Assassins

2011-10-25T01:55:50Z

125.236.214.89: /* Entrance */

{{Era|Chronicles|AC1|Bloodlines|AC2|Discovery|Brotherhood|Revelations|Project Legacy|Secret Crusade|Renaissance|Bbook|The Fall|The Chain|FC|Lineage|Ascendance|Embers|Assassins|Good}}
{{WP-REAL|Assassins}}
{{Faction Infobox
|name =
|image = AssassinLogo.png
|imgdesc = The [[Assassin insignia|emblem]] of the Assassin Order.
|hideo =
|founder = [[Adam and Eve]]'s descendants<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>
|leader = [[Grand Master of the Assassin Order|The Mentor]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>
|headquarters = ''Middle Ages'':<br>[[Masyaf]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/><br>[[Alep]]<br>[[Cyprus]]<br> ''Renaissance'':<br>Various<br>''Modern times'':<br>[[Dubai]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]] - Issue #3''</ref>
|locations = ''Renaissance'':<br>[[Florence]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/><br>[[Monteriggioni]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/><br>[[Venice]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/><br>[[Forlì]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/><br>[[Constantinople]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Revelations">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref><br>''Modern times'':<br>Worldwide<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
|related =*[[Vigilantes]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Mercenaries]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
*[[Courtesans]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
*[[Thieves]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
*[[House of Medici]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
|hideh =
|formed = Pre-history
|reorganised = 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
|collapsed = 2000 {{c|organizationally}} <ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3" />
|hidea =
|notable = *[[Marcus Junius Brutus]]
*[[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]]
*[[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]
*[[Nikolai Orelov]]
*[[Daniel Cross]]
*[[Desmond Miles]]
}}
{{Quote|We work in the dark, to serve the light. We are Assassins.|[[Niccolò Machiavelli]].|Assassin's Creed II}}
The '''Assassin Order''', also known as '''Assassin Brotherhood''' and '''Hashshashin''', was an organized order of assassins and sworn enemies of the [[Templars]], with whom they fought a continuous, secret war, throughout the entirety of recorded history. Whereas the Templars strove for the power to save humanity from itself by controlling free will, the Assassin Order fought to ensure the survival of free will, as it allowed for the progression of new ideas and the growth of individuality.

The Assassins, if not the order itself, had existed since at least 456 BC, throughout the [[Roman Empire|Roman era]], the Middle Ages, the [[Renaissance|Italian Renaissance]], and into the [[Modern Times|21<sup>st</sup> Century]].

==The Creed==
{{quote|Laa shay'a waqi'un mutlaq bale kouloun mumkin.<br />("Nothing is true, everything is permitted" in Arabic)''|[[The Creed|The Assassin's Creed]]|Assassin's Creed II}}
The order believed in a strong set of values that strictly governed their way of life. This Creed consisted of three tenets:
#"Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent."
#"Hide in plain sight, be one with the crowd."
#"Never compromise the Brotherhood."<ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>

These tenets permeated every aspect of the Assassins' daily life, as well as their fight for "peace in all things." The Assassins carried out their duties through political, strategic assassination, in the hope that killing one individual would lead to the salvation of thousands. The Assassins believed that they fought on the behalf of those who did not possess the abilities, resources, or knowledge to speak out against those who abused their power.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

Despite their service to those who would otherwise suffer, the Assassins were still feared by the general populace, due mainly to their method of ensuring peace. The Assassins were most feared due to their terrifying reputation for taking life in public before many witnesses - so as to bring fear into the hearts of those who might abuse their power or corrupt the innocent - before vanishing into the crowd without a trace.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> To aid in this, the Assassins used a particularly efficient weapon for assassinations: the [[Hidden Blade]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> a single thrust from which could end the life of its victim. They were however forbidden from using poison as it was considered "A coward's tool".

However, in order to ascertain which death might best assist the Assassins' goals, extensive political knowledge was required for target selection. Thus, the Assassins endeavored to remain in tune with the ever-changing politics surrounding them. Obtaining information on this was the job of low-level members of the Order, who would be stationed throughout the cities of the world. These [[Informants|spies]] would watch the local nobles and rulers, looking for signs of corruption, or for membership in the Templars. Once gathered, any information was passed on to the Assassins responsible for the actual assassination.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

