Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

Al Mualim: "Remember... nothing is true."

Altaïr: "Everything is permitted."

―Al Mualim and Altaïr at the Masyaf fortress

A small sacrifice to save many. It is necessary.

―Altaïr

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."

Altaïr strikes Tamir.

Altaïr starts his quest, leaving Masyaf and riding through the kingdom on horseback to Damascus, location of the first target, Tamir. Arriving there, he goes to the local Bureau and asks permission for the assassination. The dai denies it, ordering Altaïr to first gather information about his target. Going through the city's poor district, Altaïr interrogates informants, pickpocket letters and maps and eavesdrop on conversations around him, acquiring the lcoation of the target. Returing to the Bureau with this info, he receives a permission for the kill and a white feather, to be wet in the victim's blood as proof of the murder. In a plaza of the market district, Altaïr witness Tamir slaying a bussiness partner, and kills him while he does a round around the tends. Returning to the Bureau, Altaïr is directed to Al Mualim again, who congratulates him by the accomplishment and rewards part of his equipment back. Altaïr the leaves to the other cities, Jerusalem and Acre to his next targets.

Arriving at Jerusalem's Bureau, Altaïr is harshily received by Malik, that Bureau's new leader. Malik then sends him to the investigations, returning when he has the necessary information. After receiving the permission and the feather, Altaïr enters Talal's slave complex, but is ambushed by his followers. Dispatching of them, he chases Talal throughout the rooftops and streets, finally catching up to him and putting a hidden blade on his neck.

Altaïr returns to the Bureau, reports to Masyaf and then goes to Acre, where Garnier de Naplouse is to be killed.

Altaïr chases Talal though the streets.

At Acre, he meets the Bureau leader and gather info about his target, then receives the feather and permission for the kill. Infiltrating Garnier's hospital, Altaïr watches him make the rounds on his patients and strikes him from above. A city wide alert is issued, and after escaping from the hospital and hiding in the Bureau, Altaïr returns to Masyaf to a talk with Al Mualim.

Gaining another part of his equipment back, Altaïr proceeds to Damascus to finish off the merchant king, Abul Nuqoud. After investigating and receiving the feather from the Dai, he proceeds to the merchant's palace where a party is being held. Infiltrating the palace, Altaïr arrives at the Abul's speech, where he order his archers to shoot on the guests he calls "false friends and liars". The assassin proceeds up the palace from the courtyard, kill the archers and stalks upon the roof of Abul's sacade. Falling down and taking out his bodyguard, Altaïr proceeds behind the Merchant Kings and stabs him, ending the massacre. The palace and the town are set on full alert, and Altaïr escapes the palace while losing his pursuers. Arriving at the Bureau, he reports success and move to Masyaf and then to Acre.

At Acre, Altaïr is set to kill Richard the Lionheart's nephew, William of Montferrat. He discovers that William is receptioning Richard, and infiltrates his fortress at the seaend of the city. Killing the Marquese of Montferrat, Altaïr leaves the city to Jerusalem.

Garnier's death from above.

At Jerusalem, Altaïr finds his 6th target, Majd Addin. The unlegitimate ruler of Jerusalem, he personally kills the people he judges criminals. During of his public executions, Altaïr blends thorugh the crowd and jumps up to Addin at the stage, killing him and running from the guards afterwards. Once the alert is cleared, Altaïr returns to Masyaf.

With most of his weapons back, Altaïr leaves for Acre again. His 7th target, Sibrand, was a Teutonic leader paranoid with fear of assassins, what were made only worse by the recent murders and rumors thorughout the land. Reporting to the Bureau and investigating, Altaïr goes to the port district, where he watches Sibrand kill a scholar under accussion of being a assassin and retires to his docked ship. Altaïr navigates through the ports morons and docked boats, arriving at the side of Sibrand's ship and striking him down. The alert was sounded, and after escaping, the eagle moves to Damascus.

Damascus, where Jubair al Hakim, Head Scholar of the city, is burning every book in the city. Altaïr gathers information about his whereabouts and move in for the kill, but finds that Jubair and all his followers dressed alike. Searching each of the burning books points, Altaïr metodically takes down one by one, eventually killing Jubair. Leaving for Masyaf After escaping, Altaïr prepares for his 9th and final target.

Altaïr fights de Sable's impostor.

