The Hidden Blade Assassin's Creed in Depth

At the end of Assassin's Creed II, we learned that Team Desmond had a lot more on their hands than just the end of free will - they have to contend with the end of civilisation entirely, as well. Minerva and Shaun make references to the sun doing something, the end of the world, but what exactly are they up against?

The Sun

Just as how The Truth mixes history and conspiracy in glyphs, we can look at actual history to try and figure out the conspiracy. In 1859, the Carrington Event [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1859_solar_superstorm] happened. It was the largest recorded geomagnetic storm in history, causing aurorae bright as day and disabling telegraphs across North America and Europe. A similar event happened in Quebec in 1989, taking down the Hydro-Quebec power grid. If a similar event happened within the game's timeframe, it could be almost apocalyptic. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/7837036/Nasa-solar-flare-space-storm-warning-a-British-scientist-writes.html] Another solar event is meant to happen in 2012/2013, right within the timeframe of AC3.

The Earth
Things aren't going much better on solid ground. Vidic's news emails show that there are lots of problems in 2012. A plague has decimated the population of Africa and hurricanes are more frequent than ever. But there's more. A piece of Arabic writing on S16's wall refers to The Earthquake, a sura of the Qu'ran that discusses the end of the world. Considering how the series portrays other religious figures, this should be taken literally. The idea that the Event will lead to geological instability is supported by quotes from Truth glyphs, which refer to enormous volcanic explosions.[http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/Those_Who_Came_Before#Catastrophe]

The Event
Assassin's Creed takes place over the course of a week in the beginning of September 2012. Assassin's Creed II takes place over several days later in the month. Depending on how long Brotherhood takes for Desmond, Assassin's Creed III will probably cover October to December 2012. On December 21, 2012 [the end of the Mayan calendar] Abstergo is going to launch a satellite [presumably from somewhere near Denver International Airport]. This satellite will contain a Piece of Eden, and will be used to transmit the Piece's effect all over the world. This is only the first problem for Team Desmond, as the Event must surely occur at around the same time.

So to sum it up - hurricanes, plagues, volcanoes, and an intercontinental blackout. Sounds familiar.