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House of Auditore

2010-01-10T13:30:28Z

79.97.38.86: /* Trivia */

{{Faction Infobox
|image = Auditorecape.png
|imgdesc = Auditore cape with the Auditore coart of arms on it.
|game = ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
|religion = Roman Catholic
|nationality = Italian
|location = [[Florence]], [[Tuscany]]
}}
The '''House of Auditore''' is a noble family of [[Florence]]. Its prominent period was very short (for approximately 100 to 200 years).

==History==
The origins of the family have been very mysterious publicly, but the truth is the story of a man who raised his family to secretly fight against his sworn enemies.

13th century, one day, a young Venetian discovered his true identity: he was part of the [[Assassins]], an Order dedicated to kill the tyrants oppressing the people. Since then, his life and perception of the world changed. But the Order was not without enemies. As he was tasked to hide an important [[codex|writing]] safe to Spain, he was tracked by these enemies: the [[Templars]]. He eventually lost his mentor, his wife, his father and his patron [[Marco Polo]]. With only his son remaining, he used the bank account given by Marco Polo to impersonate a nobleman in Florence, taking vocal lessons and studying architecture and classics. For this, he adopted a new name: Auditore. He was accepted by the local nobility. He then constructed a [[Auditore Family Villa|villa]] in the city of [[Monteriggioni]], hunted the Templars and trained his son to fight them and collect the codex pages. Before his death, he left the origins of the family engraved on stone plates in the [[Auditore Family Crypt|family crypt]] hidden under Monteriggioni.

Over the years, the family gained in prominence even becoming a close ally of the [[Medici]] dynasty, ruler of Florence. However in 1476, approximately 170 years after its creation, the Auditore family collapsed, victim of a conspiracy led by [[Rodrigo Borgia]], Grand Master of the Templar Order and the [[Pazzi]] family, enemies of the Auditore and secretly Templars. They were considered as traitors of the Republic and excluded from the nobility. Most of the male members of the family in Florence were executed only leaving Claudia, Maria and Ezio. After the execution, they took refuge in Monteriggioni under the protection of Mario Auditore, a condottiere with an army of mercenaries at his disposal to fight against the Templars in the region. He is as well the brother of Giovanni, patriarch of the family in Florence who was executed along with his two sons. His only remaining son, Ezio took on his work and sought vengeance against those responsible for his father's death. He contributed as well in restoring the villa and the city.

It is unknown how many persons bore the name of Auditore after the events of ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'', but most of the information about the Auditore family has been erased from History after the conspiracy and the name was most likely lost over the centuries. The lineage however kept extending with two known descendants of Ezio Auditore in the 21st century: [[Desmond Miles]] and "[[Subject Sixteen]]".

==Members==
*[[Domenico Auditore]] (founder)
*[[Giovanni Auditore]]
*[[Mario Auditore]]
*[[Ezio Auditore]]
*[[Federico Auditore]]
*[[Maria Auditore]]
*[[Claudia Auditore]]
*[[Petruccio Auditore]]

==Trivia==
*Most likely unknown by its members, the Auditore family is descended directly from [[Altaïr]], one of the greatest warriors of the Assassin Order.
[[Category:Factions]]

Ezio Auditore da Firenze

2010-01-10T13:29:24Z

79.97.38.86: /* Trivia */

{{spoilerhd}}
{{FAimp}}
{{Good}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Ezio Auditore da Firenze
|image = Ezio.jpg
|imgdesc = A full portrait of Ezio Audiore da Firenze
|faction = [[Assassins|The Assassin Order]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]'', ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
|period = 15th century
|voice = [[Roger Craig Smith]]
}}
{{Quote|The Auditore are not dead! I'm still here! Me! Ezio; Ezio Auditore da Firenze!|Ezio Auditore, 1476}}
'''Ezio Auditore da Firenze''' (born 1459) was an important figure during the Italian Renaissance - unbeknownst to most history novelists and philosophers - and a member of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]]. He is a descendant of [[Altaïr ibn La-Ahad]] and the ancestor of [[Desmond Miles]] and possibly [[Subject 16]]. Ezio was unaware of his Assassin heritage until he was 17-years-old, when, following the murder of his [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|father]] and [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|two]] [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|brothers]], Ezio fled from [[Florence]] and took solace in the town of [[Monteriggioni]].

After the mentoring and training from his uncle, [[Mario Auditore]], Ezio proceeded on his quest of revenge against the Grandmaster of the Templar Knights, [[Rodrigo Borgia]], who had ordered the execution of his father and two brothers. During his 23 year quest for revenge, Ezio managed to not only unite the [[The Codex|Codex]] pages Altaïr wrote, for the first time since [[Domenico Auditore]], but also to save the cities of Florence and [[Venice]] from the Templar Knights' wrath. Later still, Ezio was responsible for the rescue of [[Christoffa Corombo]], uncovering a new plot to discover the "New World".

==Character Biography==
=== ''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]'' ===
[[File:Eziolineagechess.png|thumb|left|A much younger Ezio, portrayed by [[wikipedia:Devon Bostick|Devon Bostick]].]]
Ezio Auditore da Firenze was born in 1459 AD, to [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|Giovanni]] and [[Maria Auditore da Firenze|Maria Auditore]]. Until the age of 17, Ezio lived a life of luxury as a Florentine Nobleman, unaware of his father's allegiance to the Assassin Order.

=== ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' ===

====The beginning====
The story starts off with Ezio, his older brother, and other people fighting [[Vieri de' Pazzi]]'s men. Ezio's group wins, is scarred on the side of his mouth, and Vieri escaped the scene before Ezio can do anything to him. He slept with a young woman, Cristina Vespucci, and got caught by the woman's father who made the local guards chase him. Ezio met up with his father at the Palazzo Auditore and did several errands for him, his sister, and his mother and meets [[Leonardo da Vinci]] in the process. After completing his errands Ezio returned home to find his father and brothers missing and his mother and [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze|sister]] hiding. Learning that city guards had been ordered to arrest Giovanni and all of his sons, Ezio made his way to the [[wikipedia:Piazza della Signoria|Piazza della Signoria]], where his father and brothers were being held, and was instructed by his father find a chest hidden in his office and to take everything out of it and to deliver a sealed letter to [[Uberto Alberti]], the personal assistant of [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] and a close friend to the Auditore family. Doing so, Ezio found the assassin coat that he would be wearing for the next 23 years and the letter to contain details of a plot against the city of Florence, and the Auditore family, and was told by Alberti that his family would be released when said letter was presented at the execution as evidence.

The next day, Ezio returned to the Piazza della Signoria to find Alberti presiding over the execution of the Auditores, denying any knowledge of the letter's existance. After attemping to murder Alberti, Alberti ordered the city [[Guards|guards]] to murder Ezio. After the guidance of one of Giovanni's friends, a [[Thieves|thief]], Ezio flees the Piazza della Signoria and seeks shelter in a [[Courtesans|whorehouse]], ran by the sister of the Auditore house maid, [[Paola]]. Paola later teaches Ezio how to survive in the city as an outlaw, before directing him to Leonardo da Vinci, to repair the "[[Hidden Blade|hidden blade]]" of the late Giovanni Auditore. After fixing the blade, Ezio learns the location of Alberti and, after sneaking into the courtyard of the [[wikipedia:Basilicia of Santa Croce, Florence|Basilica of Santa Croce]], murders him with his hidden blade, stabbing him numerous times in the stomach, before proudly shouting his name to everyone present making Alberti Ezio's first important assassination.

[[File:Zw-sequence3-00014.png|thumb|right|220px|Ezio yells at the corpse of [[Vieri de' Pazzi]].]]
Now the most wanted man in Florence, Ezio and his mother and sister fled Florence in the hopes of making their way to Spain, but first visiting the Auditore family's [[Auditore Villa|villa]] in the town of [[Monteriggioni]], as a means of shelter. During their travel to Monteriggioni, the three were acosted by [[Vieri de' Pazzi]] and his followers, but were saved by the timely arrival of Ezio's uncle, Mario, and his [[Mercenaries|mercenary]] guards. Mario tells Ezio of the Assassin Order - in an attempt to induct him into the Order - and reveals to him that many of his ancestors, including his father, were apart of the Order. However, Ezio refuses. Enraged, Mario leaves Monteriggioni for the city of [[San Gimignano]], the location of Vieri de' Pazzi, in the attempt of relieving Monteriggioni of its continual assaults. Guilty, Ezio decides to agree to Mario's offer and travels to San Gimignano.

When Ezio arrives outside the city, he joins Mario and his mercenaries in their assault on the city, they wait until nightfall and make there way to Vieri de' Pazzi by killing guards patroling the city. Briefly watching a meeting between [[Rodrigo Borgia]], [[Jacopo de' Pazzi]], [[Francesco de' Pazzi]] and Vieri, Ezio finally meets up with Vieri and fights him for the last time. In the end Ezio eventually stabbed Vieri de' Pazzi in the throat. Though it is in vain as Vieri doesn't answer any of his questions before he dies.  

Following the death of Vieri, Ezio returned to Florence to prevent the planned de' Pazzi takeover and deaths of [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] and [[Guilani de' Medici]]. Arriving too late to save Guilani, Ezio manages to prevent the death of [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] – the ruler of Florence – and restore his family's good name. Despite this however, the de' Pazzis had already succeded in their plan and brought the city to a state of civil war. After learning the location of [[Francesco de' Pazzi]] at the Piazza della Signoria, Ezio chased murdered him and left the corpse to those loyal to de' Medici; although Jacopo de' Pazzi and several other conspirators were able to escape. Shortly afterwards, de' Medici publically cleared the name of the Auditore family and provided Ezio with the names of the conspirators who had escaped.

[[File:Zw-thepazziconspirators.png|thumb|left|200px|[[Jacopo de' Pazzi]] and the fellow conspirators.]]
Learning that the de' Pazzi conspirators were located in San Gimignano, Ezio made his way to San Gimignano and murdered [[Antonio Maffei]], [[Stefano da Bagnone]], [[Bernardo di Bandino Baroncelli]] and [[Francesco Salviati]] before finally locating and following Jacopo de' Pazzi to an ancient Roman theatre. Once there, Ezio eavesdropped on a conversation between Jacopo de' Pazzi, Rodrigo Borgia and the Venetian merchant, [[Emilio Barbarigo]]. After stabbing de' Pazzi for his failure to capture Florence, Borgia revealed to Ezio that he knew that he was there and was apprehended by Borgia's bodyguards while Borgia and Barbarigo fled. Ezio then stabbed both bodyguards, before murdering de' Pazzi.

====Venice====
{{dialogue|[[Emilio Barbarigo]]|The assassin is here, in Venezia?|[[Carlo Grimaldi]]|He's been here for weeks!|Emilio Barbarigo and Carlo Grimaldi discuss Ezio}}
With the Pazzi conspiracy ended, Ezio returned to Lorenzo and declared his success. Before leaving the city for Venice, Ezio was granted a gift; a [[Outfits|Medici cape]], that would keep the city guards attention from him. Ezio then made his way to the studio of Leonardo, only to find that he had just left for Venice himself. Meeting with Leonardo, the two made their way through the appennine mountains to the city of [[Forlì]], narrowly avoiding the Templar soldiers sent after them by Rodrigo Borgia.

