- Al Mualim: "Remember... nothing is true."
- Altaïr: "Everything is permitted."
- —Al Mualim and Altaïr at the Masyaf fortress
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad (الطائر ابن لا أحد in Arabic) (1166 - unknown) is the main protagonist in Assassin's Creed, as well as the ancestor of Ezio Auditore da Firenze and Desmond Miles. A trained Assassin, Altaïr was responsible for the near-destruction of the Knights Templar during the Third Crusade, eventually becoming Grandmaster of the Assassin's Order following the death of Al Mualim.
Altaïr continued to serve as an assassin until the end of his life, destroying the Templar presence on Cyprus before writing his famed Codex. He would later take his family east, to Mongolia, in the hopes of assassinating the Templar Genghis Khan; whom he suspected of possessing a Piece of Eden.
Biography
Early Life
Altaïr was born to a multi-faith family, consisting of a Christian mother and Muslim father in 1166 AD. Early in his childhood his parents left Masyaf for reasons unknown, though Altaïr felt little sorrow over their departure. Prior to the events of the series, Altaïr was inducted in the Assassins Order and trained under Al Mualim, quickly rising through the ranks to become a "Master Assassin" by the year 1191.
Altaïr later stated in his Codex that he never felt a connection with his parents, and that when they left it was nothing more than "two strangers" departing; adding that it was Al Mualim that cared for him during that early stage in his life.
Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles
Assassin's Creed
- "A small sacrifice to save many. It is necessary."
- ―Altaïr
In 1191, in the midst of the Third Crusade three Assassins – Altaïr, and the brothers Malik and Kadar – were sent by Al Mualim to explore the catacombs of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem; to receive an artifact the Knights Templar are searching for, and to deny them of it. After progressing through the catacombs, Altaïr breaks two of the tenets of the Assassin's Creed, confident in his mastery as an Assassin. Finally, upon seeing the arch-enemy of his Order – Robert de Sable – Altaïr attempts to slay the Templar Grandmaster, but is easily thwarted, and thrown from the temple, leaving Malik and Kadar trapped with the Templars. Upon returning to Masyaf Altaïr informs Al Mualim of his failure to acquire the Templar treasure and is lambasted, as this is occurring however Malik returns with the artifact, alone. Before any further action can be taken however the Templars attack Masyaf, taking the village and besieging the castle; Altaïr leads the defense of the castle, sneaking behind the Templar army and unleashing a torrent of felled tree logs; crushing the Templar army, before continuing into the village to remove the remaining Templar warriors. Once the attack was over however, the matters of his actions in the Temple Mount were addressed once again. Altaïr, having broken all three tenets of the Creed and failing to acquire the Templar treasure is deemed a failure, and traitor to the Creed; Al Mualim then stabs him in the stomach with a dagger, apparently killing him.
Following this, Altaïr wakes up from his 'sleep of the dead' and questions Al Mualim of his survival, the Grandmaster answering only that "…[Altaïr] saw only what [Al Mualim] wanted him to see…". Stripped of rank and possessions by Al Mualim, Altaïr was given a chance at redemption; starting as a novice once again, Altaïr was tasked to hunt down the traitor within Masyaf who had allowed the Templars entrance to Masyaf. Successful, Altaïr returns to Al Mualim and is rewarded with a rise in rank and the return of his Hidden Blade and longsword. Once again officially a member of the Order, Altaïr was then offered an exchange; the lives of nine men for his own.
Altaïr performs a leap of faith
The Nine
- Al Mualim: "I hold here a list. Nine men adorn it, nine men who need to die. They are plague-bringers, war-makers… their power and influence corrupt the lands, ensuring that the Crusades continue. Find them, kill them… in doing so, you will sow the seeds of peace, both for the region, and for yourself."
- Altaïr: "Nine lives in exchange for mine…"
- Al Mualim: "A generous offer indeed. Have you any questions?"
- Altaïr: "Only where I need begin."
