Dear Consumer,
You have been chosen by Abstergo Entertainment to assist in the testing and improvement of a new version of the Animus gaming console. This product has not been officially released and you are expected to keep any and all information you receive private. If you are interested come to the Abstergo Entertainment main office in Manhattan New York on Sunday April 14th at 10 am. ((It's a lie, don't believe a word. They are using you to try and find a very important artifact! it is of the utmost importance that you DO NOT help them, we are begging you, this could end us all. Any information you uncover email it to us right away at Erudito@hushmail.com))
Sincerely, Abstergo Entertainment
Welcome to the Animus.The message is splashed across the white wall in front of you and as you look around you see that you are in a small, plain white room, the loading area for the Animus game system, the latest entertainment device from Abstergo. You wait patiently for the game to load so you can play it with your friends until finally the walls fall away from you and your vision is filled by the words:
Cairo, Egypt: 750 B.C.You see a man, kneeling on the floor before another, much older man seated on a mountain of colourful pillows. The scene seems to be frozen for a moment before things start to move before your eyes, replaying a scene plucked right out of history.
"But Mentor, our numbers dwindle, every day the Pharaoh sees more and more of our ranks killed," Haraqa pleads to his Mentor, the leader of the order of assassins, "We must begin recruiting, the ancient ways are dead, our children are not enough to combat this, we need more assistance and we have not the resources for it to come from within."
"Haraqa," the Mentor says as he shakes his head and sighs at his dear friend kneeling before him, "I may be an old man but I am still the Mentor and I will not let our laws be trampled upon because of circumstance, no matter how dire, I am sorry."
"No, Mentor, I am sorry." Haraqa says as he stands and draws his scimitar from the loop of his belt and approaches the old man. The Mentor says nothing, he does not shed a tear or plead for his life or even call for his guards waiting outside the door, he does not even look surprised or disappointed, instead he looks... proud? Haraqa stops, he is within striking range of his Mentor but he does not strike. "Mentor, why do you smile at me when I am about to end your life?"
The Mentor just smiles and shakes his head, "You are doing what you think is best for our people, just as I had hoped you would, you will make an excellent Mentor."
Haraqa nods and without hesitation plunges his blade into his oldest friend's heart. He does not shed a single tear for the death of his friend, for he knows that both the old man and the gods themselves willed his death for the betterment of the order. Haraqa emerges from the Mentor's chambers with blood still on his blade and announces to the guards and his fellow assassins that the Mentor is dead.
Your vision fades to black and again it is filled by words.
Cairo, Egypt: 735 B.C.This time, when the screen comes back you see the same room, this time the man that killed his Mentor is seated on the mountain of pillows looking much older. It is two years after the death of his closest friend and mentor and Haraqa sits in his chambers, now Mentor of the order of assassins it is his job to train the children of his brothers and sisters to be assassins and ensure that they receive thee guidance they need to serve the order well. Things are different now though.
Under Mentor Haraqa the assassins have begun recruiting from all classes of society, from the nobles of Cairo to the slums and slaves of Egypt, they have even done away with their isolationist ways and begun accepting recruits from both the east and west, from Asia and the Roman empire alike. Before Haraqa now kneel the most promising recruits who have proven themselves to be worthy and capable warriors, their heads bowed and eyes averted, as is the custom for new recruits.
"Rise off your knees my brothers and sisters for you are no longer recruits," Haraqa says with a smile. "You are now my apprentices, on your way to achieving the title of assassin and worthy of these gifts that I offer." Haraqa claps his hands and several fully garbed assassins emerge from the room behind the Mentor's chamber carrying the robes and weapons of their newest brothers.
When the screen again fades to black you hear a man's voice echoing in your mind, monologuing in an attempt to give you a brief description of the world around you. As you listen he tells you of the world as it was thousands of years ago.
"The Libyans, come from the west into Egypt's lands, have shattered a once powerful empire, fracturing the political unity of the nation and with the Libyans came the Nobility (they're called this because the crusades haven't happened yet so there are no Templars) a group of powerful men and women who seek to control the once great land of Egypt and use this land's riches to further their control of the lands to the west. The Pharaoh, naive and innocent as he is, believes that the Nobility have come to help the Egyptians reunite under him and bring Egypt back to its former glory. He has been sending bands of raiders after the assassins' hideouts and headquarters, killing them en masse because he believes they are the dissidents that seek to further fracture Egypt's unity when the opposite is indeed true, all the order in Egypt wants is to rid this great land of the Nobility and reunite their people under their Pharaoh.
"The old Mentor, a man who refused to seek recruits and instead stuck by the old laws, only allowing those born or married into the order to become assassins, has died and been replaced by a man willing to recruit from outside. He has brought us all forth from the houses of the nobility and the slums and the distant lands alike to join him in his quest to rid Egypt of those who would abuse its people and use its riches for their own twisted purpose."
