The Making Of The StormBlade's( The StormBlade's Live On) Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Abstergo Industries(Templar con)

*"You know them as Abstergo Industries; we know them as the Templars. As the enemy. We've been fighting them for thousands of years. Even longer if you believe the stories of their origins. I do. After all, I've seen the truth."* ―William Miles. **Abstergo Industries** is a multinational corporate conglomerate and the primary front for the modern-day activities of the Templar Order. One of the world's largest and most prominent corporations, Abstergo Industries, or its predecessors, was responsible for most human technological development for the past millennia. Despite genuinely contributing to the technical development of society, Abstergo Industries' primary mission, as dictated by its Templar members, was "the destruction of the Assassin Order, the procurement of advanced technologies created by the First Civilization, and establishing a New World Order."

      By 2012, Abstergo Industries had expanded into various business sectors, setting up subsidiary companies like Abstergo Entertainment. In the same year, Abstergo Industries had been investigated by the United States government for the "New Fluoride" experiment. They were due to have their accounts frozen, prompting the company to hasten its planned Eye-Abstergo satellite launch. **New Fluoride** was a synthetic drug developed by Stephanie Chiu's father that aimed to improve the quality of drinkable water.

In early 2012, New Fluoride was introduced into the water supplies of various settlements in China, causing significant damage to the local population and in a small town in the United States. The U.S. operation was partially exposed when a young activist named Susan Drayton broke into the water supply of her hometown, Prince George, and stole a sample of the drug, intending to leak it to the press. Although Susan was apprehended and jailed, news of Abstergo's operation in Prince George's was still released. Following this, documents were leaked on the 'Fluoride Enhancement Studies', resulting in Abstergo being placed under investigation by the U.S. government. As a result, the company was forced to try and hasten the launch of Eye-Abstergo to December 21, 2012, to avoid the expected asset freeze. By 2014, Abstergo started working with the Food and Drug Administration to organize a relaunch of the New Flouride project.

     *"If we were to place just one Piece of Eden within a satellite and angle it toward the Earth... well, utopia would be within our grasp."*―Warren Vidic. **Eye-Abstergo**, or **the Eye**, was a satellite enhanced with an Apple of Eden, set for launch on December 21, 2012, to become the cornerstone of the Akashic Satellite Plexus. Publicly, the Eye was said to be a communications satellite for consumer use. The satellite launch was an Abstergo Industries initiative, secretly engineered by the Templars controlling the company to ensure that a New World Order would be enforced on Earth with the Piece of Eden's powers.

     Launch Satellite triangulation: Though initially scheduled to launch before December 21, around September 2012, an Abstergo press release announced that the launch of the Eye was delayed to improve coverage area and provide better service. However, the actual cause of the delay was Abstergo's search for another Piece of Eden after their previous one was destroyed—additionally, reports on Earth and space weather. Precisely, the projection of solar flares pinpointed December 21 as the "most opportune time" to launch the Eye. Ultimately, Abstergo scrapped the launch of the satellite, as they were unable to obtain the required Piece of Eden in time, in part due to the failure of the Templar double agent Lucy Stillman. When the Assassin ZerefDragonee33, acting under the control of Juno at the Colosseum Vault, killed his friend Lucy without knowing of her duplicity, Juno gave him a premonition of what would have transpired had he resisted her. The vision revealed that if Lucy had succeeded in recovering the Apple for Abstergo, the Eye-Abstergo would have failed catastrophically on its launch. As a result, humanity would have become nearly extinct from that day's solar cataclysm.

     Effects: Upon entering low Earth orbit, the Eye would amplify the Apple of Eden's power, boost Abstergo's observational capabilities, and locate "individuals with potential." Though highly uncertain, the preliminary analysis suggested that the satellite would allow raw data harvesting and *"awaken in humans what should have been ours from the moment of our creation."*

                                              History: The Plan

*"In 1937, we founded this company, this enterprise, with a purpose. The time to nurture it to fruition is upon us."*―An Abstergo employee, in a message to Templars worldwide, 1944. A group of Templars during the formative years of Abstergo, including Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone. Officially founded in 1937, Abstergo Industries was one small part of the Templar scheme to control the world through capitalism and scientific progress. Abstergo's origins lay in the perfection of the assembly line by Templar leaders Henry Ford and Ransom "Ranny" Olds at the turn of the 20th century. The assembly line was an early means to control workers and the capitalists who employed them, representing the first step in the Templars' goal of subjugating the world through economics. In 1910, assorted Templar leaders, including Ford and Olds, formulated the "Plan." This scheme combined economics, politics, and military conflict to make the world safe for the Templar rule. The defeat of communism was a vital part of the Plan, as it represented both an ideological and economic threat to the success of the Templar world vision.

     In 1937, the formulators of the Plan established Abstergo Industries as a front for their activities. This enabled them to accumulate wealth and accelerate scientific progress, and largely anonymous, Abstergo's leadership claimed their duty was to "shepherd those beneath us through life, even if force is required." During World War II, Abstergo remained quiet but kept track of the progress made abroad by Templar puppets "H" and "S" (Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin). In the United States, Abstergo and other Templar-controlled corporations ceded rights to its workers and their labor unions, but only to tie the people closer to the Templar capitalist vision. By 1944, Abstergo and the Templars were prepared for the inevitable post-war era, where they would "ensure the development continues in the proper direction." They organized the Bretton Woods Conference in July of that year to spread capitalism worldwide, particularly in Europe.

                                     Post-war domination

     Following the war, Abstergo controlled global, economic, and technological development, though it always remained behind the scenes. In 1948, Abstergo eliminated former Templar and renowned economist Harry Dexter White. White helped organize the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, two organizations that allowed the Templars to spread their capitalist world vision. However, White was also passing information to the Communists, and for his betrayal, Abstergo killed White and made it appear like a heart attack. Abstergo was also responsible for British mathematician Alan Turing's criminal prosecution and possibly death. In a phone recording dating to June 1954, two Templars known only by the initials "V" and "N" mentioned the need for Turing to be killed. They feared "mass unemployment" if the mathematician successfully developed robots and that such an invention would threaten the progress of the Plan.

     Abstergo involved itself in foreign governments to ensure the spread of capitalism and Templar control. In 1953, Abstergo agents backed monarch Shah Pahlavi, Tehran strongman Sha'baan Ja'fari, and the National Intelligence and Security Organization, otherwise known as SAVAK, against the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. Abstergo and the Shah removed Mosaddegh from power and placed him under house arrest, where Mosaddegh later died in his home in 1967. Internal memos stolen from Abstergo in 2012 implicated the corporation's involvement in the 1954 overthrow of Guatemala's socialist President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán and the installation of Carlos Castillo Armas as his replacement. In both instances, Abstergo worked through the CIA, a branch of the U.S. intelligence community it had controlled since its inception. Unreleased photo negative revealing Abstergo's involvement in launching Apollo 11. Abstergo's influence spread beyond the bounds of the Earth, as it helped establish and fund the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1958. Ostensibly, NASA was a civilian branch of the U.S. government, but in reality, it was tasked with producing new space-going technologies for Abstergo and Templar use. When the Templars became aware of an Apple of Eden on the Moon, it tasked NASA with working towards a mission to land on the Moon and retrieve the artifact.

