S7: Underworld

Sequence 07 -- Underworld

There are some issues that we need to cover before we properly begin this Sequence -- the first of which is the fact that it takes place somewhere other than Constantinople.  That is important for several reasons, not the least of which is that the city we are traveling to -- actually if we are going to be completely accurate we are not visiting a city but rather a region, which is called Cappadocia -- and while the underground city we are about to visit has had a bunch of different names throughout the thousands years or so that it has existed, nobody knows for sure what it was originally called, so I suppose Cappadocia is as good a name as any for our purposes?

-- The Journey to Cappadocia --

The ship that Ezio boards in Constantinople after blowing up the lighthouse that secured one end of the Great Chain and then using the deck-mounted pump to spray Greek Fire all over the enemy ships at the end of Sequence 06 is bound for a port in the Cappadocia region, and as we see from our approach to its harbor it is not a very busy place...

The Cappadocia region -- and this port -- is located on the Black Sea -- an inland sea that is is bounded by Europe, Anatolia, and the Caucasus, and ultimately is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas by using various straits.  Traditionally the Black Sea is viewed as the body of water that separates eastern Europe and western Asia, and one of the reasons that is thought to be why it is called The Black Sea is the fact that its outflow is cooler and less saline -- and thus it  floats over the warm, more saline Mediterranean inflow -- because of the density difference due to salinity -- and as a result this creates the presence of a significant anoxic layer well below the surface waters.  Nothing can grow there because of the lack of oxygen, and any fish so unlucky to be caught in that layer is pretty much toast as well.

The former region of Cappadocia lies in eastern Anatolia, in the center of what is now Turkey, and is bounded in the south by the chain of the Taurus Mountains that separates it from Cilicia, and to the east by the upper Euphrates and the Armenian Highland.   To the north it is lined by Pontus, and to the west by Lycaonia and eastern Galatia.

The regional economy when Ezio would have been there consisted mostly of mined soft metals and the light industry that grew up as a result of their presence.  Slavery was a significant industry, as was the shipyards that dotted the coast and a number of smith-based enclaves, but the major sources of wealth in the region then -- as it is now -- was related to the light agriculture and the drug trade.  Interestingly enough there was a family in the region well-known for countless generations of weaponsmiths -- a fact that is well remarked in contemporary historical records.

They were widely considered to be true artists with every sort of metal but their ability to turn out hardened steel of a purity and quality that was largely unheard of for the region made them a favorite of royals and military officers serving in the region.  It was claimed that the blades they made were of such a quality and sharpness that they retained their edge for far longer than was thought natural.  I first learned about them in correspondence with the writer Patrick O'Brian, whose literary creations of Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin, and he said that one of the swords owned by Captain Aubrey had been created by the famous smiths of Cappadocia.

-- The Three Underground Cities --

It is perhaps most famous for its three underground cities known to exist (or that existed) in the Renaissance era, each of which was connected to the others by a very extensive network of tunnels that had built into them a series of traps and false passages.   It is a matter of record that more than a few  invading force was ultimately defeated not by combat but rather largely by misadventure within the warrens that made up the false passages.

Anyone who was not intimately familiar with their layout faced a very bitter and painful death within, largely because there was no reliably source of potable water, and the water wells that were obvious and accessible were actually poisoned by the asbestos-like minerals that laced the rock layers, or one of a half-dozen poisons that were a byproduct of the volcanic activity that formed the region thousands of years before.

Construction was actually begun on a fourth city in the area, but it was halted due to a combination of underground poisonous gas leaks and the lack of any reliable source of fresh and potable water in that part of the underground --  as the strengths of the safe retreat of the original three cities is credited as being the independent water supplies that each enjoyed.

The trio of underground cities were widely used as the primary defense for the residents against the Roman Legions, with the natives retreating into them whenever the Legions would move into the area.  Each of the three major underground cities was well engineered and developed to provide everything that was needed to live in them for very long duration -- sometimes years -- without the need to go out; they developed deep wells for each, a complex system for moving sewage and human waste away from them, and constructed a sophisticated ventilation system that allowed for the complete exchange of old air for fresh air several times an hour. 

Extensive food storage facilities and even large and well organized animal pens were situated so that the defenders could maintain full control over their food supply, ad in addition to being a massive thorn in the side of Rome and very resistant to subjugation by the Byzantine Empire, Cappadocia was also used to conceal wealth in the form of herds of animals from the tax assessor.  It also has the distinction of being one of the most important regions in the spreading periods for the expansion of the Christian religion in that era.

