Nothing is true. Everything is permitted. Except going too far over my word count. Welcome back, lore seekers! Today we're going to be looking at the Assassin's Creed Universes Beyond set. I adore this series, and got to write for this set! So let's talk about it. This article is full of spoilers for old games, be warned!

What is Assassin's Creed?

Assassin's Creed Key Art by Jason Rainville

Assassin's Creed is a historical sci-fi series about a centuries-long struggle between the Hidden Ones, or Brotherhood of Assassins, and the Templar Order (who seek authoritarian control). Each game features a conflict centered around the near-mythical remnants of the First Civilization, a culture of people who were like gods to humanity, and created us as their servants. Many human god myths are derived from these beings, called the Isu. Most games have a modern day from story that sets the stage for the conflict in the past, through the use of The Animus, which reads ancestral memory in the user's genetic code. The historical characters you play as are as viewed by someone in the present in the Animus, hence the digital elements. The original games were a stealth series, while later games have become more of an action RPG.

Below is a brief synopsis of each game, along with the cards from the set represented by that game.

Assassin's Creed

Setting: 12th Century Holy Land (Modern Day Israel)

Key Art by Alex Dos Diaz

The main character of the original Assassin's Creed is Altair Ibn-La'Ahad, an arrogant and callous assassin whose breaking of the code results in him being bumped down to the lowest rank. The mentor of the Levantine Brotherhood, Al Mualim, allows him to earn his way back by carrying out targeted assassinations against a conspiracy of Templar Knights in the holy land.

He uses various strategies, like shown in Become Anonymous to infiltrate and find his targets, or by freerunning across the city like shown in Rooftop Bypass. Climbing up to a Towering Viewpoint will synchronize more of the map, while dying, losing a mission, or killing civilians will result in a Desynchronization.

That's because you're not really playing as Altair, but as the bartender Desmond Miles in the modern day. Desmond has been kidnapped by Abstergo Industries - the modern corporate wing of the Templars, in order to help them find the Apple of Eden, Isu Relic. Desmond is forced to use The Animus to view the memories of Altair, his ancestor.

Back in the past, as Altair finishes off the last of the Templar leaders, he learns there was one more member left of their conspiracy... his mentor, who has used the deaths of his co-conspirators to claim the Apple of Eden, Isu Relic for himself. He uses it to begin mind controlling the Brotherhood at Masyaf, the Assassin's fortress, as shown in Propaganda. Altair is forced to kill Al Mualim (Mortify) and becomes the Mentor himself, now wiser from his journey.

Back in the present, Desmond begins experiencing the Bleeding Effect, gaining the sixth sense known as Eagle Vision from having spent so much time in the Animus.

The Ezio Trilogy: II, Brotherhood, Revelations

Setting: 15th Century Italy, 16th Century Constantinople (Modern Day Istanbul, Turkey)

Ezio, Brash Novice by Elizabeth Peiro

Ezio Auditore da Firenze is one of the most popular Assassin's Creed protagonists of all time. The Revelations of Ezio follows his journey through what is known as the Ezio Trilogy. As a young man, Ezio, Brash Novice's father and brothers are swept up by a Templar conspiracy and hung (the top of the saga's image). Ezio discovers his family's Assassin legacy, the Hidden Blade, and Brotherhood Regalia. He plans revenge against the Borgia family, who were the leaders of the Italian Templars.

When he retreats to his family's ancestral home (Brotherhood Headquarters), he meets his uncle that he hasn't seen in years (Brotherhood Patriarch), and learns more about his family's past. Also, yes, that is a real quote from the games by Mario.

Ezio, Blade of Vengeance takes down the Templars and their allies one by one (Auditore Ambush), including Rodrigo Borgia's son Cesare (Fatal Push). With the help of Leonardo da Vinci's flying machine, he's able to soar over the Palazzo Archers and reach a heavily fortified location. He also enlists local thieves to Distract the Guards on his behalf. Black Market Connections is also from two.

To his targets, he often says to Rest in Peace (in italian), but it evolves over time from a spiteful last word to something more genuine, as he becomes seasoned and views his path not of vengeance but of duty. He also hops into the trademark Haystacks used to cushion a landing from a large fall in a leap of faith.

Meanwhile, Rodgrigo Borgia becomes the Pope, and his plan is revealed to be to acquire the papal staff (Staff of Eden, Vault's Key), an Isu artifact meant to open a vault beneath the vatican. Ezio fights the pope and wins, gaining the Staff and combining it with his Apple of Eden to open the way into the vault. Inside he's given a vision of one of the Isu, Minerva (Temporal Trespass) and we start to learn what's really happening as Minerva speaks directly to Desmond, through Ezio in the Animus.

