Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

"Laa shay'a waqi'un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine."

- Altaïr to Al Mualim, 1191.

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad (1165–1257) was a Syrian Assassin during the Middle Ages and, from 1191 until his death, the Assassin Order's Grand Master.

Raised to be an Assassin from birth, Altaïr obtained the rank of Master Assassin by his twenty-fifth year. However, following his failure to obtain the Apple from Robert de Sable in early 1191, and subsequently allowing the Templars to attack the city of Masyaf, headquarters to the Order of 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 Grand Master, 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 across the world living among the people and started setting up Assassins Guilds during his tenure as Grand Master. During his adventures Altaïr strengthened the Order, stopped the Templars various times and was able to prevent the uprising of Genghis Khan.

His name would continue to resonate through the Order in later years, greatly influencing the lives of his descendants and other Assassins in years to come. His bloodline would go on to contain an important figure in the Assassin Order, Desmond Miles.

Training as an Assassin
Altaïr was born to Assassin parents; a Christian mother and a Muslim father, Umar.

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 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 the event causing him much grief from that point. 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 holding 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 of 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 17 years old, Masyaf was attacked and overrun by Templars, aided by a Templar agent who had pretended to be an ally of the Assassins. Riding his horse into the village and rescuing a fellow Assassins from the Templars and having lead him to a bench after being injured in his leg, Altaïr met with Abbas. Despite Abbas saying that they had to fall back and that they could do nothing for Al Mualim, who was still in the fortress, already captured by the traitor alongside several other Assassins, Altaïr gave Abbas orders to flank the Templars and lead them into the canyon while Altaïr himself would go to rescue Al Mualim, telling him to make "no mistakes".

Altaïr made his way to the fortress, and upon arriving at the fortress' gates, was greeted by the traitor. Taunting Altaïr, the traitor closed the gates behind him as he went to execute the captured Assassins, which included Al Mualim himself, in 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 walls and jumped onto a tiled roof of a balcony, before he assassinated the traitor 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 spit 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.

Return to Alep
In the year 1190, returning from a journey, Altaïr discovered that a village near the city of Alep was under attack. He ran to the village and came across a Guard who told him that Templars were attacking it. 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 Templar's plans and admitted that they were tasked to attack the village by Templar Grand Master, Lord Basilisk and gain information from a member of the Brotherhood who held information that was valuable to them. Altaïr dispatched the Templar and continued on. Altaïr assassinated a Templar Captain and one Assassin told him that Al Mualim requested his presence.

Altaïr made it to Al Mualim, who tasked him with retrieving an Ancient artifact called the Chalice and after he had prepared, Altaïr left for the city of Damascus to slay Tamir.

Research in Damascus
Beginning in Damascus, Altaïr located the Rafiq who seemed to be selling clothes among other things, Altaïr accidentally blurted out the Assassin's password at inappropriate timing. Once in a secluded area, the Rafiq started to question Altaïr's skills and explained how he acted stupidly. The Rafiq then tasks Altaïr to take the life of an enemy and once done, he would then give Altaïr the information he sought. Altaïr does as asked and took the man's life with his Hidden Blade.

Altaïr then explained to the Rafiq of his situation with the Chalice and was given the information he needs although not explaining how exactly to get in, in which Altaïr was told to look for a man who had close connections with Tamir, he went by the name of Misbah. Once Altaïr had left and located Misbah, he interrogated the man but it also sounded the Guards which came and as Misbah fled the scene, Altaïr took down the guards. Altaïr soon relocated Misbah who was desperately hanging on a rope after a beam had broke and requested information in return for safety. Reluctantly, he accepted although he tried to deny it. After he had told him, he requested help but Altaïr left him for dead.

Altaïr then made his way to Tamir's house and conveniently found some torches and lit the Merchant's house into flames, 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 and after this, Altaïr ended the life of the Merchant.

Acquiring the first key
After he left the Bureau, Altaïr went to the Circus to get one of three keys Tamir had mentioned. Altaïr confronted Fajera and asked her if she had the key with her but she refused to cooperate, she then called one of her circus friends, a brute who goes by the name of Badr. Altaïr fought off the Brute but before he could defeat him, the Dancer left the tent. The tent started to cave in and collapse but Altaïr escaped in time, defeating the brute. Altaïr chased her across, dodging civilians, guards and more. Altaïr then lost her as a bridge had collapsed leaving Altaïr behind.

Altaïr made it to Fajera who was by a well, she was impressed by Altaïr's actions and gladly gave him the key. Altaïr was confused by her actions, thus Fajera explained that she had actually been testing Altaïr. She continued that, through her cards, she had foreseen his coming, and thought that she had best prepare herself in aiding the Assassin. She then requested Altaïr to dispose of a man named Alaat, who was within a bathhouse not too far from where they were. Going through old sewer tunnels, Altaïr made his way into the bathhouse and although letting out a cry for help, he was too late as Altaïr plunged his blade into the man and escaped and as a thanks, Fajera told Altaïr of another key holder in Tyre.

Infiltrating the hospital
"Find the one who is in charge of the hospital: Roland Napule"

- Hamid to Altaïr

Arriving in Tyre and recollecting on past events, Altaïr met up with Hamid who informed him of a man named Roland Napule. He explained to Altaïr how Roland was holding the actual holder of the second key in his Hospital. With this information, Altaïr then went through old passageways inside a sewer, which he soon found was heavily patrolled by Templar guards. Altaïr soon found Roland interrogating the key holder who soon felt the sting of Altaïr's blade. The man was convinced that Altaïr was a Templar and asked for proof that suggested otherwise but Altaïr had none until the man asked for his left hand and with this, he knew that Altaïr was one of the Assassins. After giving him the key, the men bid his farewell and told Altaïr the location of the next key. In Jerusalem with Lord Basilisk himself.

Confrontation in Jerusalem
After arriving in Jerusalem, Altaïr met up with Rafiq, Kadar, asking him where he could find Lord Basilisk. Kadar remarked that the man's fierceness and feral bravado in battle had earned him the trust of the King, meaning Basilisk was frequently idling in the King's audience. As the Assassin pondered over a way to get closer to his target, Kadar informed him of an upcoming party hosted by the King himself, which meant that he would be sending invitations to some of the citizens. Altaïr then proceeded to eavesdrop on some citizens to learn of the party's whereabouts.

Kadar soon told Altaïr of some city gardens in the city and from there, Altaïr learns of a man known as Ayman who appeared to be walking on the other side of the garden. Confronting Ayman, Altaïr learned what he could despite the man's resistance and soon cracked and disclosed the location of the party. Altaïr then left for the location and once arrived, Altaïr traveled through a secret passage inside and once inside, Basilisk was confronted by the Assassin. Altaïr during his confrontation managed to take the key from Basilisk and fled, knowing he could be beat.

Through the tower
"Join the Templars? To dress myself in a strange garb?"

- Altaïr regarding the Templar robes

Altaïr arrived at a tower and navigated his way to the tower and its Master, an Assassin-like figure who was actually a high-ranking Templar. Altaïr fought his way up the tower, killing the Master's guards and his student. Finally, he reached the Master himself. At the top of the tower, Altaïr confronted the Master, who tried to get him to join the Templars in their quests. Altaïr, however, refused the offer, killed the master and took the map to the Temple of the Sand.

Temple of Sand
"Looking for something, assassin? This game of ours is amusing, but it's getting old rather quickly..."

- Lord Basilisk, upon meeting Altaïr at the Temple

Altaïr arrived at the Temple of Sand and once arriving at the upper areas, Altaïr continued to search the temple, dispatching the guards that were patrolling the area as he did so. Through the crumbling structure and the falling debris, Altaïr finally managed to make his way to the Chalice's antechamber. There, he saw the shrine of the Chalice, wrought in gold and placed upon a stone pillar with four bridges stretching in four different directions. Altaïr carefully made his way to the center, cautious of the fire below the bridge. Altaïr discovered Basilisk inside and was then told of the Chalice's true nature; that she was no artifact and was instead, a woman. The Temple then collapsed and Altaïr found himself in rubble. As he climbed to his feet, Altaïr was dumbfounded when he saw a powerful sandstorm ravaging the rubble behind him, slowly making its way towards him. The Assassin fled the scene and avoided the obstacles formed by the fallen rubble of the temple. After a long sprint, and some trouble with fleeing guards, Altaïr managed to escape the area. As he recalled what Basilisk had said at the Temple, he remembered him mentioning that he had some business at the city of Tyre. Wasting no time, Altaïr quickly left the area and made his way to the city.

