The Black Dawn
The Ptolemaic Eradication was the downfall of the Ptolemaic Dynasty that was spearheded by the Black Dawn, an enigmatic and secretive strike team of Egyptian Assassins. They were led by a forgotten and long lost Assassin named Eosos. All of these Assassins were driven by the pure motivation of liberty of humanity. They were among the most neglected and disremembered Egyptians in the land, and burdend with the painful and lonely life of an Assassin. For them, their lives were centered around the world's saddest irony:
"We fight, to end the fighting."
- Ezio Auditore
Origin[]
Empire of Alexander the Great[]
This sparked the beginning of the Black Dawn's eon. As the Templar Alexander the Great conquered much of South-West Asia, and the Egyptian branch of the Assassins Order feared he would spread his roots into Egypt and the tips of Africa. There was not much that the Assassin could do in terms of a direct resistance or assault on his Empire, because he had in his possession a Staff of Eden, one which granted him the power of many armies combined. And so he came and conquered Egypt, leading to the start of the Ptolemies.
Even after Iltani managed to assassinate Alexander the Great in 323 BC, the Ptolemaic Empire had become strong and ruled firmly over Egypt. The native Egyptians eventually accepted orally the Ptolemies as being the 'successors' to the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. But in their hearts and minds they were plagued with the hatred of the forced order brought about by the Templars and so begun the few Assassins who banded together to fight in a way they had not for so very long.
Ptolemy XI[]
In the year 80 BCE, Ptolemy XI became ruler of Egypt. He was assigned to marry Cleopatra Berenice, who was his stepmother and half-sister. Berenice did not share the motives of the Ptolemaic dynasty and the Templars, but she did not know of the presence of the Assassina and their age-old conflict. She was determined the liberate and free as much of the Egyptians as possible without attracting the attention of the 'higher-ups' of the Ptolemaic Empire, including her husband Ptolemy. However, just two and half weeks after the marriage between Berenice and Ptolemy XI, an agent of the Dynasty who was investigating the recent positivity that the Egyptians exhibited, he discovered the works of Berenice and reported to Ptolemy XI. He was furious and murdered his wife, only to be hit with the amount of uproar by the people of Egypt. They stormed his palace and lynched the king in a cry of pure liberation that gave birth to the Black Dawn.
Members[]
Black Dawn is a reference to the blackness and darkness brought on by Templar rule, but also to the way it conquers the dawn of a new age. This dawn refers to the rebirth or renewal of something, or someone. Whilst nowadays the Black Dawn Assassins are long gone and have done their part in this war, their name still rings true to many Assassins, as something they fight against in 2012. 2012 is not so much an ending, more an ending and a beginning. The Dawn of an Era in 2012 may become one of two things, depending on who succeeds. If they Templars launch Eye-Abstergo into orbit and begin their New World Order, this dawn is blackened and so begins a black dawn. But if the Templars are defeated, the Assassins bring peace to the world by inspiring courage and enlightening humanity with the knowledge about our existence. It is much like how the Creed "Nothing is true, everything is permitted" explains that the world is an illusion and the Templars use that rule. By saying "nothing is true" the Assassins are describing what they endeavour to overcome by finding the truth and repelling the illusion. So, in essence, the link is that the name Black Dawn illustrates what the Assassins strive to defeat just like the phrase "nothing is true."
The Black Dawn consisted of 7 Assassins, 7 being a signficant number to them as it represented the Earth. This is because there are 7 layers of the Earth and 7 layers of its atmosphere.
Black Dawn Assassins
The seven Assassins were:
Eosos (leader)
Spons
Oriens
Aera
Ineditus
Teneo
Veritas
All of these Assassins were long forgotten by the people of Egypt and the Templars who ruled them. After the Ptolemies killed the ones they held dear and ravaged their land, these few men and woman were forgotten.
But they used this to their advantage.
Eosos[]
Eosos
Eosos is Latin for 'Dawn'. He was a wise, cam and insightful man yet strong willed in the face of battle. He was a descendant from Adam and therefore possessed Eagle Vision. After an encounter with a Ptolemaic soldier, who robbed Eosos his home, and left his brother dead, Eosos was left to die. The Assassins found him and gave him purpose. Being interested in learning more about the world, Eosos soon learnt of the Assassins efforts against Alexander the Great and the secret fight against the Ptolemaic Dynasty. He discovered the ways that the Egyptians had fought and forged them into the ideologies of the Black Dawn.
Spons[]
Spons is Latin for 'free will'. Spons was born into the Brotherhood from a Babylonian mother and an Egyptian father. He fought alongside Marcus Junius Brutus and the 39 other Assassins in the assassination of Julius Caesar to bring about the downfall of the tyrant. He joined Eosos to fight the Empire and kill the remaining Ptolemies.
Oriens[]
Oriens is Latin for 'east' or 'rising'. He was brought under the wing of the Assassin Order after the death of his father, a Bablyonian Assassin. He decided to fight with Black Dawn because he believed in their ways of striking down an enemy.
