Assassin's Creed Wiki
Register
Assassin's Creed Wiki
(What you see is an -object- that -might- be the chalice. Not the living character.)
Fielran (talk | contribs)
m (needs more biography images)
 
(51 intermediate revisions by 23 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Era|ACAC|AC|ACM|TSC}}
+
{{Era|Individuals|Featured}}
 
{{Imageneed|''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''}}
 
{{Quote|A chalice is merely a vessel for libation, for good or ill.|Adha|Assassin's Creed: Memories}}
 
{{Quote|A chalice is merely a vessel for libation, for good or ill.|Adha|Assassin's Creed: Memories}}
 
{{Character Infobox
 
{{Character Infobox
|image = ACAC-Adha Render.png
+
| image = ACAC-Adha Render.png
|death = 1190<br>{{Wiki|Middle East}}<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''</ref>
+
| death = 1190<br>[[Middle East]]<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''</ref>
|affiliates = [[Assassins]]
+
| species = [[Human]]
  +
| affiliates = [[Assassins]]}}
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''
 
  +
'''Adha''' (died 1190) was a woman from the [[Levant]] who lived in the time of the [[Third Crusade]]. As the '''Chalice''', a legendary "artifact" thought to have been hidden in the [[Temple of Sand]], she was rumored to possess the mystery power to unite the factions of the war.
|voice = }}
 
'''Adha''' (unknown – 1190) was a woman from the Middle East who possessed mysterious powers. She was in fact the "'''Chalice'''", commonly known as an ancient 'artifact' that held powers similar to the [[Pieces of Eden]].
 
   
In 1190, the Chalice was sought after by both the [[Templars|Knights Templar]] and [[Levantine Assassins]], unaware that it was a person rather than an object. She was discovered by [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], an Assassin and former acquaintance, and aided him in thwarting the Templars' plans before being taken captive by them. She was subsequently deported to an unknown location and later murdered.
+
In 1190, the Chalice was sought after by both the [[Templars|Knights Templar]] and [[Levantine Brotherhood of Assassins|Levantine Assassins]], unaware that it was a person rather than an object. After a [[Crusaders|Crusader]] expedition to the Temple of Sand turned out fruitless, she was located in [[Jerusalem]] and captured by the Templars. To her fortune, her friend, the elite [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] was not far behind and rescued her.
  +
  +
Despite this, Adha remained mistrustful of the Assassins, in part due to a Templar spy embedded within their highest ranks. Guided by his love for her, Altaïr agreed to assassinate the spy, [[Harash]], then flee the Assassins and Templars to settle for a normal life with her. In the end, this dream proved futile when Altaïr failed to save her after she was recaptured by the Crusaders and subsequently murdered.
   
 
==Biography==
 
==Biography==
 
===The Chalice===
 
===The Chalice===
  +
{{Quote|We need the Chalice. Something that powerful must be kept away from the dealings of men.|Al Mualim to Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad|Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles|Coming Home}}
The Chalice was known to either be a holy artifact, or the descendant and heir of [[Jesus Christ]].{{cite}} According to [[Rashid ad-Din Sinan]], whoever had the Chalice could unite all factions under them, granting them victory over all, and allowing them to rule the Holy Land. Seeing the danger of such an artifact, the [[Mentor]] sent one of his [[Assassins]], [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], on a [[Quest for the Chalice|mission to retrieve it]].<ref name="ACAC"/>
+
The Chalice was a fabled artifact which, according to [[Al Mualim]], could bestow its wielder the power to unite all factions under them, granting them victory over all and allowing them to rule the [[Holy Land]]. Seeing the danger of such an artifact should it fall into the hands of the Crusaders or [[Saracens]], the [[Mentor]] sent one of his Assassins, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, on a [[Quest for the Chalice|mission to retrieve it]] in 1190.<ref name="Coming Home">''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'' – [[Coming Home]]</ref>
   
