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Analysis
Cracking the Isu Code: Part 1
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30/12/21 By Preston Carbonaro Edited by Ashlea Blackett
Assassin's Creed fans are working hard to crack messages written in the secret language of the highly advanced precursor race known as the Isu, and in the process, decode multiple hidden messages
We here at TOWCB have joined the community efforts to try our hands at decoding these messages which are scattered around throughout the game; in Standing Stone puzzles, on Layla’s laptop, and even promotional content.
We sincerely hope that none of you experience the Bleeding Effect during the decoding process …
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Decoding Brendan of Clonfert’s passage on the Isle of Skye (AC Valhalla)
Here’s a step-by-step guide of how a segment in the precursor language was translated by fellow codebreakers, and the methods we used to decipher it.
Here are two extracts from the mysterious note.
To find the message written by Brendan of Clonfert, players must head to Fairy Glen Standing Stones on the Isle of Skye, and search the area for a note. During the Valhalla crossover, Kassandra and Eivor will visit the area together in an effort to locate the mysterious artefact causing nightmares on the island.
At the bottom of the message written by Clonfert, we can see the mysterious Isu writing that has appeared throughout Valhalla.
Finding the Isu Writing on the Isle of Skye (AC Valhalla)
The Isu text in the red boxes are verbs in their past participle tense, which are identified by the Isu letters ‘t’ and ‘o’ (underlined in blue). Therefore, these must be the words “Born”, “Cleansed” and “Wrapped” that Clonfert wrote.
After careful analysis of the text, we can safely assume that the short passage and Isu writings are one and the same.
The Isu word for “in”.
Underlined in blue above is the Isu for the conjunctive word ‘and’.
About the Author
Preston is a long-time Assassin's Creed fan; of both the games and the soundtracks.
He works as a primary school educator, and is also a part-time actor.
He takes a keen interest in mythology, symbology, codes and puzzles. Some of his passions include writing, reading, art, gaming, football, and music.
We can therefore safely assume that the remaining text are the words “mud” and “excrement”.
Another interesting observation is the above Isu symbol which has a ‘h’ sound, and is usually an adverb.
However, it can also represent the instrumental case - a grammatical case used to indicate that a noun is the instrument or means by or with which the subject achieves or accomplishes an action. Using this method, the first two words in the second line are translated to “in cold waters” (or using the instrumental case: with cold waters). The third word in the third line translates to “in the shroud” (or using the instrumental case: by using a shroud).
The Isu word for “death”.
With only one option left, the first phrase must be “Of coming”.
The fourth line starts with the Isu word for ‘you’.
It is followed by the same symbols we saw in the word ‘in’. Thus, this means ‘inside’. In the context of the passage, we’ll take this to be “within”.
The first part of this phrase (blue) roughly translates to ‘site’, ‘place’, or ‘location’. While the rest (underlined in white) means that it’s in the passive form. Fully translated it becomes ‘is located’, or to better fit Brendan of Clonfert’s text, “that lie”.
By process of elimination, the last word must be “pain”.
Having already encountered the symbols underlined in blue above, we now know that they translate to “And”. Therefore, the preceding Isu text must be “despair”.
The symbols underlined in blue denote that it’s a verb in the second person singular and also imperative. Given this fact, and that there is only one word left, it has to be “Remember”.
Conclusion
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a game that is filled with hidden secrets, which we aim to uncover in this new series dedicated to deciphering the mysterious language of the Isu.
If you have a flair for codebreaking, get in touch with the admin team for writing opportunities.
Also, if you discover any more of the secret language in the game, send it over to the team @ACFIrstCiv on Twitter to analyse!
Click here for an Access The Animus video for a more in-depth explanation of the Isu language translations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPL7KRG0lQQ
