 11. The musicians to have rest on the Sabbath Day, but the other six days and nights, none without special favour.
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The Instruments of the First Will, also known as the Juno cult, was a secretive polytheistic religious organization who worship the First Civilization as their deities. A Sage, a reincarnation of Juno's Isu husband Aita, has often held a prominent position within the Instruments of the First Will. A collective secret society that draws members and resources from within both the Templar Order and the Assassin Brotherhood, 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 Civilization 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 is thought to have dismantled the cult when Juno's "Resurrection Day" was undone and the Isu was assassinated. However, Assassin historian Shaun Hastings has since spoken of the Instruments in the present tense. The exact origin of the Instruments of the First Will is unclear. 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 Templar Order. Assassin historian Shaun Hastings theorized in 2020 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 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 quick response 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. Foundations & 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 & 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. The Order of the Ancients, also known as the Order of Ancients, the Snake, and derisively as the Order of Heretics, was a secretive religious cabal which operated throughout the ancient world. The Order of the Ancients was founded in 1334 BCE by the Egyptian pharaoh Smenkhkare, who not only strictly revered the Ancient Ones, but also upheld a strict supremacist view of them and sought to use the Pieces of Eden in order to politically and religiously shepherd humanity into recreating Isu societies on Earth as well as revive the Isu. Throughout their entire history, the Order of the Ancients held dominion over major empires in the known world. The reach of their members extended to military readers, religious elders, scholars, nobles, ealdorman and philosophers, political leaders as well as criminal masterminds. With the rise of Abrahamic religions and the decline of polythetic religions across Europe and Asia, the Order began to decline and were eventually mostly wiped out in 878 AD by King Alfred of Wessex, who used the Vikings' expansion into England to his advantage by manipulating them into unknowingly targeting influential members of the Order in Northern Europe. He then reformed the Order into the Knights Templar, otherwise known as the Templar Order. Foundation: Despite repeated persecutions, remnants of the Order still existed elsewhere in Europe such as Ireland and France but were eventually either eliminated or they disappeared. In 2020, given the similarities in theological beliefs, the Assassin Shaun Hastings theorized that the Order of the Ancients could have been a predecessor organization to the seemingly collapsed modern day secluded religious organization called the Instruments of the First Will. The Order of the Ancient's foundations heavily rely on their supremacist view of the Isu and their strong desire to shepherd humanity into recreating Isu societies on earth by leading humanity using the wisest and strongest members of society. Membership: By the time Egypt had been under the control of the Ptolemaic dynasty over one thousand years, the Order comprised of various men and women at the upper echelons of the ruling class; these individuals retained positions of power and, for the most part, were involved in political, religious, economic and military proceedings. Members of the Order of the Ancients symbolically wore identical masks, headdresses, and robes when they met in congress, a visual display of their loyalties. Each key member of the Order was responsible for their own sphere of influence within Egyptian society and they were scattered all over Egypt, due to the antiquated constraints of communication and transport. Within the Persian sect, members carried a necklace featuring the Faravahar, an emblem of the Achaemenid Empire, with a stylized wings design. During the 9th century, the Order in Anglo-Saxon England adopted a hierarchy system being led by a Grand Maegester with five Maegesters, while the remaining members were either of the Palatinus or Preost rank. Within this sect, members carried a silver medallion featuring an embossed Yggdrasil. Likewise, members of the Chinese sect of the Order known as the Golden Turtles carried a turtle badge as their symbol. Location: During the Greco-Persian Wars, the Order was primarily situated in Persia and had influenced the reigns of centuries of Achaemenid Emperors. Members of the Order believed their work to be divine and that few hundreds had to be sacrificed for tens of thousands to achieve long lasting peace and prosperity. The primary aim of the Order during the 1st century BCE was to bring back a strong dynastic power, equal to that of previous dynasties which had ruled during the glory days of Ancient Egypt, prior to the arrival of the Ptolemies. This was reinforced by the belief that the pre-existing system had been founded on order, on the divine power of the Pharaohs. In this perspective, the Order was looking for means of control, be they political, religious, military or cultural, to regain what had been lost. In addition, they also had people looking for the secrets of the past, such as the Pieces of Eden, and how to unlock said secrets' potential. By the 9th century, the Order of the Ancients gained a more stronger political standing in Northern Europe. During this time, they began to heavily invest in researching the Isu and occult lore, more strictly revering their trinity of deities as well as accumulating wealth, manpower, weapons and resources in order to further expand their influence. Unlike most of the people in the ancient world, the Order of the Ancients were trinitarian in their faith and were not fully polytheistic nor monotheistic. They did believe in a spiritual afterlife and their strict reverence of three deities, namely, the Father of Understanding, the Mother of Wisdom, and the Sacred Voice. The Order of the Ancients were also known for their strict supremacist view of the Isu and these views allows them to make a fetish out of searching for and using the Pieces of Eden. Their worship for their Trinity of Deities would be conducted in secluded temples which were not assessible or known of by the polytheistic and the monotheistic people of those times. For instance, during the 9th century in England, the abandoned Temples of Mithras located around the Roman ruins of England served as their base of operations, a place for them to conduct their worship and as repositories for their secret wisdom. One member of the Order, Fulke, believed that these beliefs were based on the Gnostic texts from before the Nicene Creed, and as such took a strict dislike to Abrahamic religions in general. The Order of the Ancients were also aware of Juno's imprisonment as well as the existence of Aita's Sages. The Order members were even well versed in how to identify Sages, even though their descendants, the Templar Order, were not. With the capture of Sigurd Styrbjornsson, the Order also became aware of other Isu Sages as well. Despite the Order of the Ancients' strict supremacist view of the Isu, the Order of the Ancients had a less than favorable view of Tainted Ones, humans who directly descended from the Isu. This was because they feared them and strongly believed that the Tainted Ones have the power to oppose them and burn down their centuries of work. However, they were not opposed to recruiting Tainted Ones into their organization, with one such member, Phila, even rising to the rank of Magus/Sorcerer in the Persian branch of the Order of Ancients due to her enhanced abilities and strategic brilliance. The Assassin's Creed series, by Oliver Bowden, Christie Golden, Matthew Kirby and Gordon Doherty is a collection of novels set within the Assassin's Creed video game universe. The books follow various time periods and revolve around the Assassins at war with the Knights Templar. ⭐ Renaissance: The first novel of this collection was published in 2009. The novel features Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a man who seeks revenge for the murder of his family. Ezio begins to train himself as an assassin and becomes drawn into a war between the Assassin's Brotherhood and the Templar Order. The two secret organizations have been combating each other for centuries to secure an ancient technology, called the "Apple of Eden", a relic which can control human minds. Both groups also seek a vault in Italy, which contains the knowledge and technology of an ancient, technologically superior civilization. Ezio soon sees that the world is not what it seems and meets a god called Minerva who tells Ezio he is a prophet and must create a new world. ⭐ Brotherhood: The second novel in the series was released in 2010. It's a novelized version of the popular game Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Just like its previous book, Assassin's Creed: Renaissance, it does not contain any of the game's present-day events including Desmond, only a reference to a "phantom" by Ezio. The story takes place four years after the video game's story (1499), in 1503. Ezio