His search led him to the [[Temple of the Sand]], though Altaïr discovered only an empty golden chest. This prompted him to assume that it had already fallen into [[Templars|Templar]] hands, and so he traveled to [[Jerusalem]].<ref name="ACAC">''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''</ref>
+
His search led him to the fabled Temple of Sand, where the Chalice was thought to have been hidden. It was there that, after discovering only an empty golden [[Treasure chest|chest]], he was ambushed by the Templars, whose leader [[Basilisk]] informed him that the Chalice was in fact a woman before leaving him to his doom.<ref name="Temple of Sand">''Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles'' – [[Temple of Sand (memory)|Temple of Sand]]</ref>
   
  +
Altaïr survived the attack and the subsequent sandstorm that engulfed the temple.<ref name="Temple of Sand" /> After pursuing Basilisk to [[Tyre]] and besting him in combat, he extracted the location of the Chalice from his enemy in exchange for mercy. However, the Templar also alerted him to a Crusader plot to poison the entire population of [[Acre]] to end the [[Siege of Acre|siege]], knowing full well that Altaïr's conscience would force him to detour to Acre to stop this massacre.<ref name="Great Angry Wall">''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'' – [[Great Angry Wall]]</ref>
===Rescue and capture===
 
Discovering that the Chalice was being kept under Templar watch in the Holy City, Altaïr infiltrated their fortress and soon found Adha. Though he was absolutely surprised upon identifying her as the Chalice, he rescued her nonetheless.<ref name="ACAC"/>
 
   
  +
===First capture and rescue===
Shortly afterwards, Adha informed him that the Templars had bribed [[Harash]], the second-in-command of the Assassins, to betray their Order; to which Altaïr decided to seek him out at the Assassin fortress of [[Alep]]. Though he planned to kill the traitor and run away with Adha, upon completing his task, Adha was kidnapped by [[Basilisk]], leader of the Templar Order.<ref name="ACAC"/>
 
  +
Though Basilisk had hoped Altaïr's preoccupation with Acre would allow his forces to capture the Chalice first, Altaïr had torched his fleet of docked ships, hindering his head start.<ref name="Great Angry Wall" /> Thus when Adha, the Chalice, was apprehended by three Templars at her hiding place in [[Don Carvaggio's villa]], [[Jerusalem]], her friend Altaïr was only moments behind. Her captors proceeded to escort her to the city gates, stalked by the Assassin on the roofs above. When Altaïr set off an explosion to aid in his navigation, the Templars began to suspect that trouble was following them. In response, Adha attempted to stall by slowing her pace and pleading for a rest, much to the fury of [[Sadad]], one of her captors.<ref name="The Running Wind">''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'' – [[The Running Wind]]</ref>
   
  +
As Adha was ushered into a sewage facility by the Templars, a great battle ensued as Altaïr burst into the Templar base. Even the elite Templars could not hold back the Assassin's advance, and soon enough all the soldiers holding Adha hostage were dead, save the sergeant [[Qasim]] who fled for his life. Separated from her saviour by a channel, Adha was convinced by Altaïr to venture into the sewers where their paths might cross. She was wary of trusting an Assassin—even one she's had prior association with—but nevertheless relented when he promised not to abandon her.<ref name="The Running Wind" />
  +
  +
When they at last reunited at the exit of the sewers, Adha revealed why she feared to place her life in the hands of the Assassins. She had overheard from the Templars that they had bribed [[Harash]], the Keeper of the Assassins, to serve as their spy. As long as their brotherhood remained compromised, it was dangerous for her to accompany Altaïr. Altaïr, though shocked by the news, placed his faith in Adha and agreed to assassinate the traitor. Knowing that he lacked hard proof of Harash's treachery, he predicted that such an act would also mean leaving the order altogether.<ref name="The Chalice">''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'' – [[The Chalice]]</ref>
  +
  +
It was then that the two, in love as they were, agreed to flee together to a faraway place, away from the [[Assassin-Templar War|conflict]] between the Templars and Assassins, so as to settle down and pursue lives of normalcy.<ref name="The Chalice" /><ref name="Codex">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' – [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex]]</ref> They planned to reunite in [[Tyre]] once Harash has been killed, where they would then make their escape via a ship in the harbour. Before parting ways, Adha gifted Altaïr a [[Sword of Adha|sword]] far superior to the ones he previously wielded.<ref name="The Chalice" />
  +
  +
===Failure to Escape===
  +
{{Quote|Kill him, Altaïr, and then come with me. We'll hide, we'll go as far as possible.|Adha to Altaïr on their plans together|Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles|The Chalice}}
  +
While Altaïr returned to the Assassin citadel at [[Alep]] in secret,<ref name="Snake Heart">''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'' – [[Snake Heart]]</ref> Adha hid herself on their ship in Tyre.<ref name="Always an End">''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'' – [[Always an End]]</ref> Unbeknownst to her, she had already been discovered by the Templars before Altaïr had completed his mission. The Templars, suspecting that she was waiting for Altaïr, hoped that they could exploit this as a means to easily locate the enemy that had caused them so much trouble. As such, they initially left her alone, fearing that alerting her to their presence could result in her fleeing and a failure to catch Altaïr by surprise.<ref name="Snake Heart" />
  +
  +
After Altaïr assassinated Harash,<ref name="Snake Heart" /> the Templars abandoned this course and seized Adha.<ref name="Always an End" /> Altaïr, aware that Adha had been discovered thanks to a prior Templar report to Harash,<ref name="Snake Heart" /> rushed to the Tyre harbor to find himself face to face with the Templar's entire army under the direct command of Basilisk.<ref name="Always an End" />
 
