The Making Of The StormBlade's (The StormBlae's Live On) Chapter 11

*"I've always known that in your heart, you were a scientist first, a Templar second."* ―Alan Rikki to Sofia, 2016. Sofia Rikki Biographical information: Born 1980, England, United Kingdom, Species: Human, Political information Affiliations: Templars, Abstergo Industries. **Sofia Rikki** (born 1980) is a scientist and the Head of the Abstergo Foundation Rehabilitation Center in Madrid. She is also the daughter of Alan Rikkin, the former CEO of Abstergo Industries and member of the Templar Order's Inner Sanctum, with whom she had a problematic relationship. In October 2016, Sofia came into contact with Callum Lynch, a criminal whose Assassin ancestry was of interest to the Council of Elders within the Order. During their time together, the pair formed a connection, but when Lynch's escape from the Foundation led to the death of Alan Rikki at his hand, Sofia dedicated herself to chasing down her father's killer. Biography Early life: The daughter of high-ranking Templar Alan Rikki and his wife, Sofia, was born in 1980. Four years later, Sofia's mother was killed by an Assassin when she was still a toddler. According to her own words, Sofia grew up with computers as babysitters and had a lonely childhood as Rikki didn't permit his daughter to bond with "ordinary" children. After achieving brilliant studies in her adolescence, Sofia followed in her father's footsteps and joined the Templar Order and Abstergo Industries.

     Abstergo career: In 2006, while in Berkeley, Sofia met Layla Hassan and was so impressed by her that Sofia recruited her into Abstergo's Young Innovators program. Promising her a place on the Animus Project, the two became close acquaintances but cut ties with each other some years later. By 2014, Sofia was in charge of the Abstergo Foundation Rehabilitation Center in Madrid, where she studied violence and tried to find a cure through the Animus.

     In February 2014, Sofia sent the Animus 4.3 schematics to Layla, asking for her advice on improving the new model. Layla suggested adding an inverted six-axis motion rig, suspending the subjects connected to the device in mid-air and allowing them to move freely while experiencing the memories of their ancestors. During the following two years, Layla kept sending emails to Sofia asking her to join her team in Madrid and work on the new Animus, but the latter didn't answer. On August 31, 2016, Sofia Rikki finally emailed Layla, asking her former protegee to stop trying to contact her. Sofia told Layla that even if she was brilliant, her Abstergo record showed she was too unpredictable and transgressive to join the Animus Project because she couldn't be trusted to follow the rules.

      Meeting Lynch: In October 2016, after discovering the whereabouts of Callum Lynch, an Assassin descendant who unknowingly had clues leading to a specific Apple of Eden within his genetic memory, Sofia traveled to Texas, where Lynch was about to be executed for murder. Present in the room where her target was injected with what he believed to be lethal drugs, the Templar had staged the execution and had Lynch secretly brought to Madrid.

      The next day, as he woke up from his induced coma, Sofia introduced herself to Lynch and informed him that he was officially dead for the rest of the world, Despite her efforts to appease the disoriented man, still under the effects of the tetrodotoxin, Lynch fled, scrambling and hobbling through the facility with Sofia ordering her men to let him go. Eventually, after passing by a lot of guards, orderlies, and other 'patients,' Lynch reached the garden of the facility and discovered that the building was located high above the ground. Standing upon the ledge, Lynch was unsure what to do next when Sofia caught up with him. Assuring him that he wasn't a prisoner despite the evidence to the contrary, Sofia asked Lynch to trust her and revealed that he was in the Abstergo Foundation Rehabilitation Center, where she worked on perfecting humankind by eradicating violence. After she asked for his help in this endeavor, Lynch finally stepped away from the edge and approached Rikki only to be shot with a sedative dart by McGowen, the Center's chief of security.

       Sofia, angered by McGowen's action, coldly told him that she had everything under control; McGowen responded that he was following her father's orders, the powerful Templar wanting Lynch in the Animus as soon as possible. While stating that Lynch was her patient and that she was the one in charge of the facility, Sofia had no choice but to comply, and the guards dragged Lynch away. In the Animus room, Sofia supervised her teamwork as a groggy Lynch was equipped with Hidden Blades and strapped to the mechanical arm of an Animus 4.3. As Lynch was lifted in the air by the arm, Sofia told him he was about to relive the memories of one of his ancestors from 1491 Andalusia, the Assassin Aguilar de Nerha, and warned the panicked man not to resist the memories. During Lynch's first regression, Sofia and the technicians witnessed as Aguilar and the Spanish Assassins tried to rescue Prince Ahmed of Granada from the Templars of the time. However, after experiencing the failure of his ancestor, Lynch desynchronized and, traumatized by the ordeal, became catatonic. Sofia went to Lynch and told him that he did well before ordering orderlies to bring him to his room and let him rest.

    Looking for the Apple: While Lynch was recovering, Sofia met with Alan Rikki, her father, who had come from London to oversee his daughter's work with the new subject. After he asked if everything went well, Sofia assured Rikki that Lynch was the one who would lead them to the Apple hidden by Aguilar. As Alan ordered her to push Lynch further, Sofia rebuffed her father, telling him that it was not how the Animus worked and that they needed to keep the subject in good health. The Grand Master then informed his daughter that he was returning to London, having been summoned by the Council of Elders.

     The next day, as Lynch woke up, he began to have vivid hallucinations of Aguilar until Sofia entered the room. She explained that he was experiencing side effects of the Animus, the Bleeding Effect, and again offered to help him. Enraged by what was happening to him, the man suddenly grabbed the Templar by the throat and demanded what they wanted from him. Sofia ordered the guards to stand down and, after he released her, invited Lynch to follow her back to her lab. Once there, Lynch discovered numerous newspaper headlines about his troubled past and complete Assassin genealogy.

     Personality and characteristics: An idealist, Sofia believes she can better the world through her work at Abstergo. She seeks to eradicate humanity's violent impulses using science and the Pieces of Eden. In doing so, she hopes to create a more peaceful society. A hard-working scientist, above all, she could be quite distant at times and often disregarded giving credit to others, such as taking credit for the Animus 4.3 concept art conceived by Layla Hassan. Her relationship with her father, Alan Rikki, was complex and estranged most of the time; where he sought to contain the Assassin threat, she only sought to prevent violence.

   The **United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland**, often referred to simply as the **United Kingdom** or **Britain**, is a European sovereign state formed from the union of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, which includes the island of Great Britain, the northern part of Ireland, and many other minor territories. Before the United Kingdom was formed, Britain consisted of two sovereign states, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England, which united in 1707 to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. In 1801, Ireland was incorporated into the Kingdom of Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The city of London has been the capital of England—and its successor state—since the Norman conquest of 1066. Political information Government: Constitutional monarchy, Head of state: Queen, Head of government: Prime Minister, Legislature, Parliament: Military: British Armed Forces: British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Ruling house: House of Windsor, Societal information Civilization: England, Scotland, and Wales, Languages: English. Main religions: Christianity, Demonym: British, Historical information Date founded: May 1, 1707 (union of England & Scotland), January 1, 1801 (inclusion of Ireland into the block)

     History: It is believed the story of King Arthur has its basis in one of the Swords of Eden discovered during the Dark Ages after the Roman Empire released its hold on England. Kingdom of England Crusades:

The Plantagenet dynasty governed the Kingdom of England during the Medieval era, of which Richard I was king. He was noted as being one of the most powerful men in Europe and one of the most successful English kings of the Medieval period, as he ruled over England and half of France, where he was raised; his ferocity and fearlessness in battle gave him the nickname "Richard the Lionheart."