Auditore struggles to free the city of Rome from the tyranny of Cesare Borgia, who seeks to take over Italy. ⭐ The Secret Crusade: The Secret Crusade's story follows Altaïr, as told by Niccolo Polo. It details the life of Altaïr, an Assassin; beginning with the death of his father. Altaïr watches his father's execution; which was carried out for causing the unintended death of a noble. Some time later, he also watches one of his father's fellow Assassins kill himself out of guilt over the death of Altaïr's father. The book then progresses to many years later where an older Altaïr, with his wife Maria and their son Darim, are returning to Masyaf Altaïr's home after successfully assassinating Genghis Khan. In their absence, Abbas proclaimed himself "Master of the Assassins" and took over Masyaf, ruling with tyranny. Altaïr is met with cold indifference. He discovers that despite being told that his son Sef had traveled to Alamut, his son was actually murdered by Malik. Malik has been imprisoned but claims innocence. Altaïr breaks him out of jail planning to confront Abbas and reclaim his place as Master Assassin. These plans are thwarted when Abbas has Malik killed and frames Altaïr for his death. Out of anger, Altaïr uses the Apple of Eden to kill the man responsible for Sef's death but also inadvertently causes Maria's death. Devastated, Altaïr flees Masyaf. Years later a merchant named Muhklis is saved from desert bandits by Altaïr, now an old man in his seventies. Muhklis takes an injured Altaïr back to his home in Masyaf and agrees to help him reclaim his place. They hope to take back Masyaf with as little bloodshed as possible. They are joined by a few young men who are aligned against Abbas and are training in the traditional ways of the Assassins, which have been ignored during Abbas' reign. They, along with the people of Masyaf, storm the castle fighting through Abbas' men but only killing if absolutely necessary. Altaïr faces Abbas for the last time, killing him with his pistol. With the death of their leader, Abbas' men lay down their arms and Altaïr is proclaimed the leader of the Assassins. The final chapter shows that Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Da Firenze means from Firenze/Florence) is the narrator and he is on a boat arriving in Constantinople, in the second sequence of events in Revelations. The Secret Crusade was released in June 2011. ⭐ Revelations: Revelations once again follows Ezio Auditore as he leaves his life behind in search of the truth about the Assassin Order and "those who came before". The resulting journey leads him to Constantinople where a growing army of Byzantine Templars threatens the region. Ezio goes through many obstacles then decides to give up his life as an Assassin to save Desmond. The book was released in 2011. ⭐ Forsaken: Set in 1735, Forsaken is Haytham Kenway's (Edward Kenway's son) personal journal and tracks his life, from his early childhood in England, through his rise up the Templar ranks. Unlike Revelations, it is written in the first person and follows Haytham Kenway only. Forsaken was released in 2012. ⭐ Black Flag: Black Flag follows the journal of Edward Kenway, the father of Haytham Kenway and grandfather of Connor Kenway. Edward Kenway is a young privateer who sets out to become the world's deadliest pirate, only to be drawn into the centuries-old war between the Assassins and the Templars. Black Flag was released in 2013 and is based on the video game Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. ⭐ Unity: Assassin's Creed Unity follows Elise and Arno's side of the video game Assassin's Creed Unity that takes place during the French Revolution. The book is based on this installment and was released in 2014. Arno is framed for killing monseuir de la serre and is put in prison. ⭐ Underworld: Assassin's Creed Underworld follows Henry Green and Detective Abberline, 6 years before the events of Syndicate, eventually ending with the game's final missions in Evie's perspective. ⭐ Desert Oath: Assassin's Creed Origins: Desert Oath follows Bayek, a young boy who lives in Siwa in ancient Egypt. The events take place before the events of the game Assassin's Creed Origins. It was published in 2017. ⭐ Odyssey: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (The Official Novelization) tells one possible story path of Assassin's Creed Odyssey featuring Kassandra, one of the two protagonists in the game. It was published in 2018. ⭐ The Art of Assassin's Creed: The Art of Assassin's Creed was published by Titan Books on 31 October 2017. The Assassin’s Creed timeline now stretches across over two and a half millennia and if like me, you enjoy watching, reading and playing things in chronological order based off its history/lore/story, you may find this brief guide useful. I am specifically excluding comics & cannon titles and primarily listing the order of the video game entries based off the historical dated timeline in the official lore. This framework is set from earliest to most recent. The Order: ⭐ Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (431 BC): Odyssey is the earliest entry in the Assassin’s Creed timeline by several centuries. It predates the Assassin Brotherhood by some time and connects to the rest of the series by exploring how First Civilization artifacts were used in the ancient world in and around Greece. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed: Origins (49-43 BC): Origins is set in Egypt during the time of Cleopatra and explores the beginnings of what would become the Assassin's Brotherhood through an Assassin named Bayek. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla (873 AD): Following the adventures of Eivor, a Viking from Norway who participated in the Norse invasion of England during the 9th century. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed I (1191 AD): The original Assassin’s Creed games follows Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad as he undertakes a series of assassination missions during the time of the Third Crusade. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines (1191 AD): Bloodlines takes place directly after the events of Assassin’s Creed, following Altaïr as he learns of the Templars’ plan to escape to Cyprus. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed II (1459 - 1500 AD) - Ezio Trilogy #1 Set during the Italian Renaissance, this story follows Ezio Auditore da Firenze as he undertakes training as an Assassin in order to avenge his slain family. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery (1491 AD): Taking place during the events of Assassin’s Creed II, this DS/mobile game is a side story follows Ezio as he assists the Venetian Thieves Guild with a threat from the Spanish Inquisition. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (1500 - 1507 AD) - Ezio Trilogy #2 Taking place directly after the end of Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood follows Ezio as he goes to Rome to take the fight to the Borgia family while he rebuilds the Assassin ranks. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (1511 AD) - Ezio Trilogy #3) In the final installment of the “Ezio Trilogy,” the character travels to Constantinople searching for Altair’s secret library, and in the process uncovers the story of his final days. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China (1526 AD) - Chronicles Trilogy #1 This installment of the Chronicles sub-series continues the story of Ezio’s student Shao Jun as she returns to China during the fall of the Ming dynasty. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (1712 - 1722 AD): This narrative centers around Edward Kenway during the Golden Age of Piracy as he sets off to make his fortune only to be pulled into a conflict between the Assassins and the Templars over an ancient artifact called “The Observatory.” ⭐ Assassin’s Creed: Pirates (1716 AD): This mobile game (now offline and unavailable to play) follows Alonzo Batilla, a captain during the Golden Age of Piracy as he crosses paths with both Assassins and Templar. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry (1735 - 1737 AD): The standalone expansion to Black Flag follows Edward Kenway’s former first mate Adewale, as he engages on a quest to free slaves and disrupt the slave trade in the Caribbean. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed: Rogue (1752 - 1760 AD) - AC Unity Prologue Assassin-turned-Templar Shay Cormac hunts down his former brethren during the Seven Years’ War. Many characters in this game, such as Edward’s son Haytham Kenway and Achilles Davenport, are major players in Assassin’s Creed III; and the end of the game acts as a prologue for Assassin’s Creed Unity. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed III (1754 - 1783 AD): This installment follows Haytham’s son Conner, also known as Ratonhnhaké:ton, as he assists the American Revolution in order to save his Native American tribe from the Templar Order. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation (1765 - 1777 AD): In this PSP game set in the Louisiana Bayou, African-French assassin Aveline de Grandpre battles the Templars in New Orleans towards the end of the French and Indian War. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed: Unity (1776-1808 AD): Set in Paris during the French Revolution, Unity introduces the assassin Arno Dorian as he seeks to expose the corruption behind the Revolution. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag - Aveline DLC (1784 AD): This standalone mission for Black Flag takes place in Rhode Island following Aveline’s mission to recruit an escaped slave into the Assassin Order. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India (1841 AD) - Chronicles Trilogy #2 The assassin Arbaaz Mir attempts to recover the Koh-i-Noor diamond during a war between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (1868 AD): Syndicate tells the story of twins Jacob and Evie Frye, who must unite the factions or organized crime in Victorian London in order to fight the Templars. A section of the narrative also follows Jacob’s descendant during World War I. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed Syndicate: Jack The Ripper DLC (1888 AD): Set 20 years after the main narrative of Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, Evie hunts for famed murderer Jack the Ripper. ⭐ Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia (1918 AD) - Chronicles Trilogy #3 The final instalment of the Chronicles trilogy follows Russian assassin Nikolai Orelov. The story is set in 1918, just after the October Revolution and centers around Orelov’s mission to save the grand duchess, Anastasia, who shares memories with the assassin Shao Jun. A hidden ending in Chronicles: Russia reveals the Precursor box’s role in the Phoenix Project. In Summary:
