Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad (Arabic: الطائر ابن لا أحد, literally: The Bird, Son of No One; January 11th, 1165-August 12th, 1257) was a member of the Levantine branch of the Assassin Brotherhood and served as its Mentor from 1191 to 1228 and again from 1247 to his death. Under ‎Altaïr's command the Assassin's had a golden age and expanded across Afro-Eurasia.

Early Life
Altair Ibn-La’Ahad was born in Masyaf on January 11th, 1165 to Maud and Umar Ibn-La’Ahad, an Assassin. Maud died giving birth to Altair leaving Umar to raise him which was troublesome due to his work. In 1176 Masyaf was besieged by the Saracen Army led by Sultan Saladin. In order to get them to retreat Umar was sent to plant a dagger in Saladin’s tent to show that the Assassins were not to be reckoned with. Whilst doing this Umar was forced to kill a nobleman in fear of being discovered. In the morning Saladin agreed to retreat under the condition that Umar be handed over to be executed. Umar agreed and was executed with a young Altair watching in horror. A few days later Ahmad Sofian entered Altair's chamber and revealed that he had been captured during the Siege and tortured into revealing the murderer of the nobleman. After this Ahmad committed suicide in front of Altair. Altair hurried to tell the Assassin Mentor, Al Mualim, what happened. Al Mualim told him to not disclose what happened to anyone including Ahmad’s son Abbas. Altair followed his instruction and later befriended Abbas and the two began training to become Assassins. The two would also befriend another during training named Rauf.

Assassin Training
During his training Altair developed a strange sixth sense the others dubbed “Eagle Vision”. One night Altair saw that Abbas was still grieving for his father and he decided to tell him what happened, Abbas did not say a word. The next morning during sword practice Abbas asked to use real swords and began to attack Altair in a rage claiming that Altair was lying about his father’s fate. Altair managed to disarm Abbas but he then lunged at Altair with a dagger. Altair lied stating he did make the story up however it only infuriated Abbas further. Eventually the other Assassin’s managed to subdue them where they were thrown in the dungeon. The two were released a month later and Altair was allowed to continue his training normally however Abbas was forced to spend an extra year training.

First Templar Siege of Masyaf
In 1189 the Assassin Haras had betrayed the brotherhood and led a Templar attack on Masyaf. The Templars had taken the castle and had many hostages including Al Mualim. Altair organized an attack and took the time to sneak into the castle and save the hostages by assassinating Haras. For his actions Altair was elevated to the rank of Master Assassin.

Attack in Alep
In 1190 Altair was returning from a mission in Idlib when he discovered that a village near Alep was under attack. A mortally injured Assassin told him that the Templars were behind the attack. Altair fought his way to the city and interrogated an archer who told him that the Templar leader, Lord Basilisk, had sent them in order to get information from the brotherhood. Altair then met with Al Mualim who tasked him to find an artifact called the “Chalice”.

Search in Damascus
Altair then traveled to Damascus where he met a Rafiq who directed him towards Tamir, a merchant with an association with the Templars. Altair interrogated Tamir who told him the Chalice was located in a desert temple that requires three keys to enter. Tamir then told Altair that one of the keys was in the possession of a circus dancer named Fajera, in turn Altair thanked Tamir by killing him swiftly. Altai then went to the circus to find Fajera who made her escape. Altair eventually found her where she gave him the key. Fajera then told Altair she ran away to test him and that in exchange for his assistance in killing a man named Alaat she would tell him where the next key is. Altair went to the bathhouse where Alaat was in and killed him where he then returned and learned that the next key was held in Tyre.

Search in Tyre
Altair met a man named Hamid who informed him that the Templar Roland Napule was holding the key holder in his hospital. Altair snuck into the hospital and found Napule interrogating the key holder and he proceeded to assassinate him. Altair showed the holder his left hand to prove he was an Assassin and received the second key and the information that the final key was in the possession of Lord Basilisk in Jerusalem.