===Entrance===
{{main|Initiation to the Assassin Order}}
[[File:Zw-acb-ceremony-5.jpg|thumb|300px|Claudia Auditore being inducted into the Assassin Order in 1503.]]
There are ways of entering the order: to be born into it, like [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]], and [[Desmond Miles]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> or to be recruited, like the Assassin [[Apprentices]] and [[Shaun Hastings]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/> After declaring oneself an Assassin under [[The Creed]], a trainee would be tested to prove his or her worth over an unspecified period of time; for example, lol, Ezio had to hunt down the Templar conspirators over a multitude of years before he was officially inducted,<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> and the Assassin [[Apprentices]] had to gain enough experience in their contract missions across the World before they were ready to join the [[Assassins Guild]] as true Assassins.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

===Training===
[[File:AssassinGuard.png|thumb|200px|left|Rauf, a combat instructor, wearing similar robes to other high ranked Assassin guards in Masyaf.]]
The Assassins spent their entire lifetime training to kill.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> From an early age, they were taught to observe their surroundings and plan ahead. Combat skills were essential, and its training was continuous, with a focus on bladed weapons of all sorts. However, despite such a concentration on combat, the most important consideration in the Assassins' training was concealment. Stealth was the greatest weapon of the Assassin, and everything about their life emphasized a devotion to it.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> It was essential for an Assassin to be able to reach their target unnoticed, and then slip back into the crowd after they had struck.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

But, not '''all''' Assassins within the order were able to train from birth; this was the case of many Assassins that weren't born into the Order and were recruited later in life, as teenagers or young adults. For example, by the time of [[Renaissance]] Italy, after the order had gone underground and out of public view to follow the lead of the [[Templars]], traditional lifelong training could not be done as it had in the past.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Once brought into the Order, trainees, like [[Ezio]] and later his own [[Apprentices]], had to learn the ways of their craft through personal experience and the personal teachings from other Assassins in the field. At the time of the murders of his father [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze]] and two brothers [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze]] and [[Federico Auditore da Firenze]], Ezio had only been skilled in [[Free Running]], [[Fists|fistfighting]], and some [[sword]]smenship.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Throughout his life, he learns several Assassin skills from other Assassins and allies like [[Paola]], his uncle [[Mario Auditore]], and thief [[Rosa]], and several fundamental [[Assassination Techniques]] through reading the [[Codex]] of [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Later, the [[Apprentices]] within the Roman [[Assassins Guild]] at the [[Tiber Island headquarters]] would be trained in the Assassin ways by both Ezio himself, as well as through their own experiences gained during [[Assassination Contracts|Contracts]] they were sent on across Europe and Asia.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

Another significant focus of an Assassins' training was maneuverability. By the time an Assassin reached the [[Ranks|rank]] of [[Master Assassin]], he was also a master of an early form of [[Free Running|parkour]], or "free running", extensively utilized by the Assassins. Widely seen as alien by the general populace, this method of movement allowed the Assassins to reach areas not normally accessible to man. From scaling a wall, to climbing to one of a city's many [[View Points|view points]], free running gave the Assassins a significant advantage over nearly all their enemies and city [[guards]] and can be used to get anywhere in the city quickly at any time.

==History==
===Formation===
The bloodline of the original Assassins was formed centuries ago, after various members of [[Those Who Came Before]] conceived children with members of the [[Humans|human]] race. These children had the visual appearance of humans, but were gifted with several extra senses from Those Who Came Before, such as [[Eagle Sense]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Roman era===
During the Roman era, the Assassin Order was a secret enemy of the [[SPQR]] (''Senatus Populusque Romanus'') - the ruling body of the [[Roman Empire]] - which was in fact a precursor to the Templar organization.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

[[File:Assassination of Julius Caesar.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Assassins killing Julius Caesar.]]
Little is known of the Order's hierarchy and activities this time, except for a few major assassinations. In 44 BC, forty Assassins, who had previously acted as senators in the Roman senate, plotted the assassination of the recently declared dictator of the Roman Empire, [[Gaius Julius Caesar]]. [[Marcus Junius Brutus]] which tasked with planning the plot by [[Gaius Cassius Longinus]], and after Brutus was shown visions by [[Those Who Came Before]] in the [[Colosseum Vault]], twenty-three of the forty Assassins stabbed Caesar to death at the Roman senate.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" /> Following this event, the Assassins went their separate ways, but most were killed by Caesar's allies. Brutus committed suicide before he would lose the [[wikipedia:Battle of Philippi|Battle of Philippi]], after which his Brothers unsuccessfully tried to revive him with the [[The Shroud|Shroud of Eden]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy"/>