The Kenway Family was a wealthy Anglo-American family who held a central role in the Assassin-Templar War during the 18th century, particularly during the Golden Age of Piracy, the Seven Years' War, and the American Revolutionary War. It was also an ancestor line of Desmond Miles. Modest Beginnings: The oldest known member of the Kenway family was Bernard Kenway, an English sheep farmer from Manchester at the end of the 17th century. He married a Welshwoman named Linette Hopkins and settled in Swansea. They had a daughter who died during infancy, and in 1693 they had a son, Edward. In 1703, the Kenway family moved to Hatherton, near Bristol. The Kenway's at this time had a reputation as honest farmers. Bernard gave the sales part of his farm to his son, but Edward passed most of his time in taverns. In 1712, Edward married Caroline Scott, the daughter of the wealthy tea merchant Emmett Scott and his wife Elizabeth. The young couple lived modestly in the Kenway's farm, as Emmett, a Templar, refused to accept that his daughter had married Edward, seeing him as beneath the Scotts'. Desiring to give to his wife a privileged life, Edward decided to become a privateer and sail to the West Indies, intending to earn riches and return. Caroline, who was pregnant, disagreed with her husband's decision and moved back to her father's home. To be sure that Caroline never returned to the Kenway's, Emmett sent a group of Templars to burn the Kenway farm. Edward saved his parents but his father disowned him. Trying to understand why his parent's home was burned, Edward was knocked out by Wilson and woke up aboard the Emperor, which was sailing for the West Indies. The Assassin's Order: Early in his career as a privateer, Edward met Edward Thatch (Blackbeard) and Benjamin Hornigold and, when the Peace of Utrecht - which ended the War of the Spanish Succession and rendering Britain's privateers jobless - was signed, the three turned to piracy. In 1715, after a battle at Cape Bonavista, Edward, oblivious to the existence of either organisation, killed the Assassin turncoat Duncan Walpole and, impersonating him, met with the Grand Master of the Caribbean Templars, Laureano de Torres y Ayala, in an effort to claim the reward that had been promised to Walpole. Then he gave information which jeopardised the position of the Caribbean Assassins and he was inducted in the Templar Order. Edward's tenure with the Templars was brief, and over the course of the next four years found himself embroiled in the Assassin-Templar War as it raged across the Caribbean and their race for the Observatory and the Sage Bartholomew Roberts. Eventually, following the example set by his friend and quartermaster, Adéwalé, Edward aligned with the Caribbean Assassins, killing Roberts and protecting the Observatory from the Templars. Return To England: After the Assassins' victory in the Caribbean, in 1722, Edward learned in a letter both that his wife Caroline had died two years prior from smallpox, which she contracted from her father, and also that he had a daughter, Jennifer Scott, who had been born a few months after his departure for the West Indies. Returning to England with his daughter, Edward tracked the men responsible for the burning of his family farm, who he now knew to be Templars. In 1723, during a meeting with his mother, Edward revealed his new intentions, but she refused to accept him back due to his infamy as the last of the pirates. Nevertheless, Edward killed Emmett Scott and was about to burn Matthew Hague before Robert Walpole, a cousin of Duncan Walpole, gave him a pardon from his former life as a pirate. Moving to London, Edward married Stephenson-Oakley, the daughter of a wealthy landowner, and together they purchased a mansion in the city. In London, Edward joined the British Assassins and alongside Miko, came to lead the branch. Under the guise of his commercial enterprises, Edward traveled the globe for the Assassins, visiting numerous First Civilization sites, including some in Italy, as well as the Alamut Temple. He retrieved a Shroud of Eden, a Piece of Eden which could heal fatal injuries. He hid the Shroud in a box made by the First Civilization in the Tower of London and the key to the box in a secret room in St. Paul's Cathedral. In December 1725, Edward and Tessa had a son, Haytham. On his son's eighth birthday, Edward began to train him as an Assassin, though took pains to keep the nature of the training secret. In parallel, Edward searched for the Grand Temple and, though he was ultimately unsuccessful in his investigations, made prestigious notes in his journal on the investigation's progress. Reginald Birch, an employee of Edward's and, unbeknownst to his employer, Grand Master of the British Rite of the Templar Order, also sought the Grand Temple and so took steps to ingratiate himself with the Kenway family. Birch began his search courting Jennifer, Edward's daughter, in the hopes of accessing the journal's location that way. He also sought to trick Edward's young son, Haytham, into revealing the journal's location; a route that proved successful. On Haytham's tenth birthday, Birch sent several masked men to the Kenway Mansion. They burned it; kidnapping Jennifer, killing Edward, and stealing his journal. Birch sold Jennifer as a slave to Turkish merchants, and she later became a concubine in the Topkapı Palace. Since nobody knew of Birch's involvement in the attack, Birch took Haytham on as his ward and begun to indoctrinate him in the Templar ways, promising the young Kenway that he would help to find his sister. The Templar Son: In 1747, Haytham, now an invested and deadly member of the Templar order, killed Juan Vedomir, a Templar turncoat who had stolen Edward's journal from Birch. Giving it back to Birch, the Grand Master informed Haytham of the death of his mother. Later Haytham continued the search of the men who burned his family mansion, going to Germany to find Jack Digweed, a servant of Edward who was accused of the attack. Haytham and Birch found Digweed had been tortured by the men who attacked the mansion. Haytham pursued one of them and Birch killed Digweed to ensure his part in the attack remained a secret. Mortally wounding his target, Haytham learned that his father had been an Assassin and that he had been killed protecting something. On the body, Haytham found a document that proved the man served the Templar and general Edward Braddock. Arriving in the Dutch Republic, Haytham found the other man, Tom Smith, but he was executed for desertion by Braddock. After serving with Braddock at the Siege of Bergen op Zoom, Haytham saw the cruelty of the former Templar. In 1753, Haytham kidnapped Lucio Albertine in Corsica to decipher his father's journal. Fighting the Assassin Miko, Haytham lost his family sword but gained Miko's hidden blade. In 1754, Haytham killed Miko at the Theatre Royal and took the Grand Temple Key from him. Birch sent Haytham to the Colonies to find the Grand Temple and build up the Templars' presence in the New World. With the help of several other Templars already in the Colonies, and a Kanien'kehá:ka guide named Kaniehtí:io, Haytham stopped the Braddock Expedition and mortally injured the former Templar. After this, Haytham founded the Colonial Rite of the Templar Order and began a brief relationship with Kaniehtí:io. Weeks later, Charles Lee gave Haytham a letter from Jim Holden who informed him that they had discovered Jennifer's location. Lee also told Haytham that Braddock died from his wounds. Kaniehtí:io discovered that Haytham had lied about his allegiances and ordered him to leave. Haytham left America in search of his sister, unknowing of the fact that Kaniehtí:io was pregnant with his son. In 1757, Haytham and Holden traveled to Istanbul and discovered that Jennifer had been sent to Qasr al-Azm, in Damascus. After they rescued her, they fled the palace but Holden was captured. Haytham later saved Holden in Egypt, at the Abou Gerbe monastery on Mount Ghebel Eter, but not before he had been forcefully castrated. Haytham