Hunt in Tyre
Upon arriving in Tyre once more, Altaïr was once again greeted by Hamid. The assassin asked questioned him, asking if he knew of the location of Basilisk. Hamid told him he was inside one of Tyre's forts, hidden within it's solid walls. As he told him of Basilisk's location, Hamid pointed the Assassin to an alternate route, which required Altaïr to navigate through beams and crates all above the deadly waters.

Altaïr was forced to take the route, but before doing so, Hamid explained to him of the existence of two members of the brotherhood imprisoned within the fort. Keeping this in mind, Altaïr made his way across the beams and platforms, all the while evading the water. After a long path, and brief battles between guards and patrols proving Altaïr to be better in skill, Altaïr was able to traverse further into the fort.

As he did, Altaïr discovered the missing agents of Hamid, one trapped where the assassin was, and one trapped at the other side of the fort. After freeing the first agent, Altaïr navigated through the multiple obstacles in order to reach the other agent. After the two were set free, Altaïr was able to progress further into the fortress, with the agents' help.

Confrontation with Basilisk
"Assassin, this battle will be our last!"

- Basilisk to Altaïr before the duel

When Altaïr entered the fortress he was stopped by Templars who questioned whether he could fight through the Templar army that came between him and Basilisk, the Templar's were then taken down by Altaïr. Altaïr then traversed deeper into the fortress, he fought through the guards that lied in wait and charged through the obstacles. He saw Adha being dragged down Tyre's ports, she screamed for Altaïr and he ran to help her.

He was confronted by Basilisk who challenged him to a battle, Altaïr accepted and fought long and hard. Eventually he overpowered Basilisk and killed him. Little known by Altaïr at the time, the ship which Adha was on was leaving the docks. Altaïr tried to rescue her but didn't make it in time, Basilisk's ship was set on fire and Altaïr quickly fled the scene but the ship left the docks and Altaïr watched it leave from the harbor.

It would be years before Altaïr found Adha again, but was too late to save her; all he could do was avenge her. In a furious and emotional rage, Altaïr hunted down and killed everyone responsible for Adha's death, though the act brought him no joy, as the deed could neither console him nor bring her back.

Failure in Solomon's Temple


By the following year, the Holy Land was in the midst of war.

In early 1191, Altaïr and the brothers Malik and Kadar A-Sayf were tasked with retrieving an artifact from the Templars in Solomon's Temple. After progressing through the catacombs, Altaïr broke two tenets of the Assassin's Creed, but arrogantly dismissed the warning against his actions, confident in his mastery as an Assassin.

Finally, upon seeing the archenemy of his Order – Robert de Sable – Altaïr broke another tenet; risking the safety of the Brotherhood. Having attempted to slay the Grand Master of the Knights Templar after making his presence known, Altaïr was easily thwarted and thrown from the temple, leaving Malik and Kadar alone with the Templars. Altaïr escaped from the temple and Jerusalem to report his failure to the Order.

Siege of Masyaf
Upon returning to Masyaf, Altaïr was kindly greeted by Rauf who told him Al Mualim waited to hear how the mission went. At the fortress gates, Abbas and Altaïr exchanged several insults and threats before Altaïr informed Al Mualim of his failure to acquire the Templar treasure, and was lambasted for it. Soon after, Malik returned with the artifact, alive but alone, and with a heavily injured left arm and shouting at Altaïr, blaming him for Kadar's death. Before any further action could be taken though, the Templars attacked Masyaf.

Taking the village, slaughtering its inhabitants, and besieging the castle, Altaïr and several groups of Assassins ran to defend the village. Altaïr killed many attacking Templars before fleeing back to the fortress with the other Assassins after being overwhelmed by the Templars. Along with Rauf and another Assassin, Altaïr led the defense of the fortress. Performing a leap of faith and sneaking behind the Templar army, Altaïr unleashing a torrent of felled tree logs, crushing the Templar army and driving them away from Masyaf.

Once the attack was over, the matters of his actions in Solomon's Temple were addressed once again. Altaïr, having broken all three tenets of the Creed, failing to acquire the Templar treasure, causing the death of a brother and the incapacitation of another, as well as being responsible for all who had died in the Templar attack, was deemed a traitor to the Creed. Al Mualim declared this judgement before the entire Order, before stabbing Altaïr in the stomach with a dagger.

Altaïr awoke from his "sleep of the dead" and questioned Al Mualim of his survival, with the Grand Master answering that Altaïr had only seen what he had wanted him to see. He then stripped Altaïr of his rank and possessions as alternate punishment, though also offered him a chance for redemption.

Starting as a novice once again, Altaïr was tasked with hunting down the traitor within Masyaf, who had allowed the Templars entrance. Successful, Altaïr returned to Al Mualim and was rewarded with the return of his Hidden Blade and long-sword. Once again officially a member of the Order, Altaïr was offered a trade; the lives of nine men in exchange for his own.

Hunt for the Nine
"I am but a piece, a man with a part to play. You'll come to know the others soon enough..."

- Tamir to Altaïr.

Altaïr started his quest, leaving Masyaf and riding to Damascus in pursuit of Tamir, his first target. Arriving there, he traveled to the local Assassins' Bureau and requested permission for the assassination. The Rafiq denied him, ordering Altaïr to first gather information about his target.

Going through the city's poor district, Altaïr interrogated informants, pick-pocketed letters and maps, and eavesdropped on conversations around him; ultimately acquiring the location of his target. Returning to the Bureau with this information, he received a pass for the kill and a white feather, to be wet in the victim's blood, as proof of the deed.

In a plaza of the market district, Altaïr witnessed Tamir slaying a business partner, and killed him as he examined the nearby stalls. Returning to the Bureau, Altaïr was told to return to Al Mualim, who rewarded him for this first step on the road to redemption, and granted him a piece of his equipment back. Altaïr then left for the other cities, Acre and Jerusalem, to pursue his next targets.



Proceeding on to Acre, Altaïr met with the Bureau leader to gather the information about his target - Garnier de Naplouse, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitalier. Learning that Garnier was located in the Hospitalier hospital in the city's Poor District, and was trafficking men from other cities to Acre for him to experiment on, Altaïr infiltrated the hospital.

There, Altaïr found one of Garnier's prisoners running away from his captors. After the fleeing man was caught, Garnier ordered his guards to break the prisoner's legs to prevent him from making another escape, and had him brought back to his quarters. Garnier then returned to his usual routine of checking his patients, and was eventually struck down by Altaïr.

With his dying breath, Garnier revealed that he had used to Apple of Eden to conduct his experiments, but after its loss, his progress had slowed. He was also convinced that he was helping the people he experimented on, causing Altaïr to question his own opinion on Garnier's experiments.

Arriving at Jerusalem's Bureau, Altaïr was harshly received by Malik, that Bureau's new leader. Reluctantly, Malik sent him on his investigations, and received him once again when he returned. After obtaining the permission and the feather, Altaïr entered the slave complex of his target Talal, but was ambushed by his followers.

Dispatching them, Altaïr chased Talal across the rooftops and through the streets, finally catching up to him and putting a hidden blade in his neck. Altaïr returned to the Bureau and reported to Al Mualim once again. Gaining another piece of his equipment back, Altaïr once again had to return to all three cities to take out new targets.

"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 to Altaïr.

Altaïr returned to Damascus to eliminate Abu'l Nuqoud, known as "the Merchant King." After investigating and receiving the feather from the Rafiq, he proceeded to the merchant's palace where a party was being held.

Infiltrating the palace, Altaïr arrived shortly before Abu'l began his speech, lambasting his guests for their intolerance and ignorance, before revealing he had poisoned the wine that was being served. As a number of the revelers fell to the poison, Abu'l ordered his archers to eliminate the rest.

Through the panic of the crowd, the Assassin scaled the palace walls, killing several archers in the process, and managed to climb onto the roof above his target. Jumping down and killing the Merchant King's bodyguard, Altaïr chased down and assassinated his target, once again setting the city on full alert, before losing his pursuers. Returning to the Bureau, he reported his success, before returning once again to Masyaf.

"We'll see how sweet they are... the fruits of your labors. You do not free the cities as you believe, but damn them. And in the end, you'll have only yourself to blame; you who speak of good intentions..."

- William of Montferrat to Altaïr.



In Acre, Altaïr was tasked with the death of William of Montferrat, regent of the city and a lieutenant of Richard the Lionheart. Meeting once again with the Bureau leader, Altaïr gathered information on his target in the city's rich district, and learned that he was to meet with King Richard later that day.