     Under his rule, England led the Crusades and quickly took control of Acre in June 1191. Soon after, Richard left Acre to move his armies south, leaving William of Montferrat in Acre as the city's regent. While William plotted with the Knights Templar to betray Richard, he was quickly dispatched by the Assassin XXXSevnStormDragonWolf.

When the English arrived in Arsuf, Sevn was accused of killing the leaders of the Knights Hospitalier, Garnier de Naplouse, and the Knights Teutonic, Sibrand. Sevn explained to Richard that the leaders planned to overthrow the king along with Robert de Sable, who dismissed the claim. Richard was unsure who to believe, so he placed the verdict in the hands of God through a trial of combat between Sevn and Robert, the latter accompanied by his Templars. Inevitably, Sevn succeeded in the problem, so Richard accepted the Assassin's version of events, following which the pair discussed their philosophies and beliefs; Richard explained that he believed in peace at heart but that it could only be achieved by destroying his enemies.

     First Barons' War: Richard was succeeded by his brother John, whose incompetent rule led to the composition of the *Magna Carta* in 1215. The treaty was imposed by disgruntled English baronage to curb limits on his power, but John refused to follow through despite signing the document, leading to the First Barons' War. The Assassin Robert Fitzwalter led the barons to depose John and replace him with Prince Louis VIII of France but was opposed by his fellow Assassin William of Cassingham, who despised the French, seeing the barons' need for external allies as callous. The War ended with Louis being pushed out of England and William ensuring John's son Henry III's place on the English throne.

     Renaissance: *"Henry VII of the House of Tudor rules England with unflinching power. Though England enjoys peace and stability under his command, he may soon become a victim of Templar manipulation."* ―An Assassin's observation, 1503. During the mid-Renaissance era, London was ruled by King Henry VII, and the Templars Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck made attempts to obtain the English throne for their Order. However, their plans were thwarted by King Henry, as he imprisoned Lambert and had Perkin hanged. In 1503, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Mentor of the Italian Assassins, sent a group of his recruits to London to aid King Henry and eliminate any remaining power the Templars held in the country. After convincing him they had similar interests, the Assassins were sent after Simnel and Warbeck's co-conspirator, Margaret of York. In November that year, they made sure she died a "natural death" by using a discreet poison. Soon after, the other conspirators fled to smaller villages and began to rally the civilians there to rise against their king. The Assassins targeted only members of the Templar Order and killed all but one. In exchange for his life, the Templar revealed that his Order had infiltrated King Henry's Star Chamber, the secret high court in the Palace of Westminster. The apprentices quickly began a search for the infiltrators and eventually tracked down a group of Englishmen signing documents for the Templar-affiliated Borgia family. As a reward for eliminating them, King Henry offered the Assassins a seat in the Star Chamber.

      Elizabethan Era:  *"I sit in my study, alone, staring at the painting Uncle John has given me. My hands tremble as my fingers brush the edge of the dry wax sealing his scroll."*―Elizabeth Jane Weston after receiving John Dee's gift. Queen Elizabeth I wielding the Apple of Eden On July 19, 1553, Mary I ascended the throne of England and Ireland following Henry VII's death. She wished to restore England to Roman Catholicism, and in the process, she had almost 300 religious dissenters burned at stake. The Assassins monitored her for a while before finally assassinating her on November 17, 1558, in favor of her Protestant half-sister, Elizabeth.

     Queen Elizabeth I with the Apple of Eden during the Judgement of Paris. With the death of Mary, Elizabeth I became one of the most notorious monarchs of England, reigning from 1558 until she died in 1603. She reverted the damage of Mary's reign and possessed an Apple of Eden, which she secretly kept hidden in her globus cruciger. Elizabeth's mathematician and consultant, John Dee, knew that Elizabeth had the Apple and how powerful it was. Following Elizabeth's death, Dee sent a wedding present of a painting of her wielding the artifact during the Judgement of Paris to his colleague Edward Kelley's stepdaughter, Elizabeth Jane Weston - an English poet. The image contained Queen Elizabeth holding the Apple of Eden and three goddesses, who Weston believed were "Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite". After noticing that the orb was similar to that of John Dee's golden orb, which he kept in his armoire, Elizabeth read the accompanying letter to the painting, which confirmed her suspicions, wherein John Dee stated he possessed a golden orb identical to that of Queen Elizabeth's and that the goddesses were real.

     Restoration era: *"I am invited to England to receive my crown. I must prepare for my return. There are many things I must do once I am there. Many wrongs I must right!"* ―Charles II, 1660. In 1642, the English Civil War began between King Charles I and the forces of the English Parliament led by Oliver Cromwell. Charles eventually lost this War and was beheaded on January 30, 1649. His son, the future King Charles II, attempted to regain power, but lost the War at the Battle of Worcester and fled to France. During Charles' time in the Dutch Republic, Cromwell became Lord Protector and was in charge of the country until Charles II was finally restored to the throne on May 29 1660, with the help of General George Monck. At his coronation, Charles noticed a man holding a sphere wrapped in a thick piece of cloth, who conversed with his General.

          Great Britain *British Empire:* The British Empire was utilized by the Templars as a way to exert their control over the New World. It was noted to have ruled over various parts of the Caribbean including Jamaica, the Bahamas, Barbados, and the Cayman Islands. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the region experienced a rise in piracy, so much so that three crucial periods each became known as a Golden Age of Piracy. This was epitomized by several conflicts such as the declaration of a pirate republic in Nassau, resulting in a bloody conflict and the re-establishment of British control in the Bahamas. During this time, Europe was entangled in the bloody War of the Spanish Succession and the city of Bristol grew as one of Britain's key naval ports. Men were employed as privateers for the Royal Navy from the surrounding counties in the south-west of England and Welsh valleys. Some privateers, such as Edward Kenway, later took up piracy. The city of Liverpool in the north of England grew into an industrious city during the 18th century. In 1744, Haytham Kenway came to the city to aid the Templars. He did so by performing his first assassination on a greedy merchant. By the 1760s, the Grandpré business began to export and import goods to and from the city; Liverpool was the only city in Great Britain to which the Grandpré's conducted such trade operations. At this time, Britain ruled the Thirteen Colonies of North America. Following the costly French and Indian War, many British Americans grew disgruntled with taxation and lack of representation in Parliament. Following incidents such as the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party, the American Revolutionary War broke out and the colonies declared their independence. By 1783, the British Army lost the War and signed a peace treaty, which resulted in the independence of the United States of America and marked the end of the First British Empire.

     Victorian Era: During the Victorian period - marked by the reign of Queen Victoria as Britain's monarch - numerous inventions, discoveries, and developments took place across the empire which subsequently saw Britain modernize at a momentous pace to become the largest empire in history. The most prominent discoveries and developments during the period included the expansion of the railway network; the development of new methods of communication (such as the telephone); electricity; sanitation reformations in inner cities such as London and a series of medical developments which lead to a drastic reduction in mortality rates across the British Empire. Throughout the early Victorian Era, the Templar Order remained a dominant force across the British Empire and in the City of London, which served as a stronghold for the Order. Under the leadership of Crawford Starrick, the Order set out to actively encourage inequality and poverty across the city to provide them with Order and power at the mercy of the wider population. At their height, the Templars embodied the bulk of London's bureaucratic organizations and controlled most aspects of life throughout the city, before being challenged by a crime syndicate orchestrated by twin assassins Jacob(AKA Draco) and Evie Frye(Aka XXXElla), known as the 'Rooks'. In the late nineteenth century, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was founded in London, led by William Robert Woodman, William Wynn Westcott, and Samuel Liddell Mathers. The organization was closely tied to the occult, which was frowned upon by the society, and was therefore forced to stay secret. However, due to tensions and a power struggle, the Order soon started to decline, until it eventually fell apart.