Aera[]
Aera is Latin for 'the air'. She was a female Assassin and was the sister of Amunet, who were born into the Brotherhood. She joined Eosos because of her desire to help her sister and the Assassins undermine the authority of the Ptolemaic Empire.
Ineditus[]
Ineditus is Latin for 'unknown'. He was an Assassin who fought on the front lines of many conflicts between the Assassins and Templars, yet he was forgotten after the Templars captured him in Cairo and held him prisoner for fifteen years. He was sentenced to death after assaulting a prison guard, but Eosos and the few members of Black Dawn saved him.
Teneo[]
Teneo is Latin for 'know', 'grasp' and 'understand'. He was a scholar who worked primarily in astrology, but his entire works was destroyed and burnt by Ptolemaic soldiers who sent him to live as a lower-class peasant. This awokened in him spirited courage that led him to the Black Dawn.
Veritas[]
Veritas is Latin for 'truth'. Descended from a group of human slaves who worked in Eden, Veritas joined Eosos and the Black Dawn for not just the demise of the Ptolemaic Templars but also to enlighten the people of Egypt to what the world really was, as introduce the Assassin's Creed as a means of inspiring peace within them.
The Eradication[]
1:16 a.m, 12th of August, 30 BCE. Alexandria, Egypt.
The Black Dawn moved into position over the waterfront, situated near the palace of Cleopatra VII and the Ptolemies. The moon shone brightly in the night sky as the Assassins traversed through the harbor of the Egyptian city. They crouched low in the darkness and watched as Amunet made her way into the palace.
"Safety and peace," breathed Eosos.
The group of Assassins stood up and stared into the great citadel situated before them, with masses of Ptolemaic soldiers with spears and shields scattered throughout the compound. The Assassins raised their hoods to their heads in silence and took a deep breath.
Snick.
Ptolemaic Palace
A distressed solider came stumbling into the guard barracks, yelling.
"Sentry said he saw silhouettes against the hill! It's those hooded killers!"
As the Ptolemaic guards stirred to life, suddenly the torches lighting the room went out, and the barracks was plunged into darkness. A small mechanism click was heard and a stiffled cry rang out. Then, a whisper.
"Requescat in pace."
The guards shouted out in panic.
"Khara!"
A soldier quickly lit a torch and was met with a shocking sight. The distressed guard that came in earlier was lying dead on the floor.
"Assassins!" he cried.
Eosos watched as the Ptolemaic compound buzzed to life and waves of Ptolemaic troops came swarming out of the palace. He jumped down the hill and looked on as Aera rejoined her. The rest of the Black Dawn Assassins returned, having eliminated the snipers that were guarding the palace from watchtowers. They watched without fear as a thousand Ptolemaic soldiers surged towards them. They held their ground.
Then, an eagle flew overhead. One of its feathers drifted down and landed softly on Eoses' shoulder. That was when they came. Appearing over the hill, came the entire city of Alexandria, brandishing any weapons they could find, all being led by a platoon of Egyptian Assassins. The Black Dawn activated their hidden blades and readied themselves.
And then the two opposing forces collided.
The first person to fall was the captain of the guard. Leading the forces of the Ptolemaic Empire, he was the first to reach the Assassins. Eosos grabbed him by the tunic and flipped him over his head, and drove his blade into the captain's neck, muttering a final prayer for the fallen soul. He spun with his blade flying, and with deadly accuracy took down three more guardsmen. Arrows flew past his head, as he sprinting through the carnage unfolding around him. A row of soldiers with large shields were advancing, and Eosos sped right towards them. The soldiers held their ground and deployed their spears out in front. Just before the tip of the spear sliced into him, Eosos sprang forward, over the shield line and kicked a guard in face, sending him backwards. As Eosos landed, he was met with a number of sharp blades. He blocked them and dropped low, sliding under the soldiers and coming up behind them. He grabbed the sword that was at the side of one guard and brought it down across his back. As the guard yelled in agony and crumpled to the ground, Eosos leapt onto his back and jumped into the air as the spears of several other soldiers flew past him. As the Assassin landed, a particularly eager Ptolemy came at him, and Eosos ducked, using the guards momentum to flip him over his back and send him crashing into the ground. Two shieldsmen came from either side of Eosos and the Assassn dove out the way as the two shields rammed into each other. Eosos hit the ground and rolled to avoid the charge of several oncoming soldiers, before leaping to his feet and continuing the fight.