     Also, when President John F. Kennedy planned a joint lunar landing with the Soviet Union, the Templars decided to remove Kennedy from power. Kennedy's successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, a Templar puppet, continued the push toward the Moon, and in July 1969, Templar agents Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon and retrieved the Piece of Eden. Firmly in control of the United States government, Abstergo continued its interference in other nations. In the 1970s, Abstergo focused on Argentina and Chile out of a recognized need "to ensure company's success" and allow their agents "to move freely from country to country and maintain power within them." In Argentina, Abstergo promised leading capitalists that they would pass their corporate debt to the Argentinian public in return for the support of the Junta and the elimination of the Argentinian trade unions.

Consequently, the Junta remained in power, and at least 30,000 Argentinians disappeared over the decade. In Chile, Abstergo planned to open up the markets and force the sale of all public companies to the private sector. They thwarted President Salvador Allende's efforts to socialize Chile's industries and may have played some role in his 1973 suicide. In the aftermath, Augusto Pinochet seized power as a dictator. Following both Latin American cases, Abstergo successfully hid its involvement and instead left evidence that implicated the U.S. government.

                                                      The endgame

     By the final decades of the 20th century, Abstergo emerged from the shadows as a powerful corporation leading the way in pharmaceuticals. However, it also researched other fields, such as communications. For example, in 1985, Abstergo's research division was secretly working on a device capable of imitating the mind-controlling properties of a Piece of Eden across a network. In the same year, Abstergo developed its first fully-functional Animus device and began to seek out appropriate test subjects. In 1991, Abstergo helped Boris Yeltsin to overthrow Mikhail Gorbachev, the legitimate head of the state and reformer of the Soviet Union, to which Yeltsin introduced privatization of the massive state-owned industries. As such, oligarchs quickly took over these industries, and by 1993, Yeltsin disbanded the Russian Parliament and Constitutional Court. After nearly 80 years of fighting against communism, Abstergo and the Templars finally eliminated the most significant obstacle to the global spread of capitalism. As a failsafe, Abstergo ensured future leader Vladimir Putin would continue pushing for capitalism just as his predecessor Yeltsin had.

Abstergo employees monitoring raids on Assassin hideouts

     At the end of the 20th century, the Animus Program's Subject 4, given the codename "Daniel Cross," infiltrated the Assassin Order as a sleeper agent and successfully attacked and killed their head, the Mentor. Subject 4 then returned to an Abstergo facility in Philadelphia and provided the location of Assassin training camps worldwide. Following this, Templar agents eliminated most of these camps in what they called the Great Purge. The same year, Justice of the Supreme Court and Templar puppet Antonin Scalia convinced Sandra O'Connor to retire. Scalia sent a letter to "S" in which he mentioned that "W" (George W. Bush) would restart animosities with Iraq, which in turn would give "C"'s (Dick Cheney) contractors more work. From there, the Supreme Court could dissolve standing campaign finance laws, allowing Abstergo to place anyone in the Senate, House, and Presidency. In November 2004, an author known only as Gary was writing a book on the CIA. Through his research, he discovered evidence that Abstergo had interests in every large company across the planet. However, thanks to Templar's intervention, Gary's book never saw the light of day.

      By 2011, Abstergo employed its many communications division to use closed-circuit television to spy on civilians. Mr. Jameson accidentally discovered this closed circuit on his television set in April between channels 172 and 173. This hidden channel displayed his family members' names, credit card numbers, medical information, and personal preferences. Confused, Mr. Jameson contacted his cable company, Comstatic, to complain, and in response, Abstergo sent agents to "deal with" Mr. Jameson and his 12-year-old son, Paul. In early 2012, the head of Abstergo ceded control of the company to an unknown person. In a phone call, he warned his successor that if the free market failed, the civilian populace would turn against capitalism and Abstergo. Abstergo also suffered a significant setback in their Eye-Abstergo Project when an incident in Denver led to a considerable loss of civilian life and critical Abstergo equipment.

     However, a great success in Abstergo's Animus Project offset the Denver catastrophe. In September, the Lineage Discovery and Acquisition department captured a new Animus subject, Subject 17, to replace the deceased Subject 16. Subject 17 successfully survived the rigors of the Animus and provided Abstergo with a holographic map detailing many Pieces of Eden, though he escaped soon after.

Repeated attempts to reacquire Subject 17 had to date remained unsuccessful. Recently, Abstergo sent its top recruits and Daniel Cross to eliminate Subject 17 and the *de facto* head of the Assassin Order, William Miles. Frustrated at Abstergo losing Desmond Miles, Daniel was able to track ZerefDragonee33 and his cell to New York. When Subject 17 attempted to steal a First Civilization battery from an office in Manhattan, Daniel cornered him at gunpoint. However, Zeref disarmed Daniel and knocked him out with the battery before escaping. Sometime later, Daniel tracked Zeref to a martial arts tournament in Brazil, where a woman held another battery that Zerfe needed. Daniel reached the woman first and shot her and her husband to death as Zeref arrived. Daniel attempted to flee with the storm but was caught by Zeref, who once again knocked him out and escaped with the battery. When the Templar agents successfully captured William Miles, who had obtained the third and final battery, Vic sent ZerefDragonee33 and his team a video proposing his demands: Give him the Apple of Eden, and William would be returned to them safely. Even though William would tell the team to forget him, Zeref decided to rescue his father. Once Desmond arrived at the Abstergo facility in Italy, Vidic ordered him to come in peacefully. Zeref refused, killing any security guards who crossed his path. In retaliation, Warren sent Daniel Cross to deal with the Assassin threat. However, once Cross had Zeref cornered, he began to suffer from the Bleeding Effect and fled, trying to deal with his mental breakdown.

     Vidic, frustrated with Zeref, stated that he was no longer an asset to Abstergo and authorized the guards to kill him on sight. Meanwhile, Zeref pursued Cross through the Animus Training Facility and assassinated him. Vidic was furious at Cross's death, screaming that the Assassins only took it while the Templars gave the world order and peace. Eventually, Zeref reached Vidic's office, where his father sat surrounded by armed guards. Vidic demanded that Zerfe hand him the Apple. Zeref reached out with the Apple in his hand, but instead of giving it to Warren, he used his power to manipulate everyone in the room. As Vidic pleaded for the last time, Zeref influenced one of the guards to turn his gun on Warren, shooting and killing him. Zeref then prompted the rest of the guards to kill themselves. Once he had liberated his father, Zeref escorted William out of Abstergo with the Apple of Eden in his hand. Ultimately, Abstergo canceled the satellite launch as they could not obtain the required Piece of Eden in time.

                                                               Goals

       As the most significant industrial force the Templars owned, Abstergo shared the same beliefs as the Templars; Order and discipline through power and control. Some Abstergo employees did not recognize the Templar Order, nor did they hear about it, but certain high-ranking members of Abstergo knew the Templar cause. Since the Third Crusade, the Templars started realizing the power of the Pieces of Eden over humans, so they began searching for them. In modern times, they have used numerous subjects from the Animus Project to access their ancestors' memories and get hold of a map showing these artifacts. This goal later became total control and possession of all Pieces of Eden.

The Templars' goals had changed as they sought control to unify the entire world using these artifacts, going from "lasting peace, no matter what the cost" to the "New World Order." To accomplish this, they had to reach their ultimate goal; launching a Piece of Eden into orbit around Earth.

