Journal of Leah Chavez

The Journal of Leah Chavez was a journal that the Templar Leah Chavez used to document her findings and research, as well as her own personal thoughts during her time searching for clues to stop the Isu in 2022.

Journal Entries

April 22 2022

This is crazy, I mean... I've seen a lot of shit in my time as a Templar but... this? This is a whole other level. The Isu, humanity's creators and past rulers of the Earth, are alive. Well, at least some of them are. That Isu temple we found, it seemed to have been some kind of place to preserve some surviving members of the Isu from the first coronal mass ejection that nearly wiped all life on Earth out.

We found DNA in pods, the triple helix genome was a dead giveaway and we could tell they were opened recently. Now, either the bodies were forcibly removed or we have living, breathing Isu somewhere out there. Judging by how nervous the others sounded on the phone, I can guess its the latter. Now I've been tasked with finding a way to stop them - we all have.

April 26 2022

So, I've been doing a lot of research, cross-referencing, all that. Trying to find historical figures that may be of interest or who may have the answers we need. Luckily, Abstergo has an extensive database with a whole load of interesting characters that I could look into. There was someone of interest though, an Assassin who operated in Canada, or New France, in the seventeenth century - her name was Ramona Lucia.

I'm going to look into her more.

April 28 2022

My hunch was right, I did a little more digging and this Assassin did interact with a Piece of Eden during her time in colonial Canada - in fact, she was what was known as a 'Piece of Eden tracker'. Judging by her own journals, which were handily uploaded to Abstergo's databse too, she mentions of a Piece of Eden she had encountered in 1700. I don't know much, but from her writings it was powerful enough to even spook the Isu. Allegedly.

We managed to track down and locate Ramona's burial, a crypt located in her place of birth in Carcassonne. I'm taking a small team to France, her memories should guide us. Hopefully this isn't some kind of dead end.

April 29 2022

We're in the tomb, everything's set up. I'm eager to see the capabilities of the HR-8 - sequencing genetic memories directly from the subject without the need of the descendant's DNA? Genius.

We retrieved the samples from Ramona's remains, and now the Animus is currently interpreting the Assassin's DNA. All that's left to do now is wait...

It's been a while since I used an Animus, hopefully I'm not too rusty. I have to say though, I am pretty excited. The idea of exploring someone's genetic memory, living an individual's life who's been long gone for hundreds of years, seeing how things really were back then, its just amazing. If the side effects of overexposure in the Animus weren't so bad, honestly, I would be in the Animus 24/7, living through multiple historical periods.

May 2 2022

I've spent 3 days exploring the memories of Ramona (See Ramona Notes) and managed to find what this Piece of Eden is, an Eden Engine, I'm still not sure as to what it does. There's more than one, well, it makes sense - D'aureville had an Engine, but was looking for another one. Maybe multiple are needed for it to actually work. Sent the footage over to the CEO.

Not even a day later, Abstergo managed to locate an Eden Engine. In a museum in Santiago de Cuba, weird, Abstergo's been aware of its existence but never actually retrieved it. I'm taking a private jet to Cuba to meet up with Otso Berg and Sigma Team to retrieve the Engine.

May 3 2022

What a fucking shit show. The Assassins and the fucking Isu showed up for the Engine, Horatio Pierce, Meaghan Allard and Hayley Yasutake managed to escape with the Engine, and North was able to flee. Their arrival completely blindsided us. Dammit. I had the opportunity to retrieve the Engine for the Templars but Pierce was the better fighter, I haven't had enough time with Ramona to fully integrate her abilities via the bleeding effect.

Now I've got Berg and his team breathing down my neck while I continue exploring Ramona's memories. I need to finish this. I need to see if Ramona found any other Engines.

May 4 2022

I've been treading through Ramona's memories at a decent pace, but Berg's noticed I've been exhibiting signs of the bleeding effect. Now he wants to train me, increase the duration of my animus sessions so I can further develop more of Ramona's abilities. I get it, I could have retrieved the Eden Engine for the Templars but Pierce - I've read his file, all the experience from all of those ancestors - I had no chance. We sparred a little, Berg kicked my ass of course.