Eventually arriving in Forlì, the two made their way to the city docks, where Ezio was refused passage without a pass. It was at this moment that the two heard the screams of a noble lady stranded in the city's wetlands. Rescued, the lady introduced herself as [[Caterina Sforza]], and forced the dockman to grant Ezio passage to Venice. Once in Venice, Ezio and Leonardo were given a brief tour of the city before Ezio begun to seek out a way into the Palazzo of Emilio Barbarigo, although in vain. Suddenly pushed aside, Ezio watched as a collection of thieves attempted to breach the palazzo, but failed, and subsequently aided in the escape of the thief [[Rosa]], who had been shot through the leg with an arrow. After successfuly escaping the city guards, Ezio was introduced to the leader of the Venetian thieves guild [[Antonio]], and together the two concocted a new plot to kill Barbarigo and liberate the merchant district.

The plot was successful, and gave Ezio the name of another Templar conspirator – [[Carlo Grimaldi]]. A government official and member of the Council of Ten, Carlo was close to the Mocenigo, the Doge of Venice and hoped to turn him to the Templar cause. Overhearing another meeting between Borgia and Carlo, Ezio uncovered a changed plot to poison the Doge and replace him with the Barbarigo, [[Marco Barbarigo|Marco]]. Returning to Antonio, the two sought to find a way into the [[Palazzo Ducale]] – the Doge's Palace –, searching the front gates, the rear walls and even passing over the the [[Basilica di San Marco]]; but were hampered at every turn. Returning to the piazza below, an enraged Antonio remarked at how only birds might get into the Doge's palace, reminding Ezio of Leonardo's [[Flying Machine|flying machine]] he had seen on the way to Forlì.
[[File:Ezio fighting1.jpg|thumb|280px|right|Ezio fighting in Venice.]]

After removing the city guards at four separate locations, Antonio's thieves proceeded to light massive bonfires throughout the city, giving Ezio the lift Leonardo's flying machine needed to make it to the Palazzo Ducale. The plan worked and Ezio breached the Palazzo Ducale, although he was too late to save the Doge. Carlo fled, crying out that Ezio had assassinated the Doge, although he himself hid not survive long. Blamed for killing the Doge though, Ezio was now the most wanted man in Venice, and was forced to flee the city guards. Returning to Leonardo's workshop, Ezio was directed to the brothel of [[Sister Teodora]], where Antonio was presiding. Under the cover of carnevale, Ezio made his way to the brothel and begun planning the death of Marco Barbarigo; competing in the four games of carnevale to win the golden mask that would gain him entrance to Marco's private party, Ezio was successful, but found himself denied the golden mask by Marco's cousin [[Silvio Barbarigo]] and his slave [[Dante Moro]]. The assassin was successful in regaining the mask and managed to assassinate Marco, leaving to door open for Agostino – a Barbarigo not entwinned with the Templars – to become Doge.

With his quest nearly at an end, Ezio tracked down Silvio Barbarigo and his slave Dante Moro, in the process liberating the mercenary leader [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]] and his soldiers. Having tracked the Templars to the city Arsenal, Ezio managed to break in and kill Dante Moro and Silvio barbarigo, but was astonished to learn that the plot to remove the Doge was merely a distraction so that the Templar's could move their vessel to [[Cyprus]], although the reasons for this were unknown to Ezio.

====Induction into the Order and later years====
{{Quote|La shai wak'ion motlaq bal kollon momken ''(Nothing is true, everything is permitted)''|Mario Auditore at the initiation}}

Two more years passed before word of the Templar vessel reached Ezio once again; when Rosa brought him a shipping manifest detailing the return of the ship that very day. Sneaking into the Arsenal, Ezio watched as a templar soldier carrying a [[Piece of Eden]] disembarked from the ship and made his way to a Templar base in the city. Following the soldier, Ezio assassinated and impersonated the guard, carrying the Piece of Eden to a meeting with Rodrigo Borgia himself. Finally able to confront the man ultimately responsible for the deaths of his father and brothers, Ezio spurned the Templar Grandmaster for the non-appearance of the supposed prophet detailed in the Codex prophecy. Borgia responded, proudly naming himself the prophet before engaging Ezio in battle; the battle was short and Ezio easily bested the Templar. On the backfoot, Borgia called upon the city guards and insulted the assassin for the lack of "his people" showing up.

At this very moment Mario Auditore, Antonio, Paola, Teodora, [[La Volpe]] and Bartolomeo d'Alviano appeared, driving off Borgia and revealing themselves to Ezio as assassins. With the arrival of [[Niccolò Machiavelli]], the Assassin Grandmaster, it as revealed to Ezio that ''he'' was in fact the supposed prophet, and that for the past decade they had all worked together to induct Ezio into the Assassins Order proper. That night, they all met up again, and Ezio was formally inducted into the Order.

Over the next few years Ezio continued to serve the assassin's faithfully, defending Forlì from the Orsi brothers and defeating the Dominican priest [[Girolamo Savonarola]] during his purge of Florence in 1498. In 1491, at the behest of the Assassin Antonio, Ezio helped to rescue the Spanish-Genoan explorer [[Christoffa Corombo]].

[[File:Ezio Rome.jpg|thumb|280px|left|Ezio battles his way to the Sistine Chapel.]]
{{Quote|I thought… I thought I was beyond this. But I'm not. I've waited too long, lost too much – Requiescat in Pace (Rest in Peace), you bastard!|Ezio to [[Rodrigo Borgia]] during his first, failed assassination attempt}}

The following year, in 1499 the assassins finally came together once more at the Villa Auditore, with the Piece of Eden and the completed Codex in hand. Using the two objects, they discovered the location of [[the Vault]] to be under the Vatican, in Rome. Unfortunately for them however, Rodrigo Borgia had become Pope in 1492, although Mario believed he had only done so to gain access to the Papal staff, another of the Piece of Eden’s. Undeterred, Ezio travelled to Rome with a mission to assassinate Rodrigo Borgia. Fighting his way along the entire length of the Passetto di Borgo, Ezio snuck into the Sistine Chapel and struck at Borgia from above. Preparing to deal the killing blow, Borgia surprised Ezio by using the Staff to blast him away and drain the energy of those in the room. Ezio though, possessing the Apple, was safe from the Staff’s effects and the two engaged in a duel; Ezio using the same technique [[Al Mualim]] had in his duel against Altaïr in 1191. The duel ended in success for Ezio once more, though Borgia did manage to obtain the Apple and make his way to the Vault. Outside the Vault, Ezio watches as Borgia tries, in vain, to open it. Laying down his arms, Ezio challenges and defeats Borgia in a fist fight, obtaining possession of both the Staff and the Apple, but refusing to take Borgia’s life.

Entering the Vault, Ezio stood in shock as he was confronted by a hologram-esque individual naming herself "[[Minerva]]", and claiming to be one of "[[Those Who Came Before]]"; Ezio was further confounded when the hologram sought not to speak to Ezio, but through Ezio, to an unseen figure named [[Desmond Miles|Desmond]], before leaving abruptly and Ezio with many questions. At some point after this event, Ezio made his way to Italy once more, this time to liberate his fellow assassins in the country, who were being persecuted by the Templars under the guise of a religious inquisition.

After returning from Rome, Ezio sealed his piece of Eden under the statue of Altaïr at the Villa Auditore.

== Personality and characteristics ==
[[File:QuickTimePlayer 2009-09-25 19-22-34-26.png|thumb|left|286px|A young Ezio gets approached by a Florentine guard after protesting at his father’s and brothers’ execution.]]
{{quote
|1 = Nulla è reale, tutto è lecito. Requiescat in Pace.
|2 = Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Rest in Peace.
}}

Ezio was a young [[Florence|Florentine]] nobleman who lived during the 15th and 16th century. Unlike his ancestor Altaïr, he was a brought up without knowing of the assassins existence; a seducer of women and playful man, Ezio possessed acrobatic skills beyond what most had, save for his brother and father. Having left school at an early age, Ezio was without a formal education, perhaps explaining his playful nature. He came from an affluent background and had many friends until the deaths of his father and brothers drove him out of Florence. Forced to protect his [[Maria de' Mozzi |mother]] and [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze |sister, Claudia]], Ezio became an [[Assassin]], exacting revenge on the conspirators who had betrayed his family and plotted to seize both Florence and Venice. His first victim, Uberto Alberti , the one who sentenced his father and brothers to public execution, was assassinated publicly, forcing the Auditore out of the city and to the town of Monteriggioni, where his uncle resided. At first, Ezio wanted only to stay briefly, wishing to move his family onwards to Spain, and away from those who conspired against him. However after considerable persuasion from his uncle, Ezio decides to remain and exact his revenge upon the Templars as a whole. Aided not only by his uncle [[Mario Auditore da Firenze|Mario]] but also Leonardo da Vinci, Ezio managed to redeem the good name of his family in Florence, portraying the same level of loyalty his father had to the city’s ruler: Lorenzo de' Medici.

Quick to anger, Ezio often allowed his emotions to overcome him, going so far as to disrespect the corpse of Vieri de’ Pazzi just after his death. Eventually however, Ezio did manage to control his anger, and by the time he had become a Master Assassin, could control it almost completely.[[File:Ezio and Lorenzo.jpg|thumb|Ezio conversing with Lorenzo de Medici]]An explorer, throughout his quest Ezio scoured the cities looking not only for the Codex pages, but also to obtain the assassin seals from the [[Secret Locations|six assassins tombs]] spread across northern Italy. After obtaining them, Ezio had access to the [[Altaïr's Armor|black Grandmaster robes]] of his ancestor [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]].

== Equipment and Skills==
[[File:Iexplore_2009-09-25_20-01-09-16.png|thumb|left|300px|An older and more skilled Ezio assassinating two guards at once with the dual-Hidden Blades.]]
Ezio Auditore da Firenze was a highly skilled assassin during the Italian renaissance and a leader amongst the Order of Assassins. A master of multiple fields, including theft, blending, armed and unarmed combat, free-running and long-distance combat; he is able to use a variety of weapons including two [[Hidden Blade|hidden blades]], the longsword, throwing knives and more. As the years progress, Ezio's discoveries of the pages of the codex allowed da Vinci to upgrade his weaponry, including the addition of a wrist gauntlet, wheel lock firearm concealed beneath his left hidden blade, and a poison needle inside the other.

Born with the ability to use [[Eagle Vision]], Ezio could access the ability to instinctively differentiate friend from foe. He also had access to a variety of weaponry and armor thanks to the various blacksmiths located throughout the region; including maces, longswords and daggers.
{{clear}}
==Trivia==
[[File:Zw-ezioauditore.png|thumb|right|Ezio's database picture]]
*The Italian name 'Ezio' derives from the Greek word 'Aetos', which means "Eagle", similar to Altaïr whose name means "The Flying One".
*Unlike Altaïr (who had his ring finger removed as a commitment to make way for the [[Hidden Blade]]), Ezio has all ten fingers; a modification to the Hidden Blade made by Altaïr sometime after he defeated Al-Mualim making this possible. Leonardo da Vinci deciphered a Codex Page written by Altaïr on which said modification was illustrated. Instead of removing their ring finger, Assassins now have a mark burned into the ring finger as a sign of their lineage.
*It is stated in the Philosophical Codex that after Altaïr defeated Al-Mualim in 1191 and became the leader, the Assassins were forced to realize the scope of their fight against the Templars, and had to abandon many of their traditions: like the removal of the ring finger and the ban on using poison, in order to survive.
*Ezio also uses a wheellock firearm, based off of a design found in the Codex pages; historically a type of weapon that didn't develop until just after the time-frame of the game, some of the first wheellock firearms were, in actuality, designed by da Vinci.
*Ezio's face in ''Assassin's Creed II'' seems to be a mixture of Desmond's ([[wikipedia:Francisco Randez|Francisco Randez]]) and Devon Bostick's from ''Lineage'' .
*It would appear that Ezio remained unaware of his bloodline, and that he is a descendant of Altaïr, despite learning about him in Monteriggioni. Ezio never truly understood why he was such a successful assassin himself.
*Ezio is 40 years old in 1499 (15 years older than Altaïr's age in 1191); the same age as his father upon his death in 1476.
*If you move the camera to a certain angle in the game, Ezio's face has barely aged, except for the beard, even if you played through 20 plus years of his life. His voice does deepen and mature through time though, making him sound calmer and talks slower.
*Just like [[Altair]] and [[Desmond]], Ezio has a scar on his mouth, acquired after the mission "Boys Will Be Boys", when Vieri De Pazzi threw the rock at his face during the first memory sequence