                           Divisions and subsidiaries

Abstergo Industries had numerous offices in cities worldwide, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Seoul, Madrid, London, Paris, Osaka-Kobe, Shanghai, and Moscow, **Divisions:** Historical Research, Lineage Discovery, and Acquisition, Future Technology, **Subsidiaries,** Abstergo Pharmaceuticals, Abstergo Fitness, MysoreTech, Abstergo Entertainment, Abstergo Financial Group, Malta Banking Corporation, Abstergo Foundation, Abstergo Medical, Chinon Shipping (merged)

                                                 Employees

Most of Abstergo's employees were unaware of the organization's Templar roots and, as such, were not Templars themselves; this included its scientists, engineers, and several CEOs. Abstergo also had hundreds of corporate spies in companies worldwide, including sleeper agents. The company also employed many heavily armed security personnel at their sites; these individuals were skilled combatants armed with firearms and tasers.

                                         Current employees

Italicized names indicate membership in the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order: Jane Birkam – a friend of Warren Vidic: David – Acquisitions, Lineage Research, and Acquisition: *Laetitia England* – Head of Operations: *Simon Hathaway* – Historical Research Division: Aubrey Jacobs – Alan Rikkin's assistant: Kaori Kagami – Yokohama clinic: Carson Kairns, *David Kilkerman* – Research, Animus Project: Gabriel King – Chief engineer of the Abstergo Foundation: Robert Klein, Henry Liman, Jansen March, Zachary Morgenstern – Cryptology James Morse – Warren Vidic's secretary: *Mitsuko Nakamura* – Research, Lineage Research, and Acquisition: Erica Nichols, Nancy Nilop – Human Resources agent: Richard – One of three men who threatened to kill Lucy Stillman, before being stopped by Vidic. S. Sofia Rikkin - Head of the Abstergo Foundation: Rothenburg – Informant within Abstergo feeding information to the Assassins, Damian Saravakos – Medical examiner, Medical Division, Lineage Research and Acquisition, Former employees: *Isabelle Ardant*† – Operations, Historical Research: Victoria Bibeau† *Daniel Cross*† – Operations: *Álvaro Gramática*† – Research, Future Technology: Caroline Grey, Layla Hassan, Isaiah†, Leila Marino†, Monroe, *Alan Rikkin*† – Chief Executive Officer: Theodore Rizzo†, Lucy Stillman†, *Otto Schmidt*† – Operations, Lineage Research, and Acquisition: *Warren Vidic*† – Research, Animus Project.

                                               Projects Products

*"Guess the shit's hit the fan this time."* ―An Abstergo employee e-mailing Vidic about the Fluoride failure. Abstergo was one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, with its primary focus being anti-depressants. ZerefDragonee33 first saw the word "Abstergo" on a bottle of ibuprofen while living on the Farm. His mother says, "The average American household contains three dozen Abstergo-owned products at any moment. It would be a full-time job if you tried to purge them from your life completely." It was also stated in an e-mail to Warren Vidic that Abstergo was secretly experimenting with their products on people and that one of their experiments had failed, poisoning an entire town. Information about this incident had partly been leaked, causing the whole pharmaceutical division of the company to be closed down for investigation. The product Abstergo was experimenting with was named "New Fluoride." Products sold in 2012 include Herne+, the baby monitor Angelus, the Bodyband exercise bracelet, Animus OS glasses, and the Animus game console with pre-packaged genetic memories.

*"The Farm. Like Masyaf, I guess, only not so, uh... creepy. Just a small desert community out in the middle of nowhere. About thirty of us living, you know, off-the-grid."* ―ZerefDragonee33. **The Farm** was an Assassin compound outside of Rapid City in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The community consisted of some 30 individuals, not all of whom may have been active members of the Assassin Brotherhood. The Farm was the birthplace and childhood home of ZerefDragonee33, where he was to be trained as an Assassin. Desmond's father, William Miles, warned him to be prepared for their enemies. However, as Zeref complained, *"No one ever came. Nothing ever happened."* This, coupled with the fact that Assassins who lived on the Farm were not allowed to leave the compound, eventually prompted Zeref to flee the Farm on his sixteenth birthday and see the outside world.

When the Assassins attempted to liberate Desmond from Abstergo Industries in 2012, Warren Vidic revealed that the Assassin attackers were the last of the group from Desmond's birthplace. When Zeref asked Lucy Stillman – another Assassin, who was undercover at the Abstergo laboratory – about his parents, she said she did not know whether they had escaped. However, William Miles later contacted ZerefDragonee33 's Assassin team after they had broken out of Abstergo, confirming that he had survived. Following this, William assured Zeref that his mother had survived once he, Zeref, Shaun Hastings, and Rebecca Crane(AKA SelomeStormblade) reached the Grand Temple. On September 6, 2013, Shaun and Rebecca visited the ruins of the Farm while crossing South Dakota. Rebecca remarked that they barely knew Desmond, to which Shaun responded that despite that, they had experienced a lot together and made a difference, comforting her.

     *"An imposing castle of many turrets, surrounded by shimmering rivers, it presided over the bustling village below, the settlement a high point within the Orontes Valley. An oasis of peace. A paradise."* ―Niccolò Polo describing Masyaf. Masyaf Political information: Sovereign state

Independent city-state, Government Assassins (1162 – 1257), Templars (c.1511), Historical information: Date abandoned 1257, Additional information, Flags: Twenty Assassin flags: Assassination targets: Haras, Al Mualim. Abbas Sofian, Leandros. **Masyaf** was an isolated mountain municipality in the Orontes Valley in western Syria among the An-Nusayriyah Mountains. It once served as a base of operations for the Assassin Order during the High Middle Ages but fell into disrepair after the Mongol siege of 1257. By the early 16th century, it was, for a time, occupied by the Byzantine Rite of the Templar Order.

                                    History Establishment

The fortress of Masyaf was established in 1162 by an Assassin who would later be popularly known by his title of Al Mualim, who was sent from Alamut to confirm the fortress by Hassan the Younger, the leader of the Levantine Brotherhood. While ostensibly, this was a command by Hassan to cultivate Assassin's influence in the Levant; rumors circulated about the exact reason. Some Assassins believed there had been a schism between the two owing to ideological differences, with Al Mualim leaving to create his independent Assassin Order entirely. There were even whispers that Al Mualim was motivated not merely by a desire for independence but by power lust, an ambition to act like a king in his own right.

                                             *Siege of Masyaf*

       In 1176, the fortress came under siege from Saladin, who hoped to prevent the Assassins from making a third, more successful attempt on his life. On the second night of the siege, Master Assassin Umar Ibn-La'Ahad infiltrated Sultan's tent and left a knife in Saladin's sleeping pallet. However, Saladin awoke and raised the alarm, and Umar was forced to kill a Saracen general during his escape. Heeding the warning, Saladin left Masyaf, his only condition being that he was brought the head of the one who had killed the nobleman. At first, the Assassins refused. However, Saladin's advisor threatened the life of the Assassins' spy they had captured, Ahmad Sofian. Umar then volunteered to forfeit his life in exchange for Ahmad's and was executed by Shihab Al'din. Afterward, the siege concluded, and the Saracens left Masyaf.