Search in Jerusalem
Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Altair met with the Rafiq Kadar who told him that Basilisk would be at the King’s party. Altair snuck into the party where he dueled Basilisk before stealing the key and escaping. He returned to the city where he witnessed the keeper of the map being attacked by Templars who took the map to Jerusalem Tower. Altair then entered the tower and made his way to the top where he fought “The Master '', an Assassin-like Templar, and his protégé. Altair managed to kill them before making his way to the temple. Upon arrival Altair reached the shrine for the Chalice where he was confronted by Lord Basilisk who explained that the Chalice was not a literal chalice, but rather a woman. Altair dealt with the guards before making his escape from the collapsing temple and an approaching sandstorm. Altair went to Tyre as he heard Basilisk talk about his business there. Hamid ordered Altair to rescue two agents who could help him. After doing so Altair was led to the Templar stronghold where he dueled Basilisk. Outmatched, Basilisk agreed to give Altair information in exchange for his life. Altair agreed and discovered that the Chalice was in Don Carvaggio’s Villa in Jerusalem and that the Templars had planned to end the siege of Acre by poisoning the city’s water supply. Altair kept his word to spare Basilisk but destroyed his fleet to ensure he remained in Tyre.

Poison Plot
Deeming Acre a more pressing matter, he traveled there and disguised himself as a soldier and scholar to destroy siege equipment and free prisoners. Altair then dueled and killed the commander preventing the plan and made his escape with a catapult.

Finding the Chalice
Altair made his way to Jerusalem and found the Templars escorting the Chalice, a woman he recognized as his childhood love Adha. He rescued Adha and took her into the sewers to hide. Adha warned Altair that Harash, Al Mualim’s second in command, was a traitor. Altair wanted to flee the Holy Land with Adha but she told him she would only do so when Harash died.

Assassinating Harash
Altair traveled to Alep and discovered him consorting with a Templar captain. The captain told Harash that Adha was hiding on a ship in Tyre and that he was going to travel there. He then confronted Harash and then proceeded to duel and kill him.

Failure
Altair hurriedly returned to Tyre and witnessed the Templars taking Adha aboard a ship. Altair battled his way to the docks and boarded a ship to save her. He was then confronted by Basilisk and engaged in their final duel where Altair managed to kill him. The ship then lit on fire and Altair was forced to retreat to the docks. He then watched as the ship carrying Adha sailed away in the distance. Months later he found her corpse as she had been executed. He then hunted down all those involved in her death and killed them all, however it did nothing to help his soul only embittering him.

Jerusalem Vault
In 1191, Altair and fellow Assassin’s Malik and Kadar Al-Sayf were sent to the Jerusalem Vault underneath Solomon's Temple in order to obtain an artifact. While going through the catacombs Altair killed an old treasure hunter. He ignored Malik’s admonishments and proceeded to the chamber where he then confronted the new Templar Grandmaster Robert de Sable. He attempted to assassinate him but was overpowered and thrown into the next room where he was forced to escape whilst the Templars attacked the Al-Sayf brothers.

Second Siege of Masyaf
Altair returned to Masyaf to report to Al Mualim about the mission. He admitted to the mission’s complete failure but was interrupted by Malik who came in with the artifact, but was heavily injured and came alone as Kadar was killed in the fight. Just then the city was under siege from the Templars. Altair attempted to defend the village but was only successful in buying enough time for the villagers to escape to the castle. Altair was then chosen to perform a leap of faith in order to trick the Templars and do a secret attack along with Rauf. Altair was successful in causing the Templars to retreat and returned to the castle. Altair was then accosted by the other Assassins and berated by Al Mualim and was then stabbed by him.

Investigation
Altair awoke uninjured in front of Al Mualim. Al Mualim explained that Altair saw what he wanted him to and that he was demoted to the lowest rank possible and that the only way to regain his rank was to do missions for him. Altair was then sent to find the traitor in the village. Altair discovered that the herald Masun was the traitor. He then captured him and brought him forward to Al Mualim. Masun revealed he did not act alone and that Jamal had helped him, he was then executed by Al Mualim.