Not many years afterwards, [[Cleopatra]], Caesar's former lover and Queen of Egypt, was killed by the Egyptian Assassin [[Amunet]] with a venomous snake, in 30 BC. Later still, on 24 January, 41 AD, the 3rd Emperor of the Roman Empire [[Caligula]] was stabbed to death by the Assassin [[Leonius]], under unknown circumstances.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===High Middle Ages===
During the Middle Ages, the Templars had become a public knightly order under the name "Knights Templar". In the year 1090, control of the Assassins fell to [[Hassan-i Sabbah]], who in turn also changed the Assassin Order into a public organization. Under his command, public assassinations occurred much more often and the people were encouraged to stand up to their oppressors, realizing that they weren't on their own.<ref name="Assassin's Creed Timeline">[http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/File%3AAC_Timeline.jpg ''Assassin's Creed'' Timeline]</ref>

During the 1170s, the Assassins were at odds with the [[Saracens]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''</ref> In 1174, thirteen Assassins were sent to the Sultan [[Salah Al'din]]'s camp close to [[Damascus]] and were successful in infiltrating his tent, but were detected; one was killed by a Saracen general and the others were killed upon trying to escape.<ref name="Wikipedia: Saladin">[[wikipedia:Saladin|''Wikipedia'': Saladin]]</ref>

In 1176, Salah Al'din led a siege on the Assassins' fortress of [[Masyaf]]. After the location of Salah Al'din's tent was revealed by the Assassin spy [[Ahmad Sofian]], [[Umar Ibn-La'Ahad]] was sent to infiltrate the tent and leave a feather and a dagger with a threatening message attached to it. Umar evaded the chalk and cinders that were strewed around the tent and successfully left the objects, but was detected by the Sultan himself. Umar had to kill a noble to make his escape, and the Assassins managed to make a truce with the Saracens; though Umar's life had to be taken in the process.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade" />

[[File:Almualimassassins.png|thumb|250px|Al Mualim and the Assassins in the fortress of Masyaf.]]
By 1191, the Assassins were still in a secret battle with the [[Templars]] and their leader, [[Robert de Sable]]. It was during the Third Crusade that the Assassins learned of a Templar interest in an [[Sixth Apple|ancient artifact]], hidden within the catacombs of [[Solomon's Temple]]. It was decided to liberate the treasure from them, and the mission was a success, although a costly one. With the death of [[Kadar A-Sayf|one Assassin]], the severe injury of [[Malik A-Sayf|another]], and the arrival of the Templar army at the gates of Masyaf, the Assassins were nearly overwhelmed by the [[Siege of Masyaf|following battle]]. However, by crushing most of the Templar army under a concealed onslaught of rolling logs, they were able to drive the Templars from the fortress and village below.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

Following the assault, the Assassin blamed for the loss of life that day – [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] – was severely reprimanded, and tasked with removing nine influential individuals, who plagued the Holy Land with their corrupt rule. As Altaïr made his way down the list made up of both [[Crusader]] and [[Saracen]] individuals, he was greatly unsettled by the realization that their goal to bring peace to the people of the Holy Land was just, as he that felt his victims were "misguided perhaps, but pure in motive." This was a view shared by Al Mualim, who agreed with their goals, but felt that their attitude of "the end justifies the means" undermined the good they sought to ensure. As his mission progressed, Altaïr sought to know what bound his victims together, and the discovery that they were all Templars only served to reinforce the Assassin's determination to bring an end to the Templar plot.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />

By Fall of 1191, the Assassins were victorious over their Templar enemies. [[Robert de Sable]], [[Grand Master of the Templar Order]], was dead, however the treachery of one of their own had also hit the Assassin Order hard. Al Mualim, secretly a former member of a coalition of ''ten'' Templar leaders, was revealed to be a traitor, and was killed by the very man he had sent to eliminate his fellow Templar conspirators. With Al Mualim dead, Altaïr took over as Grand Master of the Order, leading the Assassins in their attempts to rebuild their strength after the costly conflict.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />

[[File:Codex.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Altaïr writing the Codex.]]
With full control over the Assassins, Altaïr immediately set out on a one-man quest to liberate the island of [[Cyprus]] from the Templars, who had recently bought it from [[Richard I of England|King Richard]]. After successfully having done so, killing the Templar Grand Master [[Armand Bouchart]] and discovering the [[Templar Archive]] in the process,<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref> Altaïr continued to write the [[Codex]]: a book detailing the secrets he had managed to uncover from the Apple of Eden,<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> which he started writing on during his journey to Cyprus.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" /> In the end, those secrets had a profound effect on the Order, as new assassination techniques and world secrets had been uncovered.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br />
In 1209, Altaïr started to send his Assassins to various cities spread throughout the world, after he was made aware of their existence by the Apple of Eden.<ref name="Assassin's Creed Timeline" />