The skirmish with the Crusaders: *Assault on Masyaf*

       In 1189, Masyaf was attacked by Templar Crusaders after one of their agents infiltrated the ranks of the Assassin Order; the fortress was captured by the Crusaders, after which the Mentor of the Levantine Assassins, Al Mualim, was held, hostage. As a result, a battle between the two forces raged on in the village; however, through the efforts of the young Assassin XXXSevnStormDragonWolf, the fortress was reclaimed, and Al Mualim was saved. With the defense recaptured, the Assassins could drive the Templars from Masyaf.

     The **Crusaders** were those Europeans who undertook the call-to-arms by the Papacy to participate in the Crusades, a series of religious wars enacted against the enemies of the Latin Church. The first three and most prominent of these conflicts involved military expeditions against the Islamic rulers of the Holy Land, aiming to claim it in the name of Christianity forcefully. While most Crusaders served personally in the armies of the kingdoms of Europe, the most iconic were members of several Christian military orders who worked in unison with these European kingdoms. These orders were primarily founded in the Holy Land to protect Christian pilgrims. Amongst their number were counted knightly orders such as the Knights Hospitalier, Teutonic, and Knights Templar. The last was only a public front for the shadowy organization, which operated under the Order of the Ancients in antiquity. By the time of the Third Crusade, the term "Templar" had been popularized and became synonymous with this covert group among those who knew of their activities. They seeded their members into various factions; the Saracens notwithstanding, this included the other two Crusader orders. Therefore, the Crusaders and their operations were closely linked with the Templar Order. Prominent Hospitaller and Teutonic leaders sometimes held dual membership with the Templar Order, albeit the Templar affiliation would be secret.

                                                    History

      The first Crusading armies were formed by Christian knights from Western Europe who offered themselves to the cause declared by Pope Urban II. In the First Crusade, the troops consisted of an assortment of soldiers from a wide range of feudal states serving under nobles appointed as commanders by the Pope. In 1096, Bernard de Clairvaux had yet to begin masquerading his secret organization as a Christian chivalric order, the Order of the Knights Templar, an event that would officially occur in 1129. By the Third Crusade, however, the Templars had become one of the preeminent Crusading factions alongside the Knights Hospitaller and the Teutonic Knights, forming their militaries ostensibly to protect Christian pilgrims.

*Third Crusade*

By 1191, the Crusaders were commanded by Richard I of England—better known as Richard the Lionheart—who sought to reclaim Jerusalem during the Third Crusade. The Crusaders won several battles at Acre, Arsuf, and Jaffa but ultimately failed to capture Jerusalem. Later, King Richard made peace with the Saracen ruler, Saladin, on the condition that Christian pilgrims be allowed to visit Jerusalem freely.

The Knights Templar, who were a part of the Crusader army, besieged the Assassin fortress at Masyaf twice during the Third Crusade, although both attempts failed. In 1189, the Templar Haras led the first, a part of the Assassin Order, until he betrayed them, hoping to locate the Apple of Eden. The second, in 1191, was led by the Templar Grand Master, Robert de Sablé. In all, both sieges were quelled due to the efforts of the Assassin XXXSevnStormDragonWolf..

By 1191..., the Crusaders had conquered the cities of Jaffa and Acre and were on the march toward Jerusalem. During this time, Crusader troops could be found patrolling through the wilderness that divided the cities of Acre, Damascus, and Jerusalem.

      The same year, Altaïr set out to eliminate several corrupt men secretly Templars. Several of these men were important Crusaders and Saracens, which almost led to the two factions uniting to try and destroy their common enemy. To prevent this, Sevnset out to assassinate the Templar Grand Master, Robert de Sablé, and killed him after a long duel during the Battle of Arsuf to convince Richard that the Templars were traitors to his army.

                                             Knightly orders

In addition to Crusaders that served under the Kingdom of France, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Kingdom of England—the last who were commonly called Lionheart Crusaders after the epithet of their king, Richard the Lionheart —there were several independent military orders founded in the Holy Land. Three of these, the Knights Templar, the Knights Hospitalier, and the Knights Teutonic, became the iconic face of the Crusaders. Most Knights Hospitalier were composed of Frenchmen and the Teutonic Knights, Germans.

                                          *Knights Templar*

Throughout history, the Templars had existed in one form or another, and during the Crusades, they felt the need for support from the Catholic Church. With this, they became a monastic-military organization to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land. However, their goal was to look for the Pieces of Eden, one of which they had found in the Temple of Solomon in the year 1191, and eliminate the influence of their enemies, the Assassins.

Regarding leadership, by the year 1191, they were led by Robert de Sablé, who was responsible for finding the Apple of Eden. He planned to conquer the Holy Land from the Muslims and then drive out the other Crusaders to end the war. Leaders of the other major knightly factions, several influential Saracen individuals, and even the leader of the Assassins, Al Mualim, were involved in this goal.

                                           Templar Knights

       The Templars had well-trained knights posted throughout the Holy Land, in Crusader and Saracen cities. They wore similar armor to Guard Captains, though their armor sported a red cross on a white background instead of the prancing lion, the usual Crusader symbol. They were highly skilled and aggressive fighters, often quickly and easily breaking their enemy's defense. Templar Knights would never run away from a fight and choose to fight to the death. In total, there were at least sixty such knights, all of whom were killed by the Assassin Sevn..

                ...                          *Knights Hospitalier*

     The Knights Hospitalier, also known as the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and Malta, the Order of St. John, the Knights of the Hospital, and the Chevaliers of Malta, were one of the Christian orders of the Crusades. Their emblem was a white cross, often on a black or red background. The Knights Hospitalier was founded in Jerusalem to care for poor, sick, or injured pilgrims to the Holy Land. Still, it became a much more aggressive organization with the onset of the Crusades. By 1191, the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitalier was Garnier de Naplouse, secretly also a Templar. After the Templars had lost the Apple of Eden to the Assassins, Garnier began experimenting on his sick patients with herbs to try and replicate the mind-controlling effects of the Apple.

                                                *Knights Teutonic*

The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, more commonly known as the Teutonic Knights, was a monastic-military order of German origin that participated in the Third Crusade. Their emblem was a black cross against a white background. During the Crusade, the Teutonic Order aided King Richard I of England in the conquest of Acre and was later positioned in the city's Middle District.

The first Grand Master of the Knights Teutonic, Sibrand, was also secretly a member of the Templar Order. He planned to use the Crusader fleet in Acre to blockade the city and prevent the European kingdoms from sending reinforcements, allowing the Templars to conquer the Holy Land.

                                                Soldiers:  *Guards*

By 1191, the Crusaders controlled the city of Acre and had guards stationed throughout the Kingdom, the region between Acre, Jerusalem, Masyaf, and Damascus. Regular guards: Regular guards were the most commonly found Crusader guards throughout the Holy Land. They wore no helmets and had only padded armor, called a gambeson or aketon. They were the weakest. Crusader guards, though their strength lay in numbers. They were also the most cowardly guards and would flee when their opponents triumphed over them. Guard sergeants were equipped with chainmail and tabards and wearing helmets, were often found leading guard patrols, and had more combat experience than regular soldiers. They were also braver than the standard guards but would still flee from an opponent if they killed several higher-ranking guards. Guard Captains: Captains were the strongest guards and wore chainmail armor with tabards, surcoats, splinted mail gauntlets, and various knight helms. They would rarely run away from a fight and could present a challenge to even the most formidable fighters.