[[File:AdhaAltaïrConversation-ACAC1.png|thumb|250px|left|Adha speaking with Altaïr]]
 
[[File:AdhaAltaïrConversation-ACAC1.png|thumb|250px|left|Adha speaking with Altaïr]]
Pursuing them to a port in [[Tyre]], Altaïr fought his way onto Basilisk's ship at the head of the fleet, killing several Templar knights and Basilisk himself. However, he discovered that Adha was being held on a different ship, which escaped before Altaïr could catch up to it. He returned to shore and, seeing the Templar ship far off in the distance, called out to Adha, promising to her that he would find her one day.<ref name="ACAC"/>
+
As Templar knights forced Adha onto one of their ships, Altaïr furiously fought his way through masses of soldiers in a desperate attempt to reach her in time. Eventually, the Assassin leapt onto the ship just before the one that held Adha, but was impeded by the imposing figure of Basilisk himself. Unable to bypass the Templar leader, he was forced into a final duel with this mortal enemy, all while Adha and her captors watched from afar on the deck of their ship.<ref name="Always an End" />
  +
  +
Basilisk, as in his past fights with Altaïr, was defeated by his superior mobility, yet even as the Assassin dealt the killing blow, the Templars sent a fire boat crashing in between the two ships. In the resulting explosion, Altaïr was prevented from leaping to Adha; he made a last minute dive into the water to escape the inferno. When he returned to shore, he could only watch as the Templar ship holding Adha captive sailed off far off into the distance. He called out to Adha, promising to her that he would find her one day, as it disappeared over the horizon.<ref name="Always an End" />
   
 
===Death===
 
===Death===
{{Quote|I had thought Adha would be the one to lead me to rest, that I might lay down my blade and live as a normal man. But now I know such dreams are best left to sleep...|Altaïr, in his Codex.|Assassin's Creed II}}
+
{{Quote|I had thought Adha would be the one to lead me to rest, that I might lay down my blade and live as a normal man. But now I know such dreams are best left to sleep...|Altaïr, in his Codex.|Assassin's Creed II|Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex}}
  +
For many days and nights, Altaïr pursued the Templar ship across the [[Mediterranean Sea]] , but in the end to no avail. When he had at last nearly caught up with Adha, she was executed by the Templars, and he could do little but cradle her lifeless body in his arms once he found her.<ref name="Codex" />
In 1191, during Altaïr's preparations to assassinate [[Abu'l Nuqoud]] in [[Damascus]], an Assassin [[Informants|informant]] asked him ''"Any news of Adha since she left?"'' When Altaïr remained silent, as always with informants, he continued with ''"No? How sad. I'm sure you'll find her someday."''<ref name="AC">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>
 