Assassinating the Templars
Altair was then sent to Damascus to assassinate the black arms dealer, Tamir. Altair gathered information on his target and then went to his Souq to assassinate him. He then killed him and returned to Masyaf where he got new targets in Acre and Jerusalem.

Altair traveled to Acre and gathered information on his next target Garnier de Naplouse, the Grandmaster of the Knights Hospitaller. He snuck into the hospital and assassinated Naplouse who claimed his experiments were helping the people before perishing.

Altair then went to Jerusalem and met the new Rafiq of the Assassin Bureau, Malik. Malik antagonized Altair but nonetheless sent him towards his new target Talal the slave driver. After his investigation, Altair entered Talal’s hideout. Talal confronted Altair and sent his soldiers after him before making his escape. Altair dealt with them and managed to cut down Talal and returned to Masyaf to get his new quarries.

Altair returned to Damascus to assassinate Abu’l Nuqoud, the merchant king. After gathering info he infiltrated Nuquod’s party, however, the party was a farce and Nuqoud and his men began to massacre the guests. Altair managed to scale the walls and chased Nuqoud down and killed him.

Altair then went to Acre to hunt down William of Montferrat, the regent of the city and a lieutenant of King Richard’s Army. Altair witnessed Richard and William argue and once the king left assassinated William.

Altair then journeyed to Jerusalem to kill Majd Addin, the city’s new ruler. Altair merged into the crowd during an execution and then rushed the stage and killed him.

Altair returned to Masyaf to get his new targets and he learned that all his targets were Templars that had discovered the artifact, which was called a Piece of Eden in particular the Apple of Eden. Altair then departed to Acre where he was searching for the Grandmaster of the Knights Teutonic, Sibrand. He stalked the paranoid Templar and killed him on his ship.

Altair then went to Damascus to hunt Jubair al Hakim, Saladin’s head scholar. Altair witnessed Hakim burning books and tried to kill him only to discover he was a fake and many of Hakim’s followers were disguised as him. He eventually found and killed him and then returned to Masyaf.

Altair was then sent to Jerusalem to kill his final target, Robert de Sable himself. Altair approached Majid Addin’s funeral as Robert was in attendance, however, it was actually an ambush. Altair dispatched the Templars and rushed the Grandmaster, but was shocked to learn that it was actually Robert’s apprentice Maria Thorpe. Maria, under the belief Altair would kill her and subsequently be killed in his hunt, told him that the real Robert was the Battle of Arsuf and was planning a truce between Crusaders and Saracens to eliminate the Assassins. Altair spared Maria and traveled to Arsuf.

Altair fought his way to King Richard’s camp. Altair then tried to appeal to the King but was rebuffed by Robert. King Richard found himself unable to decide who was right and ordered the two to duel. Altair defeated Robert who with his last breath revealed that Al Mualim was secretly a Templar and had betrayed the order in his quest for power.

Confronting Al Mualim
Altair hurriedly returned to Masyaf and saw that all the villagers were mind controlled. Altair was then confronted by mind controlled Assassin’s and he was forced to defend himself. Altair soon was overwhelmed but was saved by Malik, Rauf and a group of non-mind controlled Assassins. Altair told the group to try to defeat the mind controlled masses non-lethally while he confronts Al Mualim. Altair then entered the Castle garden and was bound by the Apple’s power. Al Mualim then created illusions of the nine targets to fight Altair but Altair prevailed. Altair then dueled his master who created illusions of clones and using Eagle Vision he managed to single out Al Mualim. During their battle Al Mualim explained how the Apple worked and how all legends and myths happened due to its illusions. Altair finally was able to kill Al Mualim, and with his last breath Al Mualim challenged Altair to destroy the Apple which he was unable to do so. The Apple created a map showing the location of all the other Pieces of Eden. Malik and his group joined up with Altair and witnessed the Apple. Altair then explained what happened to the group and ordered them to build a funeral pyre in case Al Mualim was an illusion.