{{ACII}}
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters|Auditore da Firenze, Ezio]]
[[Category:Assassins|Auditore da Firenze, Ezio]]
[[Category:Descendant of Altaïr|Auditore da Firenze, Ezio]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II: Discovery Characters|Auditore da Firenze, Ezio]]
[[Category:15th Century Assassins]]

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

2009-12-26T19:58:37Z

79.97.38.86: /* Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles */

{{Character Infobox
|name = Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
|image = Alta-assassins-creed.jpg
|imgdesc = A full body portrait of Altaïr.
|faction = [[Assassins]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'', ''[[AC: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'', ''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]'', ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' (Gameplay Chase Scene)
|period = Third Crusade
|voice = [[Philip Shahbaz]]
}}
{{dialogue|Al Mualim|Remember... nothing is true.|Altaïr|Everything is permitted.|Al Mualim and Altaïr at the Masyaf fortress}}
'''Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad''' (الطائر ابن لا أحد in [[wikipedia:Arabic|Arabic]]) (1166 - unknown) is the main protagonist in ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'', as well as the ancestor of [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] and [[Desmond Miles]]. A trained [[Assassin]], Altaïr was responsible for the near-destruction of the [[Knights Templar]] during the [[Third Crusade]], eventually becoming Grandmaster of the Assassin's Order following the death of [[Al Mualim]].

Altaïr continued to serve as an assassin until the end of his life, destroying the Templar presence on [[Cyprus]] before writing his famed [[Codex]]. He would later take his family east, to Mongolia, in the hopes of assassinating the Templar [[Genghis Khan]]; whom he suspected of possessing a [[Piece of Eden]].

==Biography==
=== Early Life ===
Altaïr was born to a multi-faith family, consisting of a Christian mother and Muslim father in 1166 AD. Early in his childhood his parents left [[Masyaf]] for reasons unknown, though Altaïr felt little sorrow over their departure. Prior to the events of the series, Altaïr was inducted in the [[Assassins|Assassins Order]] and trained under [[Al Mualim]], quickly rising through the ranks to become a "[[Master Assassin]]" by the year 1191.

Altaïr later stated in his [[Codex]] that he never felt a connection with his parents, and that when they left it was nothing more than "two strangers" departing; adding that it was Al Mualim that cared for him during that early stage in his life.

===''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''===
gaygaygaygaygaygay and i am a leprauchan

===''[[Assassin's Creed]]''===
{{quote|A small sacrifice to save many. It is necessary.|Altaïr}}

In 1191, in the midst of the [[Third Crusade]] three Assassins – Altaïr, and the brothers [[Malik]] and [[Kadar]] – were sent by [[Al Mualim]] to explore the catacombs of the Temple Mount in [[Jerusalem]]; to receive an artifact the [[Knights Templar]] are searching for, and to deny them of it. After progressing through the catacombs, Altaïr breaks two of the tenets of the [[The Creed|Assassin's Creed]], confident in his mastery as an Assassin. Finally, upon seeing the arch-enemy of his Order – [[Robert de Sable]] – Altaïr attempts to slay the Templar Grandmaster, but is easily thwarted, and thrown from the temple, leaving Malik and Kadar trapped with the Templars. Upon returning to [[Masyaf]] Altaïr informs Al Mualim of his failure to acquire the Templar treasure and is lambasted, as this is occurring however Malik returns with the artifact, alone. Before any further action can be taken however the Templars attack Masyaf, taking the village and besieging the castle; Altaïr leads the defense of the castle, sneaking behind the Templar army and unleashing a torrent of felled tree logs; crushing the Templar army, before continuing into the village to remove the remaining Templar warriors. Once the attack was over however, the matters of his actions in the Temple Mount were addressed once again. Altaïr, having broken all three tenets of the Creed and failing to acquire the Templar treasure is deemed a failure, and traitor to the Creed; Al Mualim then stabs him in the stomach with a dagger, apparently killing him.

Following this, Altaïr wakes up from his 'sleep of the dead' and questions Al Mualim of his survival, the Grandmaster answering only that ''"…[Altaïr] saw only what [Al Mualim] wanted him to see…"''. Stripped of rank and possessions by Al Mualim, Altaïr was given a chance at redemption; starting as a novice once again, Altaïr was tasked to hunt down the traitor within Masyaf who had allowed the Templars entrance to Masyaf. Successful, Altaïr returns to Al Mualim and is rewarded with a rise in rank and the return of his [[Hidden Blade]] and longsword. Once again officially a member of the Order, Altaïr was then offered an exchange; the lives of nine men for his own.

[[File:Altairscreen.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Altaïr performs a leap of faith]]

====The Nine====
{{dialogue3|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…|A generous offer indeed. Have you any questions?|Only where I need begin.}}

Starting his quest, Altaïr is directed to the city of [[Damascus]], where he could locate his first target, the arms dealer and black market merchant [[Tamir]].
Upon his arrival, he traveled to the local [[Assassin's Bureau]] and asks permission to assassinate his target. The [[rafiq]] however, denies it, ordering Altaïr to first gather as much information as possible about his target. Disgruntled, Altaïr did as he was tasked, exploring the city's poor district, interrogating informants, pickpocketing Tamir's associates and eavesdropping on conversations around him; eventually learning the location of his target. Returning to the Bureau with this information, he received permission to assassinate Tamir, and a [[white feather]], to be wet in the victim's blood, as proof of the murder. Traveling to the plaza where Tamir is located, Altaïr witnesses Tamir slaying a business partner who had been unable to fulfill his order of weapons; and soon afterwards kills him whilst Tamir inspects the market stalls and criticises the work of his underlings. Returning to the Bureau, Altaïr is told to return to Al Mualim, who congratulates him by the accomplishment and rewards him a rank and part of his equipment back. Altaïr then left Masyaf for the other cities of the Holy Land, [[Jerusalem]] and [[Acre]].

[[File:SS11.jpg|thumb|right|280px|Altaïr chases [[Talal]] though the streets]]
Where Altaïr first travelled is unknown, however upon his arrival at the Assassin's Bureau in Jerusalem, Altaïr was harshly received by Malik, now a [[dai]] and head of the Bureau in the city, who treats him with open contempt. Malik voices his outrage that Altaïr was allowed to live, but follows the orders of Al Mualim and allows him to investigate his target. Acquiring the necessary information, Altaïr returned to Malik, who reluctantly gives permission for the kill. Altaïr then entered the slave complex of [[Talal]], so as to eliminate his target. Altaïr's arrival was anticipated however, and he was ambushed by Talal and his followers. Dispatching them, Altaïr chases Talal over the rooftops and through streets, before finally catching up with, and assassinating Talal. Altaïr returned to the Bureau, to Masyaf, and then moved to his next target.

In Acre, the location of his next target [[Garnier de Naplouse]], Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, Altaïr learns all that he can from the people of the district, before – with permission – moving against his target in the military hospital. Infiltrating Garnier's hospital, Altaïr watches his target tend to those who need caring, treating his patients with a concoctio of various herbs and medicines, before finally striking from the building's rafters. Fleeing the hospital through an upstairs window, a city wide alert is issued, although Altaïr was able to outlast it by hiding within the Bureau. Once again, the assassin returned to Masyaf, and spoke with Al Mualim. During this conversation, Altaïr reveals that de Naplouse named the Templar treasure – the [[Piece of Eden]] – that had been taken from de Sable.

Following this, Altaïr's quest continued; eventually learning that all those he had killed were joined by a common connection – all are members of the [[Knights Templar]]. After killing eight of the nine, Altaïr is directed to Jerusalem to assassinate the Grand Master of the Knights Templar himself, [[Robert de Sable]], who is attending the funeral Altaïr's previous target in the city, [[Majd Addin]]. At the funeral Altaïr is identified and engaged by Robert and his soldiers, but is eventually able to overpower and pin down Robert. Removing his helmet, Robert is revealed to be [[Maria|a decoy]] for Altaïr, so that Robert had had time to meet up with [[Richard the Lionheart|King Richard]] at Arsuf and there, convince the Crusaders and Saracens to join forces against the Asassins. Allowing the decoy to live, Altaïr returns to the Bureau and reveals to Malik, who by this time has regained his trust in Altaïr, the deception on Robert's part. He informs Malik that Robert has fled to Arsuf in his attempt to unite Crusader and Saracen against the Assassins, and that the deaths of the Nine were Robert's smoking gun.

[[Image:Robert.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Robert de Sable at Arsuf.]]
Making his way to Arsuf, Altaïr passes through the battlefield, engaging both the Saracen and Crusader armies before finally reaching Altaïr. Richard initially believes himself to be the assassin's next target, but is promptly told this is not the case. Telling Richard of Robert's plot to overthrow and rule the Holy Land, Richard allows God to decide the truth of the matter, and Altaïr is engaged by Robert's strongest Templar warriors; before finally engaging one another in person. Emerging victorious, Altaïr learns from Robert that Al Mualim was in fact a Templar, different only in that he did not wish to share the Piece of Eden with his nine brethren. Ensuring Richard that [[Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn]] also wants peace from the costly war, Altaïr returned to Masyaf to find the city in a hypnotic trance, and the assassins opposed to his presence.

Engaging the assassins', Altaïr kills many before he was finally overwhelmed; however, he was saved by the timely arrival of Malik and the Jerusalem based assassins. Making his way to the fortress, Altaïr learns that Al Mualim was responsible for using the Piece of Eden on the people of Masyaf. Al Mualim attempts to control Altaïr with the Piece of Eden, but fails, and the two engaged in battle. After fighting many illusions of both his former targets, and multiple copies of Al Mualim, Altaïr managed to strike down Al Mualim, ending the Piece of Eden's control over the people of Masyaf. As Al Mualim dies, he defends his actions as a means to an end-world peace- before finally challenging Altaïr's ability to destroy the Piece of Eden.

===''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''===
One month after the events of "Assassin's Creed", Altaïr was once again fights the Templar decoy from Jerusalem, learning her name to be Maria Thorpe. Interrogating her, Altaïr learnt that the death of Robert de Sable had routed Templars and sent them fleeing to Cyprus. Altaïr then decided to pursue them, and eliminate the remaining Templars; taking Maria with him. Meeting with the Cypriot assassins, Altaïr moved to eliminate the Templar leader on the island – [[Frederick the Red]] – who had hidden within [[Limassol]] Castle, and was successful. Returning to the Bureau, Altaïr found it to be under attack and Maria to have escaped. Liberating the bureau, Altaïr then moves to pursue Maria, catching up with her as she is arrested by the current Templar Grandmaster – [[Armand Bouchart]] – for conspiring with the assassins. Choosing to free Maria rather than eliminate Bouchart, Altaïr eliminates the Templar's guarding her but suffers her insults, his life being threatened in the process. Returning to the bureau in Limassol, Altaïr learns that Bouchart has left for [[Kyrenia]], and of Pirate Templars storing treasures on a 'Grand Ship'. Infiltraiting the 'Grand Ship', Altaïr finds the manifest to be obviously filled with errors and decided to investigate the matter further in Kyrenia. At first Maria attempts to flee, but eventually complies with Altaïr, and the two head to Kyrenia.