Approaching as William and Richard quarreled outside the city fort's walls, he waited for the King to leave, before infiltrating the castle via the fortress walls. Waiting until William had finished berating his men for their perceived failures, and had dismissed his guards, Altaïr struck from above, killing the Marquese of Montferrat. As usual, Al Mualim was informed, and Altaïr left the city for his next target in Jerusalem.

"Do you know what it feels like to determine another man's fate? And did you see the way the people cheered? The way they feared me? I was like a god! You'd have done the same if you could! Such power..."

- Majd Addin to Altaïr.



Within Jerusalem, Altaïr found his sixth target, Majd Addin; the illegitimate ruler of the city, who personally acted as judge, jury and executioner. During one of his public executions, Altaïr made his way through the crowd and onto the stage where Addin stood, killing him and saving an imprisoned Assassin who was mere moments from death. Fleeing from the guards, Altaïr returned to Masyaf.

Rewarded with another rank and equipment, Altaïr demanded Al Mualim of the truth behind connections between his targets. Al Mualim revealed to him that all nine of his targets were members of the Knights Templar, and that the treasure Malik had liberated from Robert de Sable held the power to control the minds of others. Content with this new information, Altaïr left for Acre and Damascus once again.



Altaïr's seventh target was present in Acre. The target, named Sibrand, was the Grand Master of the Knights Teutonic, and paranoid with fear of the Assassin that had hunted down his Templar brethren. Reporting to the Bureau and investigating, Altaïr traveled to the city’s ports, where he witnessed Sibrand falsely accusing a passing scholar of being the Assassin before cutting him down. Afterwards, he retired to his ship.

Altaïr navigated through the ports and docked boats, arriving on Sibrand's ship and striking him down. Once again, the alert was sounded, though Altaïr managed to escape once more. After giving the Rafiq the feather marked with Sibrand's blood, Altaïr left for Masyaf as always.

"Am I not unlike those precious books you seek to save? A source of knowledge with which you disagree? Yet you are rather quick to steal my life."

- Jubair al Hakim to Altaïr.



In Damascus, Jubair al Hakim, Saladin's head scholar, had begun burning every book in the city, in an attempt to wipe the history of the land. Traveling to the Bureau, Altaïr gathered the information, received his feather and moved in for the kill.

Jubair stood flanked by many followers, all dressed in identical clothing; fortunately for Altaïr, however, his previous investigations had shown him where Jubair would be, and what he looked like. Before long, the scholar joined his Templar brothers in death, and Altaïr escaped the city guard to report his success to the Rafiq.

"You have laid waste to our plans: first, the treasure, then our men. Control of the Holy Land slipped away, but then he saw an opportunity, to reclaim what has been stolen, to turn your victories to our advantage!"

- Maria to Altaïr.

Returning to Masyaf, Altaïr had only one target remaining; the Grand Master of the Knights Templar himself. Altaïr discussed this with Al Mualim, where he explained that the Piece of Eden was essentially temptation given form. Al Mualim explained that Robert did seek peace like the Assassins, though through means of force by using the Apple. Altaïr concluded that Robert's death was the only way to end the Templar's quest for control.

Robert had apparently arrived in Jerusalem to attend the funeral of Majd Addin, in a show of mutual cooperation between and friendship between Saracen and Crusaders. Gathering intelligence for the strike, Altaïr presented this to Malik, who now realized Altaïr was a changed man and changed his attitude towards him. Arriving at the cemetery Altaïr, hid among the crowd, he was instead singled out and ambushed by the Templars, who had anticipated his arrival. Engaging the Templars and Saracen guard in battle, he fought them off one by one.

During this fray, Altaïr defeated Robert and removed the helm, however, to his horror, he discovered the person to be a decoy. At first believing it to be sorcery, the shock of seeing the woman standing before him soon wore off. He soon learned from her that Robert had used the time she had given him to travel to Arsuf, in the hopes of uniting the Saracens and Crusaders against the Assassins.

Sparing her life as she was not his target, Altaïr returned to the Bureau and revealed the deception to Malik, who had recently come to believe that Altaïr had truly repented for his past crimes. Malik suggested to Altaïr that it was best he return to Masyaf, and enlighten Al Mualim to the development, but Altaïr refused, citing time to be lacking.

He accused Malik of hiding behind the Creed, and refusing to see what he did not wish to see. Suggesting he search for answers in Solomon's Temple, Altaïr made his departure from the city, and rode directly to Arsuf.

Battle of Arsuf
"You know nothing of schemes. You are but a puppet. He betrayed you, boy, just as he betrayed me."

- Robert to Altaïr in his dying words, 1191.

Arriving at Arsuf, Altaïr discovered that the engagement between the Crusader and Saracen forces had commenced. Fighting his way through the battlefield, engaging Saracen and Christian troops alike, Altaïr arrived at Richard's camp, only to be mistaken for making an attempt on the King's life.

Denying this, Altaïr informed the Crusader leader of Robert's treachery, as well as that of his followers. Though de Sable persistently denied the accusations, Richard was unconvinced.

Leaving the decision to God, Richard ordered a trial by combat to determine the truth. Altaïr fought de Sable and his Templar elites, cutting them down and striking the Grand Master in the throat.

With his dying breaths, Robert revealed to Altaïr that Al Mualim was, in fact, a Templar, and that Altaïr had been an unwitting pawn in his quest to hoard the Apple, and eliminate the others who knew of its existence. After this, Richard congratulated the Assassin on his success. As the two discussed their views on peace, Richard allowed Altaïr to leave Arsuf. Altaïr hurried to Masyaf to discover the truth about his master.

Retaking of Masyaf
Arriving at Masyaf, Altaïr found the villagers in a hypnotized trance, who acknowledged Al Mualim as the one who had "led [them] to the light". Progressing up the hill towards Masyaf, Altaïr encountered a group of hypnotized Assassins who, bent as they were to Al Mualim's will, attacked him. Left with no other option, Altaïr engaged in battle with them, and managed to slay them all. However, another wave of Assassins entered the fray, heavily outnumbering and threatening to overwhelm him.

To his luck, Malik and several Assassins aided him by throwing knives at the Assassins, killing some and causing the rest to flee. Meeting with Malik, Altaïr requested him to distract the hypnotized Assassins outside of the fortress so that he could reach Al Mualim without much trouble. Agreeing to his request, Malik and his men left Altaïr to infiltrate the fortress.

Searching for his former Master in the fortress garden that Al Mualim referred to as "Paradise," Altaïr only found himself caught and bound by the Apple's power. Seeing Al Mualim on a balcony overhead, he demanded an explanation from him. Al Mualim then revealed that he had used the Apple recovered at Solomon's Temple to both end the Crusades by eliminating the leaders, and to control the minds of the people to attain their obedience; ensuring utter and absolute peace.

Ending his explanation, Al Mualim used the power of the Apple to create an illusion of the nine Templars Altaïr had killed, who attacked the confused Assassin. Defeating them one by one, Altaïr was once again bound by the Apple's power. By this point, Al Mualim confronted Altaïr personally, and created multiple copies of himself to aid in his fight. Faced with this second illusion, Altaïr took the defensive, striking them as they attacked one by one.

As Altaïr finally singled his Master out, Al Mualim bound him once again. There, he explained to Altaïr that though he sought peace like Robert, he wanted the Apple to himself, thus the Templar needed to die. Altaïr questioned why Al Mualim had not that used the Apple on him, and Al Mualim explained that he had tried, and failed, due to Altaïr's mental strength.

At this, Altaïr and Al Mualim dueled for a final time. Despite a lengthy battle, Altaïr managed to finally defeat his Master, and down him with his hidden blade.

Altaïr then listened as his Master spoke his final words, challenging Altaïr's strength of character and ability to destroy the Apple. As Al Mualim died, the Assassin watched as the Apple rolled from his lifeless hand, before activating itself.

He, eventually joined by Malik and his men, stood before the vast holographic image that projected from the orb; a map of the world indicating the location of various other Pieces of Eden.

The rebellion
"Have you anything to teach us, or would you lead us all to ruin?"

- Altaïr regarding the Apple of Eden. Almost immediately after killing his former mentor, Altaïr carried Al Mualim's body through the fortress and shocked crowd. Subsequently, Altaïr held a small funeral for his former mentor, though Altaïr was suspicious the Apple may have some way of ensuring Al Mualim's return from the dead, hence he decided to burn the body. Abbas arrived outraged at Altaïr's actions. Several Assassins and Masyaf villagers were also enraged with this even though Altaïr attempted to explain. However, the Order was divided into two groups.