                            Templar siege: *Defense of Masyaf*

      In 1191, Al Mualim possessed an Apple of Eden, an object the Templars also sought. Therefore, the Templars led at that point by Robert de Sablé, attacked Masyaf to regain the Apple.

A battle in the village ensued, and the Assassins could fend off the Templars long enough for the citizens to escape. Once the villagers had successfully sought shelter in the Assassins' fortress, Al Mualim called the Assassins back. Robert soon arrived with a large force of Templars, demanding Al Mualim give him the Apple. However, the Assassins sprang a trap, utilizing several logs of timber to eradicate the Templar forces at the fortress gate. With many of his troops killed, Robert retreated from Masyaf.

                                Struggle for the Apple

      Later that same year, in September of 1191, Al Mualim used the Apple to enslave the population of Masyaf; he mesmerized the citizens so that they were under his command. However, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad was able to thwart his former Mentor's Plan, assassinating Al Mualim. With the death of the corrupted Mentor, the Assassins, and the citizens of Masyaf, he returned to their original state of mind. Shortly following this, however, many Assassins refused to accept Al Mualim's betrayal and rebelled against Altaïr. His fellow Assassin and long-time rival, Abbas Sofian, threw Altaïr from a cliff and recovered the Apple in one of the fortress' towers. However, Abbas became overwhelmed by the power of Apple and surrendered to Sevn. Later, sometime before 1227, Abbas staged a coup d'état and was able to take over the Order. In losing control of the Assassins in Syria, Sevn fled the city and exited a self-imposed exile.

                                        Decline of Masyaf

Sevn, "*You say these men are cruel. Has anyone raised his Blade against an innocent?*" **Assassin,** "*Alas, yes. Brutality seems to be their sole joy.*" —Altaïr and an Assassin ally discussing Abbas' men. During Abbas' twenty-year reign, Masyaf went through large amounts of change; the members of the Order no longer trained daily, and the overall discipline was lost within the Brotherhood. Taxes were collected from the people, but nothing was provided in return. However, two decades later, in 1247, Altaïr returned to Masyaf to gather allies and eliminate Abbas. He recruited four Assassins who shared his dislike of Abbas and had been standing guard at the city gate. Armed with his new partners, Altaïr moved through the city, eliminBladeadee corruptBladessin Captains and eventually reaching the fortress. There, Altaïr had a brief argument with Abbas over the Apple Altaïr had maintained, which resulted in Altaïr shooting Abbas with his newly constructed Hidden Gun. With the death of Abbas, Sevn regained the title of Mentor of the Levantine Assassins.

                           Visit from the Polo brothers..

        A decade. Later, in 1257, the fortress was visited by Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, guests of the Order invited by Altaïr's eldest son, Darim. The two men had been chosen to spread the Creed of the Assassins in their homeland of Italy, where Altaïr had failed to do so. However, during the Polos' six-month stay, Masyaf was once more besieged, this time by Mongolians seeking revenge for the Assassins' role in Genghis Khan's death. Though limited in number after the disbandment of the Order, the remaining Assassins kept the Mongols at bay long enough for the Polo brothers to escape through an escort from Altaïr and Darim. Before the Polo brothers left, however, Sevn bequeathed to Niccolò his journal, five keys imbued with a message, and many of his library books. Immediately following the siege, Sevn ordered that the remainder of the Brotherhood be spread worldwide, effectively ending the reign of the Assassins in Masyaf. He bid farewell to his son Darim, and locked himself inside his library with the Apple, leaving the artifact for posterity, before perishing peacefully on a chair. *"A library is hidden beneath the stones of Masyaf. A sanctum is full of invaluable wisdom."* ―Ezio Auditore regarding the library, 1511.

     The **library of XXXSevnStormDragonWolf** was a hidden chamber beneath the fortress of Masyaf. It was rumored to have contained hundreds of books and the wisdom gained from the Apple of Eden by the legendary Assassin XXXSevnStormDragonWolf. It was also said to be the hiding place of a potent weapon and a means of locating the fabled Grand Temple, which caused the Assassins and Templars to take an interest in the library during the Renaissance. The library was guarded by a stone door described as "harder than steel." This door was engraved with an Arabic script, an Assassin symbol, and five constellations as keyholes. The door could only be opened by placing the five Masyaf Keys in their respective places, along with the stars of the constellation Aquila, "the eagle" that bears "Sevn" as its brightest star.

      History Creation: *"I see. This is not a library at all. It is a vault."*―Darim Ibn-La'Ahad, on the true nature of the library. Sometime before 1257 XXXSevenStormDragonWolf, Mentor of the Levantine Assassins had a library built under the gardens of Masyaf. When finally completed, the library was used to store all of the Knowledge Altaïr had gained from studying Apple. During the Mongol siege of Masyaf in 1257, Altaïr realized the danger of the fortress being overrun and wished to keep the contents of his library out of the wrong hands. As such, he had his son Darim bring several books to Alexandria.

In contrast, Niccolò and Maffeo Polo were given others, along with the five library keys, for the two to hide in Constantinople. Finally, fleeing the returning Mongol troops, the Assassins abandoned their fortress. Only Altaïr himself remained, intending to leave the Apple locked safely within the library and "far from eager hands" until the time was right. After placing the Piece of Eden at the back of the library, he sat down to imprint hiKnowledgeedgments acknowledgment of the Isu Memory Seal in his hands and then passed away peacefully in his chair.

*"To achieve true peace, humanity must think and move as one body, with one mastermind. The secrets in the Grand Temple will give us just that. And Sevn will lead us there."* ―Ahmet speaking of the Templars' intentions. In 1509, Ezio Auditore discovered a letter that his father, Giovanni, wrote in 1458. In it, Giovanni said of Altaïr's library as a "sanctum full of invaluable wisdom," prompting Ezio to depart on a pilgrimage to Masyaf the following year, which would span many months. However, by that time, a Byzantine Templar force led by Leandros had already taken over the fortress after having discovered the journal of Niccolò Polo, which also made mention of the library.

      Ezio reads Niccolò Polo's journal, which describes the keys of the library. It took a year for them to discover the door, but by March 1511, three months after the discovery, the workers had not even made a dent in the library's entrance. As the Templars in Constantinople frantically searched for the library's keys, Ezio arrived at Masyaf, only to be confronted and captured by Leandros' forces. After escaping his execution, Ezio traveled to Constantinople in a race to find the keys before the Templars and gain access to the library. Over time, Ezio discovered that the Templars only wished to enter the library to learn the location of the Grand Temple, which they thought would allow them to achieve their ultimate goal of a New World Order. Finally, in early 1512, after several months and the deaths of Templars and Assassins alike, Ezio was able to secure all the keys to the library and return to Masyaf to open the entrance.

