"When I was very young, I was foolish enough to believe that our Creed would bring an end to all these conflicts. If only I had possessed the humility to say to myself, I have seen enough for one life, I've done my part. Then again, there is no greater glory than fighting to find the truth."
―Altaïr to his son Darim during the 1257 Mongol attack on MasyafAltaïr Ibn-La'Ahad (1165 – 1257) was a Syrian-born member of the Levantine Brotherhood of Assassins, and served as theirMentor from 1191 until his death in 1257. During his tenure as Mentor, Altaïr made several discoveries and inventions that greatly helped the Order's progression, and his leadership saw to the spread of the Assassins' influence in the Old World. He is also an ancestor to Desmond Miles.
Raised to be an Assassin from birth, Altaïr obtained the rank of Master Assassin by the age of 24. However, following his failure to obtain an Apple of Eden from Robert de Sable in early 1191, and subsequently allowing the Templars to attack the city of Masyaf – headquarters of the Assassins – he was demoted to the rank of novice and sent on a quest for redemption.
Tasked with the deaths of nine individuals, who, unbeknown to him, made up the ranks of the Templar Order in the Holy Land, Altaïr began a quest to change his ways and liberate the Kingdom from the corruption of the nine. During his quest however, Altaïr learned of a plot far more sinister than originally believed. Completing his mission to kill the nine targets, and cleansing the Order of its treacherous leader Al Mualim, Altaïr rose to the rank of Mentor, taking the Assassins into a new, more secretive direction.
With the Apple in hand, Altaïr changed the ways his Order lived their lives; writing the details in his fabled Codex for later generations of the Order to read. Altaïr's vision of the Assassin Order was for them to be spread across the world, living among the people, to which he began establishing many more Assassins Guilds during his tenure as Mentor. Throughout his travels, Altaïr strengthened his Order, stopping various Templar plots over the years as well as halting the inexorable march of Genghis Khan.
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Biography
Early life
Training as an Assassin
Altaïr was born to Assassin parents: a Christian mother and a Muslim father, Umar Ibn-La'Ahad.
While Altaïr's mother died at childbirth, his father Umar was executed by the Saracens, in retribution for him killing a nobleman of their kind during the First siege of Masyaf, with Altaïr being 11 years old at the time. Moments before the execution, Altaïr frantically called out to his father before he was killed, leading to a sight that would cause him much grief from that point on. Ahmad Sofian, the Assassin who had revealed Umar's name to the Saracens under torture, felt responsible for Umar's death and some time after the event, he infiltrated Altaïr's quarters, before apologizing to Altaïr for his weakness under pressure and proceeded to commit suicide with a dagger.
Following this, Altaïr ran to Al Mualim's quarters with haste, informing him of the situation that occurred. Al Mualim advised Altaïr that he should not disclose any information that the two had discussed – not even to Ahmad's son Abbas – especially since Altaïr and Abbas would start their training under him together. Altaïr considered Al Mualim as more of a father figure to him than his biological father, even though he was aware that Al Mualim's love was "weak and dishonest." Altaïr grew up alongside Abbas, studying together and becoming best friends, with the two always being at one another's side.
One day, Altaïr, after having noticed Abbas' continued grief over his father, decided to tell him that Ahmad had killed himself, in an effort to console him with the truth. Upon hearing it, Abbas turned around in his bed, not saying a word. The following day, the two of them didn't speak to each other, spending most of the day in silence, until Abbas asked their combat instructor Labib if they could fight with real swords, instead of the wooden practice ones. It was then that Abbas revealed his hatred to Altaïr, believing him to have lied about his father, before attacking him in a frenzy – fueled with rage.
After the battle between the two entered into a struggle, with the two of them laying in the mud, Abbas held his knife to Altaïr's throat; Abbas yelled out that Altaïr had lied about his father, with the commotion catching the attention of the other Assassins, the villagers and Al Mualim himself. Deciding to try and quell Abbas' anger, Altaïr claimed that he had lied, and the two of them were brought to Masyaf's dungeon where they both spent a month, after which they had to resume their training. With his crimes deemed more severe, Abbas was forced by Al Mualim to spend an extra year in training, whilst Altaïr was made into an Assassin.
Elevation to Master Assassin
"I have watched you grow from a boy to a man in so short a time. It fills me with as much sadness as pride. You fit your father's shoes as if they have been tailored to your feet."
―Al Mualim talking to Altaïr, after the latter saved him.
