Majd Addin

"Of course not! I killed them because I could, because it was fun! Do you know what it feels like, to determine another man's fate? And did you see the way the people cheered? The way they feared me? I was like a God! You'd have done the same if you could. Such power!"

―Majd Addin.

Majd Addin (c. 1130s – 1191) was the Saracen regent of Jerusalem and a member of the Levantine Templars. Having risen from the status of a mere scribe to his position as regent, he ruled the city's citizens through fear and intimidation while operating from Jerusalem's Poor District.

Majd Addin was the sixth target assigned to the Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, in his pursuit of redemption, as part of a wider purge of all the Templar leaders. Like his fellow Templar brothers, his death was mandated by the Assassin leader Al Mualim, who sought to secure the Apple of Eden by eliminating those privy to the Templars' secret alliance.

Biography

Rise to power

"Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn's absence left the city without a proper leader and Majd Addin has appointed himself to play the role."

―Malik describing Majd's power.

Originally a mere scribe, Majd Addin eventually became a member of the Templar Order and became aware of the Apple of Eden. Alongside his Templar brothers, he intended to use the artifact to create a new world, receiving clandestine payments and deliveries from his fellow Templar Abu'l Nuqoud to further their shared cause. Following his induction into the Order, Addin rose to the regency of Jerusalem through nefarious means, ascending to the position after every individual previously appointed in Salāḥ ad-Dīn's stead met with a mysterious and untimely end. These "accidents" led many within the city to suspect that Addin was responsible for his predecessors' fates in order to seize power for the Templars.

Utilizing the absence of Salāḥ ad-Dīn, Addin took control of the city and ruled through fear and intimidation from his seat in the Poor District. He employed a "veil" of religious righteousness to justify his reign, using heralds to proclaim that he was returning the citizens to a "proper course" through the strict enforcement of God's law. By demanding that even minor transgressions be reported, he effectively reversed Salāḥ ad-Dīn's long-standing policy of tolerance, instead purging anyone he labeled as "wicked".

To maintain his grip on Jerusalem, Addin held mock trials for perceived enemies of the city, often framing innocents or exaggerating crimes to ensure a death sentence. These public executions served to silence dissent and discourage any potential uprisings. Despite his claims of working for the greater good, Addin was a sadist who took personal pleasure in the act of execution, famously remarking that the power to determine another's fate made him feel like a god.

Death

"Not so innocent. Dissident voices cut deep as steel. They disrupt order. In this, I do agree with the Brotherhood."

―Majd about the people he attempted to execute.

In 1191, Altaïr traveled to Jerusalem's Poor District to begin his investigation into Majd Addin. He soon discovered that a public execution was imminent and that a local citizen named Ahmad was planning a desperate intervention to save his son from the scaffold. Upon visiting the city's Assassin bureau, the Dai Malik Al-Sayf informed Altaïr that one of the prisoners was actually a member of the Assassin Brotherhood. Malik tasked Altaïr with eliminating Majd Addin before the execution could be completed, ensuring the safety of their Brother.

During the public execution, Majd Addin presided over the judgment of four prisoners: a woman accused of being a prostitute, a gambler, a thief, and the captured Assassin. The proceedings were interrupted when Ahmad and another civilian attempted to storm the stage, but they were ruthlessly cut down by archers and guards. Unfazed, Addin continued his morbid spectacle, beginning with the woman. Despite her protest that she had been condemned solely for refusing Addin's advances, he executed her, claiming she continued to lie even in the face of death. He then wordlessly killed the gambler, who had accused Addin of being the true corruption in the city, before turning to the alleged thief. Though the man argued he had merely picked up a single dinar from the ground, Addin dismissed his plea and executed him to "prevent" further crime.

Altaïr assassinating Majd Addin

Before Majd Addin could execute the final prisoner, Altaïr maneuvered through the crowd and onto the stage, fatally stabbing the regent with his Hidden Blade. This distraction allowed other Assassins to intervene and rescue their imprisoned Brother. In his final moments, Addin abandoned his veil of righteousness, confessing that he sought the regency purely for the pleasure of exercising power and instilling fear. He claimed that anyone in his position, including Altaïr, would have done the same—a notion the Assassin rejected before delivering a final, killing blow. Altaïr then took his blood with a feather to confirm the kill to Malik.