- —{{{7}}}
Starting his quest, Altaïr is directed to the city of Damascus, where he could locate his first target, the arms dealer and black market merchant Tamir. Upon his arrival, he traveled to the local Assassin's Bureau and asks permission to assassinate his target. The rafiq however, denies it, ordering Altaïr to first gather as much information as possible about his target. Disgruntled, Altaïr did as he was tasked, exploring the city's poor district, interrogating informants, pickpocketing Tamir's associates and eavesdropping on conversations around him; eventually learning the location of his target. Returning to the Bureau with this information, he received permission to assassinate Tamir, and a white feather, to be wet in the victim's blood, as proof of the murder. Traveling to the plaza where Tamir is located, Altaïr witnesses Tamir slaying a business partner who had been unable to fulfill his order of weapons; and soon afterwards kills him whilst Tamir inspects the market stalls and criticises the work of his underlings. Returning to the Bureau, Altaïr is told to return to Al Mualim, who congratulates him by the accomplishment and rewards him a rank and part of his equipment back. Altaïr then left Masyaf for the other cities of the Holy Land, Jerusalem and Acre.
Altaïr chases Talal though the streets
Where Altaïr first travelled is unknown, however upon his arrival at the Assassin's Bureau in Jerusalem, Altaïr was harshly received by Malik, now a dai and head of the Bureau in the city, who treats him with open contempt. Malik voices his outrage that Altaïr was allowed to live, but follows the orders of Al Mualim and allows him to investigate his target. Acquiring the necessary information, Altaïr returned to Malik, who reluctantly gives permission for the kill. Altaïr then entered the slave complex of Talal, so as to eliminate his target. Altaïr's arrival was anticipated however, and he was ambushed by Talal and his followers. Dispatching them, Altaïr chases Talal over the rooftops and through streets, before finally catching up with, and assassinating Talal. Altaïr returned to the Bureau, to Masyaf, and then moved to his next target.
In Acre, the location of his next target Garnier de Naplouse, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, Altaïr learns all that he can from the people of the district, before – with permission – moving against his target in the military hospital. Infiltrating Garnier's hospital, Altaïr watches his target tend to those who need caring, treating his patients with a concoctio of various herbs and medicines, before finally striking from the building's rafters. Fleeing the hospital through an upstairs window, a city wide alert is issued, although Altaïr was able to outlast it by hiding within the Bureau. Once again, the assassin returned to Masyaf, and spoke with Al Mualim. During this conversation, Altaïr reveals that de Naplouse named the Templar treasure – the Piece of Eden – that had been taken from de Sable.
Following this, Altaïr's quest continued; eventually learning that all those he had killed were joined by a common connection – all are members of the Knights Templar. After killing eight of the nine, Altaïr is directed to Jerusalem to assassinate the Grand Master of the Knights Templar himself, Robert de Sable, who is attending the funeral Altaïr's previous target in the city, Majd Addin. At the funeral Altaïr is identified and engaged by Robert and his soldiers, but is eventually able to overpower and pin down Robert. Removing his helmet, Robert is revealed to be a decoy for Altaïr, so that Robert had had time to meet up with King Richard at Arsuf and there, convince the Crusaders and Saracens to join forces against the Asassins. Allowing the decoy to live, Altaïr returns to the Bureau and reveals to Malik, who by this time has regained his trust in Altaïr, the deception on Robert's part. He informs Malik that Robert has fled to Arsuf in his attempt to unite Crusader and Saracen against the Assassins, and that the deaths of the Nine were Robert's smoking gun.
Robert de Sable at Arsuf.
Making his way to Arsuf, Altaïr passes through the battlefield, engaging both the Saracen and Crusader armies before finally reaching Altaïr. Richard initially believes himself to be the assassin's next target, but is promptly told this is not the case. Telling Richard of Robert's plot to overthrow and rule the Holy Land, Richard allows God to decide the truth of the matter, and Altaïr is engaged by Robert's strongest Templar warriors; before finally engaging one another in person. Emerging victorious, Altaïr learns from Robert that Al Mualim was in fact a Templar, different only in that he did not wish to share the Piece of Eden with his nine brethren. Ensuring Richard that Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn also wants peace from the costly war, Altaïr returned to Masyaf to find the city in a hypnotic trance, and the assassins opposed to his presence.
Engaging the assassins', Altaïr kills many before he was finally overwhelmed; however, he was saved by the timely arrival of Malik and the Jerusalem based assassins. Making his way to the fortress, Altaïr learns that Al Mualim was responsible for using the Piece of Eden on the people of Masyaf. Al Mualim attempts to control Altaïr with the Piece of Eden, but fails, and the two engaged in battle. After fighting many illusions of both his former targets, and multiple copies of Al Mualim, Altaïr managed to strike down Al Mualim, ending the Piece of Eden's control over the people of Masyaf. As Al Mualim dies, he defends his actions as a means to an end-world peace- before finally challenging Altaïr's ability to destroy the Piece of Eden.