   
  +
Adha's death would go on to haunt Altaïr for the the next year or more as he embarked on a quest for revenge, hunting down each and every last man responsible for her demise. So thorough was he that not a single Crusader with any connection to her murder remained alive by the time he was finished. In spite of this, he was unable to derive any solace from their deaths, and he returned to the Assassins numbed and heartbroken from his tragedy.<ref name="Codex" />
Though the circumstances of Adha's death are unclear, Altaïr wrote in [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex|his Codex]] that he chased Adha's captors across the sea, but only caught up to them in time to hold Adha's lifeless body in his arms, and see the terror in her unblinking eyes. He went on to state that he had hunted down and exacted vengeance on those that had killed her, though this had brought him no comfort, nor joy.<ref name="AC2"/>
 
   
  +
==Legacy==
After Adha's death, Altaïr felt that he "would never again feel for a woman as [he] had for her". Fortunately though, this was proven false with [[Maria Thorpe]].<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>
 
  +
Contrary to his expectations, the Assassins did not punish Altaïr for assassinating Harash, and he remained a respected member of the brotherhood until his transgressions compromised them the following year. While he was welcomed back with full arms, this did not allay the scorn he had begun to feel towards [[the Creed]], fuelled in part by his bitterness over his failure to live a normal life with Adha.<ref name="Codex" /><ref name="Acquisition">''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' – [[Acquisition]]</ref>
   
  +
His defiance towards the brotherhood eventually manifested during the mission to [[Solomon's Temple]] for the [[Apple of Eden 2|Apple of Eden]] in 1191, where he violated all three tenets in rapid succession.<ref name="Acquisition" /> Not until his subsequent mission to regain his lost esteem in the face of demotion was his respect for the Assassins revived,<ref name="Masun">''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' – [[Knowledge (Masun)]]</ref> as the experience—and standing against his traitorous Mentor<ref name="Al Mualim">''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' – [[Assassination (Al Mualim)]]</ref>—reinvigorated his passion to resolve the conflicts of humanity.<ref name="Codex" /><ref name="Majd Addin">''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' – [[Assassination (Majd Addin)]]</ref><ref name="Sibrand">''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' – [[Assassination (Sibrand)]]</ref>
==Trivia==
 
  +
*Though not explicitly mentioned, the fact that Altaïr and Adha knew each other by name upon first meeting in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'' suggested that they had met at least once before.
 
  +
News of Adha's fate did not reach the ears of all Assassins, and in his grief, Altaïr refrained from openly discussing it. During his preparations to assassinate [[Abu'l Nuqoud]] in [[Damascus]] in 1191, one of the Assassin [[informer]]s inquired as to her whereabouts, mistakenly believing that Altaïr was still searching for her. When he was met with only silence, the clueless informant consoled that he had faith he would find her someday.<ref name="Stealth Assassination">''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' – [[Stealth Assassination (Abu'l Nuqoud)]]</ref>
*[[Emails#Conference room e-mail|An e-mail]] on the conference room computer of [[Abstergo Industries]]' [[Animus Project laboratory|Roman facility]] mentioned the Chalice, and questioned whether or not it was a real Piece of Eden. It also noted that the search for it would be called off until more evidence of its existence could be found.
 
  +
*Adha means "sacrifice" in Arabic.
 