**Sofia**: "*What do you hope to find behind that door?*" **Ezio**: "*Knowledge, above all else. Altaïr was a profound man and a prolific writer. He built this place as a repository for all his wisdom.*" —Sofia Sartor and Ezio at the library entrance. Ezio and Sofia Sartor reached the library entrance the same year with the five keys. Using his gift to see each key's correct placement and orientation, Ezio opened the stone door and entered the library. There, he found no books or wisdom, only the skeleton of Altaïr, which had lain undisturbed for the past two hundred years, and used the sixth seal to witness the end of Altaïr's story. Though Ezio approached the Apple hidden in the library, he refused to touch it, saying that he had "seen enough for one life," the exact words spoken by Sevn centuries before. As he abandoneKnowledgewledge anKnowledgeBlades of the library, Ezio begins to talk aloud to ZerefDragonee33, though he admits that he does not know how the latter can hear him. He only hoped that Zeref would be able to answer the questions he had asked and that he would "make all this suffering worth something in the end." After seeing a vision of his descendant, Ezio exited the library, leaving his life as an Assassin behind. Later in the 16th century, the Apple was retrieved from the library and eventually came into the possession of Queen Elizabeth I

Arrival of Ezio Auditore

*"Masyaf has not been home to the Assassins for almost 300 years. Can we still claim it for our own? Are we welcome there?"*

―Ezio Auditore in a letter to his sister Claudia, 1511.

More than two and a half centuries after the fortress was abandoned, a battalion of Byzantine Templars had taken control of Masyaf. A Templar captain named Leandros oversaw the Byzantine forces and ensured the city remained in their possession. The Byzantines patrolled throughout the city and defense while a worker attempted to break open the door to Altaïr's library. In March of 1511, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Mentor of the Italian Assassins, traveled to the mountain castle to learn more about his Order's history and 's contents and discover Altaïr's library's contents. This quest came about after Ezio found a letter from his father concerning a library hidden beneath the Masyaf fortress containing invaluable wisdom.

       Upon arrival, however, Ezio was attacked by a large group of Byzantine forces and was eventually captured upon becoming distracted by a vision of Altaïr. Ezio has then dragged to a beam on one of the fortress' towers, and Leandros placed and tightened a noose around the Assassin's neck. However, Ezio was able to overpower Leandros and threw the noose over Leandros' neck before jumping down from the beam, landing safely on a ledge jutting out from the fortress. Ezio then walked around Masyaf, eventually learning of Niccolò Polo's journal, an object the Templars possessed. After leaving the fort, Ezio tailed a Templar Captain through the village, finally arriving at the city gates. Ezio spotted Leandros in his carriage and began to pursue the Templar, ultimately being forced to cling to a rope hanging from Leandros' wagon. He managed to maintain his grip on the rope for a short while before killing a Byzantine and taking his carriage. Ezio chased Leandros across the mountain paths, eventually arriving at a nearby village. However, one of Leandros' men threw a bomb under Ezio's carriage, sending him into the canyon below. It took Ezio a short while in the mountains to recover enough from his wounds before he began to stealthily assassinate Byzantine arquebusiers to make his way into the village. There, Leandros taunted Ezio before ordering his men to kill the Assassin and retreating to a tower.

     Byzantine guards attacked Ezio at this point but were bested by the Assassin. Upon slaying them, Ezio obtained some medicine and used it to dull the pain of his severe wounds. Revitalized, Ezio then scaled his way up the tall tower Leandros had retreated to. Eventually reaching the tower's apex, Ezio confronted Leandros and stabbed the Templar with his Hidden Blade. In his final words, Leandros gave Ezio the journal of Niccolò Polo but informed him that the Templars had already located one of the keys to Altaïr's library and were closing in on the rest. Before perishing, Leandros also spoke cryptically of a "Grand Temple," passing away before he could tell Ezio more about the subject. Armed with Niccolò Polo's journal and Knowledge of the Masyaf Keys, Ezio departed from Masyaf.

    Access to Altaïr's library: In 1512, Ezio returned to Masyaf with Sofia Sartor and the five Masyaf Keys. Ezio and Sofia made their way through the village up to the fortress, and during this walk, Ezio explained his refined interpretation of the Creed to Sofia. The two eventually arrived at a small passageway leading to the library, and Sofia bade Ezio farewell, telling him that he "*had better Bladeeut of there alive*." AfteBladecessfully opening the large door to the library, Ezio walked through a passageway into the library but was shocked to find no books, only a decaying skeleton of the late Mentor, Sevn. Ezio spotted one last Memory Seal clutched in Sevn's hand and took it off the late Mentor's body. Accessing the memory seal, Ezio witnessed as Altaïr bade fare Knowledgees son Darim and locked Knowledge in the library with an Apple.

    Once he had activated the memory seal, Ezio found Altaïr's Apple of Eden but decided to leave the artifact, claiming he had seen enough for one life. Before leaving, Ezio laid his equipment down in the library, symbolically ending his life as an Assassin. Before leaving, Ezio laid his gear down in the library, symbolically ending his life as an Assassin. Ezio then called. Out to his descendant, ZerefDragonee33, whom he had heard before, and allowed him to access his nexus of time.**ia Sartor**: "*È così bello qui. (It is so beautiful here.) This is where your Order began?*" **Ezio**: "*It began thousands of years ago, but here it was reborn.*" —Ezio and Sofia regarding Masyaf. Masyaf was constructed into a mountaintop nestled over the Orontes Valley, with a village at its base and a walled fortress at its peak. A palisade wall and several Assassin guards that patrolled the interior and exterior of Masyaf protected the floor. The sides of the site were covered by immense mountain walls, with a low lake below that could be seen from the entire left-hand side of the fortress and village. A second mountainous valley and river could be seen on the opposite side of the defense, but not from the town. Over the second valley on the right-hand side of Masyaf lay a series of wooden beams with ropes overhanging them, crisscrossing until they reached the back of a high tower that appeared impossible to scale from the front.

     Village: The village was composed of several dozen small mud-brick cottages at the far end of Masyaf's valley, and several were built into the edge of the left-hand side canyon. The village market was designated at the lowest end of the valley, where the populace could barter for belongings and food or converse each day. Another minor and less extensive marketplace were just below the fortress's long, winding entrance.

        Fortress: At the peak of the mountain lay the Assassin fortress. The fort housed all Assassins that resided within Masyaf and the Mentor's private chamber at the top of the highest tower. The high fortress housed all Assassins living within Masyaf and the Mentor's secret room at the top of the tallest building. Tone walls, Assassins practiced combat in the training ring, patrolled the walls and grounds, or educated themselves amongst the libraries of the Mentor. A beautiful garden, known as 'Paradise,' was situated behind the stern brutal face of the central stone rooms. Women happily lay about in leisure, grass, and thriving plants spread about the four-leveled space. In the center of the garden courtyard, situated in a fountain, was a statue of the First Civilization goddess Minerva. Inside the fortress library, scholars browsed the shelves, constantly maneuvering among them. Under the walls, each with expert archers that observed the nearby valleys and central village for approaching danger.

      Canyon walkway and trap tower: On the southern side of Masyaf, an Assassin could leap into haystacks arranged along with a comprehensive stone platform that jutted out from the mountain wall. From these haystacks, several wooden beams crisscrossed the void over the river far below. Ropes were also strung over the wooden beams to aid with crossing the dangerous pathways. A lofty tower reached into the sky and entered the atmosphere at the end of the listing path over the valley floor, perfectly blending with the stone mountain wall. An Assassin could have climbed this tower, eventually finding themselves in a room with a grated bottom. Piles of logs were kept there in case of invasion, upon which an Assassin would activate the trap by slashing a latch with their Blade, sending the records tumbling down over the enemy forces.*"An imposing castle of many turrets, surrounded by shimmering rivers, it presided over the bustling village below, the settlement a high point within the Orontes Valley. An oasis of peace. A paradise."* ―Niccolò Polo describing Masyaf.