Those who were loyal to Altaïr. The opposing faction however that believed Altaïr staged a coup to gain the position of Grand Master. Several of the Assassins attacked Altaïr still believing him a traitor and outraged for burning Al Mualim's remains. As Altaïr was distracted, Abbas was somehow able to take the Apple and flee. As Abbas climbed to the watchtower and used the Apple, it proved too much for him and drained the life from him and several other Assassins.

Altaïr was eventually able to confront Abbas, defeat him and reclaim the Apple. As Abbas lay defeated muttering for forgiveness. Altaïr starred at the Apple, asking the ancient artifact if it would teach people knowledge, or lead them to destruction. Altaïr stayed true to the Creed; ensuring that none of the rebelling Brothers were killed or harmed. After managing to subdue them, he persuaded the rebels of Al Mualim's guilt, and his own suitability to lead the Order.

Accepted as Grand Master
"Our duty is to the people, not to custom. [...] We shall be made anew..."

- Altaïr, after becoming Grand Master. This earned the loyalty, respect and faith of the whole Order in the process. Desiring to tell the tale that his life had been, Altaïr began writing his Codex, which acted as a personal journal detailing segments of his life. started to drastically change the methods and rituals that the Order had followed for generations. The Templars started to make their movements less public, and Altaïr consequently did the same with his Order; abandoning all of the Assassin fortresses in the process.

As the Assassins' main motive was to protect the people, Altaïr found the removal of the ring finger "a false promise of paradise" and the prohibition of using poison to be useless. He redesigned the hidden blade so that it would not need the removal of the ring finger, created a way to use poison via the hidden blade and, together with his right-hand man, Malik, discovered new methods of assassination.

Attack on Acre's harbor
One month after Al Mualim's death, the Crusade continued to wage, and the Templars had not yet been defeated. Attempting to flee to Cyprus under the leadership of Armand Bouchart, the Templars had secured Acre's harbor for their escape.

Leading the attack on the harbor castle, Altaïr was confronted by the same woman who had posed as Robert de Sable at Majd Addin's funeral. The woman, blaming Altaïr for ruining her life by killing de Sable, furiously engaged the Assassin in a sword duel, though she was defeated by Altaïr's greater skill and calm state of mind.

Revealing her name to be Maria, and slowly realizing that she had been betrayed by Bouchart, the Templar was taken hostage by Altaïr, and was forced to travel along with him to Cyprus.

Altaïr temporarily left the control of the Order, saying that he "built this Brotherhood to last", and left for the island of Cyprus; the island just recently bought by the Templars from King Richard. Arriving in the city of Limassol, Altaïr established contact with the Order's contact, Alexander; the leader of the resistance against the Templars in Limassol, who then became Altaïr primary ally in Cyprus, and who also took Maria under his protection.

Retaking Limassol Castle
Altaïr met with Alexander at the local Resistance safehouse, and Alexander revealed that the Templars were holed up in Limassol Castle; though they were already starting to overrun more areas in Cyprus. Alexander advised Altaïr to kill the Captain of the castle guard, who would most likely be replaced by one of Alexander's spies afterwards.

Successfully completing this task, Altaïr was told to meet Osman, a man spying upon the Templars, and to tell him that "Alexander wishes his grandmother a joyous birthday." Upon receiving the password, Osman told Altaïr that he had heard of the Templars being interested in some sort of archive located in Cyprus, and that the ranking Templar in Limassol was Frederick "the Red". Osman reduced the castle guard for a short time, allowing Altaïr to sneak into the castle and slay Frederick.

Afterwards, upon returning to the Resistance safehouse, Altaïr found it surrounded by Templars and set aflame. He killed the Templars outside, but found no sign of any person left inside. He thus left for the Limassol cathedral, where he witnessed Armand Bouchart giving a speech to the people of Limassol about Frederick's death.

Furious, Armand threatened the Cypriots, but was advised not to do so by Osman. Armand paused for thought and, upon realizing that Osman was a traitor, killed him. Shortly after this, Maria came running up to Armand and informed him of Altaïr's presence, though he refused to trust Maria, blaming her for de Sable's death and ordering his guards to lock her up.

Altaïr managed to save Maria, and successfully escorted her back to Alexander near Limassol's port. There, Altaïr was informed that Bouchart had fled to Kyrenia, and Alexander told him to ask a sailor named Pasha, who owed Alexander a debt, to bring him and Maria to Kyrenia as well.

Before leaving, Altaïr infiltrated the remaining Templar ship docked in the port to look into its shipping manifest. Upon departing for Kyrenia, Altaïr aimed to get in contact with Alexander's associate, Barnabas.

Arrival in Kyrenia
As the boat arrived in Cyprus and Altaïr and Maria made to leave, their identities were discovered by pirates, who sought to turn them in to the authorities. Quickly climbing up, Maria kicked Altaïr off the ladder they were using to escape, and fled.

Altaïr eventually managed to evade the pirates and went after Maria, eventually discovering her caught by Resistance soldiers. Maria was then returned to Altaïr's hands, and Altaïr made his first contact with the resistance; a man named Markos, who offered to keep an eye on Maria.

Altaïr went on further into the city and eventually found the Resistance's safehouse, meeting the man stationed there, who called himself Barnabas. Explaining that he was after Armand Bouchart's head, Barnabas explained that he would most likely have gone to Buffavento Castle, a Templar stronghold.

Barnabas said that he could help him enter it with no trouble from the Templar guards, in exchange for killing a man who had supposedly betrayed the Resistance. Agreeing to the task, Altaïr left to search for the traitor named Jonas.

Altaïr investigated the city and eventually found Jonas talking with another person. Having dispatched the nearby guards, Altaïr confronted Jonas, though the latter fled before Altaïr could make any action. Altaïr intercepted him in a secluded area, and Jonas tried to explain that a man known as "The Bull" was after him, but his reasoning was in vain.

Having killed his target, Altaïr left for the harbor to secure Maria. Altaïr found them surrounded by guards, but managed to save them in time. After Altaïr mentioned "The Bull", Maria revealed that she had met him once, and he was in fact named Moloch.

Altaïr, afraid of Maria being captured, told Markos to meet them at the Resistance safehouse. Altaïr went ahead of them, and met Barnabas again, who explained that Jonas' death had caused riots in the city. After having explained that there were Resistance members coming to the safehouse, Altaïr left to suppress the riots, which had been instigated by Moloch.

Infiltration of Kantara Castle
By taking down Moloch's fanatics throughout Kyrenia, Altaïr managed to calm the riots and prevented a disaster from occurring. When Altaïr returned to the safehouse, Markos questioned him about the riots, and Altaïr confirmed the death of Jonas as having been the cause.

Successful in his task, Altaïr focused on his new goal; locating and assassinating Moloch. Maria revealed that he resided in Kantara Castle, and thus Altaïr subsequently made his departure from the safehouse towards the castle. As he proceeded to scale its walls while evading the guards' attention, Altaïr found a chapel and entered via the rooftops.

With Moloch at the altar, Altaïr stealthily approached from behind and lunged at the giant man to perform the assassination. However, Moloch, having detected Altaïr's presence, turned to grab Altaïr by the throat, right before the Assassin's blade could reach him, and threw him away to the floor.

Acting quickly, Moloch grabbed his flail and the two men inevitably engaged in a battle. Using Moloch's large size to his advantage, Altaïr grabbed Moloch's own flail, and strangled him with it. As he met his inevitable end, Moloch spoke a warning to Altaïr that his will would expand far beyond the ideals of both the Templars and the Assassins.

Upon being discovered, Altaïr was immediately attacked by Templar guards and Moloch's followers. Traveling through the immensely fortified castle once again, Altaïr eventually managed to make his way to the top of the castle. However, he found himself cornered there by several of Moloch's fanatics and guards.

Turning around to face the guards advancing upon him, Altaïr managed to counter their attack, throwing two of Moloch's fanatics over the edge of the castle in the process. Subsequently, Altaïr did a backwards Leap of Faith into a hay bale, and returned to the safehouse.

Aiding the Resistance
Altaïr returned to the safehouse after his successful assassination. There, Markos informed him that the Templars had attacked the safehouse during the Assassin's absence, and while Markos was hiding, they had taken Maria and a few Resistance members captive.

Markos feared that one of the Templars' prisoners, the Dark Oracle, was responsible for revealing the safehouse location. However, Altaïr reasoned that it could have been Barnabas who had betrayed them to the Templars instead. Shocked, Markos informed Altaïr that Barnabas had been executed on the day before Altaïr's arrival in Kyrenia.