 
After Adha's death, Altaïr felt that he would never again feel for another woman as deeply as he had felt for her, but he was eventually proven wrong when he fell in love with [[Maria Thorpe]], a Templar who defected and ultimately married him.<ref name="Codex" />
  +
  +
==Skills and equipment==
  +
Despite not being an Assassin, Adha was skilled in [[freerunning]], as demonstrated in her navigation of the sewers with Altaïr.<ref name="The Chalice" />
  +
  +
==Behind the scenes==
  +
Adha is a major character in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'' (2008), where she acts as the protagonist [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]]'s love interest and the subject of the belligerent parties' pursuit, the Chalice. She does not appear until towards the end of the story, in the memory "[[The Running Wind]]". In spite of this, the fact that Altaïr and Adha know each other by name upon first meeting in that memory suggests that they had met at least once before.
  +
  +
Throughout the first half of the story, Altaïr is led to believe that the Chalice is a powerful artifact hidden in the Temple of Sand, only for it to be revealed by Templar leader Basilisk that it is a woman. Beyond the vague description by Al Mualim that she could "unite the factions of whoever holds it, the Crusaders or the Saracens", it is never made clear what powers Adha is expected to possess as the Chalice nor if she truly even has these powers.
  +
  +
''Altaïr's Chronicles'' ends with the Templars successfully recapturing Adha and Altaïr vowing to rescue her. The game's story is a prequel to the ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' (2007), the first main installment of the [[Assassin's Creed (series)|series]], but ''Assassin's Creed'' does not follow-up on Adha's story arc. Instead, Altaïr's failure to save her is implied by his silence in a brief exchange with an informer in ''Assassin's Creed''—the only time she is mentioned in the game—and her tragic, off-screen fate is only revealed in [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex]], whose pages are collected in ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' (2009). The only other reference to her subsequent to ''Altaïr's Chronicles'' was in the now delisted mobile game ''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''.
  +
  +
===Name===
  +
Adha ([[wikt:أضحى|أضحى]]) is an Arabic name meaning "sacrificial animal, victim",{{Fact|1 January 2023}} derived from [[wikt:ضحى|ضحى]] (''ḍaḥḥā'') meaning "sacrifice, immolate".
   
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
Line 44: Line 75:
 
Adha.jpg|Adha in Templar custody
 
Adha.jpg|Adha in Templar custody
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  +
  +
==Appearances==
  +
*''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' {{mo}}
  +
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'' {{1st}}
  +
*''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' {{mo}}
  +
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''
   
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
{{Reflist}}
 
{{Reflist}}
 
{{ACAC}}
 
{{ACAC}}
  +
{{ACM}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adha}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adha}}
  +
  +
<!--Interwiki links-->
  +
[[es:Adha]]
  +
[[fr:Adha]]
  +
[[it:Adha]]
  +
[[pl:Adha]]
  +
[[pt-br:Adha]]
  +
[[uk:Адха]]
  +
[[zh:阿德哈]]
 
[[Category:1190 deaths]]
 
[[Category:1190 deaths]]
 
[[Category:Individuals]]
 
[[Category:Individuals]]

Latest revision as of 22:47, 28 June 2023

PL ConnoisseurHQ Where are the paintings?

This article is in need of more images and/or better quality pictures from Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles in order to achieve a higher status. You can help the Assassin's Creed Wiki by uploading better images on this page.

"A chalice is merely a vessel for libation, for good or ill."
―Adha[src]

Adha (died 1190) was a woman from the Levant who lived in the time of the Third Crusade. As the Chalice, a legendary "artifact" thought to have been hidden in the Temple of Sand, she was rumored to possess the mystery power to unite the factions of the war.

In 1190, the Chalice was sought after by both the Knights Templar and Levantine Assassins, unaware that it was a person rather than an object. After a Crusader expedition to the Temple of Sand turned out fruitless, she was located in Jerusalem and captured by the Templars. To her fortune, her friend, the elite Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad was not far behind and rescued her.

Despite this, Adha remained mistrustful of the Assassins, in part due to a Templar spy embedded within their highest ranks. Guided by his love for her, Altaïr agreed to assassinate the spy, Harash, then flee the Assassins and Templars to settle for a normal life with her. In the end, this dream proved futile when Altaïr failed to save her after she was recaptured by the Crusaders and subsequently murdered.

Biography

The Chalice

"We need the Chalice. Something that powerful must be kept away from the dealings of men."
―Al Mualim to Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad[src]-[m]

The Chalice was a fabled artifact which, according to Al Mualim, could bestow its wielder the power to unite all factions under them, granting them victory over all and allowing them to rule the Holy Land. Seeing the danger of such an artifact should it fall into the hands of the Crusaders or Saracens, the Mentor sent one of his Assassins, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, on a mission to retrieve it in 1190.[2]

His search led him to the fabled Temple of Sand, where the Chalice was thought to have been hidden. It was there that, after discovering only an empty golden chest, he was ambushed by the Templars, whose leader Basilisk informed him that the Chalice was in fact a woman before leaving him to his doom.[3]