Eventually, it was decided that the [[Pieces of Eden|Piece of Eden]] was too great a threat to keep in Masyaf, and the decision was made to store it on the island of [[Cyprus]], in the Limassol archives.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/> However, the Piece was kept by Altaïr until he had at least completed his fabled [[Codex]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Late Middle Ages===
{{Quote|In this modern age, we are not as literal as our ancestors; but our seal is no less permanent…|Mario Auditore at Ezio's official induction into the Assassin Order|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:Asslogorenaissance.png|thumb|Italian Renaissance variation of the Assassins' emblem.]]
During the Late Middle Ages, the Order continued to thrive, despite being forced to adopt an even more secretive and isolated existence. When the [[Renaissance]], a cultural movement, started in [[Italy]], the Assassin Order had apparently "gone underground" and primarily focused themselves in Italy, where the headquarters of the Templar Order were also located. As the Templar Order survived in more inconspicuous ways, Altaïr believed that the Assassins too had to change tactics so as to live on and made the Order a secret organization once again.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

By 1321, various members of the Assassin Order had successfully integrated themselves into modern day life of middle Italy, widely unknown to the average folk. That same year, a young sailor by the name of [[Domenico Auditore|Domenico]], the son of an Assassin, was apprenticed to the poet and Assassin [[Dante Alighieri]], who had been tasked with transporting the [[Codex|Codex of Altaïr]] from [[Venice]] to Spain.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt">''[[Auditore Family Crypt|Uplay Content - Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Family Crypt]]''</ref> Upon his death, however, the undertaking fell instead to Domenico. During the voyage, pirates under the employ of the Templars ambushed the ship looking for the Codex, consequently killing the wife of Domenico. Fortunately for the Assassins, Domenico managed to break apart the Codex and hide its pages from the pirates before he and his son were forced overboard.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt"/>

Eventually returning to Venice, Domenico found his father and his patron, [[Marco Polo]], an ally of the Assassins, dead. Thus, Domenico emptied the bank accounts of Messer Polo, and traveled to the city of [[Florence]] under the assumed name of [[House of Auditore|Auditore]]. He eventually constructed the [[Villa Auditore]] in the city of [[Monteriggioni]], which became the center of the Assassin Order in Italy up to the year 1500.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt"/>

Despite the order "modernizing" since the 12<sup>th</sup> Century, they still retained many of the rituals and practices, albeit altered. The practice of removing one's ring finger had been stopped, although the seal of the Order was branded upon the finger instead with hot iron. Although significantly fewer in number, the Assassins were supported by the [[courtesans]], [[thieves]] and [[Mercenaries|condottieri]] of Florence and Venice; the guilds of which were each run by a member of the Order.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

During this time period, the Assassins entered another period of increased hostilities with the Templars, who were attempting to overthrow the ruling [[House of Medici]] in Florence, and the [[wikipedia:Doge|Doge]] of Venice. Having already killed the [[Galeazzo Maria Sforza|Duke]] of [[Milan]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref> in 1476, [[Rodrigo Borgia]], the Grand Master of the Templar Order, brought the noble families of [[House of Pazzi|Pazzi]] and [[House of Barbarigo|Barbarigo]] together<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/> to accomplish his goals. Entering into conflict with the Assassins, Borgia dealt a crippling blow to the Order in 1476, when he executed the experienced assassin [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|Giovanni Auditore]] and his two sons, [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|Federico]] and [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|Petruccio]], although a third son, Ezio, managed to escape. With the aid of Ezio, the Assassins were able to counter Borgia's plot over a [[Assassin's Creed II|twenty-three year campaign]], defeating him at every turn.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

In 1487, the Order of Assassins learned that the Templars had retrieved an important artifact from the island of Cyprus, and deemed its capture necessary. Following the artifact from [[L'Arsenale di Venezia]], Ezio managed to overpower and replace the Templar guard carrying the artifact. Under this guise, Ezio met with Borgia himself, and the two engaged in battle. Borgia fled upon the arrival of other Assassins, and the artifact fell once again into the hands of the Assassins. The Assassins of this age, however, were unaware of the nature of the artifact, although they did recognize it as one of the Pieces of Eden mentioned within Altaïr's Codex.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