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
One month after the events of "Assassin's Creed", Altaïr was once again fights the Templar decoy from Jerusalem, learning her name to be Maria Thorpe. Interrogating her, Altaïr learnt that the death of Robert de Sable had routed Templars and sent them fleeing to Cyprus. Altaïr then decided to pursue them, and eliminate the remaining Templars; taking Maria with him. Meeting with the Cypriot assassins, Altaïr moved to eliminate the Templar leader on the island – Frederick the Red – who had hidden within Limassol Castle, and was successful. Returning to the Bureau, Altaïr found it to be under attack and Maria to have escaped. Liberating the bureau, Altaïr then moves to pursue Maria, catching up with her as she is arrested by the current Templar Grandmaster – Armand Bouchart – for conspiring with the assassins. Choosing to free Maria rather than eliminate Bouchart, Altaïr eliminates the Templar's guarding her but suffers her insults, his life being threatened in the process. Returning to the bureau in Limassol, Altaïr learns that Bouchart has left for Kyrenia, and of Pirate Templars storing treasures on a 'Grand Ship'. Infiltraiting the 'Grand Ship', Altaïr finds the manifest to be obviously filled with errors and decided to investigate the matter further in Kyrenia. At first Maria attempts to flee, but eventually complies with Altaïr, and the two head to Kyrenia.
Arriving in Kyrenia, Maria manages to escape whilst Altaïr is distracted by two pirates, but is eventually recaptured when Altaïr catches up with her; finding her to have just been saved by pirates by members of the local resistance to Templar rule. Leaving Maria with the resistance, Altaïr is tasked to eliminate a traitor by the resistance leader Barnabas. Upon finding the traitor – a man named Jonas – Altaïr learns of a bounty on his head and that of his "consort", before killing the traitor. Altaïr returns to find Maria once again under attack, this time by Templar Knights. After eliminating the Templars, Altaïr is directed to eliminate fanatics in Kyrenia who are rioting over the death of Jonas, and eventually to kill the Templar Knight directing the ambushes, a soldier named Moloch. Maria warns Altaïr not to engage Moloch, for that he will not survive; Altaïr was not to be swayed.
Locating Moloch within a castle, Altaïr was very nearly killed when the Templar catches the assassin's hidden blade, but was eventually killed.
The archives
Returning to the bureau, Altaïr learns that Maria and the assassins had been captured by the Templar Shalim, the son of Moloch, and that Barnabas was merely a Templar impostor. Freeing the captured resistance warriors, Altaïr learns that the bureau leader of Limassol was also a Templar spy. Unnerved, Altaïr located Shalim in the city harbour; finding Maria there, disguised and preparing to infiltrate the castle of Saint Hilarion. Altaïr then decided to join her, and bursts into Shalim's room in the midst of Maria's conversation. It was then that Altaïr learnt Shalim to have a twin brother, Shahar, and the twins engage Altaïr in battle, Maria having fled. After killing the twins, Altaïr returned to the bureau and, upon hearing of the Templars' deserting Kyrenia, reasons that the Templar archive must be located in Limassol. Upon his arrival however, he finds the townsfolk to be once again rioting, and out for Altaïr's head. At one stage, Altaïr was forced to call upon the power of the Piece of Eden in order to convince the townsfolk that they had been lied to, subsequently saving his own life.
Events progress further, and eventually both Altaïr and Maria find themselves discussing the Templar plan for the Piece of Eden; although Maria is unsure that Altaïr is the right person to protect the Piece from the Templars. It is at this moment that they are ambushed by the Templars, are forced to flee into the tunnels beneath Limassol castle, stumbling upon the Templar archives in the process. Within the archive Altaïr engages and kills Bouchart, although he finds that during his travels in Kyrenia the Templars had managed to empty the archive of its treasures. Together, Altaïr and Maria flee the archive and watch as it collapses. The two then discuss their futures, with Maria disregarding the Templar way and Altaïr expressing his wish to explore the Piece of Eden for intellectual purposes. The two then leave together, heading east.
Legacy
Following the events that transpired in Cyprus Altaïr began to write his codex, and by this time both Altaïr and Maria are living with one another; she later bore at least two children with Altaïr. Exploring the Piece of Eden, Altaïr re-discovered many advance technologies, including the creation of a wrist mounted firearm and the make-up of a feather-light metal, which was weaved into his Grandmaster robes; the same robes that would later be worn by his descendant Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Altaïr later learnt that the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan was in fact a member of the Templars, and he suspected him of possessing a Piece of Eden – the Sword. As such, Altaïr and his family moved to Mongolia so as to remove the Templar conqueror; although Altaïr was himself too old to assassinate Genghis Khan, and so the responsibility passed on to his sons.