Altaïr survived the attack and the subsequent sandstorm that engulfed the temple.[3] After pursuing Basilisk to Tyre and besting him in combat, he extracted the location of the Chalice from his enemy in exchange for mercy. However, the Templar also alerted him to a Crusader plot to poison the entire population of Acre to end the siege, knowing full well that Altaïr's conscience would force him to detour to Acre to stop this massacre.[4]

First capture and rescue

Though Basilisk had hoped Altaïr's preoccupation with Acre would allow his forces to capture the Chalice first, Altaïr had torched his fleet of docked ships, hindering his head start.[4] Thus when Adha, the Chalice, was apprehended by three Templars at her hiding place in Don Carvaggio's villa, Jerusalem, her friend Altaïr was only moments behind. Her captors proceeded to escort her to the city gates, stalked by the Assassin on the roofs above. When Altaïr set off an explosion to aid in his navigation, the Templars began to suspect that trouble was following them. In response, Adha attempted to stall by slowing her pace and pleading for a rest, much to the fury of Sadad, one of her captors.[5]

As Adha was ushered into a sewage facility by the Templars, a great battle ensued as Altaïr burst into the Templar base. Even the elite Templars could not hold back the Assassin's advance, and soon enough all the soldiers holding Adha hostage were dead, save the sergeant Qasim who fled for his life. Separated from her saviour by a channel, Adha was convinced by Altaïr to venture into the sewers where their paths might cross. She was wary of trusting an Assassin—even one she's had prior association with—but nevertheless relented when he promised not to abandon her.[5]

When they at last reunited at the exit of the sewers, Adha revealed why she feared to place her life in the hands of the Assassins. She had overheard from the Templars that they had bribed Harash, the Keeper of the Assassins, to serve as their spy. As long as their brotherhood remained compromised, it was dangerous for her to accompany Altaïr. Altaïr, though shocked by the news, placed his faith in Adha and agreed to assassinate the traitor. Knowing that he lacked hard proof of Harash's treachery, he predicted that such an act would also mean leaving the order altogether.[6]

It was then that the two, in love as they were, agreed to flee together to a faraway place, away from the conflict between the Templars and Assassins, so as to settle down and pursue lives of normalcy.[6][7] They planned to reunite in Tyre once Harash has been killed, where they would then make their escape via a ship in the harbour. Before parting ways, Adha gifted Altaïr a sword far superior to the ones he previously wielded.[6]

Failure to Escape

"Kill him, Altaïr, and then come with me. We'll hide, we'll go as far as possible."
―Adha to Altaïr on their plans together[src]-[m]

While Altaïr returned to the Assassin citadel at Alep in secret,[8] Adha hid herself on their ship in Tyre.[9] Unbeknownst to her, she had already been discovered by the Templars before Altaïr had completed his mission. The Templars, suspecting that she was waiting for Altaïr, hoped that they could exploit this as a means to easily locate the enemy that had caused them so much trouble. As such, they initially left her alone, fearing that alerting her to their presence could result in her fleeing and a failure to catch Altaïr by surprise.[8]

After Altaïr assassinated Harash,[8] the Templars abandoned this course and seized Adha.[9] Altaïr, aware that Adha had been discovered thanks to a prior Templar report to Harash,[8] rushed to the Tyre harbor to find himself face to face with the Templar's entire army under the direct command of Basilisk.[9]

AdhaAltaïrConversation-ACAC1

Adha speaking with Altaïr

As Templar knights forced Adha onto one of their ships, Altaïr furiously fought his way through masses of soldiers in a desperate attempt to reach her in time. Eventually, the Assassin leapt onto the ship just before the one that held Adha, but was impeded by the imposing figure of Basilisk himself. Unable to bypass the Templar leader, he was forced into a final duel with this mortal enemy, all while Adha and her captors watched from afar on the deck of their ship.[9]