[[File:Vlcsnap-2010-11-12-17h45m54s20.jpg|thumb|300px|left|The Assassins in Rome.]]
By 1500, right after [[Cesare Borgia]] [[Fall of Monteriggioni|besieged]] the city of [[Monteriggioni]], murdering [[Mario Auditore]] and once again claiming the Apple for the Templars, Ezio Auditore had moved to Rome, meeting up with Niccolò Machiavelli and laying the foundations of a new "brotherhood" of Assassins. Utilizing the mercenaries, thieves and courtesans of [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]], [[La Volpe]] and [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze|Claudia Auditore]] respectively, Ezio's brotherhood worked to [[Liberation of Rome|combat the influence and power]] of the Borgia family, and by extension the Papacy itself. Headquartered in an underground store-room owned by [[Fabio Orsini]], on [[Tiber Island]] in the center of Rome, the Assassins begun to spread their influence throughout the city, recruiting Rome's own citizens as Assassin [[Apprentices]] under Ezio, eventually becoming inducted and branded into the order as Assassins themselves. Under the instruction of Ezio, many Assassin recruits undertook a variety of missions across Europe and Asia in cities such as [[London]], [[Paris]], [[Barcelona]], [[Lisbon]], [[Moscow]] and [[Calicut]], killing and sabotaging [[Templars]], their allies, and corrupt men in power, and defending and aiding their Assassin brothers and sisters, as well as anyone willing to stand against the Borgia and The Church.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

Over a period of three years, Ezio's brotherhood whittled away the Borgia family's power, and with the murder of Rodrigo Borgia at the hands of his own son, and the arrest of Cesare by the [[Papal Guard]] of [[Pope Julius II|Julius II]], the Templars' influence over the city of Rome was shattered.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

Three years after [[Siege of Viana]] in 1507, when Ezio ended the threat of Cesare Borgia, the Assassin Grand Master traveled to the ancient Assassin fortress of Masyaf, on a pilgrimage to learn the origins of the Order. When he arrived, he discovered that the fortress had been overrun by the Templars, who were searching the five [[Seals of Altaïr]], which would combine to unlock a secret weapon hidden by Altaïr. With one seal already in Masyaf, Ezio learned that the remaining four were hidden throughout the city of [[Constantinople]]. He made his way to the city, in the hopes of obtaining the remaining seals.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Revelations"/>

===Modern times===
{{Quote|In the old days, that usually meant killing anyone who became too powerful or greedy. ''[…]'' These days, it means subversion of established regimes. ''[…]'' Countries. Corporations. We change the system from within.|[[The Mentor (2000)|"The Mentor"]], in 2000, on the Assassin Order.|Assassin's Creed: The Fall}}

By the late 19th century, the Russian sect of the Assassin Order, the [[Narodnaya Volya]] (''People's Will''), played a vital role in overthrowing the Tsarist rule over [[Russia]]. The Assassins strongly assisted their close ally, [[Vladimir Lenin]], the leader of the Bolsheviks – [[Aleksandr Ulyanov|Lenin's brother]] was an Assassin himself. Due to the efforts of the Assassin [[Nikolai Orelov]], the Templar Tsar [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]] died of kidney failure and the [[The Staff|Staff of Eden]] was destroyed in the [[Tunguska explosion]]. [[File:Tungaska Explod v.png|thumb|One of the Pieces of Eden, the Staff, was destroyed by the Assassins in the Tunguska Explosion]]Without power, Tsarevich [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]] was removed from the throne and Russia became communistic.

By the 20<sup>th</sup> Century, the tactics and practices of the Assassin Order had changed greatly.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3"/> Whilst the Order of Assassins had kept to their policy of remote camps and isolation,<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /> the Templars had begun to infiltrate society further; taking the form of many publicly known corporations such as [[NASA]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> and [[Wikipedia:Kraft Foods|Kraft]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" /> which all secretly fell under the shadow corporation [[Abstergo Industries]].

The Assassins relied less upon killing powerful or greedy individuals, and more on changing the "established regime" from within, using politics as well as the blade to achieve their aims, such as rigging elections to keep Templars out of office.<br>
The American presidential election of 2000 was one such election, with the Templars attempting to place their puppet [[George W. Bush]] into power, and the Assassins backing [[Al Gore]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3"/>

By the year 2000, the hidden blade had become a largely ceremonial weapon.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3" /> In the meantime however, the Templars continued to search for and investigate the various Pieces of Eden they discovered throughout this period,<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed" /> whilst the Assassins continued their war against them; notably being responsible for the destruction of at least one Templar-controlled base in [[wikipedia:Siberia|Siberia]] in 1908, known in public as the [[Tunguska explosion]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> However, by the year 1985, the Templars, under the guise of their front company [[Abstergo Industries]], had begun kidnapping Assassins or those related to them in an attempt to locate even more [[Pieces of Eden]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

