Temple (Isu)

For the medieval Templar headquarters, see Temple (Paris).

"We built vaults within which to work, each dedicated to a different method of salvation. They were placed underground to avoid the war which raged above, and also as a precaution, should we fail in our efforts."

―Jupiter.^[src]

Retrieval 13 — The Temple of Juno in 2012

Temples, also referred to as Vaults, were underground locations constructed by the First Civilization. A number of these were built in an attempt to discover a way to protect the Earth from the First Disaster, as well as any recurrence.

These Temples were dotted across the globe. There was a disproportionately high number of Temples in the area of Rome, Italy, while the Grand Temple was located in upstate New York, in the United States.

History

Creation

"Built by those who knew to turn away from war. They worked to protect us – to save us from the fire. If you can find them... If their work can be saved... so too might this world."

―Minerva to Desmond Miles.^[src]

AC2 Hologram 2 — The Temples in Minerva's projections

The Temples were built by members of the First Civilization who avoided the war raging between humans and their own kind. They functioned as a way to preserve the world and its people.^[1]

The Temples were established underground, as a way both to protect them from the battle present on the surface, and as a precaution should they fail to avert the coming catastrophe.^[2]

First Disaster

"Six we tried in succession, each more encouraging than the last. But none worked. And then the world ended..."

―Jupiter.^[src]

Each Temple researched a different way to prevent the disaster, and the findings were transmitted to the Grand Temple, located underneath a First Civilization municipality in modern New York. From there, three members of the First Civilization - Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva - sorted the solutions most likely to succeed.^[2]

They tested six possible solutions in succession, with each being more promising than the last. However, all six solutions ultimately failed, and before any further solutions could be tested, a catastrophe decimated the planet, nearly wiping out the entire First Civilization.^[2]

Modern times

"You must go there. To the place where we labored... labored and lost. Take my words. Pass them from your head into your hands. That is how you will open the way."

―Jupiter to Desmond Miles.^[src]

Mass Exodus 7 v — Ezio within the Vatican Vault

In 2012, Minerva spoke to Desmond Miles, who relived the genetic memories of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, through a machine known as the Animus. When Ezio accessed a vault under the Sistine Chapel in 1499, Minerva told Desmond about the war that had wiped out all of her kind, and its impending repeat. She also briefly told Desmond about the history of the Temples, before telling him to guard against "the cross."^[1]

Several weeks later, on 10 October 2012, Desmond and his team of fellow modern-day Assassins drove to a vault located beneath the Colosseum in Rome. There, Juno spoke to Desmond as he free-ran around the vault, attempting to access the pedestal at its center.^[2]

Juno informed Desmond about the history behind confrontations between humans and the First Civilization, and soon after, once Desmond had activated an Apple of Eden on the pedestal, Juno reappeared and forced Desmond to stab his fellow Assassin, Lucy Stillman. After impaling Lucy in the abdomen with his Hidden Blade, Desmond fell unconscious, with his subconscious splintered.^[2]

ACIII-Templecamp 1 — Desmond and the other Assassins inside the Grand Temple

After Desmond accessed Ezio's nexus of time from 1512, another member of the First Civilization, Jupiter, spoke to Desmond. Jupiter informed Desmond about the catastrophe that had previously occurred, and also explained the Temples in further detail. Lastly, Jupiter told Desmond that he needed to go to the Grand Temple in order to stop the impending cataclysm, though he also admitted that he was unsure as to whether the Temples could successfully prevent the disaster.^[2]

Seismic Temples

In addition to the temples created to research potential solutions to the impending solar flare, there was also a series of other hidden chambers located around the world, each one containing a unique Piece of Eden suspended above a pedestal. A vast, interconnected network, these temples were believed to be responsible for stabilizing the world's crust.^[3]

When removed, these Pieces triggered a violent seismic reaction capable of starting earthquakes, creating tsunamis, and destroying cities. On two events - once in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1751, caused when the Assassin Vendredi sent by François Mackandal entered a temple below the city, and again in 1755, when Shay Cormac removed a Piece from its place below the Carmo Convent in Lisbon, Portugal - these temples triggered devastating earthquakes that killed thousands and left thousands more without homes.^[3]

Although the Assassins did not know about the connection between the removal of the Pieces and the chaos of the earthquakes, Shay Cormac was so deeply affected by his experience in Portugal that he went so far as to betray the Order to ensure that such destruction would never happen again.^[3]

Ultimately, the Assassins' search for another seismic temple led them to a third site hidden within a large cavern in the Arctic. As Shay and Haytham Kenway confronted Achilles Davenport and Liam O'Brien at the pedestal, Liam triggered yet another earthquake, causing the cavern to collapse and the icebergs around it to crumble. However, unlike the two previous earthquakes, there were no reported casualties, due to the temple's remote location.^[3]