Robert de Sable, Grand Master of the templars, was in Jerusalem for the funeral of Majj Adin. Gathering inteligence for the strike, Altaïr proceeds to the cemetery, but a ambushed is unveiled. He enters in a sword fight with Robert and his men, and the Templar runs away while Altaïr kills the last guard. In pursuit, Altaïr charges at de Sable from behind, and when preparing to deliver the final blow, his helmet falls off. Ataïr stares at shock realizing it's a woman, not de Sable who is beneath the mask. Sparing her life for being an innocent and a decoy, Altaïr leaves for Arsuf, the location where the girl reported Robert where to be found.

Altaïr kills Robert.

At Arsuf, Altaïr fights his way through hordes of Saracen and Christian troops, eventually reaching Robert, and discovers that he was trying to convince Richard the Lionheart to join forces with Saladin to destroy the Assassins. Altaïr tries to convince Richard of Robert's plot to overthrow him, but Richard doesn't know who to trust and lets God decide. Altaïr and Robert fight to the death, and Altaïr emerges victorious.

Altaïr faces Al Mualim.

At his dying breath, Robert reveals to Altaïr that Al Mualim was, in fact, a Templar. Allowed to leave by Richard, he returns to Masyaf and finds out that the people of the town had been put in a hypnotic trance. making his way up to the fortress, Altaïr engages in a fight with Masyaf's hipnotized gaurds, heavily outnumbered. Suddenly, Malik and a few other Assassins arrive. Helping him clean out the house, Altaïr sends them to attack the fortress' back, creating a distraction in order for him to reach Al Mualim.

Altaïr strikes the real Al Mualim.

Reaching the castle gardens, Altaïr confronts his former master. Al Mualim reveals that he used the Piece of Eden recovered at Solomon's Temple to control the minds of the people and ensure utter and absolute peace, and that Altaïr's mission was to wipe out the remaining Templar leaders and end the crusades by sabotaging both sides. Out of the sudden, Altaïr is attacked by the nine men he'd kill, and defeats one by one. Realizing they were guards disguised as those illusions by Al Mualim, Altaïr charges at his former master, which also proves to be an illusion, teleporting around the place. Attacked by multiple copies of Al Mualim, Altaïr counters a sword hit and kills the real one, putting an end to the hypnotic trance. After hearing his last words, Altaïr takes The Apple from the side of his master's dead cold hand, and a holographic image of the Earth appears from the object into thin air, with the location of another Pieces of Eden highlighted. Malik arrives at Altaïr's side, and the memory log stops.

Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines

After defeating de Sable, the remaining Templars flee from the Holy Land to Cyprus. Altaïr leads an attack to Acre's port and meets Maria, who stayed behind. She joined him, and after seeing the events that unfolded, was convinced that the way of the Templars were not right. She and he traveled east, and a romance began.

Legacy

The Eagle watches.

During the Cyprus' events, Altaïr began working on a Codex, an encrypted journal where he reported his discoveries and thoughts.

His relationship with Maria bore at least two children, and his discoveries from the Piece of Eden led to a complete revamp of the Assassin's ways. Beside the intellectual findings, The Apple's knowledge taught him to upgrade the Hidden Blade mechanism, create a firearm and a nearly indestructible piece of armor, besides other technological advances.

In 2012, the Templar organization Abstergo kidnaps Desmond Miles, Altaïr's descendant, to "read" the memories encoded into Desmond's DNA. Using the Animus, Desmond "plays" though his genetic memory overseen by researchers Dr. Warren Vidic and Dr. Lucy Stillman in order to find a specific memory about the Piece of Eden for the Templar's project bent on "a New World Order".

In the last of the Codex pages, Altaïr is near the end of his life, writing about the Mongol invasion and Genghis Khan, preparing his sons to take the mantle of leadership of the Assassins.

Assassin's Creed II

At 1459, Altaïr had been presumably dead for hundreds of years, but has been remembered as an legendary Assassin. His Codex, which was scattered across Italy after being lost by Domenico Auditore, was pieced together by his descendant, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, which took it to Leonardo Da Vinci to decrypt it. Leonardo used the instructions there contained to upgrade Ezio's equipment, creating another Hidden Blade, a Poison Blade a Hidden Gun. and many others.

Also, left in a locked chamber under Monterrigioni at the Auditore Villa, was located Altaïr's unique set of armor he created using the Piece of Eden, which was unlocked by Ezio by recovering the 6 Assassin Seals that acted as keys found in legendary Assassin Tombs.