Basilisk, as in his past fights with Altaïr, was defeated by his superior mobility, yet even as the Assassin dealt the killing blow, the Templars sent a fire boat crashing in between the two ships. In the resulting explosion, Altaïr was prevented from leaping to Adha; he made a last minute dive into the water to escape the inferno. When he returned to shore, he could only watch as the Templar ship holding Adha captive sailed off far off into the distance. He called out to Adha, promising to her that he would find her one day, as it disappeared over the horizon.[9]

Death

"I had thought Adha would be the one to lead me to rest, that I might lay down my blade and live as a normal man. But now I know such dreams are best left to sleep..."
―Altaïr, in his Codex.[src]-[m]

For many days and nights, Altaïr pursued the Templar ship across the Mediterranean Sea , but in the end to no avail. When he had at last nearly caught up with Adha, she was executed by the Templars, and he could do little but cradle her lifeless body in his arms once he found her.[7]

Adha's death would go on to haunt Altaïr for the the next year or more as he embarked on a quest for revenge, hunting down each and every last man responsible for her demise. So thorough was he that not a single Crusader with any connection to her murder remained alive by the time he was finished. In spite of this, he was unable to derive any solace from their deaths, and he returned to the Assassins numbed and heartbroken from his tragedy.[7]

Legacy

Contrary to his expectations, the Assassins did not punish Altaïr for assassinating Harash, and he remained a respected member of the brotherhood until his transgressions compromised them the following year. While he was welcomed back with full arms, this did not allay the scorn he had begun to feel towards the Creed, fuelled in part by his bitterness over his failure to live a normal life with Adha.[7][10]

His defiance towards the brotherhood eventually manifested during the mission to Solomon's Temple for the Apple of Eden in 1191, where he violated all three tenets in rapid succession.[10] Not until his subsequent mission to regain his lost esteem in the face of demotion was his respect for the Assassins revived,[11] as the experience—and standing against his traitorous Mentor[12]—reinvigorated his passion to resolve the conflicts of humanity.[7][13][14]

News of Adha's fate did not reach the ears of all Assassins, and in his grief, Altaïr refrained from openly discussing it. During his preparations to assassinate Abu'l Nuqoud in Damascus in 1191, one of the Assassin informers inquired as to her whereabouts, mistakenly believing that Altaïr was still searching for her. When he was met with only silence, the clueless informant consoled that he had faith he would find her someday.[15]

After Adha's death, Altaïr felt that he would never again feel for another woman as deeply as he had felt for her, but he was eventually proven wrong when he fell in love with Maria Thorpe, a Templar who defected and ultimately married him.[7]

Skills and equipment

Despite not being an Assassin, Adha was skilled in freerunning, as demonstrated in her navigation of the sewers with Altaïr.[6]

Behind the scenes

Adha is a major character in Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles (2008), where she acts as the protagonist Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's love interest and the subject of the belligerent parties' pursuit, the Chalice. She does not appear until towards the end of the story, in the memory "The Running Wind". In spite of this, the fact that Altaïr and Adha know each other by name upon first meeting in that memory suggests that they had met at least once before.

Throughout the first half of the story, Altaïr is led to believe that the Chalice is a powerful artifact hidden in the Temple of Sand, only for it to be revealed by Templar leader Basilisk that it is a woman. Beyond the vague description by Al Mualim that she could "unite the factions of whoever holds it, the Crusaders or the Saracens", it is never made clear what powers Adha is expected to possess as the Chalice nor if she truly even has these powers.

Altaïr's Chronicles ends with the Templars successfully recapturing Adha and Altaïr vowing to rescue her. The game's story is a prequel to the Assassin's Creed (2007), the first main installment of the series, but Assassin's Creed does not follow-up on Adha's story arc. Instead, Altaïr's failure to save her is implied by his silence in a brief exchange with an informer in Assassin's Creed—the only time she is mentioned in the game—and her tragic, off-screen fate is only revealed in Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex, whose pages are collected in Assassin's Creed II (2009). The only other reference to her subsequent to Altaïr's Chronicles was in the now delisted mobile game Assassin's Creed: Memories.

Name

Adha (أضحى) is an Arabic name meaning "sacrificial animal, victim", [citation needed] derived from ضحى (ḍaḥḥā) meaning "sacrifice, immolate".

Gallery

Appearances

References