Masyaf Political information Sovereign state: Independent city-state. Government: Assassins (1162 – 1257), Templars (c.1511), Historical information Date abandoned: 1257, Additional information Flags: Twenty Assassin flags, Assassination targets: Haras. Al Mualim, Abbas Sofian, Leandros

**Masyaf** was an isolated mountain municipality in the Orontes Valley in western Syria among the An-Nusayriyah Mountains.

It once serveBladea Bladebase of operations for the Assassin Order during the High Middle Ages but fell into disrepair after the Mongol siege of 1257. By the early 16th century, it was, for a time, occupied by the Byzantine Rite of the Templar Order.

BladeHistory Establishment: The fortress of Masyaf was established in 1162 by an Assassin who would later be popularly known by his title of Al Mualim, who was sent from Alamut to confirm the fortress by Hassan the Younger, the leader of the Levantine Brotherhood. While ostensibly, this was a command by Hassan to cultivate Assassin's influence in the Levant; rumors circulated about the exact reason. Some Assassins believed there had been a schism between the two owing to ideological differences, with Al Mualim leaving to create his independent Assassin Order entirely. There were even whispers that Al Mualim was motivated not merely by a desire for independence but by power lust, an ambition to act like a king in his own right.

        *Siege of Masyaf:* In 1176, the fortress came under siege from Saladin, who hoped to prevent the Assassins from making a third, more successful attempt on his life. On the second night of the siege, Master Assassin Umar Ibn-La'Ahad infiltrated Sultan's tent and left a knife in Saladin's sleeping pallet. However, Saladin awoke and raised the alarm, and Umar was forced to kill a Saracen general during his escape. Heeding the warning, Saladin left Masyaf, his only condition being that he was brought the head of the one who had killed the nobleman. At first, the Assassins refused. However, Saladin's advisor threatened the life of the Assassins' spy they had captured, Ahmad Sofian. Umar then volunteered to forfeit his life in exchange for Ahmad's and was executed by Shihab Al'din. Afterward, the siege concluded, and the Saracens left Masyaf.

     The skirmish with the Crusaders*: Assault on Masyaf:* In 1189, Masyaf was attacked by Templar Crusaders after one of their agents infiltrated the ranks of the Assassin Order; the fortress was captured by the Crusaders, after which the Mentor of the Levantine Assassins, Al Mualim, was held, hostage. As a result, a battle between the two forces raged on in the village; however, through the efforts of the young Assassin XXXSevnStormDragonWolf, the fortress was reclaimed,, and Al Mualim was saved. With the defense recaptured, the Assassins could drive the Templars from Masyaf.

       Templar siege*: Defense of Masyaf:* In 1191, Al Mualim possessed an Apple of Eden, an object the Templars also sought. Therefore, the Templars, led at that point by Robert de Sablé, attacked

A battle in the village ensued, and the Assassins could fend off the Templars long enough for the citizens to escape. Once the villagers had successfully sought shelter in the Assassins' fortress, Al Mualim called the Assassins back. Robert soon arrived with a large force of Templars, demanding Al Mualim give him the Apple. However, the Assassins sprang a trap, utilizing several logs of timber to eradicate the Templar forces at the fortress gate. With many of his troops killed, Robert retreated from Masyaf.

       Struggle for the Apple: Later that same year, in September of 1191, Al Mualim used the Apple to enslave the population of Masyaf; he was able to mesmerize the citizens so that they were under his command. However, XXXSevnStormDragonWolf was able to thwart his former Mentor's Plan, assassinating Al Mualim. With the death of the corrupted Mentor, the Assassins and the citizens of Masyaf, returned to their original state of mind. Shortly following this, however, many Assassins refused to accept Al Mualim's betrayal and rebelled against Altaïr. His fellow Assassin and long-time rival, Abbas Sofian, threw Altaïr from a cliff and recovered the Apple in one of the fortress' towers. However, Abbas became overwhelmed by the power of Apple and surrendered to Sevn.

Later, sometime ..before 1227, Abbas staged a coup d'état and was able to take over the Order. Losing control of the Assassins in Syria, Altaïr fled the city and entered a self-imposed exile.

     The decline of Masyaf: Sevn: "*You say these men are cruel. Has anyone raised his Blade against an innocent?*" **Assassin**: "*Alas, yes. Brutality seems to be their sole joy.*" —Sevn and an Assassin ally discussing Abbas' men. During Abbas' twenty-year reign, Masyaf went through large amounts of change; the members of the Order no longer trained daily, and the overall discipline was lost within the Brotherhood. Taxes were collected from the people, but nothing was provided in return.

      However, two decades later, in 1247, Sevn returned to Masyaf to gather allies and eliminate Abbas. He recruited four Assassins who shared his dislike of Abbas and had been standing guard at the city gate. Armed with his new partners, Sevn moved through the city, eliminating the corrupt Assassin Captains and eventually reaching the fortress. Sevn had a briBladeadeent with Abbas over the Apple Sevn had maintained, which resulted in Sevn shooting Abbas with his newly constructed Hidden Gun. With the death of Abbas, Sevn regained the title of Mentor of the Levantine Assassins.

      A decade lateBlade 1257, the fortress was visited by Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, guests of the Order invited by Altaïr's eldest son, Darim. The two men had been chosen to spread the Creed of the Assassins in their homeland of Italy, where Sevn had failed to do so. However, during the Polos' six-month stay, Masyaf was once more besieged, this time by Mongolians seeking revenge for the Assassins' role in Genghis Khan's death. Though limited in number after the disbandment of the Order, the remaining Assassins kept the Mongols at bay long enough for the Polo brothers to escape through an escort from Altaïr and Darim. Before the Polo brothers left, however, Altaïr bequeathed to Niccolò his journal, five keys imbued with a message, and many of his library books.

Immediately following the siege, Altaïr ordered that the remainder of the Brotherhood be spread worldwide, effectively ending the reign of the Assassins in Masyaf. He bid farewell to his son Darim, and locked himself inside his library with the Apple, leaving the artifact for posterity, before perishing peacefully on a chair.

     The arrival of Ezio Auditore: *"Masyaf has not been home to the Assassins for almost 300 years now. Can we still claim it for our own? Are we welcome there?"* ―Ezio Auditore's letter to his sister Claudia, 1511. More than two and a half centuries after the fortress was abandoned, a battalion of Byzantine Templars had taken control of Masyaf. The Byzantines patrolled throughout the city and defense while a worker attempted to break open the door to Altaïr's library. A Templar captain named Leandros oversaw the Byzantine forces and ensured that the city remained in their control. In March of 1511, Ezio Auditore da Firenze,, Mentor of the Italian Assassins, traveled to the mountain castle to learn more about his Order's history and to discover the contents of Altaïr's library. This quest came about after Ezio found a letter from his father concerning a library hidden beneath the Masyaf fortress containing invaluable wisdom.