Arriving in Kyrenia, Maria manages to escape whilst Altaïr is distracted by two pirates, but is eventually recaptured when Altaïr catches up with her; finding her to have just been saved by pirates by members of the local resistance to Templar rule. Leaving Maria with the resistance, Altaïr is tasked to eliminate a traitor by the resistance leader [[Barnabas]]. Upon finding the traitor – a man named Jonas – Altaïr learns of a bounty on his head and that of his "consort", before killing the traitor. Altaïr returns to find Maria once again under attack, this time by Templar Knights. After eliminating the Templars, Altaïr is directed to eliminate fanatics in Kyrenia who are rioting over the death of Jonas, and eventually to kill the Templar Knight directing the ambushes, a soldier named Moloch. Maria warns Altaïr not to engage Moloch, for that he will not survive; Altaïr was not to be swayed.

Locating Moloch within a castle, Altaïr was very nearly killed when the Templar catches the assassin's hidden blade, but was eventually killed.

====The archives====
Returning to the bureau, Altaïr learns that Maria and the assassins had been captured by the Templar Shalim, the son of Moloch, and that Barnabas was merely a Templar impostor. Freeing the captured resistance warriors, Altaïr learns that the bureau leader of Limassol was also a Templar spy. Unnerved, Altaïr located Shalim in the city harbour; finding Maria there, disguised and preparing to infiltrate the castle of Saint Hilarion. Altaïr then decided to join her, and bursts into Shalim's room in the midst of Maria's conversation. It was then that Altaïr learnt Shalim to have a twin brother, Shahar, and the twins engage Altaïr in battle, Maria having fled. After killing the twins, Altaïr returned to the bureau and, upon hearing of the Templars' deserting Kyrenia, reasons that the Templar archive must be located in Limassol. Upon his arrival however, he finds the townsfolk to be once again rioting, and out for Altaïr's head. At one stage, Altaïr was forced to call upon the power of the Piece of Eden in order to convince the townsfolk that they had been lied to, subsequently saving his own life.

Events progress further, and eventually both Altaïr and Maria find themselves discussing the Templar plan for the Piece of Eden; although Maria is unsure that Altaïr is the right person to protect the Piece from the Templars. It is at this moment that they are ambushed by the Templars, are forced to flee into the tunnels beneath Limassol castle, stumbling upon the Templar archives in the process. Within the archive Altaïr engages and kills Bouchart, although he finds that during his travels in Kyrenia the Templars had managed to empty the archive of its treasures. Together, Altaïr and Maria flee the archive and watch as it collapses. The two then discuss their futures, with Maria disregarding the Templar way and Altaïr expressing his wish to explore the Piece of Eden for intellectual purposes. The two then leave together, heading east.

=== Legacy ===
Following the events that transpired in Cyprus Altaïr began to write his codex, and by this time both Altaïr and Maria are living with one another; she later bore at least two children with Altaïr. Exploring the Piece of Eden, Altaïr re-discovered many advance technologies, including the creation of a wrist mounted firearm and the make-up of a feather-light metal, which was weaved into his Grandmaster robes; the same robes that would later be worn by his descendant [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]. Altaïr later learnt that the Mongol conqueror [[Genghis Khan]] was in fact a member of the Templars, and he suspected him of possessing a Piece of Eden – the Sword. As such, Altaïr and his family moved to Mongolia so as to remove the Templar conqueror; although Altaïr was himself too old to assassinate Genghis Khan, and so the responsibility passed on to his sons.

The date and location of Altaïr's death remains unknown, although he continued to write the Codex up until the very end; in the last page of which, he remarked upon his temptation to use the Piece of Eden to extend his life, stating that he ''"[knew] the knowledge is [in] there."'' During the events of ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'', Altaïr is thought to have been dead for hundreds of years. His descendant, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, found the Codex and united it for the first time since his [[Domenico Auditore|great-grandfather]] had held it, and discovered it to have a secret map of the world, identifying the location of all the Pieces of Eden.

Ezio also managed to acquire the robes of Altaïr, Grandmaster of the Assassin’s Order, which had been hidden beneath the [[Villa Auditore]] by his great-grandfather, after locating the tombs of six famed Assassins; one of which belonged to [[Qulan Gal]], the assassin of Genghis Khan, and possibly son of Altaïr.

==Characteristics and personality==
[[File:SS5.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Altaïr free-running from rooftop to rooftop.]]
Altaïr is an ancestor of [[Desmond Miles]] and his memories are encoded into Miles' DNA. [[Abstergo Industries]] abducted Miles in order to use the [[Animus]] on him, which would decode his genetic structure and extract vital information from the memories of Altaïr, in a project bent on New World Order. Altaïr is a master assassin instructor, capable of extraordinary acrobatic feats, a master of social stealth, fully adept in the application of the deadly arts, and a member of the [[Assassins|Assassins' Order]].

Near the beginning of the game, Altaïr’s disregard for the Creed and subsequent failure to obtain the Piece of Eden not only lead to his severe demotion, but cost Malik his left arm, and Kadar his life. As his quest progresses Altaïr learns from the Nine, through their final words, of their justification for the deeds of which they commited and their shared allegiance to the Templar banner; his attitude changes and he becomes less impetuous, overconfident, and demanding, learning to read between the lines and perceive the actions of the world while drawing upon the teachings of the "Assassins Creed". By the end of his quest, his nature has changed completely, becoming calmer, more focused, and patient, with a higher wisdom of understanding.

Altaïr travels between the four cities – [[Jerusalem]], [[Masyaf]], [[Damascus]], and [[Acre]] – to kill his victims. His extensive knowledge in the deadly arts are without question at the level of an instructor, able to infiltrate any fortification completely unnoticed, brush shoulders with a primary assassination target without alerting them to his hostile presence and strike from any direction, a testament of his undeniable mastery over "Hiding in Plain Sight", showing his understanding of the "Assassin’s Creed" and the importance of the second [[tenet]].

Altaïr, bound by the second tenet of the "Assassins Creed" has mastered the ability to become one with the crowd, so that his deadly presence and approach is masked entirely from his intended target. His ability to blend in and appear as just another face in the crowd makes it much more possible to get in extremely close to a target and silently assassinate them using the Hidden Blade without alerting the immediate surrounding environment. Whether investigating or silently assassinating, Altaïr constantly remains anonymous out of nature, very briefly exposing himself to the public’s eye during his actual assassinations of "The Nine". Even public assassinations do not guarantee Altaïr's exposure however, as he is a Master Assassin, and is highly skilled in adapting to changing situations and the changing environment. Knowing all too well in how maintain control in the dangerous and constantly changing environment, Altaïr's possession of such sharp perception and skills carried over into how he read the crowd for any sign of danger.

[[File:SS7.jpg|thumb|260px|Altaïr watches the streets of Acre from a rooftop.]]
Altaïr's sharp sense of awareness aided him greatly during his quest to eliminate the Templars, both within the dangerous cities, and throughout the kingdom. Altaïr's acrobatic skills also helped in both assassination and escape; he used his skills to strike from many different directions, including from affront, above, and behind, when performing his assassinations. Altaïr's assassination expertise is unquestionable; being capable of appearing from the crowd unseen, quickly killing his target silently, before outrunning any who deigned to pursue him afterwards. In preparation for his strike, Altaïr stalks the district where his target resides, obtaining information on where and when he will be, so that his blade finds it mark. Using that knowledge better prepares him for the opportune moment to strike. Observing, and moving silently about the large crowds that usually gather within the kill zone, Altaïr strikes without flaw or mercy making him very efficient in the exact moment of the strike. Highly educated upon the politics involving the Crusaders and Saracens and their religious philosophies, this educational training also helped Altaïr in better understanding their territories, and the numerous factions within. It also gave him a better perspective on why his targets choose their paths in life, although he was not above questioning that which he did not understand. He also knows that the death of his targets help to ensure peace returns to the land.

Altaïr's social mastery ensures that low-profile kills performed while hiding amongst the crowd always succeed, allowing him to eliminate any guards patrolling the streets, although as his quest progressed and his arrival predicted, this became all the more difficult. However, regardless of his anomimity, Altaïr showed that, in combination with a mastery of social stealth and tracking knowledge, blending into the crowd to becoming simply another face, allowed Altaïr to carry out his assassination target investigations more easily. In doing so, he kept to the second tenet within the Creed, which called for anomimity in all things.

Altaïr's modest clothing also allowed him to disguise himself as a scholar of the Christian faith; permitting him entrance to several areas a normal citizen was not allowed; enabling him to close in on his target without raising suspicion. A lifetime of experience and training also permitted Altaïr a keen ability to predict the alertness of those guards around him, giving him time to adjust his mannerisms accordingly.

[[file:SS3.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Talal's follower is impaled]]
=== Equipment and skills ===
Like his fellow assassins, Altaïr is trained in hand to hand and weapons combat, blade throwing, climbing, urban acrobatics, eavesdropping, interrogation, and pick pocketing.

Altaïr's weapon of choice for assassinations – the Hidden Blade – a weapon similar to a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katara_(sword) katara], is mounted on the inside of his left hand gauntlet, and when deployed, extends between the space left by his amputated ring finger. He flicks a trigger on his small finger to extend the blade, and does so again to retract it. Altaïr is not restricted to just the Hidden Blade however; he also uses throwing knives, a sword, and a small blade, as well as his fists when the need arises. Altaïr also uses an ability called "Eagle Vision," a sort of sixth sense that lets him see the allegiances of those around him. When activated, his vision shows his enemies in red and his allies in blue. This vision also shows those citizens with information in white and his main targets in gold.

After the events of ''Assassin's Creed'' and ''Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines'', Altaïr dedicated more of his life to philosophical study – focusing upon the [[Piece of Eden]] – as opposed to actual assassination, showing himself to be a brilliant engineer and inventor. With the aid of the Piece of Eden, Altaïr was granted the foresight of advanced technological developments, which including upgrades to the Hidden Blade and the creation of a nearly impregnable, but lightweight metal that was imbued into his Master Assassin robes.

==Behind the Scenes==
The name Altaïr is an Arabic word, which means "The Flying One". In interviews, the game's producer, [[wikipedia:Jade_Raymond|Jade Raymond]] has stated that while in mid-air, Altaïr's shadow resembles that of an eagle. This is because of his attire, which includes a point at the tip of his hood which resembles the beak of an eagle, and a slit down the back of his robe, resembling the tail feathers. The second part of his name, Ibn-La'Ahad means 'son of no-one', reflecting his mysterious origins.

His appearance is remarkably similar to Desmond's, with only a few scars seeming to separate their appearances at first glance, although one of their most distinctive shared features is in fact a shared scar atop their upper lip; a feature Ezio also shares.

==Trivia==
*Jade Raymond, producer of ''Assassin's Creed'', revealed during an interview at the Ubidays 2007 that Altaïr was born to a Muslim father, and a Christian mother<ref>[http://www.gametrailers.com/video/ubidays-07-assassins-creed/19929 Ubidays 07 Jade Raymond Interview Pt. 2]</ref>.
* Altaïr also has three different voices throughout three of the Assassins Creed games. His voice in Assassins Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles sounded a bit higher and not as deep as the original Assassins Creed game. His voice in Assassins Creed Bloodlines had more of a Middle Eastern accent than the one in the original game.
* The Altaïr costume can be unlocked for Prince of Persia (2009). Users have to register at the Ubisoft Website and then link that account to an Xbox 360 Gamertag or PSN screen name.
* Altaïr's Outfit can also be used in Assassin's Creed 2. It can be unlocked via UPlay (it's actually the Altaïr skin used during the dream). Ezio's ring finger will also vanish when this armour is worn. Additionally Ezio can still perform double assassinations, even though Altaïr's outfit only has one hidden blade.  
* Altaïr's ability to blend with crowds and with scholars may seem hindered by his bright white clothes, which make him stick out, and the fact that he is heavily armed which could draw suspicion from guards, wielding a long sword and exposed throwing knives.  
* In the game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the player can unlock Altaïr's costume for the main character (Old Snake).  One can obtain it by either password or getting the assassin emblem on any difficulty. It is available on the second playthrough after you earn it.