The date and location of Altaïr's death remains unknown, although he continued to write the Codex up until the very end; in the last page of which, he remarked upon his temptation to use the Piece of Eden to extend his life, stating that he "[knew] the knowledge is [in] there." During the events of Assassin's Creed II, Altaïr is thought to have been dead for hundreds of years. His descendant, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, found the Codex and united it for the first time since his great-grandfather had held it, and discovered it to have a secret map of the world, identifying the location of all the Pieces of Eden.
Ezio also managed to acquire the robes of Altaïr, Grandmaster of the Assassin’s Order, which had been hidden beneath the Villa Auditore by his great-grandfather, after locating the tombs of six famed Assassins; one of which belonged to Qulan Gal, the assassin of Genghis Khan, and possibly son of Altaïr.
Characteristics and personality
Altaïr free-running from rooftop to rooftop.
Altaïr is an ancestor of Desmond Miles and his memories are encoded into Miles' DNA. Abstergo Industries abducted Miles in order to use the Animus on him, which would decode his genetic structure and extract vital information from the memories of Altaïr, in a project bent on New World Order. Altaïr is a master assassin instructor, capable of extraordinary acrobatic feats, a master of social stealth, fully adept in the application of the deadly arts, and a member of the Assassins' Order.
Near the beginning of the game, Altaïr’s disregard for the Creed and subsequent failure to obtain the Piece of Eden not only lead to his severe demotion, but cost Malik his left arm, and Kadar his life. As his quest progresses Altaïr learns from the Nine, through their final words, of their justification for the deeds of which they commited and their shared allegiance to the Templar banner; his attitude changes and he becomes less impetuous, overconfident, and demanding, learning to read between the lines and perceive the actions of the world while drawing upon the teachings of the "Assassins Creed". By the end of his quest, his nature has changed completely, becoming calmer, more focused, and patient, with a higher wisdom of understanding.
Altaïr travels between the four cities – Jerusalem, Masyaf, Damascus, and Acre – to kill his victims. His extensive knowledge in the deadly arts are without question at the level of an instructor, able to infiltrate any fortification completely unnoticed, brush shoulders with a primary assassination target without alerting them to his hostile presence and strike from any direction, a testament of his undeniable mastery over "Hiding in Plain Sight", showing his understanding of the "Assassin’s Creed" and the importance of the second tenet.
Altaïr, bound by the second tenet of the "Assassins Creed" has mastered the ability to become one with the crowd, so that his deadly presence and approach is masked entirely from his intended target. His ability to blend in and appear as just another face in the crowd makes it much more possible to get in extremely close to a target and silently assassinate them using the Hidden Blade without alerting the immediate surrounding environment. Whether investigating or silently assassinating, Altaïr constantly remains anonymous out of nature, very briefly exposing himself to the public’s eye during his actual assassinations of "The Nine". Even public assassinations do not guarantee Altaïr's exposure however, as he is a Master Assassin, and is highly skilled in adapting to changing situations and the changing environment. Knowing all too well in how maintain control in the dangerous and constantly changing environment, Altaïr's possession of such sharp perception and skills carried over into how he read the crowd for any sign of danger.
Altaïr watches the streets of Acre from a rooftop.
Altaïr's sharp sense of awareness aided him greatly during his quest to eliminate the Templars, both within the dangerous cities, and throughout the kingdom. Altaïr's acrobatic skills also helped in both assassination and escape; he used his skills to strike from many different directions, including from affront, above, and behind, when performing his assassinations. Altaïr's assassination expertise is unquestionable; being capable of appearing from the crowd unseen, quickly killing his target silently, before outrunning any who deigned to pursue him afterwards. In preparation for his strike, Altaïr stalks the district where his target resides, obtaining information on where and when he will be, so that his blade finds it mark. Using that knowledge better prepares him for the opportune moment to strike. Observing, and moving silently about the large crowds that usually gather within the kill zone, Altaïr strikes without flaw or mercy making him very efficient in the exact moment of the strike. Highly educated upon the politics involving the Crusaders and Saracens and their religious philosophies, this educational training also helped Altaïr in better understanding their territories, and the numerous factions within. It also gave him a better perspective on why his targets choose their paths in life, although he was not above questioning that which he did not understand. He also knows that the death of his targets help to ensure peace returns to the land.