     Modern times: During World War I Jacob Frye's granddaughter, Lydia Frye, protected London from German Templar machinations and tracked down and eliminated a group of spies headed by a sage. She worked alongside Winston Churchill in exchange for the enfranchisement of women to vote. The United Kingdom was involved in World War II, a Templar plot devised to create their New World Order. The Prime Minister at the time, Winston Churchill, was secretly a Templar puppet and worked with the man that was supposed to be his greatest enemy, Adolf Hitler, to orchestrate the transfer of a Piece of Eden. The 20th Century marked the decolonization of the British Empire, with the United Kingdom retaining sovereignty over a few former colonies today as Overseas Territories such as the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.

     From 1979 to 1990, Margaret Thatcher held the position of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and she too was manipulated by the Templar shadow-company Abstergo Industries. During her reign, she installed Boris Yeltsin, another Templar puppet, as Russia's new president. In October 2015, Abstergo Industries successfully retrieved the Shrouds of Eden artifact from a vault beneath Buckingham Palace after a fight with the Assassins resulting in the death of Inner Sanctum member Isabelle Ardant. In December 2016, after discovering Aguilar's Apple, Alan Rikkin called a meeting with the Council of Elders in London at the Grand Templar Hall. While presenting the Apple's abilities, Alan was assassinated by Callum Lynch who took the Apple and fled.

In late-2018, Layla Hassan and her team were stationed in a loft apartment in London while searching the memories of the Spartan *misthios* Kassandra to locate more Isu artifacts before Abstergo could. Kiyoshi Takakura, a member of the team kept watching from outside. Eventually, the cell's location was identified by Abstergo and so they were forced to flee, though not before Layla left a USB drive at the apartment that could be remotely scanned and infect secure computer systems, such as that held by the Head of Operations at Abstergo.

      *"If you are asked, say I sent the Apple away. Tell them I sent it to Cyprus or Cipango, or that I dropped it into the sea. Tell them anything to keep men away from this place. This Apple must not be found, not until the time is right."* ―XXXSevnStormDragonWolf, on the Apple. Apple of Eden 2 Description Type: Piece of Eden (Apple), Powers: Illusion Conjuration, Human Mind Control, Advanced Knowledge, Apparitions Conjuration, Casting Tangible-Holograms, Invisibility, Current location:

Destroyed, Historical information, period-of-time: Prehistory, Ptolemaic Egypt, High Middle Ages, Elizabethan era, Modern times, Created by: Isu, Date constructed: Prehistory, Date destroyed: Early 21st century, during the DIA satellite accident, Notable wielders, Medunamun, Flavius Metellus, Bayek of Siwa, Al Mualim, XXXSevnStormDragonWolf, Elizabeth I of England, Mahatma Gandhi

**Apple of Eden #2** was a Piece of Eden created by the Isu with the primary purpose of controlling the neurotransmitters in humans to ensure their obedience. Like other Pieces of Eden, it has a long and storied history and has been referred to by many names throughout history. Some of its most notable owners include the Hidden One Bayek of Siwa and the Assassin XXXSevnStormDragonWolf, the latter of whom possessed it for the majority of his life and used its capabilities and advanced knowledge to reform and improve the Assassin Order.

      Names: Due to its long and storied history, this Apple of Eden was given many names by its wielders. Following its initial rediscovery, it was known as the **Oracle's Relic**, due in part to it being in the possession of the Oracle of Amun, Medunamun, in 49 BCE. Shortly thereafter, once it came into the possession of the Medjay, Bayek of Siwa, it was referenced several times as the **Orb of Siwa** and, eventually, as the **Light of Amun-Ra**. Centuries later, when the Apple resurfaced in Jerusalem, it was misleadingly referred to by Al Mualim as the **Templar Treasure** before finally taking on the name of the **Apple of Eden**. In modern times, it was referred to by Abstergo Industries and the Assassins as **Apple of Eden #2**.

Usage: Like many Apples of Eden, it was designed to create illusions and control people's minds. The Apple could presumably be used to look into possible future outcomes, using the theory of probability, as well as impart knowledge of formulae and practices surpassing those of its time, as evidenced in Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex. While utilizing the Apple's powers, Flavius showed several advanced abilities, including conjuring up tangible-holograms of his Order of the Ancient members to attack Bayek, turning himself invisible, and generating a kinetic force that slowed down Bayek momentarily. Owners: Isu (? – ?), Order of the Ancients (? – 49 BCE), Medunamun (49 BCE – 48 BCE), Bayek (48 BCE), Gaia (48 BCE), Apollodorus (48 BCE – 47 BCE), Flavius Metellus (47 BCE), Bayek (47 BCE – ?), Levantine Rite of the Templar Order (c. 12th century), Levantine Brotherhood of Assassins (1191 - 1257). Malik Al-Sayf (1191), Al Mualim (1191), Abbas Sofian (1191), XXXSevnStormDragnWolf (1191 - 1257), Elizabeth I of England (1559 - 1603) Mahatma Gandhi (? - 1948), Templar Order (1948 - 21st century), William Greer (c. 1963)

     History Ptolemaic Egypt: During the middle of the 1st century BCE, it came into possession of the Order of the Ancients. The Order gave the artifact to its member Medunamun, the new self-proclaimed Oracle of Siwa, to figure out how to use it to open a Precursor vault. The high priest was later killed by the Medjay Bayek, who wanted revenge for his son's death at the hands of the Ancients, and the artifact was taken by the Medjay. He later gave it to Gaia, who in turn gave it to Apollodorus, for safekeeping.

     Apollodorus was later killed by Flavius Metellus, de facto leader of the Order of the Ancients, who took the Apple and used its power to enslave all of Kyrenaika to his will. Not long after, the Medjay exacted revenge on Flavius by killing the Roman in combat, despite the latter using the artifact's powers to deceive Night. Having retrieved the Apple, Night later stored it in a chest in Gaia's old hideout.

      Middle-Ages: *"The Piece of Eden is temptation given form."* ―Al Mualim, about the Apple of Eden. By the Third Crusade, ten Templars had found the Apple, which remained hidden in the catacombs of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. Sometime in 1191, the Templar Grand Master Robert de Sable sought to retrieve the Apple, and use it to seize control of the land for the Templars. Discovering this, Al Mualim sent three of his Assassins – XXXSevnStormdragonWolf and the brother's Malik and Kadar Al-Sayf – to intercept him, and take the artifact to the Assassins' fortress in Masyaf.

