Abu'l Nuqoud

"You take the lives of men and women, strong in the conviction that their deaths will improve the lots of those left behind. A minor evil for a greater good? We are the same."

- Abu'l Nuqoud

Abu'l Nuqoud (ابو النقود) was the fourth person Al Mualim ordered Altaïr to assassinate. He was located in the rich district of Damascus, Syria.

The Merchant King of Damascus
Abu'l Nuqoud was a fat man with rich tastes – and a humongous appetite. Everything he said and did was to excess. He threw lavish parties, decorated his palace with gaudy works of art, and fed himself the finest foods. He hated the poor and saw them as a blight upon the land. He believed they were the source of everything wrong with the world. He took a perverse pleasure in tricking and torturing those of lesser means. He was incredibly self-centered and loved nothing more than to remind the people of Damascus how generous he was. He knew how to throw a party – and earn the favor of "those who matter."

Assassination
"All this suffering is born of fear and hate! It bothers you that they are different, just as it bothers you that I am different!"

- Abu'l Nuqoud addressing the crowd at his party, before his death.

As Altaïr sought out Abu'l Nuqoud's life, the merchant king decided to throw a lavish party at his palace for the nobility of Damascus (paid for with money stolen from the city's treasuries). After the guests had settled down, Abu'l proposed a toast to their generosity, then proceeded to lambaste them for their hatred and hypocrisy in supporting Saladin and his war campaign. It was revealed (while Altaïr combed the city tracking his target) that he had poisoned the wine to get revenge on the people who tormented him with their cruel words and bigotry, and he ordered his men to kill anyone who tried to escape from the party. Altaïr took advantage of the panic to assassinate Abu'l.

In his dying speech, Abu'l said that he did not join up with the Templars for revenge, but to create a new, better world instead of pretending to follow a god who called him an abomination, due to his obesity or his speculated homosexuality (see Trivia). He also challenged Altaïr's willingness to strike down those Al Mualim ordered him to, remarking that Altaïr doubts the worthiness of his cause.

Death Speech


Altaïr: ''Be at peace now. Their words can no longer do harm.''

Abu: Why have you done this?!

Altaïr: ''You stole money from those you claimed to lead, sent it away for some unknown purpose. I want to know where it's gone and why!''

Abu: ''Look at me! My very nature is an affront to the people I ruled, and these noble robes did little more than to muffle their shouts of hate.''

Altaïr: So this is about vengeance, then?

Abu: ''No, not vengeance, but my conscience. How could I finance a war in service to the same god that calls me an abomination?''

Altaïr: If you do not serve Saladin's cause, then whose?

Abu: In time, you'll come to know them: I think perhaps you already do.

Altaïr: ''Then why hide? And why these dark deeds?''

Abu: ''Is it so different from your own work? You take the lives of men and women, strong in the conviction that their deaths will improve the lots of those left behind: a minor evil for a greater good. We are the same!''

Altaïr: No! We are nothing alike!

Abu: ''Ah, but I see it in your eyes: you doubt. You cannot stop us... we will have our "New World".''

Behind the scenes
Creative director Patrice Desilets stated that the production team affectionately called the merchant king their "she-male". He pointed out that the fun of a character like Abu is "the big party, [where] everyone is drinking, then everyone is dying, and then you've got to go and reach him and kill him from behind."

Trivia

 * Abu'l Nuqoud literally means 'father of the money' or 'the one with money', referring to his wealth.
 * He is the only target without any weapon upon him. He will turn to fight you if he makes it to a guard tower and receives a sword, however.
 * Because of some of his mannerisms (such as his style of dress), his speech about people of all kinds living together, his words about not serving the "same god that calls me an abomination," the way he caresses one of his guards, and the fact that many characters refer to him as "different," it is speculated by most that he may be a homosexual.
 * When looking at his face closely, you can see him suffering from severe acne. This could also be why he refers to himself as an "abomination".
 * Even though he appears to be overweight and of quite old age, he can run relatively fast.
 * In the mobile game, he is called "Vizier Abull Aswad".

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Notes and references
Abu'l Nuqoud