Altaïr's social mastery ensures that low-profile kills performed while hiding amongst the crowd always succeed, allowing him to eliminate any guards patrolling the streets, although as his quest progressed and his arrival predicted, this became all the more difficult. However, regardless of his anomimity, Altaïr showed that, in combination with a mastery of social stealth and tracking knowledge, blending into the crowd to becoming simply another face, allowed Altaïr to carry out his assassination target investigations more easily. In doing so, he kept to the second tenet within the Creed, which called for anomimity in all things.
Altaïr's modest clothing also allowed him to disguise himself as a scholar of the Christian faith; permitting him entrance to several areas a normal citizen was not allowed; enabling him to close in on his target without raising suspicion. A lifetime of experience and training also permitted Altaïr a keen ability to predict the alertness of those guards around him, giving him time to adjust his mannerisms accordingly.
Talal's follower is impaled
Equipment and skills
Like his fellow assassins, Altaïr is trained in hand to hand and weapons combat, blade throwing, climbing, urban acrobatics, eavesdropping, interrogation, and pick pocketing.
Altaïr's weapon of choice for assassinations – the Hidden Blade – a weapon similar to a katara, is mounted on the inside of his left hand gauntlet, and when deployed, extends between the space left by his amputated ring finger. He flicks a trigger on his small finger to extend the blade, and does so again to retract it. Altaïr is not restricted to just the Hidden Blade however; he also uses throwing knives, a sword, and a small blade, as well as his fists when the need arises. Altaïr also uses an ability called "Eagle Vision," a sort of sixth sense that lets him see the allegiances of those around him. When activated, his vision shows his enemies in red and his allies in blue. This vision also shows those citizens with information in white and his main targets in gold.
After the events of Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, Altaïr dedicated more of his life to philosophical study – focusing upon the Piece of Eden – as opposed to actual assassination, showing himself to be a brilliant engineer and inventor. With the aid of the Piece of Eden, Altaïr was granted the foresight of advanced technological developments, which including upgrades to the Hidden Blade and the creation of a nearly impregnable, but lightweight metal that was imbued into his Master Assassin robes.
Behind the Scenes
The name Altaïr is an Arabic word, which means "The Flying One". In interviews, the game's producer, Jade Raymond has stated that while in mid-air, Altaïr's shadow resembles that of an eagle. This is because of his attire, which includes a point at the tip of his hood which resembles the beak of an eagle, and a slit down the back of his robe, resembling the tail feathers. The second part of his name, Ibn-La'Ahad means 'son of no-one', reflecting his mysterious origins.
His appearance is remarkably similar to Desmond's, with only a few scars seeming to separate their appearances at first glance, although one of their most distinctive shared features is in fact a shared scar atop their upper lip; a feature Ezio also shares.
Trivia
- Jade Raymond, producer of Assassin's Creed, revealed during an interview at the Ubidays 2007 that Altaïr was born to a Muslim father, and a Christian mother[1].
- Altaïr also has three different voices throughout three of the Assassins Creed games. His voice in Assassins Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles sounded a bit higher and not as deep as the original Assassins Creed game. His voice in Assassins Creed Bloodlines had more of a Middle Eastern accent than the one in the original game
- The Altaïr costume can be unlocked for Prince of Persia (2009). Users have to register at the Ubisoft Website and then link that account to an Xbox 360 Gamertag or PSN screen name.
- Altaïr's Outfit can also be used in Assassin's Creed 2. It can be unlocked via UPlay (it's actually the Altaïr skin used during the dream). Ezio's ring finger will also vanish when this armour is worn. Additionally Ezio can still perform double assassinations, even though Altaïr's outfit only has one hidden blade.
- Altaïr's ability to blend with crowds and with scholars may seem hindered by his bright white clothes, which make him stick out, and the fact that he is heavily armed which could draw suspicion from guards, wielding a long sword and exposed throwing knives.
- It is curious to note that the name Altaïr is in fact supposedly a feminine name in Arabic, however it is not uncommon as the name "Ashley" was once used for males in the past.
- In the game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the player can unlock Altaïr's costume for the main character (Old Snake). One can obtain it by either password or getting the assassin emblem on any difficulty. It is available on the second playthrough after you earn it.
Notes and references
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