Piece of Eden

What are The Pieces of Eden?

The Pieces of Eden were technologically advanced pieces of equipment created by the First Civilization. Each possessed unique properties, and all were known to be capable of bending the thoughts of one or more individuals to the will of the user.

Eventually, interbreeding between humanity and the First Civilization led to the creation of a hybrid race, which was immune to the hypnotic effects of the Pieces of Eden. At some point, two individuals, Adam and Eve, stole one of the Pieces – the Apple of Eden – from their masters. Soon afterwards, war broke out, pitting humanity against their gods.

Despite their technological superiority, the Pieces of Eden failed to protect the First Civilization from their other creation, who heavily outnumbered their former masters. The war ended catastrophically for both sides, and both humanity and their gods were forced to work together to rebuild their world. Eventually though, the gods became extinct, and their Pieces of Eden were lost to the annals of history.

Over the centuries, the Pieces of Eden resurfaced, and were mostly seen as religious artifacts or holy relics. However, as time went on, groups of individuals began to see the Pieces of Eden for what they truly were and sought to exploit them. As early as the 12 Century, the Templars were actively seeking and obtaining numerous Pieces of Eden, in the hopes of forcibly uniting the world in peace much like Those Who Came Before had done.

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and the brothers Al-Sayf intercepted the Templars, and the two parties engaged one another. Despite the death of Kadar, and Altaïr being thrown from the battle early on, the Assassins prevailed and spirited the Apple to their fortress in Masyaf.

For a year following this, the Assassins and Templars fought one another for control of the artifact, until the deaths of both Robert and Al Mualim at the hands of Altaïr ended the conflict. Originally intending to destroy the Apple, Altaïr found himself unable to do so, and instead decided to seal the Apple in the Limassol Archives. Circumstances worked against this plan however, and he decided to keep the Apple for himself, lest it fall into the wrong hands.

The Apple was shipped to Venice for the Grand Master at the time, Rodrigo Borgia. However, Ezio Auditore managed to procure it before it could be passed into his hands.

However, during the events of Battle of Forlì, the Apple was taken from Ezio by Girolamo Savonarola, and Savonarola used it to cause the Bonfire of the Vanities in Florence. In 1499, Ezio used the Apple, combined with the power of the Papal Staff, another Piece of Eden, to open up the Vault beneath the Vatican in Rome.

By 2012, however, many had fallen into the hands of the Templars. Seeking to obtain the rest, the Animus project was set up with the sole intention of locating and securing the remaining Pieces of Eden. This Animus project was also an important component in the Templars goal of ensuring a New World Order, through use of the Pieces of Eden.

With the Pieces of Eden, the Templars sought to manipulate the neurotransmitters that made humanity susceptible to the devices' hypnotic effects. Eye-Abstergo, a branch of Abstergo Industries, planned to launch an "all-in-one telecommunication" satellite into orbit around the Earth. However, unbeknownst to humanity (and indeed, many employees of Abstergo Industries), the satellite would contain at least one Piece of Eden, and spread its power out on a global scale.

In 2012, the Assassin team of Desmond Miles, Lucy Stillman, Shaun Hastings, and Rebecca Crane used the Animus to locate the Apple of Eden hidden by Ezio Auditore beneath the Santa Maria Aracoeli in 1507.

Characteristics

The Apples of Eden were designed to conjure illusions and to take control of human minds, throughout history, many significant people used the Piece of Eden. The creators of the apples, the first civilisation, designed humanity with a neural part in their brain which made them susceptible to these powers, only those with the right genes are immune to the mental manipulation, but not the physical part. All the Apples could be Combined with the staff to enhance their powers, some were designed to open vaults, ilke Ezio's Apple.

The Apples also contained knowledge of futuristic and advanced technology. the apples were able to communicate with people, showing. some apples, if not all, can turn humans against earh other, or killing them instantly with its power, though use of the apple drains the energy of the possessor.