Becoming Mentor of the Assassins
Abbas arrived and demanded answers from Altaïr who told him nothing. Altair then burned the body, enraging Abbas and the other Assassin’s who prohibited the practice. Abbas then attacked Altair and stole the Apple sparking a civil war. Altair’s faction managed to defeat Abbas’ without killing them but Abbas then climbed the tower and attempted to use the Apple which proved too much for him. Altair then scaled the tower and reclaimed the Apple. Altair then became the new Mentor and made many new practices in the Brotherhood.

Cyprus
A month later Altair discovered the Templars were at Acre’s port and led a group of Assassins there. Altair only discovered they had already fled but saw that Maria Thorpe was in an argument with guards. Altair overheard that the new Grandmaster Armand Bouchart was taking the Templars to Cyprus and that Maria fell out of favor with the Templars after the death of Robert. Altair then took Maria hostage and forced her to go to Cyprus with him leaving Malik in charge of the Brotherhood. They arrived in Limassol and met with Alexander the local resistance leader and he left Maria in his care. Alexander told Altair that the local Templars were based in Limassol Tower and to kill the captain so that the resistance agent Osman replaces him. Osman then tells Altair that the Templars are looking for an archive and that the local leader was Fredrick the Red. Altair then slew Fredrick and returned to the Resistance hideout which was on fire and surrounded. Altair killed the forces but found no one in the hideout, he later saw Bouchart delivering a speech at the cathedral. Bouchart then killed Osman and when Maria warned Bouchart about Altair he ignored her, instead leaving and calling for her arrest. Altair saved her and then called a truce with the thought that she could retrieve the Apple to reclaim her position. Alexander then told him that Bouchart had fled to Kyrenia and for the Assassin to meet Barnabas there. Altair talked with the Resistance member Pasha to take them to the city on his ship. On the trip Maria and Altair talked about their pasts. As they were about to dock, pirates attacked and Maria attempted to escape. Altair managed to evade the pirates and captured Maria again. He then met Markos and Barnabas who kept Maria in the hideout. Barnabas then told Altair that Bouchart was likely in Buffavento Castle and that he would help Altair reach the castle in exchange for killing the traitor Jonas. Altair killed Jonas who mentioned a man named ``The Bull” before he died. Altair saved Maria and Markos from guards and learned that “The Bull” was a Templar named Moloch. Altair then met with Barnabas who informed him that riots had broken out due to Jonas’ death and that Moloch would take advantage of it. Altair quelled the riots and met with Markos and he came to the conclusion Barnabas was lying. Altair then Kantra Castle to kill Moloch and was successful. Altair then learned the hideout was attacked and several resistance members and Maria had been captured. Markos told Altair that it was likely the Dark Oracle that informed the Templars of their hideout whilst Altair reasoned that Barnabas betrayed them, shocking Markos as Barnabas had been executed before Altair reached the city. Altair then freed several resistance members but didn’t find Maria. Altair then moved to Buffavento Castle to kill the Dark Oracle and free Maria, but learned that Maria had already escaped and that Alexander was a Templar agent. Altair then faced the Oracle in her cell and was forced to kill her. Altair then searched for Moloch’s son Shalim and talked to a priest about Shalim when the priest was unexpectedly killed. Altair then looked for Maria and found her with dancers at the port. Altair tracked Maria to Saint Hilarion Castle. Altair then found Maria arguing with Shalim only to learn it was not Shalim, but his twin Sahar. Shalim then appeared and attempted to duel Altair and Maria, but Maria made her escape. Altair then killed the twins. Altair then met with Markos who informed him that the Templars were fleeing to Limassol. Altair then traveled back to the city. Altair then confronted Alexander and both charged the other as traitors. Altair then learned that the package that Alexander received was Barnabas’ head and that the man he was taking orders from was indeed a Templar spy. Altair then killed several Templars and found a sergeant who pleaded with Altair and told him to meet a merchant named Demetris. Altair met with Demetris but the Spy killed Demetris and escaped. Altair then saw Alexander’s corpse in the courtyard and saw the Spy. An angry mob then stormed the courtyard and tried to kill Altair in retribution for Alexander’s