burned the monastery in recompense. Afterward, Jennifer revealed the truth about Edward's death and Birch's part in it. The siblings and Holden attacked Birch's chateau in Troyes and killed the Templar Grand Master. After that, Haytham and Jennifer decided to remain in contact; Jennifer settled into the Kenway Mansion while Haytham returned to America. A Family War: In 1758, Haytham bought a plantation in Virginia to expand the Colonial Rite's influence. With the help of the Assassin turncoat Shay Cormac, the Templars largely destroyed the Assassin presence in the New World, with Haytham personally crippling the Assassin Mentor, Achilles Davenport, to ensure he could never again return to the field. In 1763, Haytham again attacked a resurgent Assassin presence at the Davenport Homestead, killing the remaining Assassins but again sparing Achilles, who remained in exile at the Manor. In 1760, Haytham's son, Ratonhnhaké:ton, was assaulted by a group of Templars led by Charles Lee, none of whom were aware of the boy's familial connection to the Grand Master. Asking for a meeting with the Kanatahséton's leaders, the boy refused to give the village's location. Knocked out, Ratonhnhaké:ton woke up to see his village being burned by the British troops. His mother died in the flames. Beliving it was the Templars, Ratonhnhaké:ton developed a burning desire for revenge against Charles Lee. In 1769, with a Crystal Ball, Ratonhnhaké:ton came in contact with Juno, who tasked him with joining the Assassins so as to protect the Grand Temple and his land from the Templars. After an initially ruthless rejection, Ratonhnhaké:ton finally became an Assassin under the watch of Achilles and began to recruit new apprentices. During the beginning of the American Revolution, Haytham and the Templars searched to transform the Colonies into Templar's State, Ratonhnhaké:ton, who took the name of Connor, fought to decrease the Templar influence on the conflict. The action of the two factions led to a more violent conflict. In 1776, Haytham ordered the assassination of George Washington to place Charles Lee as the Commander in chief of the Continental Army. Ratonhnhaké:ton tried to stop them but was captured and condemned to death by Lee. During the execution, Haytham decided to save his son by cutting the rope, which led to the assassination of the Templar Thomas Hickey. Assassin's / Templar's Truce: In 1778, the Templar Benjamin Church, one of Ratonhnhaké:ton's targets, betrayed his Templar brothers and sided with the British, stealing a significant amount of Continental supplies in the process. Ratonhnhaké:ton tracked Church to New York, where he came into contact with his father, who also wanted to kill Church, albeit for his treachery. Realizing that, for now, their goals were aligned, the two formed a truce and pursued Church together. After assassinating Church, the father and son discovered that the British would attack from New York. While Ratonhnhaké:ton wanted to give the information to Washington, Haytham wanted to pass it on to Charles Lee. At Valley Forge, Haytham exposed to his son the truth around his mother's death and Washington's role in it. Angered that his father withheld this information, Ratonhnhaké:ton broke all ties with his father. In 1781, Achilles died from illness, bequeathing both the Homestead and the leadership of the Colonial Assassins to Ratonhnhaké:ton. Ratonhnhaké:ton sought to infiltrate Fort George in order to kill Lee and to attempt to convince his father to abandon the Templars. Knowing his son would come for Lee, Haytham gave the Grand Temple Key to him and decided to engage his son and give Lee time to execute their plan. During the duel, Haytham knew he couldn't kill his own son and instead forced Ratonhnhaké:ton to kill him. In 1782, Ratonhnhaké:ton tracked down Lee, killed him, and took the Grand Temple Key. Six months later, Ratonhnhaké:ton returned to his village where he entered in contact with Juno who ordered him to hide the key for someone. Ratonhnhaké:ton hid the artifact in the grave of his mentor's son, Connor Davenport. After the end of the war, Ratonhnhaké:ton decided to continue the Assassins' struggle for liberty. In 1788, Jennifer received a visit from Élise de la Serre, a French Templar who searched Haytham Kenway's letters for the Carroll family. Jennifer agreed to gave the letters to Élise if she pursued the goal to end the war between the Assassins and the Templars. She also gave to the young Templar a Templar pendant, a gift she received from Haytham. In 1805, Jennifer died in London and the Kenway Mansion was taken by the Templars. The Kenway Legacy: The actions of the Kenway family impacted the Assassin-Templar War in many ways. Edward nearly destroyed the Caribbean Assassins by giving their headquarters location to the Templars. But when he joined the Assassins, he strengthened their position by killing the Grand Master Torres, which would end the Templar influence in the region for decades. Edward also gave to the Assassins Great Inagua, which permitted them to live and work among the people they protect. With the discovery of the Observatory, the Assassins protected the site by burying it. The Observatory was only discovered three centuries later by the Templars. In London, Edward joined the British Assassins and became their co-leader with Miko. While Miko traveled through the world to aid other brotherhoods and searching Pieces of Eden, Edward used his charm to make connections in the city, in both high society and the criminal underworld. With these two, the British Brotherhood was stronger than ever. With Edward's death, the British Templars began to control London for over a century. With Haytham, the Templar Order could establish the Colonial Rite which became later the American Templar Rite. During the French and Indian War, Haytham and the Templars supported the British Crown against the French and also nearly destroyed the Colonial Assassins. After the peace, Haytham projected to free the Colonies from the Crown and established a Templar State. Ratonhnhaké:ton helped the reconstruction of the Davenport Homestead and the Colonial Assassins. Liberating Boston and New York from Templar influence, Ratonhnhaké:ton recruited new apprentices for the Brotherhood, sending them through the Colonies to help the Patriots and to prevent casualties during the American Revolution. Ratonhnhaké:ton also secured the trade passages from Louisbourg to the Virgin Islands. During the Revolutionary War, Ratonhnhaké:ton sided with the Continental Army and participated in numerous conflicts as the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill or the Battle of the Chesapeake. His help decreased the Templar's grip on the War. Ratonhnhaké:ton also prevented George Washington from becoming the king of United States. The truce between Haytham and his son made the Grand Master believe in peace between the Assassins and the Templars. He wrote letters about his dream to his half-sister. After his death, Jennifer wanted to stop the conflict which killed his father and half-brother, then she gave the letters to Élise de la Serre to continue the peace with the Assassins. In 1794 after the death of Élise, her lover, Arno Dorian, inherited Haytham's letters and promised to improve the peace between the two factions. In 1868, with the clues left by Edward in his journal and his mansion, the British Assassin Evie Frye and the British Templars fought for the retrieval of the Shroud of Eden in London. At some point, Ratonhnhaké:ton married and had multiple children, continuing the Kenway bloodline. During the following centuries, the Kenways prospered and intermingled with other Assassin bloodlines, as the House of Auditore. The Kenway lineage extended to William Miles, an Assassin who lived in the Farm and became in 2015 the Mentor of the last remnants of the Assassins Brotherhood. William had a son, Desmond, who, by reliving the memories of Haytham and his son, could reach the Key of the Grand Temple and sacrificed himself to save the world from the 2012 coronal mass ejection. In 2013, Abstergo Entertainment used Edward's memories through the Sample 17 Project to find the location of the Observatory and the corpse of Bartholomew Roberts. Family Tree: 75,100 BC - The First Assassin's: Earth is a sprawling, highly technological advanced planet, populated by a race of highly advanced beings known as the First Civilization. They are responsible for the creation of Homo Sapiens (Humans), who they as slave labor with the use of powerful artifacts known as the Pieces Of Eden. One such artifact, the Apple Of Eden, of which there are numerous, (which has the power to control the minds of humans), is stolen by two humans, known as Adam & Eve. They would later set the foundation of the Assassins in order to oppose the First Civilization, while their son Cain would inspire the Templar Order seeking to control them. 75,010 BC - First Civilisation Ends: A massive solar flare completely destroys the First Civilization, wiping it out from the face of the Earth. At first it is believed that only the humans, hiding out in caves, survived and begin to rebuild civilization slowly over thousands of years. While most of the First Civilization is lost, some of their ruins and most of their Pieces Of Eden still remain. Juno, a member of the First Civilization, is revealed to be the sole survivor and at the time of the solar flare, sealed herself in a vault with the intent of finding a way to restore her people. 