All of this happens through Desmond in the Animus after being broken out of Abstergo by the Assassins, including Shaun & Rebecca, Agents, who are the most recurring modern day characters in the franchise. Shaun is a historian with dry british wit and Rebecca is the group's hacker. Neither are fighters, and Desmond takes over that role after gaining skill through the Bleeding Effect.

The Fall of the First Civilization killed all the Isu, and a similar calamity awaits humanity if Desmond doesn't act. Minerva used her technology to view all possible futures and nudge humanity toward the one that will allow them to survive, but not all of The Capitoline Triad feels the same. Jupiter is largely neutral on humanity, but Juno is outright hostile. Humanity was created by the Isu as a servant species in their image, and she's not happy when inherit the Earth.

Royal Assassin by Wei Guan

Hitting Brotherhood and Revelations faster, Assassin Initiate show Ezio rebuilding the Italian Brotherhood, while Merciless Harlequin is one of the multiplayer characters from that game. Then, in Revelations we follow and older Ezio, depicted in one of the Royal Assassin arts as he explores Constantinople in search of a lost path of Altair. He gets a Hookblade, has base defense missions (Assassin Den) and teams up with Yusuf Tazim (Hookblade Veteran) of the local brotherhood chapter, before finding the key to what he's searching for in the Submerged Boneyard, which eventually leads him to Altair resting place and the Apple of Eden from the first game.

Assassin's Creed III

Setting: Late 18th Century Revolutionary American North-East

Ratonhnhake:ton by Andreia Ugrai

Desmond and pals head to the USA to find the Grand Temple, where Desmond might be able to stop the coming catastrophe. He witnesses events through the eyes of Ratonhnhake:ton, a young mohawk man that is also the son of Haytham Kenway, the leader of the American Templars. Ratonhnhake:ton takes the name Connor, after his mentor (Achilles Davenport's) late son, so you may also see him referred to as Connor Kenway. This game takes place during and around the American Revolution, and follows Ratonhnhake:ton and Haytham's tumultuous relationship, ending with Haythem's death (Go for the Throat). The Tax Collector and Restart Sequence are both art references to this game.

Finding the clues to the Grand Temple, Desmond enters and learns What Must Be Done. Juno has ensured the only way to save the planet is by setting her free, and Desmond chooses to do that. It's not quite the end for him yet, as you'll see when we get to Valhalla.

Assassin's Creed III: Liberation

Setting: Late 18th Century French Louisiana

After ACIII, the story lacked a central protagonist in the modern day story for a while. The conceit changed to either being someone unwittingly being part of an Abstergo project and being communicated with by hackers through the Animus, or being a game developer for Abstergo Entertainment in Black Flag.

Aveline de Grandpre was an Assassin raised by a Templar, and her biracial heritage and the parallels between her Assassin and Templar heritage are no accident. The game was originally only for the PSP, but had a great look at race in America. The card Eagle Vision features Aveline. Aveline also met Ratonhnhake:ton, they're contemporaries in the late 18th century.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Setting: Early 18th Century Caribbean

Ballad of the Black Flag was a big step forward for the franchise, adding ship combat to the game's stealth and swordplay roots. While the modern story was minimal (and left with a cliffhanger resolved later in a comic book), you play a developer at Abstergo Entertainment who stumbles into realizing there's more going on at Abstergo than you'd think.

You play as Edward Kenway, a pirate who takes a dead Assassin's gear. Adewale, Breaker of Chains is your First Mate aboard the Jackdaw, Edward's ship. As the game progresses, you slowly begin working with the Assassins (like Mary Read and Anne Bonny), at first in search of treasure (Coastal Piracy), but later because you've come around on it being the right thing to do. Hired Blade and Tranquilize feature art of this time period.

Eventually Edward gets embroiled in a conflict with Bartholomew Roberts, a sage (or someone who is a partial reincarnation of the Isu Aita, Juno's husband) over the Crystal Skull, Isu Spyglass and an ancient Isu Observatory, which offers unparalleled surveillance power of anyone, anywhere, so long as you have a drop of their blood. Edward defeats Roberts (Assassin's Trophy) and hides the location of the Observatory.

Rogue

Setting: Mid-18th Century Northeastern Colonial America

Released on last-gen consoles more-or-less alongside Black Flag, Rogue follows Assassin Turncoat Shay Cormac in the time period between Black Flag and Assassin's Creed III and connecting a lot of the characters. Shay was a member of Achilles Davenport's chapter of the Brotherhood, who turns traitor after a mission results in a catastrophe in Madrid, killing thousands. He wipes out Achilles' chapter (all except for Achilles himself, leading into Assassin's Creed III), aligns himself with Haytham Kenway, and kills Adewale. What a jerk.