The Egyptian Order of Assassins is the group of assassins that watch over the land of Egypt. Before Haraqa took over they stuck by the old ways strictly and without fail, never once allowing an outsider into their ranks unless they married into the Order. Now, though, things are a bit different.
The Egyptian Order still abides by all of the old laws except for those forbidding outsiders entry into their ranks, these laws have been modified by Haraqa.
The new laws, written by Haraqa to allow outsiders into the ranks of the Order, state that outsiders over the age of 16 will be allowed into the Order and will be trained in their ways. Unlike born recruits, who must be skilled in all the Order's ways before advancing (which takes, on average, ten years) outsiders must only be skilled in three (which takes about 5 years) before advancing. The law does state, however, that because of an outsider's lack of skill in all of the ways of the Order they will not be allowed to advance to the level of Master or Mentor, the two highest levels of the Order, and will instead remain footsoldiers until such a time that they have proven their skill in all of the Order's ways.
There are five ranks in the Egyptian Order, unlike other orders which have up to a dozen, to make things simple. These five ranks are:
- Recruit: The youngest, least skilled of the assassins. They are trained by the Masters who are overseen by the Mentor.
- Apprentice: Once a recruit advances they become an Apprentice, who are given missions by the Masters who trained them, they are now overseen personally by the Mentor, who will not train them but will observe their training and decide when it is time for someone to advance. When they go on missions they are always escorted by an Assassin, who will not participate (unless required) but will observe the mission and relay details back to the Mentor.
- Assassin: Once an Apprentice shows enough skill and advances they become full-fledged assassins who are, like Apprentices, given missions by the Masters, though these missions are marginally harder and more crucial. They are often escorted by a Master who will fulfil the same duties as the Assassins when on a mission with a group of Apprentices.
- Master: After an assassin is deemed by the Mentor to be of sufficient skill they are given the rank of Master, their duty becomes to train the recruits, give missions to both the Apprentices and Assassins, and go on the most important missions that cannot be failed. When not training Recruits or on missions they will often go on missions with Assassins and perform the same duties as the Assassins when escorting Apprentices, indicating to the Mentor when it is time for an Assassin to advance.
- Mentor: The leader of the Egyptian Order, the Mentor gives orders and missions to the Masters and oversees all the Order's operations, even going so far as to change a Master's orders because he thinks that things must be done a different way. The Mentor will rarely go with his followers on missions unless he thinks it is of the utmost importance and that he must oversee it personally. Often, Mentors are too elderly to go on even the most important missions and will choose a Master to serve as their right hand, though this is not an official rank these people are regarded with the utmost respect by their fellow Assassins. It is not uncommon for a Mentor who's mind is failing him or is unwilling to make the proper calls to be killed by his right hand, who will then take his place.
Enhanced Abilities
Balance: You have an enhanced equilibrium, this allows you to maintain perfect balance at all times.
Stamina: You have enhanced stamina allowing you to run, climb and fight for extended periods without tiring.
Intelligence: You have enhanced intelligence, you are naturally far smarter than the average man.
Coordination: You have enhanced hand-eye coordination, you are more skilled at swordplay and delicate tasks.
Charisma: You have quite a way with words, you can convince people to do or tell you things they wouldn't normally.
Strength: You have always been very strong, you can perform feats of strength that would astound anyone
Silent Steps: You are naturally light-footed, you can sneak around without startling the shyest mouse.
senses: All five of your sense are enhanced, you can see, hear, smell, taste and feel things others normally can't
Intuition: Your intuition is enhanced, you seem to be able to tell when things will happen and how things all relate to each other (early version of eagle vision, its not nearly as powerful and cannot turn into eagle vision with training but it is useful)
Skills
Swordsmanship: You trained for years to become an unparalleled swordsman.
Heavy Weapons: You trained for years to be able to handle weapons of great size.
Small Weapons: You trained for years to be able to kill with the smallest of blades.
Ranged Weapons: You trained for years to be accurate with ranged weapons at astonishing distances.
Unarmed CombatYou trained for years to be able to kill or disable a man with nothing but your fists.
Poison: You trained for years to be a master of poisons, you can both make and use these dangerous substances.
Medicine: You studied for years to be able to make medicines and properly take care of wounds.
Interrogation: for years you studied the most effective methods for getting information from your enemies by force or trickery.
Sleight-of-hand: You have trained to be a master at sleight-of-hand, this makes you an excellent pickpocket among other things.
Silent Killing: You have trained to be able to kill your target without either of you making any noises
Stealth: You have practised the art of hiding in the shadows for years to be able to slip past people unnoticed.