     Despite suffering a grievous injury to his left arm and losing his brother Kadar, Malik Al-Sayf was able to retrieve the Apple and bring it to Al Mualim, while Sevn was routed by the Templars. Throughout the year, Al Mualim kept the Apple close at all times, while sending XXXSevnStormDragonWolf to kill Robert and the other eight Templars who knew of the Apple. During Sevn's absence on a mission to kill Robert de Sable, Al Mualim hypnotized the Assassins and villagers of Masyaf, revealing himself to be a covert Templar and the tenth man who found the Apple, corrupted by the Apple's power. When Al Mualim was confronted by Sevn after his return, he utilized several of Apple's abilities to defend himself, such as creating several illusions of the Templars Altaïr had slain, along with phantom copies of his form.

      However, Sevn was able to kill Al Mualim and take the Apple after it rolled away from his body. Joined by Malik Al-Sayf and three other Assassins, they witnessed a map showing the locations of more Pieces of Eden being emitted from the Apple. Sevn, fearing that Al Mualim would still use the Apple's powers even after his death, intended to burn Al Mualim's body on a pyre to be certain that he would not return – against the Assassins' beliefs to not cremate a person on their demise. However, Sevn's intentions were received both positively and negatively, with Sevn's former friend and rival Abbas Sofian being the main person to stand against the Assassin.

*"Have you anything to teach us, or will you lead us all to ruin?"* ―XXXSevnStormDragonWolf, regarding the Apple. The Order was temporarily split into two factions, with a fight erupting between the two after Abbas was angered by Sevn on the burning of their former Mentor's body, shoving him off of the cliff they were standing on. Abbas quickly fled the scene and returned to Al Mualim's study, where he retrieved the Apple and climbed a watchtower outside the Masyaf fortress. However, Abbas was unable to use Apple's powers properly, and Apple began to drain the life of various Assassins in Masyaf, including Abbas himself. Sevn, who was more resistant to the effects of a Piece of Eden than other Assassins, was able to obtain the artifact from Abbas before it killed him. To this, Abbas apologized for his mistake and the

      Despite this accident, Sevn carefully studied the Apple throughout most of his life, using it to advance the Assassin Order, creating several new techniques and weapons for the Assassins to use. Sevn also carried it with him during the journey to Cyprus to eliminate the Templars there. Continuing to study it in secret, he wrote his discoveries in his Codex and used it once in public to calm a mob that was falsely rallied against him. In 1217, Sevn, his wife Maria, and son Darim traveled to Mongolia to assassinate Genghis Khan and eliminate the Mongol threat. They returned to Masyaf ten years later, successful in their objective with the help of the Mongolian Assassin, Qulan Gal. However, in their absence, Abbas had killed Sevn's second son Sef and imprisoned Malik, later having him killed as well. With the acting leader, Malik, in prison, Abbas had created a council to lead the Assassin Order, with himself at its Head.

     Sevn and Maria faced Abbas to take the Order back, with Abbas demanding that Sevn hand over the Apple. Taunting Abbas, Altaïr let him take it, and Abbas' henchman Swami came to retrieve it.

Swami, revealing himself to be Sef's killer, and that he had told Sef that his father was the one to order his death before killing him, felt Sevn's anger reaching his body via the Apple upon touching it.

     A golden glow shining from his mouth, Swami started mutilating himself, killing Maria in the frenzy. Sevn then escaped Masyaf, urged by Maria's final words, and eventually met with Darim along the way, before he began a 20-year self-imposed exile in Alamut. During those twenty years, Altaïr studied the Apple intensely, even managing to create a Hidden Gun through the knowledge he learned. Additionally, the Apple led Altaïr to six Memory Seals, and once the twenty years of exile came to an end, Altaïr returned to Masyaf and took the Order back from Abbas with virtue – gaining the support from the Assassins – and tested the newly created weapon on Abbas, killing him.

     Upon regaining control of the Order once again, Sevn ordered the construction of a library, intending to hide all of his books there. A few years later, Darim met the Venetian tradesmen Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, and, inviting them to stay at Masyaf in 1257, the two men were trained by Sevn, then 92 years old, to become Assassins. After a month of training, Masyaf was attacked by the Mongols under command of Hulagu Khan, seeking retaliation for Genghis Khan's death. Sevn passed on several of his books and his Codex to the Polo brothers, and before they left Masyaf, he gave Niccolò five of the six Memory Seals, which Sevn had turned into keys needed to open his library. Sevn and Darim returned to Masyaf's fortress after repelling a Mongol attack, and bid each other farewell before the entrance to Sevn's library. Darim was ordered to take Altaïr's remaining books with him to Alexandria, after which Darim realized that the library was not meant for its supposed purpose, instead of being used as a vault. Revealing that nobody must know what secret it contained, Altaïr entered the library and closed the gate behind him, making his way to its end. There, he placed the Apple on a pedestal and sealed it behind a shutter, before imprinting the sixth Memory Seal with the memory of himself locking the Apple away and peacefully passing away in his chair, where both the Assassin's remains and the artifact would stay hidden for nearly three centuries.

     Renaissance: *"Another artifact? No. You will stay here. I have seen enough for one life."* ―Ezio Auditore upon finding the Apple. In 1509, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Mentor of the Italian Assassins, found a letter written by his father Giovanni mentioning the library underneath Masyaf and the vast amount of knowledge it supposedly held. Intrigued by his discovery, Ezio set out on a journey to the Holy Land to reach a better understanding of the Order through Sevn's knowledge. Ezio arrived in Masyaf in the winter of 1511 and retrieved Niccolò Polo's journal "The Secret Crusade" from Leandros, the leader of a small army of Byzantine Templars tasked with opening Sevn's library.

      The Assassin proceeded to make his way to Constantinople to retrieve the five keys and unlock the entrance to the library. After several months of searching, aided by the Ottoman Assassins and a Venetian-Ottoman bookseller named Sofia Sartor, Ezio was able to obtain the keys, and together with her, he made his way to Masyaf once again. Entering the library, Ezio found Altaïr's remains, as well as the sixth Memory Seal. Ezio relived Altaïr's final moments and discovered the Apple, but decided not to take the artifact from its pedestal, leaving it in the library instead. At that moment, the Apple imparted a message from the Synch Nexus, intended for Ezio's descendant, ZerefDragonee22, who was viewing his genetic memories in the Animus. In the message, Jupiter recounted the First Civilization's final days and provided Desmond the means to access the Grand Temple.

     Elizabethan era *"You may think this picture a riddle, an allegory, an artist's fancy. It is not. The object in the hand of the Faerie Queen is real. So is its power. And so are the goddesses."* ―John Dee, describing the painting he gave Elizabeth Jane Weston. Despite both Sevn's and Ezio's protective actions, the Apple soon found its way up into the hands of Queen Elizabeth I of England, who succeeded her sister Mary I after she was assassinated by the Assassin Order. Using the Apple during her reign, her most trusted adviser John Dee was aware of Elizabeth possessing the artifact, even using one himself during his time living in Prague. John Dee later gave a painting of Queen Elizabeth holding the Apple during an alternative rendition of the Judgment of Paris, as a wedding present to the stepdaughter of his former colleague Edward Kelley, Elizabeth Jane Weston, after Queen Elizabeth's death.