Syndicate

Setting: Late 19th Century London, England

Syndicate stars the twin assassins Jacob Frye and Evie Frye in Victorian London, navigating gang politics and Templar plots over the Shroud of Eden. The twins are the children of Ethan Frye, but they have very different styles and conflict regularly. Evie is more of a traditionalist, seeking to Escape Detection, where Jacob's forms of Murder are louder and more theatrical. Being set in the 19th century means a higher tech version of the Assassin Gauntlet is used here, and sort-of like da Vinci with Ezio, the twins have a Loyal Inventor in the form of Alexander Graham Bell. Rounding out the cast is the Brotherhood Spy Jayadeep Mir, also known as Sir Henry Green. The twins succeeded and are awarded the Order of the Sacred Garter by Queen Victoria herself, but part ways. Evie falls in love with Jayadeep and they move to India, while Jacob stays in England. Lydia Frye, granddaughter of Jacob, is an Assassin during the Great War, and you glitch into a few hours from her life during the game.

I'd also like to call out Chain Assassination, which has a quote in honor of my best friend Craig, who brings a shotgun to a stealth mission. He is technically not wrong.

Unity

Setting: Late 18th Century France

Poison-Blade Mentor by Xabi Gaztelua

Unity follows French Assassin Arno Dorian during the French Revolution. Arno's father is assassinated by Shay Cormac in 1776, leading Arno to be raised by the grandmaster of the French Templars, and falling in love with the grandmaster's daughter. This obviously leads to complicated feelings about the Assassin/Templar conflict, addressing them in a way that hadn't been seen since Liberation. When the man that raised him is himself killed by a Sage, another incarnation of Aita who rises to Grand Master himself, Arno must navigate the revolution, his own complicated feelings, and alcoholism to finally stop the Sage - killing his love by accident in the process. Ultimately Arno realizes the Creed, "Nothing is true, Everything is permitted" is not permission but a warning: you are the only person responsible for your actions.

The cards Hemlock Vial, Phantom Blade, Poison-Blade Mentor, and Cover of Darkness all reference this game. Petty Larceny is especially fun because pickpocketing was absent from Unity, so NOW Arno gets to do what most of his predecessors could.

Chronicles - China

Setting: Early 16th Century China

Shao Jun by Steve Stark

Shao Jun is a Chinese Assassin who travels west and meets Ezio Auditore before his death. She is gifted a box which contained a map of Isu sites around the world, but loses it to the Templar (it passes hands a bunch through history). She's notable for revolutionizing some Assassin techniques, including incorporating a Hidden Footblade to pair with her fighting style. Her game follows her path dismantling the Chinese Templars and rebuilding the Brotherhood there.

Chronicles - India

Setting: Mid 18th Century India

Arbaaz Mir is an Indian Assassin and father of Jayadeep Mir, as well as long time friend of Ethan Frye. He is as much a lover as a fighter, and marries the princess of the Sikh Empire, Pyara Kaur. His game follows the pursuit of the Koh-I-Noor, a very famous diamond, as it is pillaged from India and used to open an Isu sight. Smoke Bomb also depicts Arbaaz.

Origins

Setting: 1st Century BCE, Ptolemaic Egypt

Origins was the beginning of a revamp for the Assassin's Creed Franchise, moving from a Stealth Action franchise to an action RPG. It also introduced our first true new modern day protagonist in Layla Hassan, a former Abstergo employee who invented a new kind of Animus that didn't require the user to be related to the DNA being examined in order to Reconstruct History .

The story follows the Origin of the Hidden Ones, the group that would go on to become known as the Assassins. Bayek of Siwa and Aya of Alexandria are parents whose son is killed by a group they learn is called the Order of Ancients who were searching for an Isu vault beneath his hometown. Bayek is accompanied on his journey by his trained eagle Senu, Keen-Eyed Protector (and each subsequent game would feature a bird companion).

Their path would become entwined with Cleopatra, Exiled Pharaoh, they would be betrayed, and eventually this betrayal would lead to the assassination of Julius Caesar (Terminate). After avenging their son (Cathartic Reunion), they part ways, with Aya taking the name Amunet, Tyrants' End and forming the Roman Hidden Ones, while Bayek remained in Egypt as the Bureau Headmaster of the Egyptian Hidden Ones.

Detained by Legionnaires and Reconnaissance feature this game, and Headsplitter is one of the weapons you can acquire. Overpowering Attack is a reference to one of your in-game abilities, and Sword of Feast and Famine is Viper's Tooth, another in-game weapon.

Odyssey

Setting: 5th Century BCE, Greece

Misthios's Fury by Allen Morris

Odyssey turns back the clock even further to the story of Kassandra, Eagle Bearer, a Spartan mercenary (or misthios) who is the granddaughter of Leonidas and inherits The Spear of Leonidas, a powerful Isu weapon that gives her almost supernatural powers (Misthios's Fury). She is exiled as a young girl (Path to Exile) for trying to save her baby brother from execution at the hands of the Cult of Kosmos (Conspiracy). Her brother, Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos is raised as the cult's personal killer. Through the game you are reunited with your family and depending on your actions and choices you can save all of them or get them all killed.