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

{{AC}}

{{ACII}}
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles Characters|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed Characters|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines Characters|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]
[[Category:Assassins|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

2009-12-26T17:27:25Z

79.97.38.86: /* Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles */

{{Character Infobox
|name = Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
|image = Alta-assassins-creed.jpg
|imgdesc = A full body portrait of Altaïr.
|faction = [[Assassins]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'', ''[[AC: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'', ''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]'', ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' (Gameplay Chase Scene)
|period = Third Crusade
|voice = [[Philip Shahbaz]]
}}
{{dialogue|Al Mualim|Remember... nothing is true.|Altaïr|Everything is permitted.|Al Mualim and Altaïr at the Masyaf fortress}}
'''Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad''' (الطائر ابن لا أحد in [[wikipedia:Arabic|Arabic]]) (1166 - unknown) is the main protagonist in ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'', as well as the ancestor of [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] and [[Desmond Miles]]. A trained [[Assassin]], Altaïr was responsible for the near-destruction of the [[Knights Templar]] during the [[Third Crusade]], eventually becoming Grandmaster of the Assassin's Order following the death of [[Al Mualim]].

Altaïr continued to serve as an assassin until the end of his life, destroying the Templar presence on [[Cyprus]] before writing his famed [[Codex]]. He would later take his family east, to Mongolia, in the hopes of assassinating the Templar [[Genghis Khan]]; whom he suspected of possessing a [[Piece of Eden]].

==Biography==
=== Early Life ===
Altaïr was born to a multi-faith family, consisting of a Christian mother and Muslim father in 1166 AD. Early in his childhood his parents left [[Masyaf]] for reasons unknown, though Altaïr felt little sorrow over their departure. Prior to the events of the series, Altaïr was inducted in the [[Assassins|Assassins Order]] and trained under [[Al Mualim]], quickly rising through the ranks to become a "[[Master Assassin]]" by the year 1191.

Altaïr later stated in his [[Codex]] that he never felt a connection with his parents, and that when they left it was nothing more than "two strangers" departing; adding that it was Al Mualim that cared for him during that early stage in his life.

===''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''===
SOMETHING EPIC HAPPENED11!!!!!11¬!!!

===''[[Assassin's Creed]]''===
{{quote|A small sacrifice to save many. It is necessary.|Altaïr}}

In 1191, in the midst of the [[Third Crusade]] three Assassins – Altaïr, and the brothers [[Malik]] and [[Kadar]] – were sent by [[Al Mualim]] to explore the catacombs of the Temple Mount in [[Jerusalem]]; to receive an artifact the [[Knights Templar]] are searching for, and to deny them of it. After progressing through the catacombs, Altaïr breaks two of the tenets of the [[The Creed|Assassin's Creed]], confident in his mastery as an Assassin. Finally, upon seeing the arch-enemy of his Order – [[Robert de Sable]] – Altaïr attempts to slay the Templar Grandmaster, but is easily thwarted, and thrown from the temple, leaving Malik and Kadar trapped with the Templars. Upon returning to [[Masyaf]] Altaïr informs Al Mualim of his failure to acquire the Templar treasure and is lambasted, as this is occurring however Malik returns with the artifact, alone. Before any further action can be taken however the Templars attack Masyaf, taking the village and besieging the castle; Altaïr leads the defense of the castle, sneaking behind the Templar army and unleashing a torrent of felled tree logs; crushing the Templar army, before continuing into the village to remove the remaining Templar warriors. Once the attack was over however, the matters of his actions in the Temple Mount were addressed once again. Altaïr, having broken all three tenets of the Creed and failing to acquire the Templar treasure is deemed a failure, and traitor to the Creed; Al Mualim then stabs him in the stomach with a dagger, apparently killing him.

Following this, Altaïr wakes up from his 'sleep of the dead' and questions Al Mualim of his survival, the Grandmaster answering only that ''"…[Altaïr] saw only what [Al Mualim] wanted him to see…"''. Stripped of rank and possessions by Al Mualim, Altaïr was given a chance at redemption; starting as a novice once again, Altaïr was tasked to hunt down the traitor within Masyaf who had allowed the Templars entrance to Masyaf. Successful, Altaïr returns to Al Mualim and is rewarded with a rise in rank and the return of his [[Hidden Blade]] and longsword. Once again officially a member of the Order, Altaïr was then offered an exchange; the lives of nine men for his own.

[[File:Altairscreen.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Altaïr performs a leap of faith]]

====The Nine====
{{dialogue3|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…|A generous offer indeed. Have you any questions?|Only where I need begin.}}

Starting his quest, Altaïr is directed to the city of [[Damascus]], where he could locate his first target, the arms dealer and black market merchant [[Tamir]].
Upon his arrival, he traveled to the local [[Assassin's Bureau]] and asks permission to assassinate his target. The [[rafiq]] however, denies it, ordering Altaïr to first gather as much information as possible about his target. Disgruntled, Altaïr did as he was tasked, exploring the city's poor district, interrogating informants, pickpocketing Tamir's associates and eavesdropping on conversations around him; eventually learning the location of his target. Returning to the Bureau with this information, he received permission to assassinate Tamir, and a [[white feather]], to be wet in the victim's blood, as proof of the murder. Traveling to the plaza where Tamir is located, Altaïr witnesses Tamir slaying a business partner who had been unable to fulfill his order of weapons; and soon afterwards kills him whilst Tamir inspects the market stalls and criticises the work of his underlings. Returning to the Bureau, Altaïr is told to return to Al Mualim, who congratulates him by the accomplishment and rewards him a rank and part of his equipment back. Altaïr then left Masyaf for the other cities of the Holy Land, [[Jerusalem]] and [[Acre]].

[[File:SS11.jpg|thumb|right|280px|Altaïr chases [[Talal]] though the streets]]
Where Altaïr first travelled is unknown, however upon his arrival at the Assassin's Bureau in Jerusalem, Altaïr was harshly received by Malik, now a [[dai]] and head of the Bureau in the city, who treats him with open contempt. Malik voices his outrage that Altaïr was allowed to live, but follows the orders of Al Mualim and allows him to investigate his target. Acquiring the necessary information, Altaïr returned to Malik, who reluctantly gives permission for the kill. Altaïr then entered the slave complex of [[Talal]], so as to eliminate his target. Altaïr's arrival was anticipated however, and he was ambushed by Talal and his followers. Dispatching them, Altaïr chases Talal over the rooftops and through streets, before finally catching up with, and assassinating Talal. Altaïr returned to the Bureau, to Masyaf, and then moved to his next target.

In Acre, the location of his next target [[Garnier de Naplouse]], Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, Altaïr learns all that he can from the people of the district, before – with permission – moving against his target in the military hospital. Infiltrating Garnier's hospital, Altaïr watches his target tend to those who need caring, treating his patients with a concoctio of various herbs and medicines, before finally striking from the building's rafters. Fleeing the hospital through an upstairs window, a city wide alert is issued, although Altaïr was able to outlast it by hiding within the Bureau. Once again, the assassin returned to Masyaf, and spoke with Al Mualim. During this conversation, Altaïr reveals that de Naplouse named the Templar treasure – the [[Piece of Eden]] – that had been taken from de Sable.

Following this, Altaïr's quest continued; eventually learning that all those he had killed were joined by a common connection – all are members of the [[Knights Templar]]. After killing eight of the nine, Altaïr is directed to Jerusalem to assassinate the Grand Master of the Knights Templar himself, [[Robert de Sable]], who is attending the funeral Altaïr's previous target in the city, [[Majd Addin]]. At the funeral Altaïr is identified and engaged by Robert and his soldiers, but is eventually able to overpower and pin down Robert. Removing his helmet, Robert is revealed to be [[Maria|a decoy]] for Altaïr, so that Robert had had time to meet up with [[Richard the Lionheart|King Richard]] at Arsuf and there, convince the Crusaders and Saracens to join forces against the Asassins. Allowing the decoy to live, Altaïr returns to the Bureau and reveals to Malik, who by this time has regained his trust in Altaïr, the deception on Robert's part. He informs Malik that Robert has fled to Arsuf in his attempt to unite Crusader and Saracen against the Assassins, and that the deaths of the Nine were Robert's smoking gun.

[[Image:Robert.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Robert de Sable at Arsuf.]]
Making his way to Arsuf, Altaïr passes through the battlefield, engaging both the Saracen and Crusader armies before finally reaching Altaïr. Richard initially believes himself to be the assassin's next target, but is promptly told this is not the case. Telling Richard of Robert's plot to overthrow and rule the Holy Land, Richard allows God to decide the truth of the matter, and Altaïr is engaged by Robert's strongest Templar warriors; before finally engaging one another in person. Emerging victorious, Altaïr learns from Robert that Al Mualim was in fact a Templar, different only in that he did not wish to share the Piece of Eden with his nine brethren. Ensuring Richard that [[Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn]] also wants peace from the costly war, Altaïr returned to Masyaf to find the city in a hypnotic trance, and the assassins opposed to his presence.

Engaging the assassins', Altaïr kills many before he was finally overwhelmed; however, he was saved by the timely arrival of Malik and the Jerusalem based assassins. Making his way to the fortress, Altaïr learns that Al Mualim was responsible for using the Piece of Eden on the people of Masyaf. Al Mualim attempts to control Altaïr with the Piece of Eden, but fails, and the two engaged in battle. After fighting many illusions of both his former targets, and multiple copies of Al Mualim, Altaïr managed to strike down Al Mualim, ending the Piece of Eden's control over the people of Masyaf. As Al Mualim dies, he defends his actions as a means to an end-world peace- before finally challenging Altaïr's ability to destroy the Piece of Eden.

===''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''===
One month after the events of "Assassin's Creed", Altaïr was once again fights the Templar decoy from Jerusalem, learning her name to be Maria Thorpe. Interrogating her, Altaïr learnt that the death of Robert de Sable had routed Templars and sent them fleeing to Cyprus. Altaïr then decided to pursue them, and eliminate the remaining Templars; taking Maria with him. Meeting with the Cypriot assassins, Altaïr moved to eliminate the Templar leader on the island – [[Frederick the Red]] – who had hidden within [[Limassol]] Castle, and was successful. Returning to the Bureau, Altaïr found it to be under attack and Maria to have escaped. Liberating the bureau, Altaïr then moves to pursue Maria, catching up with her as she is arrested by the current Templar Grandmaster – [[Armand Bouchart]] – for conspiring with the assassins. Choosing to free Maria rather than eliminate Bouchart, Altaïr eliminates the Templar's guarding her but suffers her insults, his life being threatened in the process. Returning to the bureau in Limassol, Altaïr learns that Bouchart has left for [[Kyrenia]], and of Pirate Templars storing treasures on a 'Grand Ship'. Infiltraiting the 'Grand Ship', Altaïr finds the manifest to be obviously filled with errors and decided to investigate the matter further in Kyrenia. At first Maria attempts to flee, but eventually complies with Altaïr, and the two head to Kyrenia.

