Database: Maria Thorpe

Since childhood, Maria had always dreamed of being a knight. A tomboy in her teens, she was often ridiculed by other children and punished by her parents for refusing to "be a lady". Eventually she left her native England for Jerusalem, and after many hardships and trials, gained favor with a few prominent Templar Crusaders.

In time, she befriended the French Templar, Robert De Sable - earning his trust and serving as his decoy in times of war. When the Assassin Altaïr killed Robert De Sable in 1192, Maria was pushed out of the Order of the Templars by their new leader, Armand Bouchart. At this point her hatred for Altaïr was limitless ... until he managed to show her the true corruption of the Templars through patient and careful counsel.

In time - after traveling, studying, and working counsel - Altaïr and Maria became close friends, then lovers. By 1193 Maria was as committed to Altaïr as he was to her. Having no good reasons to return to her homeland, she chose instead to remain at Masyaf and immerse herself in the life and Creed of the Assassins.

By the time Maria and Altaïr had their first child in 1195, they were inseparable, with their only prolonged separation occurring in 1204 during Altaïr's failed attempt to establish a Guild in Constantinople. In 1217 - now approaching sixty years old - Maria joined her husband and her oldest son, Darim, on a long journey East, after AltaÏr had determined the threat of encroaching Mongols was too large to ignore. Absent from Masyaf for over ten years, the couple grew closer still, their lives entwined, and their hearts aching for home.