Spons slid under a soldier and grabbed the spear from his back, twirling it over his head and then striking it down into back of the soldier. He grabbed another spear that was aimed at his chest and deflected it back to the owner, before continuing on through the bloody conflict. He reached a watchtower were archers were sending down volleys of arrows. Spons climbed the tower and kicked the archers off the building, before stopping to grab their bows. He scanned the battlefield below, eyeing the Ptolemaic soldiers. He saw a heavily armoured soldier knock a small civilian onto the ground and was about the drive his sabre into the person's chest. Spons took aim and sent three arrows down at the guard in rapid succession. Two hit the soldier in the head and the other in his stomach. The large soldier moaned in protest and slumped to the ground. The Assassin was about to take aim at another soldier when the watchtower creaked and ground, and began to shift sideways. Spons lost his footing and hit the ground. He looked over the edge and saw multiple soldiers setting flame to the tower. The flames began to quickly crawl up the wooden scaffolding, buring away the support beams. Spons scrambled to his feet and leapt into the air as wooden planks below him became undone and the entire tower smashed into the ground. Spons quickly maneouvered his body into the right position and managed to perform a Leap of Faith and land safely below, watching the burning tower explode with fire.
Oriens was fighting with two swords, both dealing great amounts of damage. Him and Teneo were able to make their way through the ranks of Ptolemies and link up with Spons who was targeting the general of the Ptolemaic army. He was rolling in men on horseback. Oriens leapt up onto the first horse and threw the rider onto the blood-soaked ground below. He screamed as his body was trapled by multiple horses. Oriens then jumped onto another horse, stabbed the rider in the chest and kicked him off the stallion.
Ineditus moved carefully with Aera as they worked their way into the palace courtyard, in order to strike the Empire where it hurt most. By killing their king. Ptolemy XV. He was resided in the palace throne room. Aera silently took out the personal guards and entered the throne room, alone. Ineditus stood watch, battling the occasional reinforcements.
Inside the throne room
"You come here to kill me, I presume?" The king muttered, as he saw the Assassin enter the room.
"You should not force order onto people, Templar. It is best that they can learn for themselves," Aera replied, slowly stepping forward.
"And when they do, they end up hurting themselves, sometimes even hurting the people around them. Humans are ignorant and petty. It is best for them if they are guided by the strong hand of order."
"You are the ones who are ignorant. You think you know the truth about how humans are? How our minds work? You think that humans are stupid and easily manipulative. Have you never thought to teach them, enlighten them? You have never thought to teach them to grow as an individual so they can find peace within?
"But they will not listen to reason!"
"Not if you force them to. Peace is to be learnt from within. I am sorry, but I make this sacrifice for the greater good."
Aera stepped forward and slid out her hidden blade, but the king shoved her back. She leapt after him as he threw himself out of the room, and was gone in the blink of an eye. Aera cursed under her breath as three guards came into the room, drawing swords and spears. Unfortunately for them, Ineditus had 'unknowningly' evaded their sight and took them out before they could attack Aera.
Alexandria Harbor (battlefield)
The battle raged on but soon, the soldiers of the Ptolemaic Dynasty gained the upper hand when the king sent out five hundred more soldiers. The civilians and Assassins were pushed back and Veritas knew that the time was now. The time to put his plan into motion. He managed to fight through the thick ranks of Ptolemies and enter the palace.
Meanwhile, Teneo and Oriens had finished dispatching the ranks of horseman and had reached the general. Teneo struggled against numerous of the general's guardsman as Oriens faced the general head-on. He stared at the Assassin, half in fear and half in hatred. He jabbed with his spear as Oriens counter-attacked, striking with his blade. The general yelled in anguish as the Assassin's blade entered his abdomen.
However, because of the increase of soldiers that the king called, the Assassins were pushed back into the streets of Alexandria. The Black Dawn watched in horror as their brave citizens were killed, and all motivation was lost.
But then, the eagle reappeared and flew overhead, letting another feather drift onto the battlefield before disappearing into the black clouds above.
Suddenly a wave of golden light covered the battlefield, drenching the guards in a white and yellow light. The Ptolemaic soldiers screamed in agony and begun to fight each other. Others simply fell to the ground in pain and shook their heads in desperation.
Eosos was fighting with a squadron of soldiers, using his Eagle Sense to identify their moves and strategies, and then defeating them. As the wave hit, he realised exactly what it was.
"The Piece of Eden," he breathed, in total awe.
As the civilian soldiers began to finish off the remaining Ptolemaic guards, the Black Dawn made their way into the palace, and linked up with the rest of the Assassins. There was no sign of the king, nor of any guards present. As the hooded figures crept into the throne room, they noticed the Piece of Eden's light brighten the palace once more. Eosos reached behind the king's throne and activated a small panel which opened the vault housed beneath the palace, where they found Veritas holding a Staff of Eden, with an Apple of Eden placed at the tip of it. Eosos stepped forward and took the Staff from Veritas. This Staff was forged by Those Who Came Before. It has existed for many thousands of years, and was essential in the rise and fall of many great ancient Egyptian pharaohs.
The Staff seemed to respond to the presence of Eosos, and glowed rapidly, sending out holographic symbols and images onto the walls of the vault. Two symbols stood out that repeatedly merged with each other. They were the Templar cross, and eye situated above a pyramid.
And then, the Staff darkened and the room fell quiet.
The Staff of Eden
As the Black Dawn left the palace, they noticed a small snake leaving the bedroom of Cleopatra VII.