Parkour: you spent years mastering the ability to traverse your environment and easily and go from A to B in the fastest possibly way. This includes climbing
Blending: You have studied the people of Egypt and have become a master at hiding in plain site among the masses. Foreigners may have a hard time with this because they look different from Egyptians.
Character Archetypes
Note: You don't have to abide by these, they are just suggestions.
Potions Master: Combining Intelligence and coordination will give you the smarts and steady hands needed for this archetype, by combining it with the medicine and poison skills you will be a master medicine and poison maker that can treat any wound and kill inconspicuously.
Weapons Master: By combining coordination and strength you will be able to handle just about any weapon that gets put in your hands, byt combining those with any three combat skills you will be able to handle any enemy. (strength means even though you are unskilled in heavy weapons you can use them anyway, just not as effectively, the same goes for coordination and any other type of weapons).
Berserker: by combining strength and stamina you will be able to crush your enemies easily and keep on fighting long after they have tired, by combining this with heavy weapons and unarmed combat you will be able to fight with or without your weapon for much longer than your enemies.
Expert Thief: By combining intuition and coordination you'll be able to tell who you should steal from without ever coming near them and be able to steal most things without being noticed, if you add on sleight of hand you will never get caught.
Anubis' Shadow: By combining balance and silent steps you will be able to sneak in and out of any place, even on narrow ledges, without making the slightest noise, if you add small weapons, hiding in shadows and silent killing you will be the ultimate infiltrator.
Character SheetName: Should reflect the area they are from, a google search will solve any doubts you have.
Age: Minimum of 20
Gender: The Egyptian Order is all about female equality, just like the rest of Egyptian society*
Appearance: Picture or description is fine (don't forget to include your preferred robe color, Egyptians were skilled at dying fabric)
Weapons: Pick a primary and a secondary and keep in mind that hidden blades haven't been invented yet (heavy weapons can only be a primary and make noise when they move, people with silent steps will make noise when carrying them too)
Armor: If you wear any (note that even people with the silent steps ability will make noise when wearing metal)
Archetype: Use one listed above or make up your own. simply put N/A here if you'd rather not use an archetype
Abilities: Pick two of the enhanced abilities listed above
Skills: Pick three of the skills your character may have trained in listed above
History: Be brief, the details will be revealed in the RP, include in this your character's race, if they are native to Egypt or have come from Asia, Europe or other parts of Africa and the world.
We don't need to do a CS for the real life portion of the game, just be yourself or make up a fictional person, just be realistic about it.
Accepted Characters
Name: Abasi
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Appearance: His robes are plain white and brown to allow him to blend in with a majority of the crowd with a brown shemagh instead of a hood to hide his face when needed.
Weapons: Scimitar and a Dagger
Armor: Thin leather
Archetype: N/A
Abilities: Charisma and Coordination
Skills: Swordsmanship, Sleight-of-hand, Blending
History: Abasi is a native Egyptian, he was not born into the Order. Abasi was an illegitimate child and, once he was old enough, he was abandoned by his father in Cairo while accompanying him there for what he thought was a visit with family. While living on the streets of Cairo he learned to survive by being a thief. He was later found and befriended by a member of the Order and brought into it when he turned sixteen.
Name: Assim
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Appearance: Assim wass dark skinned, like many of the Egyptians, and had short black hair and brown eyes. He had handsome feautures, disrupted by a scar running horizontally on his nose.
Ignore the hidden blade, as it has not been invented yet.
Weapons:
Primary – A scimitar
Secondary – A fletchette (sharp dart, used to disarm or hurt opponents)
Armor: Thick leather padding.
Archetype: N/A
Abilities: Stamina and Coordination
Skills: Parkour, Swordsmanship and Unarmed Combat
History: Assim was native to Egypt, born to a peasant family in Cairo. His parents were farmers, and his father was slowly declining in health. Because of this, he helped around in the farm as much as he could, not wanting to let his family down. By the time Assim turned twenty, his father was dead and his mother began declining as well. It was then that she revealed to him her secret: she was a member of the Egyptian Order of Assassins, but left it to protect him when he was a baby. She then asked Assim to carry on her legacy. Honoring his mother’s wishes, Assim sought out the Assassin’s base of operations, and was soon inducted into the order.
Name: Angelo de ortega
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Appearance: Tall at 6 foot, dark brown skin with obsidian black hair and jade green eyes with a slim but generally muscular build
Weapons: primary: rapier
secondary: bows and arrows
Armor: leather
Archetype: poison master
Abilities: intelligence and coordination
Skills: poison, swordsmanship, silent killing
History: originally from Spain and having my mother being married to an Egyptian assassin and it was only when I turned 20 that I learn this secret about assassins and Nobility and my father before he left and died during his mission he gave me his treasured sword and enough money to leave for the order and join their ranks. his final words being "be the best you can be" and that was just what he would do
Name: Lixue
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Appearance: Straight short black hair and ocean blue eyes. Slightly tanned skin, her height is 5'2", and is quite slim-bodied.