The Resistance members executions were about to take place, thus Markos requested of Altaïr to save them. Altaïr obliged, and proceeded to scout the city. Upon finding several Resistance members, Altaïr dispatched the executioner and the surrounding Templar guards, and set the members free.

Altaïr quickly returned to the safehouse and reported his mission a success, to which Markos replied that the remaining prisoners would be located in either the harbor or Buffavento Castle.

First going to the harbor, Altaïr spotted a prison guard, and tailed the man to a secluded area, where he swiftly defeated him. Then, impersonating a drunk, he tricked another guard into revealing the location of the imprisoned Resistance members in the harbor, as well as the location of the key to their prison.

Having served his purpose, the prison guard was delivered a quick death. Altaïr then infiltrated the Crusader Outpost and retrieved the keys, before proceeding to free the remaining Resistance members. Questioning them if a woman had accompanied them, one affirmed this, and revealed that Moloch's son Shalim had taken her with him. Fending off the attacking Templars at the harbor, Altaïr returned to the safehouse.

Infiltration of Buffavento Castle
Altaïr returned to the safehouse and informed Markos of the freed Resistance members. Additionally, Altaïr warned Markos of another possible Templar attack. While Markos believed the Oracle was responsible for revealing the safehouse's location, Altaïr believed it was the man posing as Barnabas.

Believing that the real Barnabas had revealed too much about the Resistance under torture, Altaïr prepared to infiltrate Buffavento Castle in order to confront the Dark Oracle. Infiltrating the castle under the cover of dusk, Altaïr made his way through the fortress' dungeons, stealthily killing any Templars he encountered. Subsequently, Altaïr witnessed a conversation between Shalim and Armand Bouchart.

Armand lectured Shalim about his weakness for women, which had led to Maria's escape. Promising to find her, Shalim was presented with a package by Armand, which he ordered was to be delivered to Alexander in Limassol. Altaïr, hearing this, was shocked and immediately came under the impression that Alexander was a Templar spy.

Making his way further into the castle, Altaïr dispatched the warden and his guards to gain a key to a barred door, and eventually arrived at the prison cells. There, Armand exited the Oracle's cells, warning his men of her hostility. After Bouchart left, Altaïr entered the Oracle's prison.

With shrill screams, the Oracle appeared and aggressively attacked the Assassin. Despite the Oracle being aided by several prisoners who had lost their sanity, Altaïr eventually defeated her. Altaïr questioned what had led to her insanity, though she only responded with twisted ramblings, and claims of being an "instrument of God."

Altaïr concluded to put her out of her misery, and ended her life with his blade. The Assassin immediately fled the fortress to return to the safehouse.

Liberating Kyrenia
As Altaïr returned to the safehouse he questioned Marko about information on Shalim. Marko claimed Shalim though not as vile as his father, Moloch. Stating that Shalim has been seen consorting with Bouchart on several occasions, Markos tasked Altaïr with gathering intelligence on Shalim and share what he learned in the Market District afterwards. Scouting the city for Shalim, Altaïr located him and witnessed him abuse the civilians and rob them.

As Shalim eventually reaches a Brothel he instructs his men to "have fun". Left to their own, Shalims men begin to abuse the civilians further, robbing them and attacking them. However, the Assassin dispatched all Shalim's abusive henchmen throughout the districts. Rendezvousing with Markos, Altaïr informed him of Shalim's violent and brash actions. Markos acknowledged Shalim's constant confessions at church and suggested Altaïr search for one of the Scholars there.

Subsequently, witnessing Shalim addressing the people promising rewards through hard work. Altaïr asked the Scholar about Shalim's attitude change. However, the Scholar suggested they discuss in a secluded location. Approaching the Scholar at the rendezvous, a crate of materials collapses on the Scholar, killing him. Altaïr notices a Templar above, with his face hidden. Pursuing the killer from the rooftops, the Templar eventually escaped despite Altaïr's efforts. Returning to the safehouse, Markos directs Altaïr towards the harbor.

As he arrived at the harbor, Altaïr noticed a carriage of female dancers, Maria among them. Concluding the Templars would attempt to inspect the carriage and recognize Maria, Altaïr dispatched the Templar soldiers as the carriage passed through the city. With the carriage safely left the city, Altaïr followed it, with the intention of discovering Maria's destination.

"You dishonor our father, Assassin! But you will not dishonor his cause!"

- Shalim and Shahar to Altaïr. As the carriage came to a halt, at the Saint Hilarion Castle Altaïr watched from afar as Maria entered the castle. Scaling the wall and stealthily killing off any guards he encountered, Altaïr finally located Shalim at his quarters. However Maria then entered his quarters and demanded answers. Asking whether the Templars intended to use the Apple for tyranny, and that she believed the Templars wanted liberty instead.

Shalim replied the people are to be led like sheep and those who defy the Templars are to be disposed off.

Though Maria denied this and Shalim becomes more persistent, Altaïr revealed himself. Calling out to Shalim. However the Templar revealed himself Shahar instead, Shalim's twin, the man who Altaïr saw speaking to the civilians instead.

Shalim himself arrived at the scene, as the twins prepare to duel. Maria however, after disarming guards present, fled the feud and left the Assassin to fend for himself. After a long battle, Altaïr eventually proves the victor, and killed both twins with his sword.

Returning to the safehouse, Markos joyfully welcomed Altaïr and informed him of the Templar's abrupt departure from Kyrenia. Concluding the Templar Archive was not in Kyrenia, as they would not leave it unprotected so willingly, Markos claimed the Templars sailed for Limassol instead. Concluding the Archive was there instead, Altaïr bids Markos farewell, claiming he had served his country well. Subsequently Altaïr sailed towards Limassol, in order to confront the remaining Templars in Cyprus.

Routing the Templars
Returning to Limassol, Altaïr subsequently entered the new safehouse to find Alexander horrified by his presence. Accusing Altaïr of being a traitor to the Resistance. Altaïr, however, asked if he had received a package from the Templars. Alexander then exclaimed it contained the head of Barnabas. Altaïr, after inspecting the package, claimed it was different man from the Barnabas he met. Altaïr explained that the real Barnabas was executed before his arrival and the other man was a Templar Spy.

Alexander added the Templars done the same in Limassol: using their Propaganda to turn several Resistance members to the Templar cause. Tasking himself with dispatching the Templar soldiers in order to prevent any further conflict. Dispatching various Templar soldiers throughout the city, Altaïr noticed one of the Templar's contacts at the harbor consorting with pirates and Crusaders. Tailing him to a obscured area, Altaïr posed as a messenger for Bouchart himself.

Questioning the Templar on Bouchart's location, the contact admitted he was unable to say, however informed Altaïr that several of his men were murdered the previous night be a Templar sergeant. Asking where the Templar was, the contact directed Altaïr to the Cathedral. Once at the Cathedral, the Templar sergeant flees. However, Altaïr pursues him and uses his throwing knifes to injure and stop him. Questioning the Templar, he directs Altaïr to Demetris.

Arriving at the home of Demetris, Altaïr stealthily entered Demetris's from the rooftop, whilst avoiding confrontations with guards. Entering to find Demetris, Altaïr made his presence known and began interrogating Demetris. After being beaten down, Demetris finally confessed that he was responsible for the murder at the harbor. However, Demetris was then killed with a throwing knife from above. Noticing the same Templar agent in Kyrenia, Altaïr attempts to pursue him, however, after reaching the rooftops, the Templar was gone.

Returning to the safehouse, Altaïr find it abandoned and a note from Alexander requesting he meet him at the Limassol castle courtyard. Though expecting a trap to be in place, Altaïr proceeds to the courtyard regardless of his suspicions. Once at the courtyard however, Altaïr found the dead body of Alexander.

Saddened by his friend's death, Altaïr looked up to the balcony above only to find the Templar Agent. Sneering at Altaïr, a enraged mob of citizens arrive at the courtyard, convinced Altaïr is the enemy. Though failing to calm then, Altaïr reluctantly used the Apple against them. Telling them that Bouchart and the Templars are the true enemy, the civilians left the courtyard, under the Apple's effect.

The Agent continued to mock the Assassin. However, he was stabbed from behind. Then kicked from the balcony, Maria revealed herself. Asking where the Templar Archive is located, Maria revealed they stood directly above it. Preparing to enter it together, a group of Templars attacked. Though Maria fled inside the Archive, Altaïr fought off the Templar soldiers. After dispatching them all, the Assassins proceeded, and entered the Archive.