When Altaïr was 24 years old, Masyaf was attacked and overrun by Templars, aided by a double agent named Haras, who had pretended to be an ally of the Assassins. Riding his horse into the village and rescuing a fellow Assassin from the Templars, Altaïr led him to a bench due to the man's injured leg, before Altaïr met with Abbas.[4]
Despite Abbas claiming that the Assassins had to fall back and that they could do nothing for Al Mualim, who was detained in the fortress alongside several other Assassin hostages, Altaïr gave Abbas the orders to flank the Templars and lead them into the canyon while Altaïr himself would go to rescue Al Mualim, insisting that Abbas make "no mistakes
From there, Altaïr made his way to the fortress, killing Templar soldiers and rescuing villagers along the way. Upon arriving at the fortress' gates, Altaïr was greeted by the traitor, Haras. Taunting the Assassin, Haras closed the gates behind him as he went to execute the captured Assassins – which included Al Mualim himself – inside the courtyard with a crossbow. With Altaïr locked out of the fortress' gates, he managed to climb up some scaffolding on the outside to get onto the walls. From there, he ran along the battlements and jumped onto a tiled roof of a balcony, before he assassinated Haras from above, saving Al Mualim from being killed in the process.
After that, Altaïr had earned Al Mualim's respect and had been elevated to rank of Master Assassin. Upon hearing this, Abbas spat on the ground near Altaïr's feet, whereas Altaïr only sneered at him. This event was the first time Altaïr began to display arrogance, which would cause his downfall a few years later.
Quest for the Chalice
Return to Alep
In the year 1190, returning from a journey, Altaïr discovered that a village near to the city of Alep was under attack. As he ran to the village, Altaïr came across an Assassin guard who told him that Templars were responsible for the assault. Before he died, Altaïr was given a sword by the guard to defend himself.
Fending off many Templars along the way, Altaïr came across an archer who revealed the Templars' plans and admitted that they were tasked to attack the village by the Templar leader, Lord Basilisk, in order to gain valuable information that was possessed by a member of the Brotherhood. Shortly after, Altaïr dispatched the Templar and continued on, where he assassinated a Templar captain and was informed by another Assassin that Al Mualim requested his presence.
On meeting up with Al Mualim, Altaïr was tasked with retrieving an ancient artifact named "the Chalice" and, after he had prepared, Altaïr left for the city of Damascus to slay Tamir.
Research in Damascus
Tamir: "My beautiful carpets! The Venetian Silverware! All gone!"
Altaïr: "Surely, you can buy them back...."
Tamir: "What....Who's there!?"
—Tamir and Altaïr's initial meeting.
eginning in Damascus, Altaïr located a Rafiq, who seemed to be selling clothes amongst other wares. As he approached, Altaïr accidentally blurted out the Assassin's password with inappropriate timing, and once in a secluded area, the Rafiq began to question Altaïr's skills, before explaining how Altaïr had acted stupidly. Following this, the Rafiq then tasked Altaïr to take the life of an enemy, and once completed, he would then give Altaïr the information he sought in exchange. Forthwith, Altaïr did as he was asked and took the man's life with his Hidden Blade.
As agreed, Altaïr then explained to the Rafiq of his situation with the Chalice and was given the information he needed. Although the Rafiq's explanation didn't go into exact detail on a specific point, Altaïr was told to look for a man who had close connections with Tamir, by the name of Misbah. Once Altaïr had left and located Misbah, he interrogated the man, but the nearby city guard caught wind of the altercation.
As Misbah fled the scene, Altaïr took down the guards, before he soon found Misbah desperately hanging on a rope after a beam had broken. Altaïr requested information in return for safety. Reluctantly, Misbah accepted, although he tried to deny it. After he had told the Assassin what Altaïr needed to know, he requested help, but Altaïr left him for dead.
Altaïr then made his way to Tamir's house and conveniently found some torches, before utilizing them to light the merchant's house on fire, luring him out. Grieving over the loss of his belongings, he told Altaïr of an ancient temple in which he would find the Chalice. Tamir also told the Assassin of a dancer named Fajera who held a key. With the information acquired, Altaïr ended Tamir's life.
Acquiring the first key
After he had left the Bureau, Altaïr ventured to the circus that Fajera performed at, in oder to get one of three keys Tamir had mentioned. While there, Altaïr confronted Fajera and asked her if she had the key with her. Stubbornly, she refused to cooperate and called one of her circus friends, a brute who went by the name of Badr. Altaïr fought off Badr but, before he could defeat him, Fajera left the tent. Shortly afterwards, the tent began to cave in, though Altaïr managed to escape in time, leaving Badr's fate unknown. Following this, Altaïr chased Fajera across the city, dodging civilians and guards alike. However, the Assassin lost her tail as a bridge collapsed, leaving him behind.
On spotting her again, Altaïr made his way to Fajera, who was by a well. She was impressed by Altaïr's actions and gladly gave him the key, though Altaïr was confused by her actions beforehand; Fajera explained that she had actually been testing Altaïr. She continued that, through her cards, she had foreseen his arrival and thought that she had best prepare herself in aiding the Assassin. Fajera then requested Altaïr to dispose of a man named Alaat, who was within a bath-house not too far from where they were.
Venturing through old sewer tunnels, Altaïr made his way into the bath-house and, although Alaat let out a cry for help, he was too late to save himself as Altaïr plunged his blade into the man and escaped. As a thanks, Fajera told Altaïr of another key holder in Tyre.