[[File:The Mentor die.jpg|thumb|The Mentor's death at Cross' hands.]]
That same year, a child codenamed [[Daniel Cross]], a descendant of the Assassin Nikolai Orelov, was kidnapped by Abstergo's [[Lineage Research and Acquisition]] department and entered into the [[Animus project]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #1">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]] - Issue #1''</ref> Years later, in 1998, Daniel joined the Order as a prospective, but with a mission to find the then-current [[The Mentor (2000)|Mentor]]. Two years later, he was granted his wish and inducted into the Order by the Mentor himself; Cross subsequently murdered the Mentor with the very hidden blade he had been bequeathed by his victim just moments before, a result of brainwashing instilled in him by Warren Vidic during his time as an Abstergo captive.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3"/> Cross's actions directly led to the [[Fall of the Assassin Order|fall of the Assassin order]], as he compromised virtually all of the Assassin camps around the world he had visited in search for the Mentor upon returning to [[Abstergo Industries]], which forced the Assassins even further into hiding. Other notable Assassins held captive by Abstergo included the mysterious [[Subject 16]] and [[Desmond Miles]] – descendants of both Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

{{Quote|We lost two more teams last night. That's eight more of us just… gone.|Lucy Stillman, 2012.|Assassin's Creed II}}
Using Desmond, Abstergo managed to obtain a map of the locations of the Pieces of Eden across the globe, and subsequently begun their attempts to claim them. Not long after, the Assassins were able to free Desmond<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> with the aid of [[Lucy Stillman]] (an Assassin who had been working undercover at Abstergo for at least seven years by 2012)<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> as well as obtain their own copy of the map.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> Following this, Desmond agreed to aid the Assassins in their quest to defeat Abstergo, mostly for revenge, but also for closure. Utilizing the [[Animus|Animus 2.0]], a copy of the machine used by Abstergo to explore his genetic memories previously,<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> Desmond followed the memories of Ezio Auditore, adopting his skills in combat and free-running, while the rest of the Order concentrated to locating the Pieces of Eden before their Templar counterparts. Despite this, however, the war with the Templars had taken a turn for the worse. With their numbers dwindling, the Order of Assassins was in danger of losing the war.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

As technology progressed, so did the weapons used against the Assassins. By 2012, the Templars were using cell phone towers and satellites to track down the Assassins. As a result, Desmond and his group had to take refuge within the [[Sanctuary]], deep beneath the city of [[Monteriggioni]]. By this point the Order was using at least one e-mail network, known as the [[Hephaestus Email Network]], to facilitate communications.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

[[File:Modern Assassins Inside the Vault.JPG|left|thumb|The Assassins in the Colosseum Vault.]]
In the later half of 2012, an Assassin team made up of [[Lucy Stillman]], [[Rebecca Crane]], [[Shaun Hastings]] and [[Desmond Miles]] discovered [[Colosseum Vault]] – after Desmond relived Ezio's memories through the Animus – and infiltrated it, securing the Apple of Eden that Ezio had hidden there centuries before. Miles' body was taken over by the ancient being [[Juno]], who forced him to stab Lucy. The team and the Apple were brought to [[William Miles]] and the Order had thus secured one of the ancient artifacts.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

{{clear}}

==Known Assassins==

[[File:Zw-renaissance-assassins.png|thumb|300px|Ezio's initiation into the Brotherhood.]]
{{quote|The seeds were planted as two worlds became one. Behold, the Assassins, the children of two worlds!|Subject 16|Assassin's Creed II}}
The Assassins had existed since before the turn of the first millennium; several known figures included [[Darius]], [[Iltani]], [[Wei Yu]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> [[Gaius Cassius Longinus]], [[Marcus Junius Brutus]] and their co-conspirators,<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy"/> [[Amunet]] and [[Leonius]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Historically however, the fore-bearers of the Assassins have existed since before recorded time, possibly reaching as far back as [[Adam and Eve]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Medieval and Renaissance periods===
During the [[Third Crusade]], the Syrian sect of the Order of Assassins was mainly made up of native, Syrian-born individuals; although some, like Altaïr, were born to parents of both religions. Led by [[Al Mualim]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> and later [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] himself,<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> other members included [[Harash]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/> [[Malik A-Sayf|Malik]] and [[Kadar A-Sayf]], [[Rauf]], [[Abbas]], [[Masun]], [[Jamal]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> and [[Qulan Gal]], the death-bringer of [[Genghis Khan]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Allies also included various individuals, such as [[Adha]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles">''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''</ref> and even former Templars like [[Maria Thorpe]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/> Others included [[Dante Alighieri]] and [[Domenico Auditore]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> founder of the [[Auditore Villa]].