Progressing further into the Archive, Altaïr dispatched any Templars guarding the way forward. Eventually he witnessed a duel between Maria and Bouchart, however, the Templar eventually left her unconscious. Bouchart explained that because of Isaac Comnenus the Archive was almost exposed to the public. When Altaïr challenged this statement, Bouchart merely replied that they were forced to buy what they already owned, to prevent Richard from discovering it. Revealing they moved the contents of the Archive in the Assassin's absence Armand drew his sword preparing to duel his nemesis.

Both skilled swordsmen, Bouchart and Altaïr attacked each other with skill and speed. Eventually, however, Altaïr gained the upperhand, dodged Bouchart's attack and impaled him with his sword. In his dying moments, Bouchart respectfully credited Altaïr for his superior skill. Warning the Assassin regarding the Piece of Eden's safety and keep it hidden. With Bouchart dead Altaïr came to Maria's aid. Suddenly, the Archive became to fall apart from Templar cannon fire, planning to leave no evidence.

The two ran off immediately. Though almost destroyed, the two were able to climb through the structure and successfully escape. Walking on the harbor, Maria then confirms her official retirement from the Templar Order. Instead intending to travel East or India. Asking Altaïr of his plans, he claims to travel the world and meets the most intelligent minds and continue to learn while expanding the Assassin Order. Altaïr remarked that he will travel East and made his departure from Cyprus with Maria at his side.

Changing the Order
Liberating Cyprus from Bouchart and his Templar followers, Altaïr, who had previously intended to seal the Apple within the Limassol archives, decided it best that the Apple remain with him, and over the following years, he peered into it quite often.

In 1193, Altaïr and Maria married in Limassol, Cyprus, out of respect to the Cypriots for offering the island as a base to the Assassins. Among the guests of honor was Markos. Upon returning to Masyaf, their first son Darim was born. Around 1204, Altaïr personally began to promote the way of the Assassin Order in various cities and regions. However, this came to an end when he made an attempt to do so in Constantinople, as the Fourth Crusade was causing chaos among the population, thus forcing Altaïr to retreat.

By studying the Apple of Eden, Altaïr gained the knowledge to create a form of metal that was lighter and stronger than any other metal known until then. He created an armor set for himself, but decided to erase the formula to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Contrary to what his former mentor strived for, Altaïr allowed the members of the Order to express love for their children.

While Al Mualim believed that love would make them weaker, Altaïr thought that love would make it easier for them to make sacrifices for the right cause. With the usage of the Apple "in small doses, and with a focused mind," Altaïr gained the knowledge to once again redesign the hidden blade so that it could contain an additional device capable of launching small projectiles. Some time afterwards, Altaïr had the Apple locked away in the Templar Archive in Cyprus.

Journey to Mongolia
In 1217, Genghis Khan rapidly approached from the east, and was preventing the Assassin Order's progression. Altaïr also suspected that he possessed a Piece of Eden. Thus, Altaïr, Maria and Darim, who was an accomplished crossbowman, left for Mongolia. Their son Sef was left behind to take care of his wife and two children, and Malik was placed in temporary control of the Order.

In Mongolia, they liased with the Assassin Qulan Gal, and the four of them traveled to near Xing-ging in Xu province, which was being besieged by the Mongols. Darim found a vantage point to look over the Mongol encampment, disposing of any guard who might notice them, while Altaïr and Qulan Gal infiltrated the camp. However, Altaïr had lost some of his stealth in his old age, and was detected by a guard.

The guard was able to wound Altaïr, but he was killed by Qulan Gal before he could raise the alarm. Qulan Gal managed to bring Altaïr out of the camp to safety, thus saving his life. Qulan Gal and Darim proceeded to formulate a plan to flush Khan out of his tent. After realizing the danger, Khan tried to escape on horseback, but his horse was quickly shot by Qulan Gal. Right afterwards, Khan himself was finished by a shot of Darim's crossbow. Successful, the family headed back home, ten years after they had left Masyaf.

Return to Masyaf
When they arrived in Masyaf, they were greeted by Swami, a former apprentice who was only eager to fight. Altaïr asked the man why he had not been greeted by Rauf as he had requested in his letters, but Swami explained that Rauf had died of fever during his absence. Swami also explained that Malik had been thrown into prison, and that without anyone to lead the Order, a council had been formed; with Abbas Sofian at its head. Altaïr and Maria, not trusting the situation, asked where Sef was, to which Swami responded that he had fled to Alamut.

Darim thus headed off for Alamut to retrieve his brother. Altaïr and Maria continued onwards towards the castle, where they found it half-abandoned, stripped of the life it had had under Altaïr's rule. They were directed to a room in the right wing of the castle, despite Altaïr expecting his residence to be in the Master's tower. The next day, they went to the Master's tower to meet the council, but were intercepted by Swami half-way through to lead them the rest of the way himself. Arriving there, Altaïr saw that the council consisted of the most-weak minded of the Order.

Abbas had puppeteered the whole council in his favor. Altaïr told the council of their travels in Mongolia, after which Abbas explained what had happened to Sef. He claimed that Sef had been killed by Malik, after Sef supposedly found out about Malik wanting to keep control of the Order for himself. Altaïr, furious, demanded that control of the Order be returned to him, as the Creed would decree it. Abbas, with a smile on his face, replied that the Creed no longer did.

Finding the truth
Altaïr and Maria returned to their residence, where Altaïr began reflecting on the pain he had caused Malik in his life. Maria managed to persuade him that Malik would never betray him, and thus Altaïr decided to infiltrate the prison in Masyaf's dungeon. He evaded the patrolling guards until he finally came to the room where the prisons were located. The prison guard was asleep, to both Altaïr's rage and relief, allowing him easy entrance to the prison cell. He found Malik in the cell's corner, skinny to the bone and with his hair long and his beard overgrown.

Altaïr physically knocked the guard unconscious before lifting Malik's arm over his shoulder and taking him back to his residence. There, Malik revealed that Abbas had staged a coup two years before, and had Sef killed, before putting the blame on Malik. Malik regretted that he had not been a better leader, and that this would not have happened to Altaïr. Altaïr and Maria waited until he was asleep before going to confront Abbas about the truth.

They faced Abbas in the Master's tower, who greeted them. He was joined by Swami not too soon afterwards, who delivered him a burlap sack. Abbas took a look in it, before giving the sack to Altaïr. Upon opening it, he found out that it contained the head of Malik, who had been quickly killed by Swami after being left alone. Abbas publicly asked Altaïr why he had infiltrated the prison, which caused the other present Assassins to doubt Altaïr's motives.

Abbas said that Altaïr was not in a state to control the Order, and demanded of Altaïr that he give the Apple of Eden to him. For some reason, Altaïr agreed to this and took the Apple out of his robes. Swami was sent to take the Apple, and when he approached Altaïr, he whispered to the former Grand Master that, before Sef's death, he been told that his own father had ordered his death. Altaïr became furious, and his rage was sent into the Apple. When Swami touched it, his eyes started popping out and his mouth became wide open, with a golden glow erupting from it.

He placed his hands on his face and started gouging deep trenches into them. Maria yelled at Altaïr that he had let his rage take over. Swami continued to mutilate himself, and took out his dagger. He started to wildly stab himself, but in his uncontrolled behavior, he accidentally slit Maria's throat, who was standing right next to him. Altaïr hurried to Maria, who died in his arms. Altaïr returned to confront Abbas, and the other Assassins present were afraid that Altaïr might use the Apple again.

In a moment of insecurity, Altaïr decided to flee the castle, which he managed to do successfully. He traveled to Alamut, where he spent the next twenty years with his son, former daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. Altaïr began to show remorse from his actions, and completely focused his studies on the Apple of Eden, creating new designs, tactics and medicine. After some time, Sef's wife and children left Alamut, and they apparently settled in Alexandria, Egypt.

Driven away by his father's remorse and obsession with the Apple, Darim had also left Alamut for France and England to warn them of the emerging Mongol threat. On one occasion, the Apple directed Altaïr to five artifacts that he retrieved and hid. He was told that they were a message for someone; however, Altaïr did not know for whom.

Reclaiming his title
"There will be no killing in the name of this old man."

- Altaïr shortly before his return as Grand Master. One day in circa 1247, Altaïr was sleeping beside a well located near Masyaf, when he was woken up by a local merchant by the name of Mukhlis. Not too long afterwards, Mukhlis was attacked by a group of bandits, consisting of Bayhas and two henchmen of which one was nicknamed Long Hair. Altaïr, who was around 81 years old at the time, faced the bandits and managed to kill the first henchman with ease. However, when he faced the other two men, he realized that because of his old age, his combat skills had significantly diminished.