Arriving in Kyrenia, Maria manages to escape whilst Altaïr is distracted by two pirates, but is eventually recaptured when Altaïr catches up with her; finding her to have just been saved by pirates by members of the local resistance to Templar rule. Leaving Maria with the resistance, Altaïr is tasked to eliminate a traitor by the resistance leader [[Barnabas]]. Upon finding the traitor – a man named Jonas – Altaïr learns of a bounty on his head and that of his "consort", before killing the traitor. Altaïr returns to find Maria once again under attack, this time by Templar Knights. After eliminating the Templars, Altaïr is directed to eliminate fanatics in Kyrenia who are rioting over the death of Jonas, and eventually to kill the Templar Knight directing the ambushes, a soldier named Moloch. Maria warns Altaïr not to engage Moloch, for that he will not survive; Altaïr was not to be swayed.

Locating Moloch within a castle, Altaïr was very nearly killed when the Templar catches the assassin's hidden blade, but was eventually killed.

====The archives====
Returning to the bureau, Altaïr learns that Maria and the assassins had been captured by the Templar Shalim, the son of Moloch, and that Barnabas was merely a Templar impostor. Freeing the captured resistance warriors, Altaïr learns that the bureau leader of Limassol was also a Templar spy. Unnerved, Altaïr located Shalim in the city harbour; finding Maria there, disguised and preparing to infiltrate the castle of Saint Hilarion. Altaïr then decided to join her, and bursts into Shalim's room in the midst of Maria's conversation. It was then that Altaïr learnt Shalim to have a twin brother, Shahar, and the twins engage Altaïr in battle, Maria having fled. After killing the twins, Altaïr returned to the bureau and, upon hearing of the Templars' deserting Kyrenia, reasons that the Templar archive must be located in Limassol. Upon his arrival however, he finds the townsfolk to be once again rioting, and out for Altaïr's head. At one stage, Altaïr was forced to call upon the power of the Piece of Eden in order to convince the townsfolk that they had been lied to, subsequently saving his own life.

Events progress further, and eventually both Altaïr and Maria find themselves discussing the Templar plan for the Piece of Eden; although Maria is unsure that Altaïr is the right person to protect the Piece from the Templars. It is at this moment that they are ambushed by the Templars, are forced to flee into the tunnels beneath Limassol castle, stumbling upon the Templar archives in the process. Within the archive Altaïr engages and kills Bouchart, although he finds that during his travels in Kyrenia the Templars had managed to empty the archive of its treasures. Together, Altaïr and Maria flee the archive and watch as it collapses. The two then discuss their futures, with Maria disregarding the Templar way and Altaïr expressing his wish to explore the Piece of Eden for intellectual purposes. The two then leave together, heading east.

=== Legacy ===
Following the events that transpired in Cyprus Altaïr began to write his codex, and by this time both Altaïr and Maria are living with one another; she later bore at least two children with Altaïr. Exploring the Piece of Eden, Altaïr re-discovered many advance technologies, including the creation of a wrist mounted firearm and the make-up of a feather-light metal, which was weaved into his Grandmaster robes; the same robes that would later be worn by his descendant [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]. Altaïr later learnt that the Mongol conqueror [[Genghis Khan]] was in fact a member of the Templars, and he suspected him of possessing a Piece of Eden – the Sword. As such, Altaïr and his family moved to Mongolia so as to remove the Templar conqueror; although Altaïr was himself too old to assassinate Genghis Khan, and so the responsibility passed on to his sons.

The date and location of Altaïr's death remains unknown, although he continued to write the Codex up until the very end; in the last page of which, he remarked upon his temptation to use the Piece of Eden to extend his life, stating that he ''"[knew] the knowledge is [in] there."'' During the events of ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'', Altaïr is thought to have been dead for hundreds of years. His descendant, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, found the Codex and united it for the first time since his [[Domenico Auditore|great-grandfather]] had held it, and discovered it to have a secret map of the world, identifying the location of all the Pieces of Eden.

Ezio also managed to acquire the robes of Altaïr, Grandmaster of the Assassin’s Order, which had been hidden beneath the [[Villa Auditore]] by his great-grandfather, after locating the tombs of six famed Assassins; one of which belonged to [[Qulan Gal]], the assassin of Genghis Khan, and possibly son of Altaïr.

==Characteristics and personality==
[[File:SS5.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Altaïr free-running from rooftop to rooftop.]]
Altaïr is an ancestor of [[Desmond Miles]] and his memories are encoded into Miles' DNA. [[Abstergo Industries]] abducted Miles in order to use the [[Animus]] on him, which would decode his genetic structure and extract vital information from the memories of Altaïr, in a project bent on New World Order. Altaïr is a master assassin instructor, capable of extraordinary acrobatic feats, a master of social stealth, fully adept in the application of the deadly arts, and a member of the [[Assassins|Assassins' Order]].

Near the beginning of the game, Altaïr’s disregard for the Creed and subsequent failure to obtain the Piece of Eden not only lead to his severe demotion, but cost Malik his left arm, and Kadar his life. As his quest progresses Altaïr learns from the Nine, through their final words, of their justification for the deeds of which they commited and their shared allegiance to the Templar banner; his attitude changes and he becomes less impetuous, overconfident, and demanding, learning to read between the lines and perceive the actions of the world while drawing upon the teachings of the "Assassins Creed". By the end of his quest, his nature has changed completely, becoming calmer, more focused, and patient, with a higher wisdom of understanding.

Altaïr travels between the four cities – [[Jerusalem]], [[Masyaf]], [[Damascus]], and [[Acre]] – to kill his victims. His extensive knowledge in the deadly arts are without question at the level of an instructor, able to infiltrate any fortification completely unnoticed, brush shoulders with a primary assassination target without alerting them to his hostile presence and strike from any direction, a testament of his undeniable mastery over "Hiding in Plain Sight", showing his understanding of the "Assassin’s Creed" and the importance of the second [[tenet]].

Altaïr, bound by the second tenet of the "Assassins Creed" has mastered the ability to become one with the crowd, so that his deadly presence and approach is masked entirely from his intended target. His ability to blend in and appear as just another face in the crowd makes it much more possible to get in extremely close to a target and silently assassinate them using the Hidden Blade without alerting the immediate surrounding environment. Whether investigating or silently assassinating, Altaïr constantly remains anonymous out of nature, very briefly exposing himself to the public’s eye during his actual assassinations of "The Nine". Even public assassinations do not guarantee Altaïr's exposure however, as he is a Master Assassin, and is highly skilled in adapting to changing situations and the changing environment. Knowing all too well in how maintain control in the dangerous and constantly changing environment, Altaïr's possession of such sharp perception and skills carried over into how he read the crowd for any sign of danger.

[[File:SS7.jpg|thumb|260px|Altaïr watches the streets of Acre from a rooftop.]]
Altaïr's sharp sense of awareness aided him greatly during his quest to eliminate the Templars, both within the dangerous cities, and throughout the kingdom. Altaïr's acrobatic skills also helped in both assassination and escape; he used his skills to strike from many different directions, including from affront, above, and behind, when performing his assassinations. Altaïr's assassination expertise is unquestionable; being capable of appearing from the crowd unseen, quickly killing his target silently, before outrunning any who deigned to pursue him afterwards. In preparation for his strike, Altaïr stalks the district where his target resides, obtaining information on where and when he will be, so that his blade finds it mark. Using that knowledge better prepares him for the opportune moment to strike. Observing, and moving silently about the large crowds that usually gather within the kill zone, Altaïr strikes without flaw or mercy making him very efficient in the exact moment of the strike. Highly educated upon the politics involving the Crusaders and Saracens and their religious philosophies, this educational training also helped Altaïr in better understanding their territories, and the numerous factions within. It also gave him a better perspective on why his targets choose their paths in life, although he was not above questioning that which he did not understand. He also knows that the death of his targets help to ensure peace returns to the land.

Altaïr's social mastery ensures that low-profile kills performed while hiding amongst the crowd always succeed, allowing him to eliminate any guards patrolling the streets, although as his quest progressed and his arrival predicted, this became all the more difficult. However, regardless of his anomimity, Altaïr showed that, in combination with a mastery of social stealth and tracking knowledge, blending into the crowd to becoming simply another face, allowed Altaïr to carry out his assassination target investigations more easily. In doing so, he kept to the second tenet within the Creed, which called for anomimity in all things.

Altaïr's modest clothing also allowed him to disguise himself as a scholar of the Christian faith; permitting him entrance to several areas a normal citizen was not allowed; enabling him to close in on his target without raising suspicion. A lifetime of experience and training also permitted Altaïr a keen ability to predict the alertness of those guards around him, giving him time to adjust his mannerisms accordingly.

[[file:SS3.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Talal's follower is impaled]]
=== Equipment and skills ===
Like his fellow assassins, Altaïr is trained in hand to hand and weapons combat, blade throwing, climbing, urban acrobatics, eavesdropping, interrogation, and pick pocketing.

Altaïr's weapon of choice for assassinations – the Hidden Blade – a weapon similar to a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katara_(sword) katara], is mounted on the inside of his left hand gauntlet, and when deployed, extends between the space left by his amputated ring finger. He flicks a trigger on his small finger to extend the blade, and does so again to retract it. Altaïr is not restricted to just the Hidden Blade however; he also uses throwing knives, a sword, and a small blade, as well as his fists when the need arises. Altaïr also uses an ability called "Eagle Vision," a sort of sixth sense that lets him see the allegiances of those around him. When activated, his vision shows his enemies in red and his allies in blue. This vision also shows those citizens with information in white and his main targets in gold.

After the events of ''Assassin's Creed'' and ''Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines'', Altaïr dedicated more of his life to philosophical study – focusing upon the [[Piece of Eden]] – as opposed to actual assassination, showing himself to be a brilliant engineer and inventor. With the aid of the Piece of Eden, Altaïr was granted the foresight of advanced technological developments, which including upgrades to the Hidden Blade and the creation of a nearly impregnable, but lightweight metal that was imbued into his Master Assassin robes.

==Behind the Scenes==
The name Altaïr is an Arabic word, which means "The Flying One". In interviews, the game's producer, [[wikipedia:Jade_Raymond|Jade Raymond]] has stated that while in mid-air, Altaïr's shadow resembles that of an eagle. This is because of his attire, which includes a point at the tip of his hood which resembles the beak of an eagle, and a slit down the back of his robe, resembling the tail feathers. The second part of his name, Ibn-La'Ahad means 'son of no-one', reflecting his mysterious origins.

His appearance is remarkably similar to Desmond's, with only a few scars seeming to separate their appearances at first glance, although one of their most distinctive shared features is in fact a shared scar atop their upper lip; a feature Ezio also shares.

==Trivia==
*Jade Raymond, producer of ''Assassin's Creed'', revealed during an interview at the Ubidays 2007 that Altaïr was born to a Muslim father, and a Christian mother<ref>[http://www.gametrailers.com/video/ubidays-07-assassins-creed/19929 Ubidays 07 Jade Raymond Interview Pt. 2]</ref>.
* Altaïr also has three different voices throughout three of the Assassins Creed games. His voice in Assassins Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles sounded a bit higher and not as deep as the original Assassins Creed game. His voice in Assassins Creed Bloodlines had more of a Middle Eastern accent than the one in the original game.
* The Altaïr costume can be unlocked for Prince of Persia (2009). Users have to register at the Ubisoft Website and then link that account to an Xbox 360 Gamertag or PSN screen name.
* Altaïr's Outfit can also be used in Assassin's Creed 2. It can be unlocked via UPlay (it's actually the Altaïr skin used during the dream). Ezio's ring finger will also vanish when this armour is worn. Additionally Ezio can still perform double assassinations, even though Altaïr's outfit only has one hidden blade.  
* Altaïr's ability to blend with crowds and with scholars may seem hindered by his bright white clothes, which make him stick out, and the fact that he is heavily armed which could draw suspicion from guards, wielding a long sword and exposed throwing knives.  
* In the game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the player can unlock Altaïr's costume for the main character (Old Snake).  One can obtain it by either password or getting the assassin emblem on any difficulty. It is available on the second playthrough after you earn it.