Still though, Berg won't lay off. The guy asked, actually he demanded to know why I couldn't access a later memory of Ramona. Had to explain to the tough guy that it wasn't so simple as picking and choosing memories in the DNA sequence of a subject's descendant. When reliving memories directly from the source, its safer to synchronise in a linear fashion. Anyway, I need to get back to it.

May 5 2022

I'm still entirely freaked the fuck out at what just happened to me, this Isu, Magni. He spoke to me, TO me, in the year 1697, through Ramona's memories, all the way from the Isu Era. Its like I'm connected to this larger web of intricate plotting and planning by the Isu, millennia before I was even born. Do you understand how crazy that is? Berg told me more about it, called me a 'cipher' - a term term the Isu use(d?) to address animus users reliving the genetic memories of another.

Apparently I'm not the only one, it happened to Desmond Miles, helped him stop the end of the world. I guess the same is happening to me and Pierce? We kind of have to stop the end of humanity. Shit, I need a break. My head hurts, I'm having an existential crisis. I need a fucking drink.

May 6 2022

Did some sparring with Berg today, we debated the validity of Magni's claims and if working with the Assassins was worth it - or if they could even be trusted. Lo and behold, we got a message from a Jason Hart asking us to meet them in Santa Clara.

We did that, took us 10 damn hours to get back to Cuba and we met up with Pierce and his cell of Assassins, Yasutake, Hart and Boyd. Tension's high, we can all feel it. We're all expecting to stab each other in the back, but all of us know what's at stake - we need to keep it together and ally up. Otherwise there won't be a reason to even fight anymore if humanity is wiped out.

May 7 2022

Back in France, tension's still there but it's eased a little. We traded information, our findings during the time exploring Ramona and Küpeyakwüskonam's memories - we pretty much have the same shit seeing as the two were always together. Me and Pierce had a joint animus session, turns out he's Küpeyakwüskonam's descendant. Wild. After that I sparred with Pierce 'cause he was unavailable.

I've always been curious about asking an Assassin why they would ally themselves with that group, why they thought freedom was the path to peace. It was an... enlightening exchange? He kinda helped me understand their goals, while I don't agree with it, I can understand where they come from. Berg would be pleased. I still think humans are incapable of evolving passed its most basic behaviours, greed, violence, the lot. The Assassins goal of achieving peace through the freedom of humanity educating itself to peace is a romantic idea, you can teach a murdering psychopath philosophy but it won't stop him from killing.

Speaking of killing, how can the Assassins advocate freewill when they kill those who oppose their ideology. Isn't that pardoxical?

Ramona Notes

Session 1

It worked, the HR-8 successfully managed to simulate Ramona's memories from her... remains. Not something I'm used to, I've used an Animus before but it was from memories extracted from another subject. Now we're sequencing the memories directly from her body - it feels weird, unnatural.

I'm getting distracted, on to Ramona. Not much is to be said, it was only a short memory but here's what I gathered.

• Ramona had a mentor, Louis. He seemed like an 'all work-no play' kind of guy.
• Ramona seems... innocent? All things considered.
• She's a contemplative type.
• Also excitable?
• They were tasked to heading to New France (Templar presence or Piece of Eden?)

That's all I got so far, I need to further look into her memories. There's gotta be something here, right?

Session 2

Took a break for the day, I know we're on a schedule, but I can't risk breaking my brain. Back to it now though. Went in a few hours today, here's what I've come out with.

• Skipped a head a few months, Ramona and Louis seem to be a little more settled in New France.
• They've got a lead now, the Mohawk war chief Canaqueese and a Templar. There aren't actually any records to where he died, wonder if I'll find out here.
• Some time later, they encountered an indigenous warrior who'd massacred an entire French camp on his own. He didn't reveal his name but they agreed to work together to find Canaqueese, wonder what his beef was? He couldn't be an Assassin, there aren't any records of indigenous American Assassins until the eighteenth century.
• Interestingly, I could feel flutters in her stomach when she laid eyes on him, despite the situation at hand. Physical attraction? Among this, I could also feel her distrust and aversion to working with him - getting a lot of mixed feelings here. The development of their relationship should be interesting to see.