       Modern times: *"I'll send you the driver. We've trained him with PE2 in our labs, he shouldn't be any trouble."* ―An unknown Templar in a letter, referring to William Greer. By modern times, the Apple had passed into the hands of Mahatma Gandhi, who used it to acquire a large religious following in India during the early 20th century. However, the Templars discovered this and had Gandhi murdered on January 30 1948, to recover it for themselves. By 1963, the Templars possessed both Apple #1 and Apple #2 and used them for the Kennedy assassination. William Greer, the Secret Service agent assigned to drive Kennedy's limousine, was trained in the use of Apple #2 and was instructed to steal Apple #3 from Kennedy after he was killed. Later on, during the early 21st Century, Abstergo Industries experimented with Apple #2 underneath Denver International Airport. This continued until what would later be called the DIA satellite accident; Daniel Cross, who was visiting the facility, suddenly experienced a psychotic episode as a result of his Bleeding Effect and his proximity to the Apple. The manic Templar killed everyone in the facility, while the Apple was destroyed in unspecified circumstances that resulted in the devastation of the airport and the deaths of many innocents. The loss of the Apple meant that the Templars had to delay their Eye Abstergo satellite launch until they could find a replacement, though they ultimately had to cancel the launch. Unlike Ezio's Apple of Eden, Altaïr's health did not drain while he used the Apple.

      The **Rome hideout** was one of the many Assassin safe houses around the world, and served as the base for a team of modern-day Assassins – consisting of Lucy Stillman, Shaun Hastings, Rebecca Crane, and ZerefDragonee33 – during the year 2012. The building itself was located in Rome, within the Tor Tre Teste industrial area, and divided into two sections, the warehouse, and the loft. The loft further branched into the main room and three other rooms, one of which was locked with a reinforced metal door.

     Main room: The main room contained most of the team's equipment, including the Animus 2.0, and the desks for each of the Assassins. A small allocated area also contained a couch and a double bed. Lucy was usually found sitting at her desk, working on her computer. Her role was to keep track of the Assassin parties outside of the hideout, who were actively fighting the Templars. Shaun acted as the team's researcher and sat at a desk next to a bookshelf and corkboards covered with pictures and maps. There, he wrote entries for the Animus database and provided tactical support for the other Assassin teams out in the field. Rebecca worked next to the Animus, and kept a record of its performance, as well as maintaining its mechanisms. She also occasionally added notes to the database, such as to remind Zeref that a hidden Glyph could be found near a certain location. Warehouse: The ground floor of the building contained a large warehouse with stacks of crates, shelves, and a small garage. Zeref practiced his freerunning skills there, climbing across the boxes and rafters of the warehouse. The area also contained the building's security systems.

     *"You can help us find the cure to violence."* ―Sofia Rikkin to Callum Lynch, 2016. The **Abstergo Foundation Rehabilitation Center** commonly referred to as the **Abstergo Foundation** or simply **Abstergo Madrid** is a subsidiary company of Abstergo Industries based in Madrid, Spain that, like its parent company, operates as a front for the Templar Order.

     History: The Abstergo Foundation building was constructed around and upon a 12th-century chapel. Headed by Dr. Sofia Rikkin, who believed she was on the verge of a scientific breakthrough, the Foundation held several convicts who they forced into the Animus to explore their genetic memories. Many of the subjects either descended from members of the Assassin Brotherhood or were members themselves. Under Dr. Sofia Rikkin's supervision, the facility also worked on innovations to the design of the Animus, including an anchored iteration of the device which allowed the user to physically relive the genetic memories of their ancestors, and a compact, portable version of the technology that offered greater mobility to the Animus itself. While ostensibly, the Foundation's goal was to find a genetic "cure to violence" by locating a specific Apple of Eden, the project was another one of the many led by Alan Rikkin to obtain Pieces of Eden for the world domination. On October 22 2016, Callum Lynch, a descendant of the 15th century Spanish Assassin Aguilar de Nerha, was brought to the facility by Sofia Rikki and placed in their Animus. After several sessions in the Animus, the Templars succeeded in locating Aguilar's Apple of Eden but were forced to flee the facility when its inmates organized a revolt and overcame the guards.

    **Madrid** is the largest and capital city of Spain. In the late 15th century, the city was home to Cristoval de Merlo, a treasurer for the Inquisition. In 1489, the Spanish Brotherhood of Assassins entered the city in search of a painting from a set created by Leonardo da Vinci that had been inadvertently gambled away by their associate, Jaime del Rada. The paintings were obtained by the Inquisition captain Diego de Burgos, who separated them and gave one to each of his underlings. Among those people was Cristoval, who kept the painting deep underground beneath the city slums for safekeeping until it was recovered by the Assassins. In 1511, Grand Inquisitor Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, the successor of Tomás de Torquemada, had also been persecuting Spanish Assassins for crimes unrelated to their activities. Ottoman Assassins sent from Constantinople by Ezio Auditore da Firenze sought out the culprits in the city and killed them. The Ottoman Assassins also aided in taking over Madrid from Templar control, and restored and expanded the city, also installing several Assassin Dens. Centuries later in 2016, Abstergo Industries' Abstergo Foundation established premises within the city.

    *"The human body has its heart. The Earth has its core. All things have a center, whence comes their deepest strength. The Templar Order, too, has its Inner Sanctum. Nine there must be, three times three."* ―Alan Rikki during Simon Hathaway's induction, 2016. The **Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order**, also known as **The Nine**, is a group made up of the best and brightest members of the modern-day Templar Order. The nine Master Templars comprising the Inner Sanctum held the highest positions within Abstergo Industries and its subsidiaries and theoretically have full awareness of all Templar plans. Any major decisions made by the Inner Sanctum were reviewed by the Guardians before passing them on to the General of the Cross and the Council of Elders for approval. The Inner Sanctum was also in charge of supervising the Grand Masters of all Rites around the world, overseeing them, and keeping their number under strict control. The anonymous and feared inquisitors of the Inner Sanctum, the Black Crosses, enforced the Templar Code under the Nine's authority. The Sanctum giving them the authority to use any means necessary, even deadly force, to root out any corrupted members, from novice to Grand Master, from the various Rites of the Order.

     The Ritual Garbs::During Simon Hathaway's initiation into the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order, he noted that the ritual garb had been made by hand and not machines, ranging from the sheep being hand-sheared and the wool carded, spun, and dyed by human labor.

This showed the Templar's ritual garbs were much like those worn by Templars across the centuries, which Simon, as a historian, valued and admired, due to the Templars putting in effort towards genuine authenticity. Known members Current members: Agneta Reider: Chief Executive Officer, Abstergo Financial Group, Laetitia England: Head of Operations, Abstergo, David Kilkerman: Research, Animus Project, Dr. Mitsuko Nakamura: Research, Director of Lineage Research and Acquisition, Juhani Otso Berg: Operations, Director of Abstergo Medical, Pr. Simon Hathaway: Historical Research Division, Abstergo, Alfred Stearns: Retired Head of Operations, Abstergo, *Vacant:* December 2016 –, *Vacant:* 2018 –, Former members: Dr. Álvaro Gramática: Research, Future Technology Division:? – 2018, Alan Rikkin: Abstergo Industries Chief Executive Officer:? – 2016, Isabelle Ardant: Operations, Historical Research Division:? – 2015, Daniel Cross: Operations, Abstergo:? – 2012, Warren Vidic(StromDragonWolf)Research, Animus Project? – 2012, Otto Schmidt, Operations, Lineage Research, and Acquisition? – 2012

     The **Council of Elders** is one of the guiding bodies of the Templar Order. It operates as a separate entity from the Order's governing structure to ensure and maintain the integrity of the Templar government itself by influencing and guiding the governing structures, having a similar function as the Black Cross. It does not exert direct control over these structures, such as the Inner Sanctum. In the late 17th century, the Council tasked Laureano de Torres y Ayala with finding the Observatory in the West Indies. During the earliest years of the Black Cross, the Council may have had a significant impact on their assignments.