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

{{AC}}

{{ACII}}
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles Characters|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed Characters|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines Characters|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]
[[Category:Assassins|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

2009-12-26T13:34:34Z

79.97.38.86: /* Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles */

{{Character Infobox
|name = Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
|image = Alta-assassins-creed.jpg
|imgdesc = A full body portrait of Altaïr.
|faction = [[Assassins]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'', ''[[AC: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'', ''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]'', ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' (Gameplay Chase Scene)
|period = Third Crusade
|voice = [[Philip Shahbaz]]
}}
{{dialogue|Al Mualim|Remember... nothing is true.|Altaïr|Everything is permitted.|Al Mualim and Altaïr at the Masyaf fortress}}
'''Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad''' (الطائر ابن لا أحد in [[wikipedia:Arabic|Arabic]]) (1166 - unknown) is the main protagonist in ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'', as well as the ancestor of [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] and [[Desmond Miles]]. A trained [[Assassin]], Altaïr was responsible for the near-destruction of the [[Knights Templar]] during the [[Third Crusade]], eventually becoming Grandmaster of the Assassin's Order following the death of [[Al Mualim]].

Altaïr continued to serve as an assassin until the end of his life, destroying the Templar presence on [[Cyprus]] before writing his famed [[Codex]]. He would later take his family east, to Mongolia, in the hopes of assassinating the Templar [[Genghis Khan]]; whom he suspected of possessing a [[Piece of Eden]].

==Biography==
=== Early Life ===
Altaïr was born to a multi-faith family, consisting of a Christian mother and Muslim father in 1166 AD. Early in his childhood his parents left [[Masyaf]] for reasons unknown, though Altaïr felt little sorrow over their departure. Prior to the events of the series, Altaïr was inducted in the [[Assassins|Assassins Order]] and trained under [[Al Mualim]], quickly rising through the ranks to become a "[[Master Assassin]]" by the year 1191.

Altaïr later stated in his [[Codex]] that he never felt a connection with his parents, and that when they left it was nothing more than "two strangers" departing; adding that it was Al Mualim that cared for him during that early stage in his life.

===''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''===
SOMETHING EPIC HAPPENED

===''[[Assassin's Creed]]''===
{{quote|A small sacrifice to save many. It is necessary.|Altaïr}}

In 1191, in the midst of the [[Third Crusade]] three Assassins – Altaïr, and the brothers [[Malik]] and [[Kadar]] – were sent by [[Al Mualim]] to explore the catacombs of the Temple Mount in [[Jerusalem]]; to receive an artifact the [[Knights Templar]] are searching for, and to deny them of it. After progressing through the catacombs, Altaïr breaks two of the tenets of the [[The Creed|Assassin's Creed]], confident in his mastery as an Assassin. Finally, upon seeing the arch-enemy of his Order – [[Robert de Sable]] – Altaïr attempts to slay the Templar Grandmaster, but is easily thwarted, and thrown from the temple, leaving Malik and Kadar trapped with the Templars. Upon returning to [[Masyaf]] Altaïr informs Al Mualim of his failure to acquire the Templar treasure and is lambasted, as this is occurring however Malik returns with the artifact, alone. Before any further action can be taken however the Templars attack Masyaf, taking the village and besieging the castle; Altaïr leads the defense of the castle, sneaking behind the Templar army and unleashing a torrent of felled tree logs; crushing the Templar army, before continuing into the village to remove the remaining Templar warriors. Once the attack was over however, the matters of his actions in the Temple Mount were addressed once again. Altaïr, having broken all three tenets of the Creed and failing to acquire the Templar treasure is deemed a failure, and traitor to the Creed; Al Mualim then stabs him in the stomach with a dagger, apparently killing him.

Following this, Altaïr wakes up from his 'sleep of the dead' and questions Al Mualim of his survival, the Grandmaster answering only that ''"…[Altaïr] saw only what [Al Mualim] wanted him to see…"''. Stripped of rank and possessions by Al Mualim, Altaïr was given a chance at redemption; starting as a novice once again, Altaïr was tasked to hunt down the traitor within Masyaf who had allowed the Templars entrance to Masyaf. Successful, Altaïr returns to Al Mualim and is rewarded with a rise in rank and the return of his [[Hidden Blade]] and longsword. Once again officially a member of the Order, Altaïr was then offered an exchange; the lives of nine men for his own.

[[File:Altairscreen.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Altaïr performs a leap of faith]]

====The Nine====
{{dialogue3|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…|A generous offer indeed. Have you any questions?|Only where I need begin.}}

Starting his quest, Altaïr is directed to the city of [[Damascus]], where he could locate his first target, the arms dealer and black market merchant [[Tamir]].
Upon his arrival, he traveled to the local [[Assassin's Bureau]] and asks permission to assassinate his target. The [[rafiq]] however, denies it, ordering Altaïr to first gather as much information as possible about his target. Disgruntled, Altaïr did as he was tasked, exploring the city's poor district, interrogating informants, pickpocketing Tamir's associates and eavesdropping on conversations around him; eventually learning the location of his target. Returning to the Bureau with this information, he received permission to assassinate Tamir, and a [[white feather]], to be wet in the victim's blood, as proof of the murder. Traveling to the plaza where Tamir is located, Altaïr witnesses Tamir slaying a business partner who had been unable to fulfill his order of weapons; and soon afterwards kills him whilst Tamir inspects the market stalls and criticises the work of his underlings. Returning to the Bureau, Altaïr is told to return to Al Mualim, who congratulates him by the accomplishment and rewards him a rank and part of his equipment back. Altaïr then left Masyaf for the other cities of the Holy Land, [[Jerusalem]] and [[Acre]].

[[File:SS11.jpg|thumb|right|280px|Altaïr chases [[Talal]] though the streets]]
Where Altaïr first travelled is unknown, however upon his arrival at the Assassin's Bureau in Jerusalem, Altaïr was harshly received by Malik, now a [[dai]] and head of the Bureau in the city, who treats him with open contempt. Malik voices his outrage that Altaïr was allowed to live, but follows the orders of Al Mualim and allows him to investigate his target. Acquiring the necessary information, Altaïr returned to Malik, who reluctantly gives permission for the kill. Altaïr then entered the slave complex of [[Talal]], so as to eliminate his target. Altaïr's arrival was anticipated however, and he was ambushed by Talal and his followers. Dispatching them, Altaïr chases Talal over the rooftops and through streets, before finally catching up with, and assassinating Talal. Altaïr returned to the Bureau, to Masyaf, and then moved to his next target.

In Acre, the location of his next target [[Garnier de Naplouse]], Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, Altaïr learns all that he can from the people of the district, before – with permission – moving against his target in the military hospital. Infiltrating Garnier's hospital, Altaïr watches his target tend to those who need caring, treating his patients with a concoctio of various herbs and medicines, before finally striking from the building's rafters. Fleeing the hospital through an upstairs window, a city wide alert is issued, although Altaïr was able to outlast it by hiding within the Bureau. Once again, the assassin returned to Masyaf, and spoke with Al Mualim. During this conversation, Altaïr reveals that de Naplouse named the Templar treasure – the [[Piece of Eden]] – that had been taken from de Sable.

Following this, Altaïr's quest continued; eventually learning that all those he had killed were joined by a common connection – all are members of the [[Knights Templar]]. After killing eight of the nine, Altaïr is directed to Jerusalem to assassinate the Grand Master of the Knights Templar himself, [[Robert de Sable]], who is attending the funeral Altaïr's previous target in the city, [[Majd Addin]]. At the funeral Altaïr is identified and engaged by Robert and his soldiers, but is eventually able to overpower and pin down Robert. Removing his helmet, Robert is revealed to be [[Maria|a decoy]] for Altaïr, so that Robert had had time to meet up with [[Richard the Lionheart|King Richard]] at Arsuf and there, convince the Crusaders and Saracens to join forces against the Asassins. Allowing the decoy to live, Altaïr returns to the Bureau and reveals to Malik, who by this time has regained his trust in Altaïr, the deception on Robert's part. He informs Malik that Robert has fled to Arsuf in his attempt to unite Crusader and Saracen against the Assassins, and that the deaths of the Nine were Robert's smoking gun.

[[Image:Robert.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Robert de Sable at Arsuf.]]
Making his way to Arsuf, Altaïr passes through the battlefield, engaging both the Saracen and Crusader armies before finally reaching Altaïr. Richard initially believes himself to be the assassin's next target, but is promptly told this is not the case. Telling Richard of Robert's plot to overthrow and rule the Holy Land, Richard allows God to decide the truth of the matter, and Altaïr is engaged by Robert's strongest Templar warriors; before finally engaging one another in person. Emerging victorious, Altaïr learns from Robert that Al Mualim was in fact a Templar, different only in that he did not wish to share the Piece of Eden with his nine brethren. Ensuring Richard that [[Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn]] also wants peace from the costly war, Altaïr returned to Masyaf to find the city in a hypnotic trance, and the assassins opposed to his presence.

Engaging the assassins', Altaïr kills many before he was finally overwhelmed; however, he was saved by the timely arrival of Malik and the Jerusalem based assassins. Making his way to the fortress, Altaïr learns that Al Mualim was responsible for using the Piece of Eden on the people of Masyaf. Al Mualim attempts to control Altaïr with the Piece of Eden, but fails, and the two engaged in battle. After fighting many illusions of both his former targets, and multiple copies of Al Mualim, Altaïr managed to strike down Al Mualim, ending the Piece of Eden's control over the people of Masyaf. As Al Mualim dies, he defends his actions as a means to an end-world peace- before finally challenging Altaïr's ability to destroy the Piece of Eden.

===''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''===
One month after the events of "Assassin's Creed", Altaïr was once again fights the Templar decoy from Jerusalem, learning her name to be Maria Thorpe. Interrogating her, Altaïr learnt that the death of Robert de Sable had routed Templars and sent them fleeing to Cyprus. Altaïr then decided to pursue them, and eliminate the remaining Templars; taking Maria with him. Meeting with the Cypriot assassins, Altaïr moved to eliminate the Templar leader on the island – [[Frederick the Red]] – who had hidden within [[Limassol]] Castle, and was successful. Returning to the Bureau, Altaïr found it to be under attack and Maria to have escaped. Liberating the bureau, Altaïr then moves to pursue Maria, catching up with her as she is arrested by the current Templar Grandmaster – [[Armand Bouchart]] – for conspiring with the assassins. Choosing to free Maria rather than eliminate Bouchart, Altaïr eliminates the Templar's guarding her but suffers her insults, his life being threatened in the process. Returning to the bureau in Limassol, Altaïr learns that Bouchart has left for [[Kyrenia]], and of Pirate Templars storing treasures on a 'Grand Ship'. Infiltraiting the 'Grand Ship', Altaïr finds the manifest to be obviously filled with errors and decided to investigate the matter further in Kyrenia. At first Maria attempts to flee, but eventually complies with Altaïr, and the two head to Kyrenia.

Arriving in Kyrenia, Maria manages to escape whilst Altaïr is distracted by two pirates, but is eventually recaptured when Altaïr catches up with her; finding her to have just been saved by pirates by members of the local resistance to Templar rule. Leaving Maria with the resistance, Altaïr is tasked to eliminate a traitor by the resistance leader [[Barnabas]]. Upon finding the traitor – a man named Jonas – Altaïr learns of a bounty on his head and that of his "consort", before killing the traitor. Altaïr returns to find Maria once again under attack, this time by Templar Knights. After eliminating the Templars, Altaïr is directed to eliminate fanatics in Kyrenia who are rioting over the death of Jonas, and eventually to kill the Templar Knight directing the ambushes, a soldier named Moloch. Maria warns Altaïr not to engage Moloch, for that he will not survive; Altaïr was not to be swayed.