465 BC - Death Of Xerxes: King Xerxes I of Persia, a prominent member of the Order Of The Templars, is killed by a member of the Assassins Order. Not only does this mark the first use of a hidden blade in recorded history, which would become the signature weapon of the Assassins Order, but it was also the first time these two factions entered conflict. 1191 - The Secret Crusade: The Assassins and the Knights Templars enter open conflict when the Templars attack Masyaf, the stronghold of the entire Assassins Order, in order to retrieve the Apple of Eden. The artifact had been stolen from them by Altair Ibn-La'Ahad, on the order of the Assassins Grand Master, Al Mualim. After learning that Al Mualim was secretly aligned with the Templars and was planning to use the Apple of Eden to bring the entire Order to his will, Altair kills Al Mualim and eventually assumes leadership of the Assassins Order. 1257 - The Order Reforms: Altair Ibn-La'Ahad, likely the most influential mentor in the history of the Assassins Order, dies. Before his death, he sends all of the Assassins away with instructions to spread across the world and to hide from the Templars in plain sight. From that moment, the Assassins start a brotherhood in every country, no longer confined to the Middle East. Moments before his death, Altair locks himself deep into Masyaf's library with a Apple Of Eden, leaving behind a lock that can only be opened by an Assassin. 1314 - The Templar's Hide Out: Jacques de Molay, the Grand Master of the Templar Order, is burned at the stake when the Pope dissolves the Knights Templar. Before his death, de Molay sends nine of his most trusted advisors across the world to continue the Templars goals of control, instructing them to infiltrate all high positions within government. 1476 - A Renaissance: The Grand Master of the Italian Assassins Order, Giovanni Auditore, is publicly hanged for treason alongside two of his sons - an execution orchestrated by Rodrigo Borgia, Grand Master of the Templar Order. Giovanni's only remaining son, Ezio Auditore, swears revenge and takes up his father's mantle in order to hunt down the men responsible for his death. 1500 - The Brotherhood: After a long journey (during which Ezio manages to steal another artifact in the possession of the Templars, a Apple Of Eden), Ezio confronts Rodrigo Borgia in Rome, where he finds out that Borgia had become Pope. In the following years, he hunts down everyone in the Borgia clan one by one, completely destroying them and shattering the Templars influence over Italy and Spain. When all is done, Ezio locks the Apple of Eden in a vault underneath the Colosseum, where it remains for over 500 years. 1511 - Revelations: Ezio leaves Italy in order to explore Masyaf and Constantinople, wanting to rediscover his ancestors legacy. Ultimately, he ends up ensuring that Suleiman the Magnificent would ascend to the throne, allying the Ottoman Empire with the Assassins. He also opens Altair's tomb, but chooses to leave his Apple of Eden there, claiming he had enough adventures for a lifetime. Thirteen years later he passes away in Florence. 1715 - Black Flag: Edward Kenway, sailor-turned-pirate, finds himself in a skirmish between the Templars and the Assassins - one that he wanted very little to do with beyond what was necessary. Despite wearing their garbs, he was rejected by the Colonial Assassins due to his lifestyle as a pirate, and only joined the Order formally upon his retirement when he returned to England, where by he became a Master Assassin. 1735 - The Forsaken: Edward Kenway is killed in his home in London by masked men hired by the Templars. The Templar Grand Master, Reginald Birch, adopts Edward's young son, Haytham Kenway and gradually brainwashes him to believe in the ideals of the Templar Order. Eventually, Haytham would become of the Templars most notorious killer. 1746 - The American Assassin's: Achilles Davenport, a young Assassin, travels overseas and establishes the very first Assassin Order in America, with him as it's Grand Master. Despite its humble beginnings, the Order would later grow to include dozens of Assassins from the colonies, including Shay Patrick Cormac, a young man who joined within the first five years of the Order's inception in America. 1754 - The Templar Expansion: Haytham Kenway arrives in America and formally beings the first Templar order across the ocean, with himself as the Grand Master. Soon afterwards, Haytham meets a Native American woman who helps track down and assassinates a rogue Templar working for the British Army. While Haytham never learns of this, he conceives a son with her whom she ends up naming Rotonhnhake:ton, born in 1756. 1756 - Rogue: Shay Patrick Cormac is betrayed by the Assassins Order when he refuses to hand over an artifact with immense power. He is quickly found by Haytham Kenway and taken in, with the two of them working together to hunt down the American Assassins, one by one. Over the next few years, Shay & Haytham kill all of them, leaving only a crippled Achilles Davenport alive. 1769 - An American Revolution: A 13 year old Ratonhnhake:ton leaves his tribe to seek out Achilles in the hopes of becoming an Assassin. Achilles agrees to take him in, giving him the name Connor and spending years training him. Conor Kenway joins George Washington's Revolution in an attempt to weaken the Templars' iron grip over the Colonies. 1776 - Templar's Strike Back: Foreseeing a tremendous loss in the Colonies, the Templars send Shay Patrick Cormac to France to assassinate Charles Dorian - A Master Assassin and a populist, planting the seeds for the French Revolution. Charles' son, Arno Dorian, is taken in by the Templar Grand Master, Francois de la Serre. 1781 - Assassin's Victory: Haytham Kenway is assassinated by his own son, Connor. Soon afterwards, the American Revolution comes to an close, with the Assassins firmly establishing control of the continent. Connor Kenway retires from active duty within the Order to train the next generation of American Assassins. 1789 - Unity: Francois de la Serre is killed by his Templar co-conspirators due to advocating for peace between the two Orders. His adoptive son, Arno Dorian, is arrested for the murder, but manages to escape once the Templar orchestrated French Revolution begins. Seeking to continue his father's ideals, Arno pushes for a unity between Assassins and Templars, but is ostracized from his own Order and his attempts fail. The French Revolution is a success, cementing Templar control over France and eventually most of Europe. 1868 - Syndicate: The twins Jacob and Evie Frye manage to liberate London from Templar control by using a gang of criminals known as the Rooks. Unfortunately, their peace lasts for only about 30 years, because the moment the Victorian era ends with the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, the Templars are quickly able to regain control and relegate the Assassins to a small presence within the city. 1937 - Birth Of Abstergo: Abstergo Industries, a corporation controlled directly by the Templars, is founded. Since infiltrating the United States has been impossible due to the Assassins presence and control there, an alternative method was conceived which would allow the Templar's to control America through products and entertainment. Abstergo Industries is a great success, and it soon branches out to become an international corporation. Before long, the name Abstergo becomes synonymous and interchangeable with "Templars". 2003 - Desmond's Escape: Desmond Miles - a 16 year old boy living in a small Assassins Guild somewhere in rural America - runs away in order to live outside of the Order. Little does he suspect that he's actually part of the bloodline of Adam & Eve, sharing the same bloodline with Altair, Ezio and the Kenway family. As such his existences becomes extremely important to both the Assassins and Templars. 2012 - The Solar Flare: Desmond Miles is kidnapped by Abstergo Industries, who seek to place him into a device known as the Animus, a computer that can access the user's genetic memories. By doing so, Abstergo hope to discover the location of the Apple Of Eden, but the Assassins manage to rescue Desmond before they can get any valuable information. As it turns out, the world is on the verge of being wiped out by a solar flare not unlike the one that destroyed the First Civilization over 77,000 years ago, and Abstergo are looking to use the Apple of Eden's powers to prevent that, in a a plan that's doomed to failure. Desmond and the Assassins find the Apple that Ezio hid under the Colosseum and use it in their own plan to rescue Juno, (the sole survivor from the First Civilization). She shields the Earth from the solar flare, but at the cost of Desmond's life. Now that Juno is free, she plans to terraform the Earth in order to bring the First Civilization back. Fifteen hours later, Abstergo agents retrieve Desmond's body and begin extracting memories from his genes. 