     In Autumn 2013, Álvaro Gramática and Alan Rikkin led a discussion at the Council's annual strategies meeting, debating on how much information to share with the public about humanity's origins. While it sparked lively discussion, the Council concluded that they felt it was better the public remain blind to such matters, and so would wage disinformation campaigns on any attempts to expose the truth by dismissing them as unfounded conspiracies. Before parting ways, the Council advanced their next meeting 6 months forward to June 6, 2014, both to allow for initial progress reports on the media campaigns, and to coincide with the 40th G7 summit in Brussels, Belgium, as most Council members would already be attending it. By 2016, it was led by Ellen Kaye and possessed discretionary powers over the funding of Abstergo Industries and its various subsidiaries. The Council was present at a gathering in London during which Alan Rikkin was killed by the Assassins.

     Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood: The Council's members appear to have a higher rank than the Guardians, which are the three highest-ranking members of Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order, as exemplified by Ellen Kaye giving orders to Alan Rikki. However, earlier sources state that only the General of the Cross is above the Guardians in authority, with the Guardians reporting directly to the General. As of 2017, the Council of Elders' exact position and role in the Templar hierarchy remains unclear, save only that it is not ranked above the General of the Cross.

     *If the Apple falls into their hands, the Templars will destroy everything that stands in their way. The protest, dissent... our right to think for ourselves."* ―Benedicto. Aguilar's Apple of Eden: Description Type: Piece of Eden (Apple), Powers: Illusions Conjuration, Human mind-control, Current location: With Callum Lynch, Historical information: Time of Period: Prehistory: Spanish Inquisition, Modern times, Created by: Isu, Date constructed: Prehistory, Notable wielders: Muhammad XII of Granada, Tomás de Torquemada, Aguilar de Nerha, Christopher Columbus, Alan Rikkin, Callum Lynch.

**Aguilar's Apple of Eden** is an Apple of Eden, an ancient piece of technology created by the Isu, primarily to control humankind, their workforce. Owners: : Muhammad XII (? – 1492), Tomás de Torquemada (1492), Aguilar de Nerha (1492), Christopher Columbus (1492 – 1506), Alan Rikkin (2016), Callum Lynch (2016 – ?)Description: The Apple of Eden that came into Aguilar de Nerha's possession is a small, metallic sphere encased within a large protective shell that in proper light resembles amber and is semi-transparent. Even with this protective shell removed, the artifact is fully functional, except that onlookers can still see the Apple opening when it activates.

   The first known human to possess this Apple was the Sultan of the Emirate of Granada Muhammad XII during the 15th century, though it did not help him win his conflict against the Christian kingdoms of Iberia, Castile, and Aragon. In 1492, the Templars, led by the Grand Inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada of the Spanish Inquisition kidnapped the young prince Ahmed. They tried to ransom Ahmed for the artifact, and Muhammad XII of Granada accepted the offer. However, before the exchange could take place, the Assassins Aguilar de Nerha and María intervened. This ultimately led to the death of María and Ojeda, Torquemada's aid, and Aguilar seizing the artifact. Aguilar in turn gave the Apple to the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus for safekeeping, and the man who would go on to expose the existence of the Americas to all of Europe would retain it until his death, bringing it to his grave.

     In October 2016, the Apple was among the many Pieces of Eden sought by the Templars. They hoped that this particular Apple could provide the means to suppress humanity's violent tendencies, eliminate the free will of humanity, and finally eradicate the last of the Assassin Brotherhood with the end of the Creed itself. To this end, the Templars under their guise of Abstergo Industries captured several descendants of different Assassins, among them Callum Lynch, and used them to relive their ancestors' memories. Though Alan Rikkin, CEO of Abstergo Industries and a member of the Templar Inner Sanctum successfully recovered the Apple from Columbus's tomb at the Seville Cathedral, Callum Lynch and others at the facility managed to break out. Callum then hunted down Rikki, reaching him in London, where Rikki was presenting the Apple to the Council of Elders at the Holborn Hall. Callum used the skills he'd learned via the Bleeding Effect to sneak up on the Grand Master, and assassinated him with the Hidden Blade, reclaiming the Apple for the Assassins. When Rikki presents Aguilar's Apple to the Council, it is seen emitting an eerie bright green energy, which is a stark contrast to the Apples seen previously which emit a radiant bright golden yellow energy. An in-universe explanation for the discrepancy has yet to be given.

**Texas** is a large state in the southern United States, bordering the states of Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, and the country of Mexico. Political information Sovereign state: The United States of America, Government: Spanish Empire (1768–1804), Mexican Empire (1804–1836) Republic of Texas (1836–1846), United States (1846–1861; 1865–current), Confederate States (1861–1865), Factions: Templars, Assassins, Spanish Army, Historical information Date founded: December 29, 1845 (28th)

     History: In 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald on behalf of Abstergo Industries, the public front of the Templar Order which sought to obtain Kennedy's Apple of Eden. An Assassin compound in Texas was located and destroyed by Abstergo during the Great Purge. The Assassin Harlan Cunningham grew up in Texas. On October 21 2016, the criminal Callum Lynch was publicly executed in Texas, an execution that was faked by Abstergo so that he could be taken captive to relive the memories of his ancestor, the Spanish Assassin Aguilar de Nerha, and find Aguilar's Apple of Eden.

    A **soldier** is a combatant serving in the military. Their basic duties are to defend their community and conduct warfare against the enemies of their leaders. Before the widespread creation of police forces, civilian enforcers of the law, public Order in cities were invariably maintained by soldiers, in which capacity they were commonly referred to as **guards**.

Because they are almost always necessary to the survival of a people, soldiers have been ubiquitous throughout the history of civilization. In service to a state, in which case they constitute the state's military, they are the individuals entrusted with the legitimate use of force by the government. Not limited to national armies, they have also been recruited, trained, and fielded by unconventional groups with military arms, such as rebel factions and most prominently the transnational secret organizations of the Templar Order and the Assassin Brotherhood. It was not unknown for mercenaries, particularly during the Italian Wars, to form themselves into armies as well.

      In response to the diverse demands of War, militaries throughout history have typically organized their soldiers into hierarchies with a clear chain of command along with specialized units suited to different combat situations. Aside from the broader categories of infantry and cavalry, common, narrower specializations before the advent of firearms included lightly armored skirmishers like the Athenian peltasts, powerful yet sluggish brutes, frontline pikemen, and professionally trained archers and crossbowmen. For the protection of the most vital people, like the state rulers themselves, special elite units of the highest caliber were frequently established, with infamous examples being the Swiss Guards of the Papal States and the Janissaries of the Ottoman Empire.

      Common classifications: While soldiers across human history have varied immensely in their training, equipment, and technology, certain classifications have been employed almost universally. Among these is the division between infantry, cavalry, and artillery, denoting foot-soldiers, horsemen, and siege weapons respectively. Infantry, in turn, may take the form of close-ranged combatants, such as pikemen or swordsmen, or long-ranged support, such as archers, crossbowmen, and snipers. Militaries often categorized their infantry units into the light, standard, and heavy infantry, but the authors of database entries for the Animus and the Helix, devices which allow users to live the memories of past individuals, usually identify enemy soldiers as falling into the basic generalities of regulars, brutes, agiles, and seekers.