In the middle of the game, after Desmond is done turning on the security system using his newly-found freerunning skills from Ezio, Desmond passes out and becomes Altaïr once again. Altaïr chases an unknown person at Acre and into a fortress. After running through a few obstacles, he catches up with the person he was chasing and the person turns out to be Maria. It is here where we learn who bore Altaïr's children, and it is also the final part of Altaïr's life Desmond can view since Desmond's ancestor was on the way.

Characteristics and personality

Altaïr performing freerunning.

Altaïr was raised at the Assassin's fortress at Masyaf, and possessed of 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.

He had a rebellious nature; he was impetuous, over-confident, demanding, arrogant, self-centered and impatient. After the failure at Solomon's Temple, being demoted to Initiate and sent after nine targets, Altaïr begun listening to the final words of his victims, their revelations involving them and their justifications for their deeds. As his mission progresses, his attitude changes and he start to perceive more between the lines and actions of the world while drawing upon the teachings of the Assassin's Creed, prior a guide, now truly a creed. 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, humble, patient and wise man.

With a body in perfect shape and a determination hampered by nothing on Earth, Altaïr was one of the most respected and feared Assassins on the Order, second only to the brotherhood's leader, Al Mualim.

After the death of Al Mualim, Altaïr took command of the Syrian branch of the Brotherhood. As Master Assassin and Leader of the Assassin's Order, he proved to be a great leader, a true student from Al Mualim, but not corrupted by the Apple's influence or the power it offered.

Smart and dedicated, his studies and determination to ensure "peace in all things" made sure the order survived to fight for that for as long as it was necessary, as he understood that the new world would have no place for the current ways of the assassins.

Also, his cold personality did not upholded his emotions. Altaír is known to have fallen in love at least twice, with Adha, who unfortunally died and was avenged subsequently, and Maria Thorpe, de Sable's suposed daughter, who became his lifetime partner, wife and was the mother of his children.

Equipment and skills

Altaïr was a master assassin and a instructor, capable of extraordinary acrobatic feats, adept of social stealth, and fully apt in the application of deadly arts.

Altaïr finishes a Damas soldier.

Trained extensively, he was able to overcome any obstacle, human or terrain. No opponent were a match to him, and for the complete duration of the events at Assassin's Creed, he never received more than a superficial injury in all the countless heavily outnumbered battles he faced. He was able to get anywhere, climbing the tallest tower and jumping from the highest ledge without a hint of fear. Striking a target at the heart of Acre's fortress to slaying a high-ranking officer in front of a king, Altaïr was literally unstoppable.

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

Talal's follower is impaled.

As a high member of the Order, Altaïr possessed a array of weapons at his disposal, comprised of a one-handed longsword, a short blade, throwing knives and the iconic Hidden Blade.

The Hidden Blade - a weapon similar to a katara - is used for close-range assassinations. It 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 a ring to make the blade appear where his finger had once been. The amputation was part of the initiation at the Assassin's sect, and it was used to ensure the commitement of whoever wielded it, giving a finger for a blade.

Altaïr also possed an ability called Eagle Vision, a sort of "sixth sense", a strong feeling, instinct or intuition, that lets him see people's intentions. On the visual display of the Animus, guards appear in red, allies in blue, citizens with information in white and assassination targets in bright yellow.

Altaïr's concept art.

Behind the Scenes

The name "Altaïr" is a word in the Arabian language, meaning "The Flyer"/"The Flying One". 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 no one", reflecting his mysterious origins.

His face, as Desmond's, is modeled after Canadian model Francisco Randez.

Trivia

• Altaïr also has three different voices throughout three games. His voice in Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles sounded a bit higher and not as deep as the original Assassin's Creed game. His voice in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines had more of a Middle Eastern accent than the one in the original game. As no information has been revealed about this, the possibility of different sound encoding can't be disconsidered.
• The Altaïr costume can be unlocked in the game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of Patriots by simply putting in the correct password at the extra's screen, or by having alert 50 times or below. It can also 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 II. You can download it on UPlay for 30 U-points. Ezio's ring finger will also vanish when this outfit is worn, as instead of "in-Animus real clothing", it is a virtual visual database skin from the original memories.
• By looking at the Codex Pages, it can be seen that Altaïr was a bit of an artist, illustrating several blueprints for Hidden Blade modifications, learning manuals for assassination techniques, some maps, and even a detailed sketch embordered with hand-drawn flowers of his wife, Maria Thorpe.
• Neca manufactured an action figure of Altaïr, it is well articulated and highly detailed. All the weapons have holders, and also can be removed from the holders such as the Hidden Blade, Dagger, Sword, and each individual Throwing Knife.