2016 - The War Continues: Callum Lynch, a death row inmate, is saved by Abstergo, who then proceed to use his genetic memories in order to locate and Apple Of Eden to replace the one that they lost to the Assassins four years ago. The war between the Assassins and Templars is still in full force, with both factions recruiting new members through shady means. From the ancient civilizations and Greek gods to the Vikings & pirates. This is a comprehensive breakdown of the entire timeline thus far. ISU ERA: What Are The ISU? The Isu are an ancient and highly-advanced species of humanoid beings who were active on Earth during the eponymous era several millennia before the rise of even the most ancient human civilizations. The Isu are responsible for the creation of the Pieces of Eden, powerful artifacts and weapons that augmented their already superhuman abilities, as well as forming the human race itself. Due to their long and storied history, and the legacy that their existence left, the Isu, as a species, were known by various names to humanity. Classified Homosapiens divinus by Abstergo Industries, they were also interchangeably referred to as Those Who Came Before, the First Civilization, or the Precursors. The Anglo-Saxon branch of the Order of the Ancients compared the Isu to the Archons in Gnostic religion or Nephilim from the Biblical mythos. Beyond this, certain groups of Isu, such as the Capitoline Triad, the Æsir, and the Isu Authoriity in Eden, were believed by most human religions to be a part of a pantheon of gods. Their history shrouded in mystery, the Isu ruled over Earth roughly 77,000 years ago, before they were largely wiped out, alongside their human creations, during the Great Catastrophe. By that point, the Isu had been in a decade long war with a human rebellion led by two hybrids, Adam and Eve, who sought to free humanity from servitude to their "gods". Following the Great Catastrophe, the Isu population rapidly declined to the point of near extinction within the century, but their legacy would live on for thousands of years through myth and legend, becoming the focal point of many human religions, whether polytheistic or monotheistic. Further still, those Pieces of Eden that survive the Great Catastrophe also influenced early man’s development and eventually became a pivotal desire for both the Templar Order and the Brotherhood of Assassins, who waged a war of their own for control of the Pieces, and by extension humanity’s future. UNKNOWN BCE: Tensions between different Isu factions result in a war that humans would later turn into the legend of the Æsir-Jötnar war. Phanes, a scientist belonging to the ancient Isu, started a project to create humanity as a resilient but subservient slave species. Phanes, however, fell in love with a human, who gave birth to a hybrid known as Eve. In an attempt to save the Earth from a "Great Catastrophe," Isu scientist Aita experiments on himself, destroying his body. His wife Juno preserves Aita's genetic material and creates Sages, human vessels that would serve as Aita's reincarnations over the millennia. 75,010 BCE: Eve, together with Adam, discovered they were immune to the human-controlling effects of Isu devices known as Pieces of Eden. Knowing this, they stole a Piece of Eden and escaped the Isu city of Eden, which kickstarted a rebellion that later became a full-blown war between Isu and humans. 75,000 BCE: Knowing most of humanity and the Isu would be destroyed by a solar flare, Isu scientists Minerva, Juno, and Jupiter (also known as the Jötnar by Vikings) attempt to find a way to save everyone. After six failed attempts, Minerva creates a device called the Eye in order to preserve a message so that a future human could protect the Earth from a second catastrophe in 2012 CE. In secret, Juno tampered with the Eye to give her absolute power. Right before the catastrophe, the Æsir (including Odin, Thor, and other Norse gods) have their consciousness uploaded into the Isu supercomputer Yggdrasil in order to be reincarnated in the future. As predicted, Earth is hit by a huge solar flare that kills most of humanity and the Isu. UNKNOWN BCE: In order to rebuild the world, the remaining Isu and humans decide to work together. The Isu share their technology with humans, allowing them to do incredible feats, which eventually become the basis for many mythologies and religions - like Hercules being an actual hero or the aforementioned Æsir. Eventually, the Isu still became extinct. 1334 BCE: Pharaoh Smenkhkare founds the Order of the Ancients to obtain and exploit the knowledge and power of the Isu artifacts. 1250 BCE: Using the powers of a Staff of Eden, Moses parts the Red Sea. 5th Century BCE (Odyssey Timeline): 500 BCE: Pythagoras establishes a religious movement that would become known as the Cult of Hermes. Pythagoras would meet the Isu known as Hermes and become the guardian of a piece of Eden that would make him immortal. 480 BCE: Battle of Thermopylae. Leonidas is killed. 465 BCE: Darius, who would later be considered the first Assassin, kills King Xerxes I of Persia with the first recorded use of the Hidden Blade. 458 BCE: Kassandra / Alexios is born. (Whoever you choose is the protagonist of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.) 446 BCE: The Cult of Kosmos, a splinter-group from the Cult of Hermes that hopes to rule all the Greek world, tricks the Oracle of Delphi into prophesying that one of the grandchildren of King Leonidas (either Alexios or Kassandra) would bring the fall of Sparta, resulting in the presumed death of both kids, with one of them being raised in secret by the Cult. 431 BCE (Events of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey): The Peloponnesian War between the Greek states of Athens and Sparta begins - secretly organized by the Cult of Kosmos Kassandra (or Alexios), the grandchild of King Leonidas, using a piece of Eden (ancient Isu artifact) called the Spear of Leonidas, gets involved in the Peloponnesian War by becoming a mercenary called Misthios. The Misthios ends up destroying the Cult of Kosmos. During this time, the Misthios also discovers the hidden city of Atlantis, where he or she meets the Isu Aletheia (whose consciousness lives within the Isu artifact Staff of Hermes) and is given the Staff in order to live forever and serve as a Keeper of Memories of all the Isu. 1st Century BCE (Origins Timeline): 85 BCE: Bayek of Siwa is born, who serves as the protagonist of Assassin's Creed: Origins 49 BCE: Members of the Order of the Ancients abduct and kill Khemu, son of Bayek, in an attempt to find out more about the Isu vault located in Siwa, Egypt - and sending Bayek on a quest for vengeance. His quest takes him all over Egypt. 48 BCE: Bayek and his wife Aya become allies of Cleopatra and aid her in her own quest to take back control from her brother Ptolemy XIII (who is being aided by the Order). Cleopatra gifts Aya the Hidden Blade her ancestor Darius used to assassinate Xerxes I. 47 BCE: Aya and Bayek start taking each of the Order's members down; Cleopatra betrays them to ally herself with Order of the Ancients member Gaius Julius Caesar and becomes ruler of Egypt. Bayek and Aya realize their mistake in supporting Cleopatra and decide to found the Hidden Ones, a Brotherhood meant to counter the Order and defend the common people's free will. 44 BCE: MARCH 15: Aya and Hidden Ones members Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus assassinate Julius Caesar. 30 BCE: August 12: Aya, now calling herself Amunet, persuades Cleopatra to take her own life. The legend would be passed down that Amunet killed Cleopatra with an asp. 1st Century (CE): John the Baptist uses a Staff of Eden to persuade or control people into following him. The Staff would then become a key artifact in Christianity after St. Peter uses it to become the first Pope. 33: Jesus Christ is crucified by the Order of the Ancients, but comes back to life by using the healing powers of a Shroud of Eden. 5th Century: 434: Attila becomes leader of the Hunnic Empire by using a Sword of Eden to become feared across Europe. 9th Century (Valhalla Timeline): 847: Eivor (either Varinsdottir or Varinsson) is born in Rygjafylke, Norway. 856: Eivor witnesses the death of their father, Varin, which would embark Eivor in a quest for vengeance that results in them becoming a member of the Raven Clan. 873: After meeting members of the Hidden Ones, Basim Ibn Ishaq, Eivor receives a Hidden Blade. Basim advises Eivor and their brother Sigurd to take their Clan and leave Norway for England. While getting the support of the Sons of Ragnar, Eivor gets involved in the war between the Order of the Ancients and the Hidden Ones, and helps eliminate the Order's presence in England. 878: Eivor successfully wipes out the Order of the Ancients with the help of an informant who refers to himself as "A Poor Fellow-Soldier of Christ." In reality, this is King Alfred the Great - King of Wessex and also Grand Maegester of the Order of the Ancients. He believed the Order was defiling Christianity and sought to create a new order to replace it, eventually creating the Templar Order. UNKNOWN: Eivor and Sigurd travel to Norway where they discover a mechanical device that lets them enter a simulation of what they consider Valhalla. When they exit, they are attacked by Basim, who is revealed to be the reincarnation of the god Loki, seeking revenge upon Sigurd and Eivor, who are actually Tyr and Odin reincarnate. Sigurd and Eivor defeat Basim and imprison him in the Valhalla simulation. Eivor leaves Norway behind and heads for Vinland, where they die at an unknown date. 11th Century: 1090: Under the leadership of Hassan-i Sabbāh, the Hidden Ones are refounded as the Brotherhood of Assassins. 1099: An army of Crusaders captures the city of Jerusalem, marking the end of the First Crusade. 