Eventually, he was wounded in both legs and dropped to his knees, after which Bayhas tried to finish him off. Before he could do so, however, Mukhlis - who was hung upside down by the bandits in a tree - swung and held onto Bayhas. Altaïr quickly thrust his sword upwards into Bayhas' stomach and Mukhlis took Bayhas' dagger in mid-air as it dropped. He cut his rope and stood next to his savior, facing Long Hair.

Long Hair found himself outnumbered and fled on horseback. Mukhlis brought Altaïr home with him, and his wife Aalia and daughter Nalia tended to his wounds. For two days, he grew dangerously pale, but on the third day he regained his color. Mukhlis, who had been speaking to him for the past three days, hoping that the old man would regain consciousness, mentioned that Master Altaïr would not have allowed Abbas, who was an inadequate leader, to take care of the Order.

The moment that Mukhlis mentioned his name, Altaïr woke up and revealed his identity. Mukhlis brought the bad state of the Order to Altaïr's attention, who went on to show the people the right ways of the Order, through example. He settled disputes in the town, and had the tradesmen in the city make new tools and medicine for him. As he traveled across the village, he noticed a shadow - an Assassin - following him. When he got to the fountain, he noticed that the man was standing behind him and addressed him.

The Assassin said that he was one of few that remained loyal to the old codes, and revealed himself to be Tazim Al-Sayf, who was also called Malik; the son of Altaïr's late friend. Altaïr revealed to him that he planned to take control of the Order to restore it back to it's former glory and before Fahad, the father of Bayhas, came to Masyaf, and thus asked Tazim to rally all the Assassins that were loyal to Altaïr. Altaïr waited outside the castle gates and was met by the young Malik and a group of about twenty Assassins.

He explained that there was to be no killing; the Assassins should respect the Creed, and that no Assassin, loyal to Abbas or Altaïr, should kill a Brother. One of Abbas' followers heard this and charged at Altaïr, hoping to kill him and stop the uprising. Despite his old age, Altaïr, with great speed, dodged the incoming attack and killed the Assassin with his sword. The Assassins loyal to Abbas, who fought without enthusiasm, were all easily captured or knocked unconscious.

However, a second wave of them arrived, including Assassin archers, who readied their bows at the ramparts. Altaïr hoped that the archers would be of good heart and lower their bows once they saw that Altaïr's men did not intend to kill. As Abbas and Altaïr caught sight of one another, the archers lowered their bows, and the Abbas Assassins surrendered as well, quickly noticing the turn of events. The castle gates were opened by surrendering Assassins, and Altaïr and Abbas came face to face.

Abbas still hated Altaïr, and would not believe the truth about his father. Abbas, slowly beginning to be aware of the tide of battle turning against him, sent his remaining men to attack Altaïr; daring his rival to take back the Order without any loss of Assassin life.

Altaïr raised his arm and pointed it towards Abbas. Then an explosion was heard, and smoke erupted from Altaïr's hand, he finally used his hidden gun for the first time. Abbas fell to the ground, and Altaïr crouched over him. Abbas said that he still would not believe what Altaïr had said about his father, and that he would find the truth soon, in the afterlife. At this, Altaïr was the Master once again.

Two days later, Fahad arrived with his force. However, Altaïr managed to persuade him to back down, saying that they would only cause the downfall of their own communities should their forces fight one another.

Later life
Altaïr began building a library in Masyaf on the location where Al Mualim's garden once was, where he would store thousands of his books containing knowledge gained from the Apple. The five seals he had obtained while residing in Alamut were used as keys for this library. After it was completed by 1257, Altaïr sent Darim to invite the Venetian explorers Niccolò and Maffeo Polo to Masyaf. After they had arrived, Altaïr told Niccolò stories about his life, which Niccolò would later pass on to his son, Marco, in the form of a journal.

Additionally, Altaïr began to dissolve the Order from Masyaf, saying it should be spread throughout the world. He thus intended to have Assassin Guilds created in new countries, a task which he thought the Polo brothers could be useful in. In late 1257, Masyaf came under siege by Mongols, and Niccolò and Maffeo were forced to leave. Before they did, Altaïr gave his Codex to the explorers, relying on them to start Assassin Guilds in other countries. He also gave them his seals, which they later hid throughout Constantinople.

Unfortunately, they lost the Codex to the Mongols on their way back home. Altaïr, Darim and Tazim led the remaining Assassins in Masyaf in defense against the Mongols, but their forces were crushed, and Altaïr was killed or had died in the process at the age of 92.

Legacy
During his time in Cyprus, Altaïr began working on the Codex, an encrypted journal in which he detailed his thoughts and discoveries. His relationship with Maria bore at least two children, and the knowledge he gained from the Piece of Eden led to a complete change in the Assassin's ways.

Besides intellectual findings, the Apple also taught him to upgrade the hidden blade's mechanism, to create a firearm and a set of nearly indestructible armor, as well as other technological advances.

In 1269, Altaïr's Codex had passed into the hands of Marco Polo, who had retrieved it from Kublai Khan. The Templars, having knowledge about the Codex, hired a contingent of pirates to retrieve it from the Assassin Dante Alighieri, who was transporting it from Venice to Spain.

Dante was also escorted by his apprentice, a man named Domenico, who had only recently been made aware of his Assassin heritage. As the pirates attacked, Domenico broke apart the Codex and hid it from the pirates, though he was too late to save the life of his Master and his wife.

Eventually, Domenico and his son took the name of Auditore, and constructed the Villa Auditore in Monteriggioni. Beneath the villa, they constructed the Sanctuary; inside of which rested the unbreakable armor of Altaïr. These robes later passed into the possession of one of Domenico's descendants: the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

Ezio Auditore - the fabled 'prophet' - would use Altaïr's codex (which was taken back from powerful Italian Templars) to construct the weapons with the help of Leonardo da Vinci and locate the hidden vault, later revealed to be underneath the Vatican. After the eventual defeat of the Templars in Rome, Ezio traveled to Masyaf to learn more about the order, but found it overrun by Templars. Traveling to Constantinople, Ezio searched for the seals left behind by Altaïr to see in to moments of Altaïr's life, gain access to the library underneath Masyaf and ultimately reveal the future.

Centuries later, in the early 21st Century the Templar organization Abstergo Industries kidnapped a descendant of Altaïr, one only known as "Subject 16," in order to "read" the memories that were encoded into his DNA. Using the Animus, Subject 16 was forced to relive the memories of his ancestors.

A few years later, Abstergo captured another descendant of Altaïr named Desmond Miles, codenamed "Subject 17". Once again using the Animus, Desmond explored Altaïr's memories, overseen by researchers Dr. Warren Vidic and his assistant, an undercover Assassin named Lucy Stillman. Throughout his sessions, they strove to find a specific memory about the Pieces of Eden, to use for the Templar's project bent on creating a "New World Order".

Following his escape from Abstergo Industries, Desmond, suffering from a condition known as the "bleeding effect", received a hallucination of Altaïr's memories whilst outside the Animus. Within the hallucination Desmond watched as Altaïr chased a hooded figure through the castle of Acre.

Ending upon the castle's highest tower, the runner herself to be Maria. After sharing an intimate moment with her, Altaïr left; leaving Desmond shocked upon realizing that he was no longer following Altaïr – he had just witnessed the conception of his ancestor.

After entering a comatose state, Desmond was linked up to the Animus 2.0 and in the hope of repairing his splintered subconscious and revealing the future, he searched his genetic memories for a specific memory connecting himself, Altaïr and his Renaissance ancestor, Ezio Auditore together.

Characteristics and personality
Altaïr was raised at the Assassin's fortress at Masyaf, and possessed incredible skills, quickly rising among the ranks of the Order. A cold and objective person, he fully devoted himself to the cause he chose to pursue. Altaïr had a rebellious nature; he was impetuous, demanding, arrogant, self-centered and impatient. However, after the failure at Solomon's Temple, and being sent after the nine, Altaïr began listening to the final words of his victims, and their justifications for their deeds.

As his mission progressed, his attitude changed, and he began to perceive the lines and actions of the world, as well as draw upon the teachings of the Creed; prior a guide, now a way of life. At the end of the conflict, all of his brash and rebellious nature had been put under control, and he became a calm, focused, driven and wise man. Even in his early life as an Assassin, Altaïr was one of the most respected and feared in the Order, second only to the Brotherhood's leader, Al Mualim.