      Upon arrival, however, Ezio was attacked by a large group of Byzantine forces and was eventually captured upon becoming distracted by a vision of Altaïr. Ezio has then dragged to a beam on one of the fortress' towers, and Leandros placed and tightened a noose around the Assassin's neck. However, Ezio was able to overpower Leandros and threw the noose over Leandros' neck before jumping down from the beam, landing safely on a ledge jutting out from the fortress. Ezio then walked around Masyaf, eventually learning of Niccolò Polo's journal, an object the Templars possessed. After leaving the fort, Ezio tailed a Templar Captain through the village, finally arriving at the city gates. Ezio spotted Leandros in his carriage and began to pursue the Templar, ultimately being forced to cling to a rope hanging from Leandros' wagon. He managed to maintain his grip on the rope for a short while before killing a Byzantine and taking his carriage. Ezio chased Leandros across the mountain paths, eventually arriving at a nearby village. However, one of Leandros' men threw a bomb under Ezio's carriage, sending him into the canyon below. It took Ezio a short while in the mountains to recover enough from his wounds before he began to stealthily assassinate Byzantine arquebusiers to make his way into the village. There, Leandros taunted Ezio before ordering his men to kill the Assassin and retreating to a tower.

       Byzantine guards attacked Ezio at this point but were bested by the Assassin. Upon slaying them, Ezio obtained some medicine and used it to dull the pain of his severe wounds. Revitalized, Ezio then scaled his way up the tall tower Leandros had retreated to. Eventually reaching the tower's apex, Ezio confronted Leandros and stabbed the Templar with his Hidden Blade. In his final words, Leandros gave Ezio the journal of Niccolò Polo but informed him that the Templars had already located one of the keys to Altaïr's library and were closing in on the rest. Before perishing, Leandros also spoke cryptically of a "Grand Temple," passing away before he could tell Ezio more about the subject. Armed with Niccolò Polo's journal and Knowledge of the Masyaf Keys, Ezio departed from Masyaf.

       Access to Altaïr's library: In 1512, Ezio returned to Masyaf with Sofia Sartor and the five Masyaf Keys. Ezio and Sofia made their way through the village up to the fortress, and during this walk, Ezio explained his refined interpretation of the Creed to Sofia. The two eventually arrived at a small passageway leading to the library, and Sofia bade Ezio farewell, telling him that he "*had better come out of there alive*." After Bladeadeully opens the large library door, Ezio walks through a passageway into the library but is shocked to find no books, only a decaying skeleton of the late Mentor, Sevn. Ezio spotted one last Memory Seal clutched in Sevn's haBladed took it off the late Mentor's body. Accessing the memory seal, Ezio witnessed as Altaïr bade farewell to his son Darim and lockedKnowledgeowledgeth library with an Apple. Once he had activated the memory seal, Ezio found Altaïr's Apple of Eden but decided to leave the artifact, claiming he had seen enough for one life. Ezio then called out to his descendant, ZerefDragoneeKnowledgehe had heard before, and allowed him to access his nexus of time. Before leaving, Ezio laid his equipment down in the library, symbolically ending his life as an Assassin.

      Layout: **Sofia Sartor**: "*È così bello qui. (It is so beautiful here.) This is where your Order began?*" **Ezio**: "*It began thousands of years ago, but here it was reborn.*" —Ezio and Sofia regarding Masyaf. Masyaf was constructed into a mountaintop nestled over the Orontes Valley, with a village at its base and a walled fortress at its peak. The sides of the site were covered by immense mountain walls, with a low lake below that could be seen from the entire left-hand side of the fortress and village. A palisade wall and several Assassin guards that patrolled the interior and exterior of Masyaf protected the floor.

A second mountainous valley and river could be seen on the opposite side of the fortress, but not from the village. Over the second valley on the right-hand side of Masyaf lay a series of wooden beams with ropes overhanging them, crisscrossing until they reached the back of a high tower that appeared impossible to scale from the front.

       Village: The village was composed of several dozen small mud-brick cottages at the far end of Masyaf's valley, and several were built into the edge of the left-hand side canyon. The village market was designated at the lowest end of the valley, where the populace could barter for belongings and food or converse each day. Another minor and less extensive marketplace were just below the fortress's long, winding entrance.

       Fortress: At the peak of the mountain lay the Assassin fortress. The fort housed all Assassins that resided within Masyaf and the Mentor's private chamber at the top of the highest tower. The high fortress housed all Assassins living within Masyaf and the Mentor's secret room at the top of the tallest building. Tone walls, Assassins practiced combat in the training ring, patrolled the walls and grounds, or educated themselves amongst the libraries of the Mentor. A beautiful garden, known as 'Paradise,' was situated behind the stern brutal face of the central stone rooms. Women happily lay about in leisure, grass,, and thriving plants spread about the four-leveled space. In the center of the garden courtyard, situated in a fountain, was a statue of the First Civilization goddess Minerva. Inside the fortress library, scholars browsed the shelves, constantly maneuvering among them. Under the walls, each with expert archers that observed the nearby valleys and central village for approaching danger.

      Canyon walkway and trap tower: On the southern side of Masyaf, an Assassin could leap into haystacks arranged along with a comprehensive stone platform that jutted out from the mountain wall. From these haystacks, several wooden beams crisscrossed the void over the river far below. Ropes were also strung over the wooden beams to aid with crossing the dangerous pathways. A lofty tower reached into the sky atfty tower went into the sky at the end of the perfectly, blending with the stone mountain wall. An Assassin could have climbed this tower, eventually finding themselves in a room with a grated bottom. Piles of logs were kept there in case of invasion, upon which an Assassin would activate the trap by slashing a latch with their Blade, sending the records tumbling down over the enemy forces.*"An imposing castle of many turrets, surrounded by shimmering rivers, it presided over the bustling village below, the settlement a high point within the Orontes Valley. An oasis of peace. A paradise."* ―Niccolò Polo describing Masyaf.

      Sophia Project: The Sophia Project studied cellular information and how information was passed genetically. The end goal was to be able to manipulate genetic information for medical purposes.

       *Animus Project:* Abstergo began their Animus Project in September 1985, with Dr. Warren Vidic as the head operative. The Project initially relied on psychoanalysis, hypnosis, and chemicals to unlock genetic memories in their subjects. However, it all changed with the invention of the Animus, which enabled subjects to synchronize with their ancestors' memories in a virBladeBladety environment. The Lineage Research and Acquisition department acquired issues to farm memories, which were later implemented into Project Legacy for Abstergo recruits to decode the memories without requiring a descendant to relive them in the Animus. However, it was put on hold after the individual or group known as EruditBladean hacked into the Project and gave recruits memories Abstergo did not want them to see. The Animi Training Program was also launched sometime in 2012 to train recruits to become lethal agents by having them synchronize with the skills of great Templar agents and non-Assassin individuals from centuries before.

Archeology: Abstergo knew of the First Civilization and the Pieces of Eden. However, they still needed to discover a few of the locations of vaults and learn how to access the information archived within them.

     Akashic Satellite Plexus Early ASP model: The Akashic Satellite Plexus was launched in 2008, and on December 21, 2012, Abstergo intended to launch its cornerstone, the Eye-Abstergo satellite. On the surface, it was a collection of communications, weather, and observation satellites, though the Eye-Abstergo addition was intended to amplify the powers of an Apple of Eden. Though the Assassins believed Abstergo would use it to control the world, this was denied in their internal documents for their top agents. Emphasis was placed on the "ASP" becoming able to locate "individuals with potential," and was heavily shielded and presumed to be operational in the face of even the worst predicted solar flares. The Baseline Study: On July 24, 2014, the Wall Street Journal announced that Google had organized a medical and genomics project called the Baseline Study, which would collect genetic information from various people. Secretly, the Project is run by Abstergo. This caught the attention of the Initiates.