The game takes you across the breadth of Greece and the mediterranean aboard the Adrestia, Kassandra's ship. You even make friends with Sokrates, Athenian Teacher, who is as often as helpful as he is infuriating.

Kassandra's biological father is Pythagoras (yes, that one), a man with some Isu dna, who met the last (known) living Isu, Hermes Trismegistus, who passed along Caduceus, Staff of Hermes. This staff kept Pythagoras alive longer than otherwise would be possible, until he passed it on to his daughter. The staff would keep Kassandra alive until the modern day, where she passed it on to Layla Hassan.

Kassandra also had a relationship with the son of Darius, the Royal Assassin who killed Xerxes I with the first Hidden Blade. Daruis would flee Greece to Egypt with Kassandra's child to protect them. Aya of Alexandria is revealed to be Kassandra's descendant by this line.

This trilogy of games present some mythical elements (besides the Isu as gods), like the Labyrinth Adversary. This is explained in part as Isu experiments on humans (each monster drops an apple of eden-like artifact when killed, and they revert back to humans), and in part by this simply being how humans conceptualized the technology they were seeing.

Escarpment Fortress, Stone Quarry, Spartan Veteran, Viewpoint Synchronization are also glimpses from this game. Sword of Light and Shadow is the Sword of Damocles from the game.

Valhalla

Setting: Late 9th Century England

Havi, the All-Father by Daniel Correia

Valhalla jumps forward to the viking invasions of 9th century England. You play as Eivor, Wolf-Kissed, adoptive sister of Sigurd, Jarl of Ravensthorpe, as you both sail for England to build a settlement and a new life. Unknown to Eivor, she's a sage like Aita, a vessel for

Havi, the All-Father (aka Odin) to return. The aesir were an Isu civilization that were rivals of The Capitoline Triad, and in Havi's side of the story, Eivor sees them as Ice Giants. Surtr, Fiery Jotun is another rival Isu, from the Dawn of Ragnarok DLC. Havi steals technology from the Ice Giants and uses it so that the Eisir can be reborn one day through their supercomputer, Yggdrasil, Rebirth Engine. These are the events of The Aesir Escape Valhalla.

However, Eivor is attacked by wolves as a youth (hence the moniker) and it leaves her scarred and with some slight brain damage that appears to keep Havi from manifesting fully in Eivor's consciousness. Instead he appears to her as a vision, trying to guide her his way.

Eivor is accompanied by her Keen-Eyed Raven, and is a fierce warrior (Battlefield Improvisation), going on Monastery Raid to improve her village (with a lot of characters like the Settlement Blacksmith). The Hidden One Basim Ibn Ishaq, a friend of Sigurd, sets up in their village as well, embroiling her in the conflict between the Hidden Ones and the Order of Ancients.

The big twists of the game are that Sigurd is the sage of Tyr and Basim the sage of Loki, who has been manipulating events in order to bring back his love Aletheia and their children. Loki is left at Yggdrasil until Layla herself arrives and connects to the machine, which is depicted in the full art, alongside an apparition that is very clearly Desmond, who has similarly been uploaded into the Isu network. Basim leaves with the staff of hermes and is now free in the modern day, but tentatively allied with the Assassins. Oh, and the king you befriend throughout the game turns out to be the leader of the Order of Ancients, who is dismantling it to build something better: the Templar Order. It's all a lot, but you only get there after a very long game mostly about viking politics.

Many of the Equipment in the set come from this game, including a Hunter's Bow, Raven Clan War-Axe (The fully upgraded version of Eivor's father's axe), and the Isu weapons Mjolnir, Storm Hammer and Excalibur, Sword of Eden. The version of The Animus depicted in the art is from this game.

Mirage

Setting: Mid 9th Century Baghdad, Abbisidian Caliphate

Basim, Master Assassin by Zezhou Chen

Mirage started out as DLC for Valhalla before morphing into its own stand-alone game. It follows a young Basim Ibn Ishaq during and after his training by Roshan, Hidden Magister. In it, Basim pursues the truth about himself that leads him to merging with Loki in his mind. Brotherhood Ambushers is also from this game, or specifically the trailer for the game.

The Basic Lands of Assassin's Creed

Before I finish out, I wanted to point out where each land comes from:

• Plains: Thebes from AC: Origins, and a city from Assassin's Creed (1)
• Island: A port from ACIV: Black Flag, Samos from AC: Odyssey
• Swamp: London from AC: Syndicate, Louisiana Bayound from ACIII: Liberation
• Mountain: Alamut from Assassin's Creed (1), A landscape from Chronicles: China
• Forest: Woods from AC: Valhalla, a colonial estate from Assassin's Creed III

In any case, I love these games and I hope you enjoy the set as much as I did working on the creative text!