We're definitely getting somewhere now. That warrior though, don't think Abstergo has any records on him, a total nobody as far as I can tell. I wonder where he fits into all of this, if he even has a place in the story.

Session 3

My 'boss' chewed my shit out for 'daring' to take a break, reminded me we're on a 'tight schedule' - so I had to get back into the animus for the second time to do. Basically gotta crunch until I find that damn Piece of Eden. Here's some notes from the third session.

• The tension between Ramona and the native warrior is crazy high, both sexual and hostile. Ramona is totally into him, in this weird love/hate way.
• Got into a tavern fight. Those are always fun!
• Ramona, Louis and the warrior followed their leads to a Seneca village being attacked by the French and Canaqueese.
• Louis died, and I can feel Ramona's distress so much that even I feel hurt at the loss. I'm actually mourning a fucking Assassin. Hate how vivid genetic memories are.
• Well, the native DOES have a name - Küpeyakwüskonam. He also killed Canaqueese. Guess that solves that mystery. More importantly, he got a name for the Piece of Eden. An Eden Engine. Gonna have to get one of the reseaechers to look into it. Meanwhile, I gotta find it.

Session 4

Had to take a break yesterday, man, I had a pounding headache after that second session yesterday. Still kinda do now. Need to take the necessary precautions so I don't go all Subject 16. Anyway, session numero 4 was today. Made some good progress I think. Here's some notes.

• The two seem buddy-buddy now in the months after Louis' death. I'm sure he'd be proud.
• Ramona's initial attraction's turned into a full-blown crush now, no doubt about it, her feelings have got me feeling like I'm in high school all over again.
• Küpeyakwüskonam doesn't seem interested though, or he hides it really well. Man's as stoic as wood, keeps everyone at arm's bay like he's a damn fort. He's completely devoted to driving out the colonists, its almost sad, knowing what happens to his people in the end.
• They ended up learning of Stéphane D’aureville, a Templar that operated during the seventeenth century - wonder why we have no records on the Eden Engines though.
• Ramona got to see Küpeyakwüskonam's village. I'm so fascinated by indigenous American culture, wish Abstergo would put more funding into its research. But pirates, samurai, and vikings sell more I guess.
• D'aureville attacked the village WITH an Eden Engine. I got to see it up close, well, Ramona did. I know what it looks like now though and, holy shit, a SMALL PERCENTAGE of its power wiped out a quarter of Küpeyakwüskonam's village. I'm excited to see its full capacity - in a controlled environment of course.

Session 5

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!! An Isu spoke to me, directly, through Ramona's memories. What in the ever loving shit. This is, like, I'm still trying to process all of this. Notes:

• Ramona was there for the Battle of Hudson's Bay, crazy shit, and here I thought she was fighting from the shadows. I mean, she still was in a way.
• Its been about 2 or 3 years since Ramona and Küpeyakwüskonam and I can feel that her feelings for him have turned to full-blown love. I think he feels the same or at least has similar feelings. They almost kissed after the Battle. Judging by how Ramona's remains are in France, I'm not confident in how this'll end.
• Ramona and Küpeyakwüskonam tracked the second Eden Engine to an Isu temple located near a Huron village on the coast of Windsor.
• Ramona and Küpeyakwüskonam spoke to an Isu, he told them to find and hide the Eden Engines - I guess for me and Pierce to find...
• 'Cause he spoke to me and him directly through the memories of Ramona and Küpeyakwüskonam (Pierce must be reliving the memories of Küpeyakwüskonam), telling us to "put aside our differences to stop the Isu.

Probably going to be wrapping my head around this all day, but, can the Assassins and Templars unite? Even temporarily. Its been done a few times over history but... are the Assassins capable of working with us for the greater good?