12th Century (AC I Timeline): 1129: The Order of the Knights Templar is publicly recognized and Hughes de Payens becomes the first public Grand Master. 1176: Born to Assassin parents and trained from birth, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad witnesses his father being executed by the Saracens in retribution for killing a nobleman. 1189: Altaïr is elevated to the rank of Master Assassin after saving the life of fellow Assassin, Al Mualim, who then sends Altaïr on a quest to kill many members of the Templar Order. 1191: Upon failing to retrieve an Apple of Eden from the Templars, Altaïr is demoted within the Assassin Brotherhood. Altaïr then discovers Al Mualim was a Templar collaborator and wanted to use an Apple of Eden to make his followers worship him. Altaïr succeeds Al Mualim as leader of the Assassins and dedicates the rest of his life to discovering the secrets of the Apple of Eden while spreading the Assassin Order across the world. 13th Century: 1227: Altaïr's son, Darim, kills Mongol Emperor Ghengis Khan after spending years tracking and following him. 1257: Altaïr locks himself up in a vault in Masyaf containing the knowledge he had gained from the Apple. He eventually dies at age 92. 1258: Marco Polo's father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, establish an Assassins Guild in Constantinople under the guidance of Altaïr. 14th Century: 1307: An Advisor to Templar Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, hides a Sword of Eden in a temple below Paris. 1314: Jacques de Molay is burned at the stake and the Templar Order is publicly disbanded. 1321: Assassin Dante Alighieri is killed by Templars, revealing their existence to the Assassin Brotherhood. 15th Century (AC II Timeline): 1431: Jeanne d'Arc is saved from execution by the Assassin Brotherhood. A decoy is burned at the stake instead. 1459: June 24 - Ezio Auditore da Firenze is born in Florence. 1476: Vlad Tepes (also known as Vlad Dracula), a Templar, is killed by Ottoman Assassin leader Ishak Pasha. Ezio's father and brothers are executed on false accusations of treason by a Templar. Like all his predecessors, Ezio embarks on a journey of revenge as he kills the men responsible for the death of his family, and takes up the Assassin mantle to do so. Ezio's friend, Leonardo Da Vinci, helps make tools and weapons for Ezio, who also saves Christopher Columbus from a Templar attack. 1492: Columbus is trusted with an Apple of Eden, and carries it with him to the New World. Rodrigo Borgia is elected the new Pope after purchasing votes and gains control of the Staff of Eden. 1499: Ezio steals an Apple of Eden from a Borgia soldier, and beats the Pope with his bare fists, taking his Papal Staff (secretly a Staff of Eden). Ezio uses the Apple and Staff to open a vault beneath the Vatican and talks to a hologram of Minerva, who warns of a second calamity and gave instructions of how to prevent it. Except Minerva was not talking to Ezio but rather to one of his descendants centuries into the future. 16th Century (Brotherhood & Revelations Timeline): 1500: After a vicious attack by the Borgias, Ezio allies himself with the leader of the Italian Assassins, Niccolò Machiavelli, and sets out to destroy the Borgias once and for all. He locks his Apple of Eden in an Isu vault beneath the Colosseum, and sets out to find out more about the Isu. 1512: Ezio travels to Masyaf to find Altaïr's secret library, where he discovers there are no books inside, only the body of Altaïr and an Isu device that stores memories. While in the library, Ezio uses Altaïr's Apple of Eden to communicate with Desmond, a future descendent, and encourages Desmond to make his life's work and suffering worth it. Removing his sword and Hidden Blade, Ezio retires from being an Assassin. 1524: Ezio dies at age 65 in his home in Florence. 17th Century: 1693: March 10: Edward Kenway was born in Swansea, Wales. 18th Century Part 01 (AC III, Black Flag & Rogue Timeline): 1715: Edward unknowingly kills Assassin traitor Duncan Walpole and steals his identity. Edward Kenway stumbles into the age-old Templar/Assassin conflict. 1719: Edward and pirate Bartholomew Roberts visit the Observatory, a mysterious Isu site that can spy on any human on Earth via a Crystal Skull and a vial of blood. Roberts reveals he's a Sage, a reincarnation of Aita. He then betrays Edward after taking possession of the Crystal Skull, and turns him in to the British authorities. Former slave, Adéwalé, joins the West Indies Brotherhood of Assassins and serves as Edward Kenway's quartermaster. 1721: Edward decides to join the Assassins and abandon his quest for glory. He then sets out to hunt Roberts. 1722: Edward kills Roberts and takes possession of the Crystal Skull and blood vials. He then follows Roberts' request and destroys his body so that the Templars can't get to him and experiment on him. Finally, he entrusts the Observatory to the Assassins. Edward returns to England with his daughter; three years later, his son, Haytham, was born. 1731: September 12: Assassin Shay Cormac is born in New York. 1735: Edward Kenway is killed in his house in London under the order of close friend and secret Templar, Reginald Birch. Edward's son, Haytham Kenway, starts a tutelage under Reginald Birch on his mother's request. Adéwalé joins the Maroon rebellion in Saint-Domingue and helps free the colony's slaves. 1744: Haytham is formally inducted into the Templar Order, where he soon rises through the ranks to become Grand Master. 1754: Haytham assassinates the leader of the British Brotherhood of Assassins and steals the key to the Isu Grand Temple. Now in control of the key, Haytham is sent to Boston to take over the Colonial Templars and find the Grand Temple. He recruits William Johnson, Thomas Hickey, and his eventual successor, Charles Lee. Haytham forms an alliance with a Kanien'kehá:ka woman named Kaniehtí:io. Shay Cormac, with the help of Benjamin Franklin, uses an Isu artifact that displays a holographic map of the world and highlights Temples in Port-au-Prince, Lisbon, and the Arctic. 1755: Mentor of the Colonial Assassins, Achilles Davenport, sends Shay to Lisbon, thinking an Isu temple contained an Apple of Eden. Accessing the temple and interacting with the artifact within, Shay realized it was not an Apple but a device that triggered a massive earthquake that destroyed Lisbon and killed thousands. With his faith in the Brotherhood shattered, and believing Achilles purposely sent him to slaughter thousands of innocents, Shay decides to stop the Assassins from finding more temples. 1756: April 4: Ratonhnhaké:ton, later known by the adopted name of Connor, is born to Kaniehtí:io and Haytham, who isn't aware of Connor's existence. Shay Cormac starts working with the Templars to stop the Assassins from finding more Isu temples. 1757: Shay is inducted into the Templar Order after the Siege of Fort William Henry, and starts hunting down the Colonial Assassins together with Haytham. 1758: Adéwalé is killed by Shay Cormac. 1760: The Isu temple in the Arctic causes an earthquake due to a disturbance during a confrontation between Shay, Haytham, and Assassins Achilles and Liam O'Brien. The earthquake results in Liam's death, and Achilles being crippled and left for dead. During the French and Indian War, George Washington orders Kaniehtí:io's village to be set aflame, killing Kaniehtí:io and most of the villagers. Ratonhnhaké:ton survived because he was just outside the village, where he was assaulted by Templars, led by Charles Lee. This leads to Ratonhnhaké:ton blaming the Templars for the death of his village and swearing to take revenge. 1763: A great purge effectively destroys the Colonial Assassin Brotherhood, with Achilles being the only one spared, sentenced to a life of exile. 1768: August 26: Arno Dorian is born in Versailles, France. 1769: Achilles takes Ratonhnhaké:ton, calling himself Connor, under his tutelage and trains him as an Assassin, after Connor received a vision from the Isu Juno that he needed to seek out the Brotherhood to protect his people. 1770: Connor is blamed for the Boston Massacre, which was ordered by Haytham Kenway, but manages to escape with the help of Samuel Adams. 1773: Connor aids the Sons of Liberty during the Boston Tea Party by dumping British shipments of tea into Boston's harbor. Though the Sons of Liberty did this in defiance of British authority, Connor's incentive was to disrupt William Johnson's purchase of indigenous land in America. 1774: Connor kills Templar member William Johnson during a business deal to purchase the lands of clans of the Iroquois Confederacy. 1775: Connor rides with Paul Revere and the Sons of Liberty to warn of the imminent attack by the British Army. The Continental Army is formed by Patriot colonists, and the Continental Congress appoints George Washington as Commander-in-Chief. 1776: Eseosa, grandson of Adéwalé, rebuilds the Assassin Brotherhood in Saint-Domingue with the hope of creating a nation free of slavery. He recruits Toussaint Brédá to the Brotherhood. Connor witnesses as the Declaration of Independence was signed. He later accompanies Washington in crossing the Delaware River. The Assassin Charles Dorian is killed by Templar Shay Corman, who steals an Isu artifact from him. 1778: Connor learns that Washington had ordered not one, but two attacks on his village for fear that the Kanien'kehá:ka were working with the British. He cuts ties with Washington. 