[[File:Vlcsnap-2010-11-12-17h45m54s20.jpg|thumb|274px|Bartolomeo d'Alviano and La Volpe with the Assassin Brotherhood.]]
Later on, during the Renaissance, the Order's numbers had dwindled significantly. Having become much more secretive, members of the Order often had occupations and lives outside of the Order, ranging from artists<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Renaissance">''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]''</ref> to thieves<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> to royal treasurers.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery">''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''</ref> They included the Florentine banker [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze]];<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/> his brother [[Mario Auditore]], caretaker of the Auditore Villa and ''[[Mercenary|condottieri]]'' leader; [[Federico Auditore da Firenze]] and his brother [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]; [[Paola]] and [[Teodora]], the heads of the Florentine and Venetian courtesans respectively; [[Antonio]], the head of the Venetian Thieves Guild; [[La Volpe]], the head of the Florentine Thieves Guild; [[Niccolò Machiavelli]], a writer and head of the Florentine Mercenaries; [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> ''condottiero'' of [[Venice]]; [[Perotto Calderon]], undercover in the employ of the Borgia. Others included [[Giovanni Borgia]], the illegitimate son of Calderon and [[Lucrezia Borgia]]; [[Bombastus|Paracelcus]], Swiss scientist and alchemist; [[Francesco Vecellio]], Renaissance painter,<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy"/> [[Tessa Varzi]] and [[Cipriano Enu]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy"/> [[Rinaldo Vitturi]], the keeper of [[the Shroud]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy"/> [[Ridolfo Fioravant]] and [[Pietro Antonio Solari]], spies working undercover as architects on the [[wikipedia:Moscow Kremlin|Kremlin]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/> and [[Luis de Santángel]] and [[Raphael Sanchez]], finance minister to Ferdinand II and treasurer of Queen Isabella I respectively.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery"/>

Once again, the Order had many allies amongst the common folk of Italy, as well as amongst the nobility. Foremost among them was [[Leonardo da Vinci]], Ezio's closest friend and a genius of invention. Others included [[Caterina Sforza]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì">''[[Battle of Forlì (DLC)|Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì]]''</ref> the Countess of [[Forlì]];<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> [[Lorenzo de' Medici]], the ruler of Florence;<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> [[Agostino Barbarigo]], the Doge of Venice from 1486;<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> and the famed explorer [[Christoffa Corombo]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery"/>

By 1501, Ezio Auditore and Niccolò Machiavelli had begun training new [[Assassin recruits]] in the Order from their [[Tiber Island headquarters|Tiber Island Base]] in [[Rome]]. In 1503, [[Claudia Auditore]], sister of Ezio, also joined the Order.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

===Modern times===
At the turn of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century, the Assassins' Order had spread as far the Russian Empire, with a strong presence in and around [[Petrograd]]. Members of the [[Narodnaya Volya]] were in fact members of the Assassin Order. Some known Assassins include [[Nikolai Orelov]] and [[Aleksandr Ulyanov]], the older brother of [[Vladimir Lenin]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #1"/>

[[File:Swap.png|thumb|The medic and his target.]]
During World War I, there was an Assassin on the Western Front, an unidentified medic fighting for the British on the front line. The medic assassinated [[Erich Albert]], a German general and member of the Templars.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy"/>

During the late 20th and 21<sup>st</sup> Century, however, the Order seemed to have sunk further into hiding, with their numbers fewer than ever.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Although it is evident that more existed, only a few were known to be in the Order: the mysterious '[[Subject 16]]', [[Desmond Miles]], [[Lucy Stillman]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> [[Rebecca Crane]], [[Shaun Hastings]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> [[Hannah Mueller]], [[Paul Bellamy]], [[Daniel Cross]], [[Bill Miles]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #2">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]] - Issue #2''</ref> and [[William M.]] There were also known groups of Assassins based in São Paulo, Brazil; [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]; Osaka, Japan and [[Denver]], Colorado, US.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

==Known victims==
{{Quote|Find them, kill them. In doing so, you will sow the seeds of peace.|[[Al Mualim]] to Altaïr|Assassin's Creed}}
Over the [[Timeline|centuries]], the Order of Assassins killed hundreds, if not thousands of individuals who they saw to be corrupt in their ways and a danger to humanity. Their intense rivalry with the Templars also ensured that many underlings who served their Templar masters often shared the same fate.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

Below is a chronological list of notable victims of [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]]:

<div style="float:left; width:48%;">
*[[Tamir (Altaïr's Chronicles)|Tamir of Damascus]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[Alaat]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[Roland Napule]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[The Master's Student]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[Master of the Tower]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[Harash]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[Basilisk|Lord Basilisk]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[Tamir|Tamir, the arms dealer]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Garnier de Naplouse]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Talal]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Abu'l Nuqoud]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[William of Montferrat]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Majd Addin]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Jubair al Hakim]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
</div>

