Hidden-Blade

The iconic weapon of the Assassins, the Hidden Blade was used for both stealth assassinations and regular combat. It was their most versatile weapon, with multiple upgrades and forms of use.
It consisted of a retractable blade, usually in conjunction with a protective bracer. The blade could be discreetly extended or retracted, making it a valuable tool for assassinations.
==Design==
 "The blade is designed to ensure the commitment of whoever wields it."
:―Leonardo da Vinci, regarding the hidden blade.
The use of the hidden blade initially required the removal of the user's left ring finger, both as a means of more easily extending the blade, and to show the commitment of the one wielding it. As such, many of the early Levantine Assassins could be recognized by their missing fingers.
However, the blade's mechanism was modified in the 13th century - as outlined in the Codex of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad - so as to no longer require such a sacrifice, and keep Assassins from being identified so easily.
Despite this, the tradition was not forgotten. From the Renaissance to at least the early 20th century, Assassins branded their left ring fingers during their initiation into the Order, as a sign of their devotion to the Creed.
The exact release mechanism of the hidden blade is unknown, and while there is a rotating wheel atop the rear portion of the mechanism's housing (one which turns upon the release or retraction of the blade), its function has not yet been identified.
==History==
===High Middle Ages===
The Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad initially wielded a hidden blade, however, due to his failure in retrieving the Apple of Eden , and his breaking of all three tenets of the Creed, he was demoted to a Novice by Al Mualim, and was stripped of his hidden blade and other weapons. At his first promotion to the second rank however, he earned back his hidden blade, along with a sword.
Aside from assassinations, the hidden blade was also used in a variety of investigations. For missions given by informants, wherein an Assassin was asked to stealthily assassinate a number of targets, he could only make use of his hidden blade or throwing knives in order to remain undetected.
Additionally, after successfully interrogating a target, Altaïr would usually kill them so that they could not reveal his plans, and did so by burying his hidden blade into their abdomen.
Although the hidden blade was used mainly for stealth, it could also be used in open conflict, but only for countering enemy attacks.
===The Renaissance===
 "Despite its age, the construction is rather advanced. I've never seen anything quite like it."
:―Leonardo da Vinci studying the hidden blade.
In his own time as an Assassin, Giovanni Auditore also wielded a hidden blade, albeit one that had been adapted to the change of the times, and thus did not require the removal of his ring finger.
The mechanism did not require a wrist "flick" to release the blade, thus the user could extend or retract the blade without any wrist or hand movement. Additionally, as pictured, the weapon could be used with a clenched fist, although Giovanni is one of the few known Assassins to use it in that manner.
Ezio Auditore inherited the hidden blade from his father the night before the Auditore execution. However, the blade was broken due to Giovanni's last fight in Rome against Rodrigo Borgia and his men, thus Paola suggested that Ezio ask his ally Leonardo da Vinci to repair it. Leonardo was able to do so, though only with the aid of the schematics detailed in the Codex.
Through other Codex pages, Leonardo was able to provide Ezio with a variety of upgrades; such as the addition of a second hidden blade. Ezio made use of these innovations for the majority of his assassinations, and was also able to wield them in battle.
Though Ezio possessed the same two hidden blades until 1500, during the Fall of Monteriggioni, he lost most of his weapons, and was only able to salvage the blade and bracer of his father.
Upon his arrival in Rome, Ezio was equipped with a single hidden blade, though its bracer had been replaced. Later on, however, Leonardo was again able to reconstruct a secondary hidden blade from memory, with Ezio providing him with the money necessary for the raw materials.
Aside from using them in combat, Ezio also made use of his hidden blade to pick the locks of certain Lairs of Romulus, and operate the mechanisms within the Temple of Pythagoras.
Additionally, Ezio's apprentices were each equipped with a single hidden blade, as the right to use two hidden blades was only reserved for the most trusted of Assassins, or those who had earned the rank of Master Assassin. However, upon reaching the rank of Assassino, the apprentice was given a hidden blade with a bracer much like Ezio's. The apprentices were capable of all of the standard assassination techniques.
===The Modern Usage===
During the late 19th and early 20th century, the hidden blade was still part of standard Assassin attire, and continued to be commonly used. Though the Assassins were already using guns, during close combat, the iconic hidden blade was occasionally utilized. The Russian Assassin Nikolai Orelov used his hidden blade during a battle with Tsar Alexander III, with which he was able to stab the Tsar in the abdomen.
The Assassin's between 1943 and 1950 continued to use the Hidden-Blade for everything while under the leadership of Westley Johnson; until his death in 1950.
By the late 20th century, hidden blades were less commonly used, and were mostly preserved for ceremonies. However, a few high-ranking Assassins still wore one for traditional purposes, such as Paul Bellamy. James Wilson was gifted with a ceremonial but functional hidden blade by the Mentor of the French Assassin Guild, which he swiftly put to use, killing the Mentor; further destabilizing the Capitalist Assassin Order.
Category:Weapon's