Wrapping up the Animus Data Fragment Collection

-- The Game-related Stuff you Need To Know --

I trust that you appreciated the history lesson above and that this expanded knowledge of the region  added to your enjoyment of the game?  Hopefully it did, but now we need to address some matters that are actually very important to you, and to your continued success in the game!

The first thing we need to discuss is the rare items that are only available HERE -- and I am not talking about the Animus Data Fragments, though you will be wanting to collect those while you are here as well -- but rather the game items that can only be found here, which includes certain weapons and books.

-- Rare Weapons --
The following four Weapons are only obtained in Cappadocia:

Afghani Khyber Blade --  a short blade that was obtainable by the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze during the Ottoman Renaissance, by purchasing it from the blacksmith of Cappadocia. 
   
Byzantine Arming Sword -- the weapon of choice for the Byzantine Almogavar.
   
Byzantine Mace -- also called a Roman Mace, this weapon composed by a wooden shaft and a metallic head, was transformed in the middle age of Byzantium as the favorite weapon of the heavy armed cavalryman.  It was rarely used by unmounted warriors.
   
Prussian Long Sword -- this belongs in the heavy weapon class, and very similar to the Spada Lunga, requires the use of two hands and great strength.
 
-- Rare Books --
There is a short list of very expensive books that you will purchase in Cappadocia -- but please be aware that you need to obtain these books during the mission here, as the merchant from whom they are obtained is removed from the game after the mission is completed!  You will need to have around 337,698 -- but call it 350,000 for safety sake or maybe closer to 400,000 if you plan upon buying the weapons as well -- coins in order to buy them. 

Not very cheap at all, are they?

The following Books are required in order to unlock the Achievement "Sage" (20 GS) and they can only be obtained in Cappadocia:

-- Bibliotheca by Photius (107,525 Coins)
-- Cronica by Giovanni Villani (84,123 Coins) also known as Nuova Cronica
-- Digenes Akritas author unknown (59,800 Coins)
-- Tirant Lo Blanch by Sir Joanot Martorell (86,250 Coins)

After you purchase these four books in Cappadocia, assuming that you have already purchased the books that you buy in Constantinople, AND assuming that your game is not effected by the bug that was introduced by Patch 1.02, you will still not unlock the Achievement "Sage" (20 GS) for collecting all of the available books so do not look for that to unlock because in addition to purchasing all of the books you need to have completed all 7 of the book missions from Polo's books and map. 

The point here is not to unlock the Achievement but rather to be sure that you purchase the four books HERE that you will need to unlock it LATER.

-- Animus Data Fragments --

There are 12 Data Fragments in total, which is just right because if you check your DNA stats you should have the following listed under DNA > ADDITIONAL MEMORIES > ANIMUS DATA FRAGMENTS: 88/100

-- ARESENAL DISTRICT: 11/11
-- BAYEZID NORTH: 12/12
-- BAYEZID SOUTH: 11/11
-- CONSTANTINE NORTH: 10/10
-- CONSTANTINE SOUTH: 11/11
-- IMPERIAL NORTH: 11/11
-- IMPERIAL SOUTH: 11/11
-- GALATIA: 11/11
-- CAPPADOCIA: 0/12

If the stats read anything else, it means that you missed a Data Fragment somewhere, so double-check the stats for each of the districts and figure out which you missed, and then remember to collect them after you return to Constantinople in the following Sequences.

After you secure your position in the Sequence you will want to re-load one of the earlier memories and go for the Data Fragments just to get them out of the way.  Besides you may have noticed that whenever you collect a Data Fragment the game saves that fact -- probably in a separate section of the save file -- but either way once you have one you have it, and that is the important thing.

When you collect the 12th Data Fragment here you unlock the Achievement "Capped" (20 GS) for collecting all of the Amimus Data Fragments.  Personally I think that this should have been worth a LOT more than 20 lousy GS, but then I think the GS assigned to Achievements should reflect the relative difficulty in unlocking it, whereas it is clear that the wizards who made this game thought 20 GS was a great number of points to use.

Bearing in mind that the first Memory in Sequence 07 is more or less open-ended, you will find it the easiest to use for the purposes of collecting.