     *Regular:* Regulars are the standard unit of infantry in militaries. As the backbone of their forces, they constitute the average in their capabilities without any specialization and are serviced with the most standard equipment of their army, be it a sword, spear, musket, etc.

     *Brute:* The aptly-named brutes distinguish themselves with their particularly bulky, sturdy physique. Frequently utilizing heavy weapons like battleaxes or bastard swords, these combatants rely upon their great strength to overpower their enemies at the cost of speed and agility. Brutes are not a uniform type of soldier but constitute a common stereotype of any non-elite, heavy infantry embodying these traits, with units as diverse as Spartan hypnotists, Byzantine Almogavars, and British grenadiers falling under this label.

     *Agile:* Lightly armored soldiers serving as scouts or trackers are also known as agiles because they forsake standard military equipment for maximum mobility. In combat situations, they are trained to engage foes with flurries of swift attacks and rely on evasive maneuvers to compensate for their little to no protection. Their survivability contingent on their nimbleness, agiles were almost always the most athletic of their forces, with some, as was the case among Borgia guards, even being trained in parkour. While the relatively mundane British scout was a typical example of agile, ancient warriors like the fearsome Cult of Kosmos scions and the Ptolemaic predators also filled this role to an extent.

       *Seeker:* With stealth being a hallmark of Assassin operations, their agents frequently nicknamed enemy soldiers in charge of scouring hiding spots "seekers". Seekers throughout Assassin's history shared little commonalities beyond this, varying wildly in their equipment and training. The seekers as classified by the Italian Brotherhood during the Renaissance were armored spearmen while those designated by the Chinese Brotherhood of the Ming dynasty wielded light swords and carried shuriken. The trend continued into the 19th century, where the Parisian Brotherhood recognized experienced fencers equipped with crowd control tools like flash bombs as their enemy seekers. Regardless, seekers have invariably been soldiers of greater martial skill and military authority than regulars, brutes, and agiles. Ranged support: Archers were a mainstay of human armies before they discovered firearms. These bowmen were vital to the defense of cities and fortresses, as their ability to attack from afar with hails of arrows allowed them to soften invasion forces before the confrontation. In smaller-scale skirmishes, the principle remained the same: ranged units provided support to their comrades engaged in mêlée with the enemy.

     While the bow was the weapon of choice for this role through much of human history, advancements in technology eventually led to them being superseded by those that could deliver greater firepower. The crossbow saw widespread usage among Crusaders in the 12th century, but the Chinese, who invented the repeating crossbow, had already implemented it as early as the 4th to 3rd century BCE. Although it was heavier and had a shorter range, it boasted superior penetrating power. It did not phase out the bow, however, which was an eventuality that came with the advent of firearms. In conjunction with archers and crossbowmen, the Ming dynasty fielded hand cannon guards while the Papal States at the beginning of the 16th century introduced arquebusiers. With longer range and greater lethality, these marksmen were the precursors to snipers, whom the French and British Assassins later nicknamed "watchers". Even when ranged weapons became the norm of all military units due to the indisputable superiority of modern firearms to mêlée weapons, the role of ranged support did not disappear; the distance between enemy combatants in engagements only widened. Snipers who could fire from distances far over their archer predecessors have come to fulfill this position in modern warfare. Military ranks: Soldiers are normally organized into hierarchies within their militaries which define the chain of command.

     Medieval armies: European and Saracen armies from the 12th century to at least the 16th century were roughly divided into four ranks signifying an increasing level of combat training and experience. Invariably, the higher-ranking soldiers were more heavily armored and better equipped than their subordinates regardless of the state fielding them. Even officers of the top tier, however, fell under the command of the noble, official, or private individual who either recruited them or that they were tasked to defend.

      Soldier  Egidio Troche: The vast majority of regular soldiers fighting in the Crusades lacked any commanding authority and were therefore commonly referred to simply as "soldiers" without qualification. To avoid confusion, these soldiers were also called "Militia" by the Italian Brotherhood of Assassins during the Renaissance. In essence, their rank was not truly bearing one, and their inexperience and lack of discipline meant that they were especially vulnerable to deception and low morale. It was not uncommon for Militia to be led astray from pursuit or battle by the sight of loot on the ground, a weakness that was sometimes exploited by the Assassins. Given their low status, regular soldiers were provided with only the minimum standard of protection. Every Crusader soldier was equipped with chain-mail armor and a surcoat while their Saracen counterparts protected themselves with lamellar armor. Likewise, European soldiers of the late 15th to early 16th century donned brigandines, yet in none of these cases were these regulars afforded helmets.

     Sergeant: Moderately better trained, sergeants were of a rank above regular soldiers and were normally not placed in charge of large operations. Instead, they might assume the leadership of squads. Nonetheless, on one occasion during the Third Crusade, a Templar sergeant led a force of at least several dozen soldiers to sack a village by Alep. In addition to basic equipment, sergeants were serviced with light helmets, and it was by these that they could be identified. While more disciplined than the average soldier, sergeants were still often susceptible to breaking ranks at the sight of superiors being slain. Historically, the Assassins sometimes referred to soldiers of this rank as "Elites" despite them bearing a low rank and never constituting an elite force.

      Commander: Commanders, also known generically as Leaders, were among the most seasoned of soldiers. As the lieutenants of captains, they were entrusted with positions of command in their absence, and their presence could be vital for maintaining morale and discipline among their troops. For identification, their enhanced armor was characterized by a fully enclosed helmet, such as the iconic Crusader great helm.

       Captain: In the Middle Ages, captains were the officers with the greatest authority absent elite forces such as the Papal Guard and the Janissaries. At other times, they were themselves synonymous with the elite units of their military. Although still subordinate to the individual they rendered service to, be that a state official or even a private individual, they comprised the highest command of armies and could be called to a council of War by their commander-in-chief.

Among Crusader armies in the 12th century, the role of captain was filled by full-fledged knights. Such was the case among the armies of the Knights Templar. These knights were by far the most exceptional warriors of their society, having honed their swordsmanship through a lifetime of training, and could prove a match for even elite Assassins. Similarly, guard captains of the Italian city-states and Iberian kingdoms in the late 15th century were trained to be an indomitable force. Selected for their colossal stature, these soldiers were deployed by the Spanish Inquisition and the Spanish Rite of the Templar Order to lead campaigns, defend their palaces, and hunt their enemies with impunity. They clad themselves in full plate armor in the manner of knights and conventionally wielded greatswords. The Emirate of Granada also employed captains of this caliber, many of which protected the Alhambra, though their armor was comparatively light.

        Not all captains of this era were of this archetype, however. Those in service to the House of Borgia were more standard, being of average size and strength. Though professionally trained, they did not eclipse their subordinate comrades in martial might to the extent that Templar knights and Inquisition captains did, posing a little challenge for Master Assassins. When not commanding army divisions in battle, captains could be assigned to other duties, such as overseeing the defense of a military zone in a city. Under the rule of the Borgia during the papacy of Alexander VI, Rome was divided into twelve districts, each under the supervision of a Borgia captain. Historically, the Templars were known to even deploy their captains as independent agents on covert operations.

