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Description

After defeating the Assassins who killed Julius Caesar in 44 BC, Octavian, Caesar's adoptive son and Templar ally, dissolved the Roman Republic, renamed himself Augustus, and became the first emperor of the Roman Empire. The Templars helped rule over the land with an iron fist, murdering any Assassins they came across. Still, the Romans met their fair share of resistance over the years, some from the Assassins and some from average people who fought to be free from tyranny.

In 37 AD, the insane emperor and Templar ally, Caligula, was killed by the Assassin, Leonius, in order to save the people of Rome from his tyranny. One of Caligula’s successors, Nero, was famous for his tyranny. It is said that he intentionally called to have the city of Rome burnt to the ground in 64 AD just so he would have space to build his palace. Nero committed suicide in 68 AD. The emperor Vespasian, who ruled from 69 to 79 AD, built the Colosseum. His son and successor, Titus, crushed a Jewish rebellion that the Assassins were trying to aid. From 98 to 117 AD, emperor Trajan ruled the Empire. Under his rule, the Empire reached its largest size, and several building projects began.

In 259, the Roman Assassins (who by then also called themselves the Liberalis Circulum) sent their man, Aquilus, on a mission to kill the Roman general, Gracchus. Unfortunately, he was discovered and Gracchus stabbed Aquilus, causing him to lose consciousness. Aquilus was thankfully saved however, when an army of Alemanni forces led by his cousin and fellow Assassin, Accipiter, came in and defeated the Roman forces in the camp and nursed Aquilus back to health. Accipiter gave Aquilus a Piece of Eden, known as the Ankh of Isis, which acts as a sort of Isu holographic recording device, when Aquilus was ready to return to Lugdunum, his hometown. Aquilus and his family kept the Ankh out of Templar hands for a while, but ultimately failed to do so when the Templar, Caïus Fulvus Vultur, ordered the death of Aquilus’s father and stole the artifact. Aquilus sought revenge and eventually killed Vultur, reclaiming the Ankh in the process. The victory was short lived, however, when Aquilus and his wife, Valeria, were arrested for the killing, and sentenced to be executed. Accipiter rushed to save them, but unfortunately was only able to save Valeria. Aquilus was killed by Roman guards before Accipiter could stop them. Accipiter and Valeria journeyed together to what would eventually be Monteriggioni, and hid the Ankh were none would find it.

By 330, the Romans had to split their Empire into two halves because their territory had grown too vast for just one emperor to govern. Constantine I became the first emperor of what would be called the Byzantine Empire centuries later after he conquered the city of Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople. Constantine allowed for a bit more religious freedom than his predecessors. This was good for the Assassins, who believe that everyone has a right to believe what they so choose to believe. Constantine converted to Christianity himself and most of Rome followed in his footsteps soon afterwards. Of course, the religion would eventually be abused for the personal gains of those in power, but the Assassins would deal with that when it came.

Meanwhile, back in the West, Rome was falling into complete chaos. Roman leaders began letting Germanic tribes into Rome, hoping they'd fight for their armies. But since these so called barbarians overall had more loyalty to gold than to Rome, they tried to conquer it from within. It became a constant battle for power between the Roman Templars and the tribal leaders and eventually that turmoil led to the complete collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476. The last emperor of Rome, Romulus Augustus, lost all his power when this happened. His spiritual successor, Charlemagne, would eventually have a role to play in the 9th century. Charlemagne wielded a Sword of Eden to gain power, marking him an enemy of the Assassins. That Sword had a long history before falling into Charlemagne’s hands, most notably when it belonged to a Hunnic leader who would become a major threat to the people of the land, and the Assassins.

Description

After defeating the Assassins who killed Julius Caesar in 44 BC, Octavian, Caesar's adoptive son and Templar ally, dissolved the Roman Republic, renamed himself Augustus, and became the first emperor of the Roman Empire. The Templars helped rule over the land with an iron fist, murdering any Assassins they came across. Still, the Romans met their fair share of resistance over the years, some from the Assassins and some from average people who fought to be free from tyranny.

In 37 AD, the insane emperor and Templar ally, Caligula, was killed by the Assassin, Leonius, in order to save the people of Rome from his tyranny. One of Caligula’s successors, Nero, was famous for his tyranny. It is said that he intentionally called to have the city of Rome burnt to the ground in 64 AD just so he would have space to build his palace. Nero committed suicide in 68 AD. The emperor Vespasian, who ruled from 69 to 79 AD, built the Colosseum. His son and successor, Titus, crushed a Jewish rebellion that the Assassins were trying to aid. From 98 to 117 AD, emperor Trajan ruled the Empire. Under his rule, the Empire reached its largest size, and several building projects began.

In 259, the Roman Assassins (who by then also called themselves the Liberalis Circulum) sent their man, Aquilus, on a mission to kill the Roman general, Gracchus. Unfortunately, he was discovered and Gracchus stabbed Aquilus, causing him to lose consciousness. Aquilus was thankfully saved however, when an army of Alemanni forces led by his cousin and fellow Assassin, Accipiter, came in and defeated the Roman forces in the camp and nursed Aquilus back to health. Accipiter gave Aquilus a Piece of Eden, known as the Ankh of Isis, which acts as a sort of Isu holographic recording device, when Aquilus was ready to return to Lugdunum, his hometown. Aquilus and his family kept the Ankh out of Templar hands for a while, but ultimately failed to do so when the Templar, Caïus Fulvus Vultur, ordered the death of Aquilus’s father and stole the artifact. Aquilus sought revenge and eventually killed Vultur, reclaiming the Ankh in the process. The victory was short lived, however, when Aquilus and his wife, Valeria, were arrested for the killing, and sentenced to be executed. Accipiter rushed to save them, but unfortunately was only able to save Valeria. Aquilus was killed by Roman guards before Accipiter could stop them. Accipiter and Valeria journeyed together to what would eventually be Monteriggioni, and hid the Ankh were none would find it.

By 330, the Romans had to split their Empire into two halves because their territory had grown too vast for just one emperor to govern. Constantine I became the first emperor of what would be called the Byzantine Empire centuries later after he conquered the city of Byzantium and renamed it Constantinople. Constantine allowed for a bit more religious freedom than his predecessors. This was good for the Assassins, who believe that everyone has a right to believe what they so choose to believe. Constantine converted to Christianity himself and most of Rome followed in his footsteps soon afterwards. Of course, the religion would eventually be abused for the personal gains of those in power, but the Assassins would deal with that when it came.

Meanwhile, back in the West, Rome was falling into complete chaos. Roman leaders began letting Germanic tribes into Rome, hoping they'd fight for their armies. But since these so called barbarians overall had more loyalty to gold than to Rome, they tried to conquer it from within. It became a constant battle for power between the Roman Templars and the tribal leaders and eventually that turmoil led to the complete collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476. The last emperor of Rome, Romulus Augustus, lost all his power when this happened. His spiritual successor, Charlemagne, would eventually have a role to play in the 9th century. Charlemagne wielded a Sword of Eden to gain power, marking him an enemy of the Assassins. That Sword had a long history before falling into Charlemagne’s hands, most notably when it belonged to a Hunnic leader who would become a major threat to the people of the land, and the Assassins.