Locating Moloch within a castle, Altaïr was very nearly killed when the Templar catches the assassin's hidden blade, but was eventually killed.

====The archives====
Returning to the bureau, Altaïr learns that Maria and the assassins had been captured by the Templar Shalim, the son of Moloch, and that Barnabas was merely a Templar impostor. Freeing the captured resistance warriors, Altaïr learns that the bureau leader of Limassol was also a Templar spy. Unnerved, Altaïr located Shalim in the city harbour; finding Maria there, disguised and preparing to infiltrate the castle of Saint Hilarion. Altaïr then decided to join her, and bursts into Shalim's room in the midst of Maria's conversation. It was then that Altaïr learnt Shalim to have a twin brother, Shahar, and the twins engage Altaïr in battle, Maria having fled. After killing the twins, Altaïr returned to the bureau and, upon hearing of the Templars' deserting Kyrenia, reasons that the Templar archive must be located in Limassol. Upon his arrival however, he finds the townsfolk to be once again rioting, and out for Altaïr's head. At one stage, Altaïr was forced to call upon the power of the Piece of Eden in order to convince the townsfolk that they had been lied to, subsequently saving his own life.

Events progress further, and eventually both Altaïr and Maria find themselves discussing the Templar plan for the Piece of Eden; although Maria is unsure that Altaïr is the right person to protect the Piece from the Templars. It is at this moment that they are ambushed by the Templars, are forced to flee into the tunnels beneath Limassol castle, stumbling upon the Templar archives in the process. Within the archive Altaïr engages and kills Bouchart, although he finds that during his travels in Kyrenia the Templars had managed to empty the archive of its treasures. Together, Altaïr and Maria flee the archive and watch as it collapses. The two then discuss their futures, with Maria disregarding the Templar way and Altaïr expressing his wish to explore the Piece of Eden for intellectual purposes. The two then leave together, heading east.

=== Legacy ===
Following the events that transpired in Cyprus Altaïr began to write his codex, and by this time both Altaïr and Maria are living with one another; she later bore at least two children with Altaïr. Exploring the Piece of Eden, Altaïr re-discovered many advance technologies, including the creation of a wrist mounted firearm and the make-up of a feather-light metal, which was weaved into his Grandmaster robes; the same robes that would later be worn by his descendant [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]. Altaïr later learnt that the Mongol conqueror [[Genghis Khan]] was in fact a member of the Templars, and he suspected him of possessing a Piece of Eden – the Sword. As such, Altaïr and his family moved to Mongolia so as to remove the Templar conqueror; although Altaïr was himself too old to assassinate Genghis Khan, and so the responsibility passed on to his sons.

The date and location of Altaïr's death remains unknown, although he continued to write the Codex up until the very end; in the last page of which, he remarked upon his temptation to use the Piece of Eden to extend his life, stating that he ''"[knew] the knowledge is [in] there."'' During the events of ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'', Altaïr is thought to have been dead for hundreds of years. His descendant, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, found the Codex and united it for the first time since his [[Domenico Auditore|great-grandfather]] had held it, and discovered it to have a secret map of the world, identifying the location of all the Pieces of Eden.

Ezio also managed to acquire the robes of Altaïr, Grandmaster of the Assassin’s Order, which had been hidden beneath the [[Villa Auditore]] by his great-grandfather, after locating the tombs of six famed Assassins; one of which belonged to [[Qulan Gal]], the assassin of Genghis Khan, and possibly son of Altaïr.

==Characteristics and personality==
[[File:SS5.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Altaïr free-running from rooftop to rooftop.]]
Altaïr is an ancestor of [[Desmond Miles]] and his memories are encoded into Miles' DNA. [[Abstergo Industries]] abducted Miles in order to use the [[Animus]] on him, which would decode his genetic structure and extract vital information from the memories of Altaïr, in a project bent on New World Order. Altaïr is a master assassin instructor, capable of extraordinary acrobatic feats, a master of social stealth, fully adept in the application of the deadly arts, and a member of the [[Assassins|Assassins' Order]].

Near the beginning of the game, Altaïr’s disregard for the Creed and subsequent failure to obtain the Piece of Eden not only lead to his severe demotion, but cost Malik his left arm, and Kadar his life. As his quest progresses Altaïr learns from the Nine, through their final words, of their justification for the deeds of which they commited and their shared allegiance to the Templar banner; his attitude changes and he becomes less impetuous, overconfident, and demanding, learning to read between the lines and perceive the actions of the world while drawing upon the teachings of the "Assassins Creed". By the end of his quest, his nature has changed completely, becoming calmer, more focused, and patient, with a higher wisdom of understanding.

Altaïr travels between the four cities – [[Jerusalem]], [[Masyaf]], [[Damascus]], and [[Acre]] – to kill his victims. His extensive knowledge in the deadly arts are without question at the level of an instructor, able to infiltrate any fortification completely unnoticed, brush shoulders with a primary assassination target without alerting them to his hostile presence and strike from any direction, a testament of his undeniable mastery over "Hiding in Plain Sight", showing his understanding of the "Assassin’s Creed" and the importance of the second [[tenet]].

Altaïr, bound by the second tenet of the "Assassins Creed" has mastered the ability to become one with the crowd, so that his deadly presence and approach is masked entirely from his intended target. His ability to blend in and appear as just another face in the crowd makes it much more possible to get in extremely close to a target and silently assassinate them using the Hidden Blade without alerting the immediate surrounding environment. Whether investigating or silently assassinating, Altaïr constantly remains anonymous out of nature, very briefly exposing himself to the public’s eye during his actual assassinations of "The Nine". Even public assassinations do not guarantee Altaïr's exposure however, as he is a Master Assassin, and is highly skilled in adapting to changing situations and the changing environment. Knowing all too well in how maintain control in the dangerous and constantly changing environment, Altaïr's possession of such sharp perception and skills carried over into how he read the crowd for any sign of danger.

[[File:SS7.jpg|thumb|260px|Altaïr watches the streets of Acre from a rooftop.]]
Altaïr's sharp sense of awareness aided him greatly during his quest to eliminate the Templars, both within the dangerous cities, and throughout the kingdom. Altaïr's acrobatic skills also helped in both assassination and escape; he used his skills to strike from many different directions, including from affront, above, and behind, when performing his assassinations. Altaïr's assassination expertise is unquestionable; being capable of appearing from the crowd unseen, quickly killing his target silently, before outrunning any who deigned to pursue him afterwards. In preparation for his strike, Altaïr stalks the district where his target resides, obtaining information on where and when he will be, so that his blade finds it mark. Using that knowledge better prepares him for the opportune moment to strike. Observing, and moving silently about the large crowds that usually gather within the kill zone, Altaïr strikes without flaw or mercy making him very efficient in the exact moment of the strike. Highly educated upon the politics involving the Crusaders and Saracens and their religious philosophies, this educational training also helped Altaïr in better understanding their territories, and the numerous factions within. It also gave him a better perspective on why his targets choose their paths in life, although he was not above questioning that which he did not understand. He also knows that the death of his targets help to ensure peace returns to the land.

Altaïr's social mastery ensures that low-profile kills performed while hiding amongst the crowd always succeed, allowing him to eliminate any guards patrolling the streets, although as his quest progressed and his arrival predicted, this became all the more difficult. However, regardless of his anomimity, Altaïr showed that, in combination with a mastery of social stealth and tracking knowledge, blending into the crowd to becoming simply another face, allowed Altaïr to carry out his assassination target investigations more easily. In doing so, he kept to the second tenet within the Creed, which called for anomimity in all things.

Altaïr's modest clothing also allowed him to disguise himself as a scholar of the Christian faith; permitting him entrance to several areas a normal citizen was not allowed; enabling him to close in on his target without raising suspicion. A lifetime of experience and training also permitted Altaïr a keen ability to predict the alertness of those guards around him, giving him time to adjust his mannerisms accordingly.

[[file:SS3.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Talal's follower is impaled]]
=== Equipment and skills ===
Like his fellow assassins, Altaïr is trained in hand to hand and weapons combat, blade throwing, climbing, urban acrobatics, eavesdropping, interrogation, and pick pocketing.

Altaïr's weapon of choice for assassinations – the Hidden Blade – a weapon similar to a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katara_(sword) katara], is mounted on the inside of his left hand gauntlet, and when deployed, extends between the space left by his amputated ring finger. He flicks a trigger on his small finger to extend the blade, and does so again to retract it. Altaïr is not restricted to just the Hidden Blade however; he also uses throwing knives, a sword, and a small blade, as well as his fists when the need arises. Altaïr also uses an ability called "Eagle Vision," a sort of sixth sense that lets him see the allegiances of those around him. When activated, his vision shows his enemies in red and his allies in blue. This vision also shows those citizens with information in white and his main targets in gold.

After the events of ''Assassin's Creed'' and ''Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines'', Altaïr dedicated more of his life to philosophical study – focusing upon the [[Piece of Eden]] – as opposed to actual assassination, showing himself to be a brilliant engineer and inventor. With the aid of the Piece of Eden, Altaïr was granted the foresight of advanced technological developments, which including upgrades to the Hidden Blade and the creation of a nearly impregnable, but lightweight metal that was imbued into his Master Assassin robes.

==Behind the Scenes==
The name Altaïr is an Arabic word, which means "The Flying One". In interviews, the game's producer, [[wikipedia:Jade_Raymond|Jade Raymond]] has stated that while in mid-air, Altaïr's shadow resembles that of an eagle. This is because of his attire, which includes a point at the tip of his hood which resembles the beak of an eagle, and a slit down the back of his robe, resembling the tail feathers. The second part of his name, Ibn-La'Ahad means 'son of no-one', reflecting his mysterious origins.

His appearance is remarkably similar to Desmond's, with only a few scars seeming to separate their appearances at first glance, although one of their most distinctive shared features is in fact a shared scar atop their upper lip; a feature Ezio also shares.

==Trivia==
*Jade Raymond, producer of ''Assassin's Creed'', revealed during an interview at the Ubidays 2007 that Altaïr was born to a Muslim father, and a Christian mother<ref>[http://www.gametrailers.com/video/ubidays-07-assassins-creed/19929 Ubidays 07 Jade Raymond Interview Pt. 2]</ref>.
* Altaïr also has three different voices throughout three of the Assassins Creed games. His voice in Assassins Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles sounded a bit higher and not as deep as the original Assassins Creed game. His voice in Assassins Creed Bloodlines had more of a Middle Eastern accent than the one in the original game.
* The Altaïr costume can be unlocked for Prince of Persia (2009). Users have to register at the Ubisoft Website and then link that account to an Xbox 360 Gamertag or PSN screen name.
* Altaïr's Outfit can also be used in Assassin's Creed 2. It can be unlocked via UPlay (it's actually the Altaïr skin used during the dream). Ezio's ring finger will also vanish when this armour is worn. Additionally Ezio can still perform double assassinations, even though Altaïr's outfit only has one hidden blade.  
* Altaïr's ability to blend with crowds and with scholars may seem hindered by his bright white clothes, which make him stick out, and the fact that he is heavily armed which could draw suspicion from guards, wielding a long sword and exposed throwing knives.  
* In the game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the player can unlock Altaïr's costume for the main character (Old Snake).  One can obtain it by either password or getting the assassin emblem on any difficulty. It is available on the second playthrough after you earn it.

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

{{AC}}

{{ACII}}
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles Characters|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed Characters|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines Characters|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]
[[Category:Assassins|Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr]]