The monks have always protected the Talion, a sacred key that unlocks the entrance to the resting place of the dagger. Prior to the story of Tomb Raider II, a mobster named Gianni Bartoli, the late father of Marco Bartoli, managed to get a hold of the Seraph, a key artefact needed to unlock the gate protecting the Talion. In desperation, the Barkhang monks bombed Bartoli's luxury ship, the Maria Doria, killing everyone aboard the ship and plundering the Seraph to the bottom of the sea. Since the loss of the Seraph, the monks could only pray that no one could get their hands on the Seraph.