Weapons:
-Primary:
Shuāng dāo (translated: Butterfly Swords)
-Secondary:
Emeici (translated: Emei daggers)
Armor: Leather
Archetype: N/A
Abilities: Silent Steps & Intelligence
Skills: Small Weapons, Sleight-of-Hand, and Silent Killing
History: As the beginning of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty occurred, Lixue's family fled from the region with as much resources they could get for the perilous journey for what they thought was a better life far west from their origins. During the journey as they neared the Egyptian land barely, ranks of the nobility sought them out in the accusation with Assassin relation when they were just plain foreigners. It was chaos as everyone in her family was slaughtered, and Lixue only survived by stabbing herself with one of her father's butterfly swords and pretending to be dead until she was finally alone. She took her father's weapons as both a memoir to her family and the only things that she thought would keep her alive and safe. Wanting to become strong to ensure that no one else will have the same tragedy that she did, to protect the innocent, Lixue focused on joining the ranks of the Assassin Order when she turned 16, three years after the slaughter of her family.
Name: Anpu
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Appearance: Except slightly older with an beard of some form-
ApperanceClothing: Ignore the hidden blade-
ClothingWeapons:
Primary-Khopesh
Secondary- Dagger
Armor: Well besides the one wrist guard that acts like a shield kind of, nope, no armor for this silent killer.
Archetype: Anubis' Shadow
Abilities: Balance and Silent Steps
Skills: Stealth,Silent Killing, and Small Weapons
History: A man that was born and raised in Egypt, living under the tyranny of the Pharaohs. His family was framed for a crime they did not commit and were sentenced to death. He vowed vengeance and came across the assassin's in Egypt and join their ranks to find those responsible and put them down. So far he has shown himself to the guild as being silent killer, able to hide in the shadows and go unnoticed until it is too late.
Name: Ma’nakhtuf (Meaning: Master of Works)
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Appearance: Dark skinned, had short black hair, dark hazel eyes. Has permanent scars, cuts and grazes all over body. One major scar on right leg from a previous wound, robes were a velvet blue and white cloth.
Weapons:
Main weapon - Bow and arrow (master in archery)
Secondary weapon - Two small but sharp daggers, the blade is made from hammered copper and and a horn laid handle (passed down by previous ancestors)
Armor: leather shoulder straps, and a nice copper inlayed pair of leather sandals
Archetype: Weapons Master
Abilities: Strength and coordination
Skills: Small and ranged weapons
History: Ma’nakhtuf was born into a rich family. His daggers and weapons were handed down to him from his ancestors who were, unknown to him, Assassins. Along with being an Assassin, his father was also a skilled and stealthy tomb-raider, the source of the family's wealth. He also taught his weapon skills to his own kin, including the use of bow and arrows. Ma’nakhtuf was literate, meaning he showcased a higher level of intelligence to most other members of Egyptian society. He was sent by his parents to a House of Instruction. While his parents were quite rich his father got killed when on a mission for the Assassins, and at the the age of 9 Ma’nakhtuf found himself supporting his widowed mother and 2 younger siblings. The cuts and scars he had was from many fights he had gotten into to protect his family wealth. At age 21, he was approached by an old friend of his father's, who revealed to him the existence of the Assassins, and offered him a place in their ranks.
Name: Etana
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Appearance: Dark skin, short black hair under a braided black wig, light brown eyes, somewhat heavy figure. While her favorite robe is blue, she does wear what's appropriate and even slightly fashionable for the nobility. She also wears plenty of eye makeup and jewelry.
Weapons: Poison tipped dagger, bow and arrow
Armor: None
Archetype: Diplomat
Abilities: Intelligence, Charisma
Skills: Unarmed Combat, Poison, Interrogation
History: Etana's parents were a priest and priestess, successful and respected, well liked by most. The only thing they did not have was a child of their own. Despite nightly prayers to Isis, all sorts of remedies, and all the private time together they could spare, they were not blessed.
One day, a baby girl was left at the temple of Isis. There was a note in another language, that was loosely translated as 'please love our child'. The other priestesses knew of Etana's mother's lack of children, and all saw the baby as the goddess' way of blessing her priestess. Etana's mother took the child home, and after much debate and even trepidation, they raised the girl as their own.
* Egypt was one of the few ancient cultures to allow women to inherit property, divorce their husbands and become rulers. (One of the others was the Vikings)