    Military units Classical Greek militaries: Hoplites In the 5th century BCE, hoplites formed the backbone of the Athenian and Spartan armies. These citizen-soldiers were heavily armored in breastplates and greaves; donned helmets with grand, distinguishing plumes; and were always equipped with a spear and a large shield. Their gear served to facilitate their signature phalanx formation that demanded strict cohesion as a collective fighting unit. Greek warfare in this era principally revolved around clashes between phalanxes, but once these formations broke, the fighting could devolve into chaotic skirmishes between groups of enemies dispersed across the battlefield. In this environment, other units, such as skirmishers, swordsmen, and mercenaries would become more significant.

     Supplementary units: During the Peloponnesian War, both the Delian League and the Peloponnesian League utilized light infantry that was less skilled than their professionally trained hoplites. The Athenian peltasts and the Spartan phalangites were two examples of such basic soldiers, but they differ markedly in their equipment and tactics. Peltasts were provided with helmets, linothoraxes, pteruges, and a round shield for protection, and a short sword as a weapon. In contrast, phalangites received little more than a long thrusting spear, a helmet, and greaves; they were typically entirely bare from the waist up and had little means in terms of defense. Although their light infantry differed, both factions fielded hypaspists and ekdromoi. The former was essentially the Greek iteration of brutes, for they were invariable of bulky build and relied on heavy battleaxes in battle. The ekdromoi, however, were swordsmen that were fully-clad in armor like regular hoplites. Despite this, they were trained to be swift, operating as light hoplites.

      Archers and cavalry: The Greeks made use of archers, but they had little in the way of cavalry before the rise of Makedonia. In terms of archery, the Athenians were superior to the Spartans, for their elite marksmen were capable of performing incredible feats with the bow. A single marksman could accurately target an area with a rain of arrows by firing a cluster of arrows in the air all at once. These archers were well suited for the Athenians' greater focus on defensive warfare in the Peloponnesian War.

      Spartan militarism: While the Spartans could not match the Athenians in ranged warfare, theirs was a wholly militaristic society. Without exception, the Spartans reared all male citizens from birth to devote their entire lives to being soldiers, for which they developed a reputation as the greatest warriors in all of Greece. Whereas Athenian *strategoi* were popularly elected commanders-in-chief who played the dual roles of general and statesmen, Spartan *strategoi* were veteran generals who always partook directly in campaigns.

     Mercenaries: The Greek *poleis* in the time of the Peloponnesian War made prolific use of mercenaries. Coming from unfathomably diverse backgrounds and skill-sets, the only trait all of these mercenaries had in common was their willingness to sell their services as soldiers to the various peoples and factions across Greece during their turmoil. Unlike the much later Italian mercenaries of the Renaissance era, these mercenaries did not form themselves into their armies but operated more as roving bands or individuals which, depending on the jobs they performed, could be likened to vigilantes, assassins, bodyguards, saboteurs, privateers, or even bandits. Notwithstanding this, they frequently doubled as bounty hunters which tracked down and killed individuals with prices on their heads. At times, these may even be fellow mercenaries. Among the most renowned mercenaries of this age were Exekias the Legend, a secret Sage of the Cult of Kosmos, and Kassandra, a Spartan exile who fought for Sparta at the Battles of Pylos and Amphipolis and was responsible for destroying the Cult of Kosmos. When serving in state armies, mercenaries were at their peak in the chaotic mêlée which occasionally occurred near the end of battles when formations broke down. In these moments, free to act without the constraints of the military command, mercenaries displayed their full potential as warriors.

      Cult of Kosmos: The soldiers of the Cult of Kosmos were the deadliest warriors in Greece at the time of the Peloponnesian War, superior to even the Spartan forces in combat expertise. All were uniformed in armor, complete with the grotesque mask molded in the visage of a fearsome man. Unlike state militaries of this age, their ranks were not limited to men. However, men and women were segregated between the three units of guardians, vanguards, and scions, where the latter was reserved exclusively for women but the former for men.

     These three units were analogous to the general classifications of regular soldiers, brutes, and agiles respectively, and were standardized in their equipment. Guardians were of average stature and each wielded a sword and a large shield while vanguards were quite large and wielded a heavy battleax and a large shield. The petite scions were the only ones who did not carry a shield, for they specialized in twin daggers, which they were trained to swing in mad, acrobatic frenzies. None of these units had bows, nor did their forces have regular archers among them. Due to the secretive nature of their organization, the Cultists of Kosmos rarely engaged in battles. They were deployed instead on covert operations typically consisting of raids, abductions, and assassinations, striking swiftly and suddenly before withdrawing back to their bases. When not sent out for these missions, they were posted as guards for the Cult's leaders or garrisoned at the Cult's forts and camps. Ptolemaic and Roman soldiers stationed in Egypt all carried short bows as side-arms but varied in their combination of other equipment. The most basic soldiers only had a simple sword and their bow while others either carried the sword in conjunction with a small shield, replaced the sword with a spear, or wielded a spear with a shield.

     The range of weapons utilized by their militaries' brutes was also fairly wide although they always carried a kind of heavy weapon, typically a battleax. Like the average soldiers, a regular brute was provided with a short bow as a secondary weapon, but brutes of greater stature were given javelins instead. While the former had no means of protection aside from their armor, the latter wielded enormous, rectangular shields which they were trained to use offensively if need be. Because every soldier had a bow, every unit could function as archers, but their militaries also deployed dedicated archers with long-ranged bows and little else. Two sub-classes of their archers were trained in the art of rapid-fire with a close-combat light bow and in the use of fire arrows respectively.

      Predators and supers: Two special units bolstered the power of the Ptolemaic and Roman forces in Egypt. These were the predators and the supers. Operating with guerilla-like tactics, predators shrouded themselves in hoods and masks and were exceptionally agile. All wielded twin sickle swords which they swung at their enemies in chaotic flurries during direct engagements, but the better trained and equipped predators were more prone to stalking their targets from afar with their bows and bombs. The most elite among them were entrusted with destructive firebombs while those of a more intermediate caliber utilized smoke bombs instead. The colossal supers encased themselves entirely in layers of heavy armor, sealing their faces in great helmets and metal masks. They formed themselves into two distinct types: one which wielded a greatsword, a short bow, and a medium-sized shield, and another which wielded a greatsword, javelin, and a massive shield instead. Their numbers were small in comparison to the other units in the military, often being stationed at forts and palaces, but they were imposing juggernauts that could overwhelm their enemies through their ferocity, sheer might, and virtually impenetrable armor. Nevertheless, they were not invincible and ultimately could not live up to the skill of Medjay Bayek and his wife Gaia, founders of the Hidden Ones.

      Assassins: The Assassin state that emerged in 1090 under the leadership of Hassan-i Sabbāh established several conventional military units even though the average Assassin was trained from birth to serve as covert operatives. These soldiers would be charged with defending their homes with their lives in the event of a frontal assault against the Assassin citadels, as was the case during the Siege of Masyaf in 1176. Among these guardsmen were the Ceremonial Guard, who wielded glaives, and the heavy infantrymen, who wielded swords. The latter was fully clad in armor. first a hauberk over their robes, then a breastplate of scale armor with corresponding shoulder guards for added protection. A Persian-style *spangenhelm* complete with a firmly-sealed, plated visor masked their entire face. In contrast, the Ceremonial Guard donned little more than the typical robes and beaked hood of their people, only wearing a red-rimmed cloak and a face veil for distinction. Aside from these two units, other Assassins would serve as common soldiers when forced into open battle. Crossbowmen and archers manned their walls and lookout posts.