<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Sibrand]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Robert de Sable]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Al Mualim]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Frederick the Red]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Moloch]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Dark Oracle]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Shalim]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Shahar]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Pirate captain]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Armand Bouchart]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Swami]] in 1227<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade"/>
*[[Bayhas]] in 1247<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade" />
*[[Abbas Sofian]] in 1247<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade" />
</div>
<br clear="all" />

Below is a chronological list of notable victims of [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]:

<div style="float:left; width:48%;">
*[[Uberto Alberti]] in 1476<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Vieri de' Pazzi]] in 1478<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco de' Pazzi]] in 1478<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Antonio Maffei]] in 1478<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco Salviati]] in 1479<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Bernardo Baroncelli]] in 1479<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Stefano da Bagnone]] in 1479<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Jacopo de' Pazzi]] in 1480<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Emilio Barbarigo]] in 1485<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Carlo Grimaldi]] in 1485<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Marco Barbarigo]] in 1486<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Silvio Barbarigo]] in 1486<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Dante Moro]] in 1486<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Ludovico Orsi]] in 1488<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì " />
*[[Checco Orsi]] in 1488<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì " />
*[[Gaspar Martinez]] in 1491<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
*[[Pedro Llorente]] in 1491<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
</div>

<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Juan de Marillo]] in 1491<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
*[[Girolamo Savonarola]] in 1498<ref>''[[Bonfire of the Vanities (DLC)|Assassin's Creed II: Bonfire of the Vanities]]''</ref>
*[[Il Carnefice]] in 1500<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Master of the Sacred Palace]] in 1500<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Lanz]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Lia de Russo]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Brother Ristoro]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Donato Mancini]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Gaspar de la Croix]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Auguste Oberlin]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Juan Borgia the Elder]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Octavian de Valois]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Ercole Massimo]] in 1506<ref name="The Da Vinci Disappearance">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' - ''[[The Da Vinci Disappearance]]''</ref>
*[[Cesare Borgia]] in 1507<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Leandros]] in 1511<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Revelations"/>
*[[Shahkulu]] in 1511<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Revelations"/>
</div>
<br clear="all" />

Below is a chronological list of the known victims of other Assassins:<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

<div style="float:left; width:48%;">
*[[Xerxes I of Persia|King Xerxes the Great]], by [[Darius]] in 456 BC<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Alexander the Great]], by [[Iltani]] in 323 BC<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Qin Shi Huang]], by [[Wei Yu]] in 210 BC<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Gaius Julius Caesar]], by various in 44 BC<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Cleopatra]], by [[Amunet]] in 31 BC<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Caligula]], by [[Leonius]] in 41<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Faustin]], by [[Aquilus]] in 259<ref name="French comic - Tome 2">[[Assassin's Creed (French comic)|''Assassin's Creed'' (French comic)]]: Tome 2, Aquilus</ref>
*[[Genghis Khan]], by [[Qulan Gal]] and [[Darim Ibn-La'Ahad]] in 1227<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Yongle]], by [[Li Tong]] in 1424<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Discover Your Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Discover Your Legacy]]''</ref>
*[[Tomás de Torquemada]], in 1498<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Perotto Calderon]], by various in 1498<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy" />
*[[Agostino Barbarigo]], by [[Tessa Varzi]] in 1501<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy" />
*[[Malfatto]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Silvestro Sabbatini]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Cahin]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy" />
*[[Caha]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy" />
</div>

<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Rocco Tiepolo]], 1503<ref name="Assassin's Credd Project Legacy" />
*[[Margaret of York]], in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Isabella I of Castile]], in 1504<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Niccolò di Pitigliano]], by [[Francesco Vecellio]] in 1510<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy" />
*[[Juan Ponce de León]], in 1521<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Discover Your Legacy"/>
*[[Francisco Pizzaro]], in 1541<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Mary I of England]], in 1558<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Ivan Ivanovich of Russia]], in 1581<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[John Wilkes Booth]], in 1865<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Alexander II of Russia]], in 1881<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #1" />
*[[Alexander III of Russia]], indirectly by [[Nikolai Orelov]] in 1894<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #1" />
*[[Grigori Rasputin]], in 1916<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Adolf Hitler]], in 1945<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Joseph Stalin]], in 1953<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[François Duvalier]], in 1971<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
</div>
<br clear="all" />

==See also==
*[[The Creed]]

==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Ascendance]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''

==Notes and references==

{{reflist}}

{{ACSeries}}
{{ACAC}}
{{AC}}
{{ACBL}}
{{ACII}}
{{ACIID}}
{{ACBrotherhood}}
{{ACFC}}
{{ACRevelations}}
{{ACTF}}

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