Smart and dedicated, his studies and determination to ensure "peace in all things" ensured that the Order survived to fight for as long as was necessary. He understood that the new world would have no place for the current ways of the Assassins, and thus changed its practices accordingly. Also, his cold personality did not uphold his emotions. Altaïr was known to have fallen in love at least twice, with Adha, who unfortunately died and was avenged subsequently, and Maria Thorpe, de Sable's steward, who became his lifetime partner and the mother of his children.

Altaïr, although remaining often calm and controlled, sometimes he allowed his anger to get the better of him, such as he used the Apple to force Swami to tear himself apart. By his 80s, Altaïr became a very isolated individual, as Maria's death drove him into deep depression. During this time he began to hate the Apple and spend nights staring at it. By the time he reclaimed his title as Grand Master and rebuild the Order, Altaïr was able to put his grief behind him.

Altaïr was also a natural leader. Even at 17, during the assault on Masyaf, he was able to quickly take control of the situation and devise a plan, which resulted in saving Al Mualim and the Assassins winning the battle. As Grand Master, he was believed to of done more for the Order than any Grand Master before him, including his predecessor.

Equipment and skills
Altaïr was a Master Assassin and instructor, capable of extraordinary acrobatic feats, adept in social stealth, and fully apt in the application of deadly arts and possessed great phyiscal and mental strength and stamina. Trained extensively, he was able to overcome any obstacle, human or terrain. He was able to get anywhere, climbing the tallest tower and jumping from the highest ledge without a hint of fear.

Like other Assassins, he was also trained in stealth assassination techniques, hand to hand and weapons combat, blade throwing, climbing, urban acrobatics, eavesdropping, interrogation, pick pocketing and anything else that would help complete a mission. Besides physical prowess, he also had extensive knowledge of the Holy Land politics and religion, which helped the Assassins understand their opponents.

As a high member of the Order, Altaïr possessed an array of weapons at his disposal, comprised of a longsword, a short blade, throwing knives and the iconic Hidden Blade. Altaïr also possessed an ability called Eagle Vision, a sort of "sixth sense," or intuition that allowed him to see people's true intentions, though this seemed to be a rarity even among the Assassins.

During his 80s, Altaïr was less skilled than in his youth, due to his age and for being inactive from the Order for so long and lack of training. However, according to Niccolò Polo, Altaïr still retained the same strength, stamina and skill he had in his youth at the age of 92, possibly due to the Assassin retraining and regaining his old skills once reclaiming title of Grand Master.

Due to his gift of Eagle Vision, Altaïr had heightened intuitive abilities and senses, along with his sharpened fighting skills. Altaïr's abilities made him one of the most deadly and adept members in the Assassin Order's history. Altaïr's fighting skills became legendary through the Assassin Order, even after his death.

As a Master Assassin, Altaïr has a pair of long white robes with a red sash, leather armor, and sheaths to store his weaponry and pouches. In his older years, Altaïr wore long white robes, with patterns imprinted on them, and a black cape.

Romantic life
The earliest information about Altaïr's love interests lay with Adha, who was also known as the Chalice. At first appearance, there only seemed to be a friendly relationship between them, but on a closer inspection of the Codex, more of Altaïr's feeling for her were revealed.

Her death consumed the young Assassin with hatred, and he swore vengeance on all those who had killed her. He hunted down and killed every man responsible for her death; but this brought no joy or satisfaction, and he was left heavily scarred by her memory. He wrote in the Codex that he felt he would never have the same feelings for any other woman, and that the love he later felt for Maria Thorpe proved him wrong.

Altaïr first met Maria when she was serving her master Robert de Sable as a decoy at the funeral of Majd Addin. However, there was no improvement in their relationship until she became Altaïr's prisoner, just before he traveled to Cyprus to help the resistance against the Templars.

During these events, Maria acted very rebelliously against her captor. However, in time, they both grew to know each other; and once Maria learned and accepted the truth of what the Templars truly were, there was hope for both of them. From the Codex, it was revealed that they did foster a relationship together, and eventually got married. Altaïr and Maria had at least two sons, who they named Darim and Sef Ibn-La'Ahad.

Behind the scenes
The name "Altaïr" is a word in the Arabic language, meaning "The Flyer," "The Flying One" or "The Flying Eagle." In interviews, the game's producer Jade Raymond has stated that in mid-air, Altaïr's shadow resembles that of an eagle, because his attire includes a point at the front of the hood (to resemble a beak) and slits through the back of the outfit (to resemble tail feathers).

The second part of his name, "Ibn-La'Ahad," means "son of none", reflecting his mysterious origins. His face, as Desmond's and Ezio's, is modeled after Canadian model Francisco Randez.

Assassin's Creed

 * Altaïr's American voice in Assassin's Creed, completely different from everyone else's, was intentional. The reason for this has not been stated by developer Ubisoft.
 * Altaïr is seen wielding a crossbow in the E3 trailer for the original Assassin's Creed, though the weapon does not appear until Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Altaïr uses the weapon in the same manner Ezio does, holding it one-handed, and firing single bolts with very little time needed to aim the weapon.

Assassin's Creed II

 * In Desmond's memory of Altaïr's chase with Maria in Assassin's Creed II, Altaïr cannot drown, should he fall into water. The player will lose synchronization and in the remaining seconds, Altaïr can be seen floating in the water.
 * Altaïr can kill the Templars using his sword. He is not equipped with his short blade, and can use his hidden blade only to perform aerial and ledge assassinations. He also fights in a similar manner to Ezio, not himself from Assassin's Creed. Templars will only react to Altaïr by pushing him away as if he caused a minor inconvenience instead of attacking him.
 * Altaïr's Robes are available in UPlay for Assassin's Creed II (for 30 Units), Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (for 20 Units) and Assassin's Creed Revelations.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

 * In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Altaïr is mentioned in 2012, as the main statue in the Sanctuary, when Desmond and Rebecca are arguing.
 * By pressing any button near the statue, Desmond will say "Hey, wassa-matta-you, Altaïr!".

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

 * Altaïr's outfit shares the same notable difference as in Assassin's Creed II; his short blade is completely missing from his attire. However, despite this, the leather sheath remains on his back. In addition, the trims at bottom of the robes are more prominent.
 * According to Alexandre Amancio, each of the five seals Ezio locates will allow him to relive individual memories set throughout the different periods of Altaïr's life, from his youth to older self; each being extremely significant to the story.
 * Despite it taking place when he was 17, Altaïr is able to air and ledge assassinate in one of the relived memories, even though he himself did not develop these techniques until later in his life.
 * It was confirmed by Darby McDevitt and Falko Poiker that Altaïr is able perform these techniques because of the dangerous situation he was placed in.
 * Altaïr's voice has changed from Assassin's Creed, now taking on a middle-eastern accent. He also has a new face and likeliness.

Name

 * The connection between Altaïr and eagles is not coincidental. He is named after the brightest star in the constellation Aquila, which is known symbolically as "The Eagle."
 * There are different pronunciations of the name "Altaïr." In Arabic, it mostly sounds like "Al-tai-ear" or "Al-ta-'ir," with a subtle pronunciation of the "r" at the end. Inversely, Desmond pronounces the name as "Al-ta-ear" with a clearer "r" at the end, and a hard "t."
 * In Assassin's Creed II, however, Desmond pronounces it as "Al-tai-air."
 * Strictly, due to Arabic grammar, the name "Altaïr" should be pronounced as "At-air" with no "l".

Other

 * Altaïr has four different voices throughout the games. His voice in Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles sounded a bit higher than that of the original Assassin's Creed game, while his voice in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines had more of a Middle Eastern accent. In Assassin's Creed: Revelations, he has a Middle Eastern accent once again, though he's voiced by the same voice actor who gave him a distinct American accent in the original game.
 * Altaïr, Desmond and Ezio share the exact same face, except for the beard Ezio grows when he becomes older, and other minor differences.
 * In Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, though Altaïr does not have a sheath for his short blade on his back, he will nevertheless both draw and sheathe his dagger.
 * Through Codex pages, it can be seen that Altaïr was an artist, illustrating several blueprints for hidden blade modifications, learning manuals for assassination techniques, maps, and even a detailed sketch bordered with hand-drawn flowers of his lover and wife, Maria Thorpe.
 * Altaïr's robes can also be bought in the Alter Ego store on PlayStation Home for both male or female avatars.
 * In the game The Saboteur, there is the presence of a car named Altaïr. The car is also nicknamed "The Flying Eagle".
 * According to the Assassin's Creed game manual, Altaïr is six feet tall and weighs 170 pounds.

Notes and references
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad Альтаир ибн Ла-Ахад