death. Altair was forced to use the Apple to manipulate the crowd and turned them against the Templars. The Spy was then killed by Maria. Maria then revealed they stood utop the Templar Archive. Maria pressed forward into the Archive whilst Altair fought off the Templars. Altair then saw Bouchart and Maria engaged in a duel but Maria was knocked unconscious. Altair then dueled Bouchart and after a long battle killed the Grandmaster. The Archive then began to collapse, Altair and Maria then escaped to the harbor. Maria announced that she would leave the Templars and would be moving to the Middle East. Altair said he wanted to learn more of the world and expand the Assassins. The two would return to the Middle East and later married. Altair and Maria then had two children Darim and Sef. Altair began to spread the Brotherhood across the Old World and began to use the Apple to find new knowledge including an indestructible armor and redesigned the Hidden Blade so that the sacrifice of the ring finger was no longer needed. Altair continued to restructure the Brotherhood. In 1217 Altair, Maria, and Darim went to Mongolia to face Genghis Khan who they believed had a Piece of Eden, leaving Malik and Sef in charge of Masyaf. The trio met with Qulan Gal and later both Gal and Darim were able to assassinate the great Khan. In 1228 the family returned to Masyaf only to find it had begun decaying. They were greeted by an Apprentice named Swami, whom they detested, instead of Rauf as they had instructed. Swami explained that Rauf had died of a fever, Malik had betrayed the order and was imprisoned, a council of Assassin’s had taken his place with Abbas at it’s head, and that Sef was in Alamut with his family. Darim was sent to Alamut to search for Sef while Altair and Maria went in front of the council discovering that the men of the weakest mind were on it and that Abbas was controlling them. Abbas explained that Malik had Sef killed in an effort to take total control and that he would not return the title of mentor to Altair. Altair later snuck into the dungeon and brought Malik into his house and Malik revealed that Abbas had started coup, had Sef killed, and framed the murder on him. Altair and Maria confronted Abbas and began arguing, during this Swami appeared and gave them a sack that contained Malik’s severed head. Abbas told Altair that in exchange for the Apple he would tell them how Sef died, which Altair agreed to. When Swami approached Altair he boasted how he had told Sef that it was his father who ordered his death. This enraged Altair who activated the Apple forcing Swami to mutilate himself. When Maria attempted to stop Altair, Swami regained control and stabbed her before being put down by Altair. The dying Maria told Altair to remain strong before passing. Altair and Darim were forced to flee to Alamut and they stayed with Sef’s family. Altair fell into a deep depression that drove his remaining family away, Sef’s family to Alexandria, and Darim to Europe to warn them of the approaching Mongols. Altair began using the Apple again finding an Isu temple beneath Alamut containing six memory keys, which he imprinted on and began making new tools and designs. In 1247 Altair returned to Masyaf and rescued a merchant from bandits. The merchant, named Mukhlis, told Altair the state of the Brotherhood and sheltered him. In the village Altair began to try and reinstall order and met with an Assassin named Tazim Al-Sayf, the son of Malik. Malik and Altair began to start an uprising against Abbas using non-lethal means and Altair entered the Castle. Altair confronted Abbas and faced with the fact that Abbas refused to back down, used a hidden gun in his gauntlet and shot Abbas, killing him. Abbas told Altair that he would finally discover if Altair lied to him about his father in death. Altair then retook the position of Mentor. Altair began building a massive library underneath the castle containing all the information he gathered with the Apple using the memory seals as keys. He also invited Niccolo and Maffeo Polo to Masyaf, inducting them into the order and seeking their help in spreading the Brotherhood. Altair then gave most of the books to the Polo Brothers and the others to Alexandria. In 1257 the Mongols attacked Masyaf forcing all the Assassins to flee. Before the Polos fled Altair gave them his codex and five of the memory seals. Altair and Darim returned to the library and Altair revealed that he would seal himself in the library which was meant to be a vault. He bid his son farewell and locked himself inside, Altair hid the Apple in the far wall and sat in a chair in the center of the library where he then passed away after imprinting his final memory on the sixth memory seal.