Post by Kenneth Irons on Jun 30, 2004 13:26:10 GMT -5
One of the running themes in Alias are the Rambaldi Artifacts. - here is some information for our fellow tomb raiders and secret agents:
Rambaldi, Milo Giacomo
1444-1496. Born in Parma, Italy in 1444, Milo Giacomo Rambaldi was retained as chief architect for Pope Alexander VI in 1492. Equal parts Da Vinci and Nostradamus, Rambaldi was an artist, architect, sculptor, mathematician, engineer, inventor, and prophetic visionary. He developed plans for revolutionary inventions, some of which surpass even 21st Century technology. Rambaldi developed a machine code language as early as 1489, through the introduction of cryptic algorithms (i.e. data compression schema) and pre-binary 1's and 0's. In recent years, Rambaldi artifacts discovered in private collections contained diagrams for both a prototype reflecting the properties and composition of a 20th Century transistor and a transportable vocal communicator, a pre-cursor to modern mobile telecommunication technology. Many of his drawings and documentation are written in multiple languages ranging from Italian and Demotic hybrids, to elusive mixtures of symbols (pre-masonic cipher encryptions). Some have been drawn so as to be invisible to the naked eye, and require exposure to a special solution for reading. The number 47 appears to have had particular relevance to Rambaldi and in all of Rambaldi's notebooks recovered thus far, page 47 has had special significance.
Though revered by his benefactor, Pope Alexander VI, Rambaldi’s radically advanced inventions and his position that science would someday allow man to know God earned him an accusation of heresy from Archdeacon Claudio Vespertini. Upon the death of Alexander, Vespertini sentenced Rambaldi to be excommunicated and executed, and sought to erase all evidence of Rambaldi’s work.
Despite Vespertini’s efforts, a number of Rambaldi artifacts survived. Since the 15th century, traces of Rambaldi's work have turned up in various places around Italy, France, parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and even a museum warehouse in Waterbury, Connecticut. As of late, the discovery of the value of Rambaldi’s work sparked the interest of a number of intelligence organizations, including The Alliance, K-Directorate, and the CIA’s Department of Special Research. A worldwide “scavenger hunt” ensued, The Alliance recovering a large number of Rambaldi artifacts. With the downfall of The Alliance, Arvin Sloane (in partnership with Julian Sark) became the holder of perhaps the largest collection of Rambaldi artifacts. Rambaldi’s notebooks and inventions indicated that a larger, master construct could be assembled. While Sloane maintains that upon assembling the machine, a “message of peace” was delivered whereupon he abandoned his criminal pursuits, the actual message (and Sloane’s true objectives) remains unknown.
Most recently, Agent Sydney Bristow obtained a Rambaldi artifact containing a tissue sample of Rambaldi himself, preserved in a solution. The Department of Special Research confiscated the artifact from the CIA, following which the organization known as The Covenant forcibly relieved the DSR of the artifact. Following what they believed to be the accurate interpretation of Rambaldi’s “Prophecy” they sought to combine DNA from the tissue sample with ova extracted from Sydney Bristow. The Covenant believed Agent Bristow to be Rambaldi’s “Chosen One” and sought to bring about Rambaldi’s “second coming” by producing a child from the combined DNA. Agents Bristow, Vaughn, Dixon, and Weiss infiltrated the Covenant facility where the procedure was taking place and defeated the Covenant assets there. Although Agent Bristow destroyed the lab equipment, Julian Sark escaped during the confrontation, and it remains to be seen whether any remaining Rambaldi DNA exists.
Rambaldi, Milo Giacomo
1444-1496. Born in Parma, Italy in 1444, Milo Giacomo Rambaldi was retained as chief architect for Pope Alexander VI in 1492. Equal parts Da Vinci and Nostradamus, Rambaldi was an artist, architect, sculptor, mathematician, engineer, inventor, and prophetic visionary. He developed plans for revolutionary inventions, some of which surpass even 21st Century technology. Rambaldi developed a machine code language as early as 1489, through the introduction of cryptic algorithms (i.e. data compression schema) and pre-binary 1's and 0's. In recent years, Rambaldi artifacts discovered in private collections contained diagrams for both a prototype reflecting the properties and composition of a 20th Century transistor and a transportable vocal communicator, a pre-cursor to modern mobile telecommunication technology. Many of his drawings and documentation are written in multiple languages ranging from Italian and Demotic hybrids, to elusive mixtures of symbols (pre-masonic cipher encryptions). Some have been drawn so as to be invisible to the naked eye, and require exposure to a special solution for reading. The number 47 appears to have had particular relevance to Rambaldi and in all of Rambaldi's notebooks recovered thus far, page 47 has had special significance.
Though revered by his benefactor, Pope Alexander VI, Rambaldi’s radically advanced inventions and his position that science would someday allow man to know God earned him an accusation of heresy from Archdeacon Claudio Vespertini. Upon the death of Alexander, Vespertini sentenced Rambaldi to be excommunicated and executed, and sought to erase all evidence of Rambaldi’s work.
Despite Vespertini’s efforts, a number of Rambaldi artifacts survived. Since the 15th century, traces of Rambaldi's work have turned up in various places around Italy, France, parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and even a museum warehouse in Waterbury, Connecticut. As of late, the discovery of the value of Rambaldi’s work sparked the interest of a number of intelligence organizations, including The Alliance, K-Directorate, and the CIA’s Department of Special Research. A worldwide “scavenger hunt” ensued, The Alliance recovering a large number of Rambaldi artifacts. With the downfall of The Alliance, Arvin Sloane (in partnership with Julian Sark) became the holder of perhaps the largest collection of Rambaldi artifacts. Rambaldi’s notebooks and inventions indicated that a larger, master construct could be assembled. While Sloane maintains that upon assembling the machine, a “message of peace” was delivered whereupon he abandoned his criminal pursuits, the actual message (and Sloane’s true objectives) remains unknown.
Most recently, Agent Sydney Bristow obtained a Rambaldi artifact containing a tissue sample of Rambaldi himself, preserved in a solution. The Department of Special Research confiscated the artifact from the CIA, following which the organization known as The Covenant forcibly relieved the DSR of the artifact. Following what they believed to be the accurate interpretation of Rambaldi’s “Prophecy” they sought to combine DNA from the tissue sample with ova extracted from Sydney Bristow. The Covenant believed Agent Bristow to be Rambaldi’s “Chosen One” and sought to bring about Rambaldi’s “second coming” by producing a child from the combined DNA. Agents Bristow, Vaughn, Dixon, and Weiss infiltrated the Covenant facility where the procedure was taking place and defeated the Covenant assets there. Although Agent Bristow destroyed the lab equipment, Julian Sark escaped during the confrontation, and it remains to be seen whether any remaining Rambaldi DNA exists.