1781: Achilles dies in his homestead. Connor aids the French Navy at the Battle of the Chesapeake, and ensures French aid for the Siege of Yorktown. Connor uses the attack on Fort George as a cover to assassinate Charles Lee, but discovers his father Haytham had sent Lee away. Connor fights and then mortally wounds his father. After the victory at the Siege of Yorktown, George Washington retrieves an Apple of Eden. 1782: Connor finally finds and assassinates Charles Lee and takes the Grand Temple's key from him. 18th Century Part 02 (AC III, Black Flag & Rogue Timeline): 1783: Connor returns to his village only to find it deserted. He discovers that the newly formed Congress had sold the land to raise funds, as they wanted to avoid becoming too much like England and imposing taxes. Feeling betrayed, Connor comes into contact with a hologram of Juno, who suggests Connor hides the Grand Temple key somewhere safe. Juno informs Connor that his task was only to hide the key away, not use it. 1789: Washington confides in Connor about the Apple of Eden he had in his possession, and after experiencing an alternate timeline in which Washington became a dictatorial king, they both decide to drop the Apple into the ocean so no one could wield its power. Arno Dorian is arrested for the murder of his adopted father, François de la Serre, Grand Master of the French Templars. In truth, de la Serre was killed in a Templar coup d'État by Sage François-Thomas Germain. Arno witnesses the storming of the Bastille by the Parisian militia, kickstarting the French Revolution. Arno escapes with the Assassin Pierre Bellec and decides to become an Assassin and seek revenge for the death of both his real and adopted father. 1791: The Haitian Revolution begins. The slaves of Saint-Domingue, led by members of the Assassin Brotherhood (including Eseosa and Toussaint) rise up and revolt against their French masters. 1793: King Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine in Paris, by decree of the National Assembly and with the Templars' influence. Napoleon retrieves an Isu temple key from the King's hiding place. Saint-Domingue declares all slaves in the colony to be freed men. 1794: Arno becomes excommunicated from the Brotherhood for his past association with Templars and attempts to find peace between the two Orders. Arno retrieves an Apple of Eden from an Isu temple in Paris and sends it to Cairo to hide it from Napoleon, who wanted to use its power. 1798: Napoleon embarks on a campaign to Egypt and Syria and retrieves the Apple Arno had hidden away. 1799: Napoleon returns to France and establishes himself as the new ruler using the power of the Apple of Eden 19th Century (Syndicate Timeline): 1847: November 9: Twins Jacob and Evie Frye are born in Crawley, England. They are trained in the Assassin ways by their father, Ethan. 1868: Jacob and Evie arrive in London with the intention of taking the city back from the Templar Grand Master who has control of it. They ally themselves with Charles Dickens, Alexander Graham Bell, Frederick Abberline, and Clara O'Dea. Jacob sets out on a quest to not avenge his father this time, but to take London back from the Templars by eliminating targets instrumental to their operations. Meanwhile, Evie pursues leads to find a Shroud of Eden hidden somewhere in the city. The twins assassinate Grand Master Crawford Starrick, stop assassination attempts on Queen Victoria, and return the Shroud to its vault beneath Buckingham Palace. 20th Century: 1937: The Templar Order founds Abstergo Industries as a public front to control the world's capitalist market. 1943: Nikola Tesla uses the Nazi's Apple of Eden to design a proto-Animus to locate Pieces of Eden in the past. 1948: Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated by the Templars to retrieve the Apple of Eden he used to lead a rebellion against the British. 1977: Assassin William Miles steals a copy of an early blueprint of the Animus. 1980: Abstergo Industries starts the Animus Project to explore the genetic memories of subjects and discover Pieces of Eden hidden in the past. Several subjects die to due to the "bleeding effect," wherein the memories of the subject's ancestors blend with their own. 1984: Layla Hassan is born in Cairo, Egypt. 1987: March 13: Desmond Miles is born in the Assassin community "The Farm," South Dakota. 21st Century (Present Timeline): 2000: With the help of sleeper agent, Daniel Cross, Abstergo initiates a Great Purge to kill most Assassin groups. Those who aren't killed go into hiding or are captured and used in the Animus Project. 2003: Desmond runs away from home, tired of the life in hiding his parents chose for him. 2007: Clay Kaczmarek infiltrates Abstergo under orders of Assassin William Miles (Desmond's father). 2011: Clay is captured and forced to become Subject 16 of the Animus Project. He discovers the true purpose of the project is to power a satellite enhanced with an Apple of Eden which would mind-control everyone on Earth and ensure a New World Order. At this time, Clay starts suffering from the "bleeding effect," and communicates with Juno. The ancient Isu informs Clay that he will die soon, but his purpose is to deliver a message to his eventual successor, Desmond. 2012: Clay commits suicide inside the Animus laboratory. Before his death, he created an AI construct of himself in the Animus to show Desmond the truth of humanity and the Isu via a video of Adam and Eve escaping Eden. Desmond Miles is kidnapped by Abstergo Industries and placed inside the Animus, where he relived the memories of his ancestor, Altaïr. Desmond and sleeper agent Lucy Stillman escape the Abstergo Campus in Rome. After this, Desmond starts reliving memories of Ezio to obtain his Apple of Eden. While inside Ezio's memories, Desmond sees a vision of Minerva, who used Ezio as a vessel to communicate with Desmond and warn him of the coming doomsday. With the help of Ezio's memories, Desmond finds the Apple of Eden hidden under the Colosseum. Inside the Colosseum Vault, Juno takes control of Desmond's body and stabs Lucy, realizing that she'd take the Apple back to the Templars. With the help of William, who happens to be the new head of the Assassin order, Desmond and the others head to New York to open the Grand Temple. Inside they discover technology that could indeed stop the Second Catastrophe, but it would also release Juno - who wants to take over the world. December 21: Desmond decides to trust humanity's ability to resist Juno's control, and sacrifices himself to stop the incoming solar flare from wiping out life on Earth. Juno, now released, uploads her consciousness onto the Internet. 2017: In the comics, Desmond's illegitimate son, Elijah, turns out to be a Sage, and works to bring Juno back to life. But ultimately Elijah decides to betray Juno, get revenge for his mother's death, and help assassinate the Isu. Layla escapes from Abstergo with the help of the Assassin Brotherhood. 2018: Layla discovers the existence of Atlantis through the memories of the Greek Misthios. While inside ruins of Atlantis, Layla meets the actual Misthios, who is still alive thanks to the power of the Staff of Hermes. The Misthios warns Layla that the Assassins and Templars must always be at war to maintain balance, and it is Layla's job to keep that balance. After giving her the Staff of Hermes, the Misthios passes away. Layla starts to feel the "bleeding effect" due to the powers of the Staff, and kills one of her colleagues. 2020: An unexplained strengthening of Earth's magnetic field has started to affect global satellite communications and even the environment itself, so much so that the Northern lights are seen all the time. From Eivor's memories, the present-day Assassins deduce that the strengthening magnetic field is a result of Desmond activating the Isu devices to protect Earth in 2012. The magnetic field that saved Earth eight years prior has grown too powerful. Using the healing powers of the Staff of Hermes to protect herself from the lethal radiation within, Layla enters an Isu temple in Norway to slow down the magnetic field. But inside the temple's simulation computer, Layla encounters Basim/Loki, who has been trapped for a millennium. Like Juno before him, Basim instructs Layla in how to stabilize the magnetic field and save the Earth, but in turn this releases Basim - and imprisons Layla inside the machine. Now trapped in the simulation, Layla meets The Reader, a figure heavily implied to be Desmond Miles. The Reader explains that the machine (Yggdrasil) can calculate millions of possible futures and help in preventing future catastrophes. Layla decides to stay behind in the simulation to try and find a solution to the incoming catastrophe, even though she knows the radiation will soon kill her. Reunited with the Staff of Hermes, which contains the consciousness of his lover, Aletheia, Basim rejuvenates his body and escapes the temple. He then meets with Layla's Assassin colleagues and requests to meet William Miles, still the leader of the Brotherhood, in order to take the fight back to the Templars. But before it all ends, Basim swears to the bones of Eivor that he'll use the Animus to track down his missing children. |
AboutAssassin's Creed is a series of action-adventure stealth video games developed mainly by Ubisoft and set in various historical periods. ArchivesCategories
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