Following his death, Majd Addin was buried in a cemetery in Jerusalem. His funeral was attended by both Saracens and Crusaders, including the Templar Grand Master Robert de Sablé. Altaïr attended the service to assassinate de Sablé, observing that the nobles' displays of grief were largely performative. However, the event proved to be an ambush; Robert, anticipating an attack, had sent Maria Thorpe to act as a decoy in his place.

Personality and traits

"Fear and intimidation get him what he wants."

―Malik on Majd.

Majd Addin addressing the crowd

Majd Addin was an egotistical and power-hungry individual who thrived on the fear he instilled in others. His desire for power led him to join the Templar Order, viewing their influence as an opportunity to elevate his own station from that of a mere scribe. Unlike some of his brethren who sought to justify their actions through noble ends, Addin was a sadist who took personal pleasure in the act of murder, openly admitting that he killed "because I could, because it was fun!"

Addin possessed a god complex, believing that the power to determine the fate of another granted him a divine status. A proficient and manipulative orator, he employed a "veil" of religious righteousness to frame his executions as a necessary purge of the "wicked" to return the city to a "proper course." Through his heralds and public lectures, he convinced the populace that his mock trials were acts of God's will, effectively using the law as a weapon to silence dissident voices and maintain absolute control.

At the moment of his death, Addin did not attempt to claim his deeds were for a higher cause; instead, he confessed that he joined the Templars purely for the power and fear such a position granted. He remained unrepentant until the end, viewing the cheers of the crowd and the terror of the citizens as validation of his god-like authority.

Trivia

• Majd Addin ("glory of the faith") may be very loosely based on a man named Bahā' ad-Dīn ibn Shaddād ("splendor of the faith"), who was close to Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn and wrote a biography of the great Saracen military leader and sultan.
• Alternatively, he may be based on Majd al-Din Mubārak, an emir and former deputy of Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn's elder brother Shams ad-Din Turanshah in the city of Zabid, Yemen who was arrested in 1181 by Saladin's confidants for the misappropriation of revenue in the wake of Turan-Shah's passing but was pardoned by Saladin afterwards.
• In one of Altaïr's investigations, it was revealed that Majd Addin was once the scribe of the emir, wherein Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn was the Emir or Sultan at this time.
• Malik told Altaïr that Majd Addin had "declared himself Regent in Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn's absence." However, when eavesdropping on some civilians—particularly the father of one of those to be executed—it becomes clear that the people were under the impression that Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn himself had appointed Majd Addin as Regent.
• If allowed, Majd Addin would execute the Assassin in a far more brutal manner than what he would do to the other three. He would execute the first two with a simple slash of his sword, and impale the third, but when he got to the Assassin, Addin would impale him and then shift the blade around inside his body.
  • If the other Assassin is executed, Altaïr would slowly lose synchronization bars until he assassinated Majd Addin, or desynchronized.
• Majd Addin was one of only four targets in the series who required multiple stabs of the Hidden Blade to die—once during gameplay, and another in the Memory Corridor. The other three were Checco Orsi in Assassin's Creed II, Shahkulu in Assassin's Creed: Revelations and Edward Braddock in Assassin's Creed III.
• Majd is one of the five targets of the original game that have personal bodyguards; the others are Tamir, Abu'l Nuqoud, Talal and Jubair al Hakim.
• In the non-canonical mobile game adaptation of Assassin's Creed, he is called "Maj Aldim". Rather than being a Saracen, he is dressed in the battle armor and surcoat of the Knights Templar. He fights Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad in Jerusalem with a crossbow, which he principally fires down on him from above on top of metal platforms. To damage him, Altaïr strikes the gears controlling the platforms to cause them to spin, causing him to drop to the ground. The scenario is repeated several times—with Maj Aldim launching bolts that unleash waves of destructive energy upon impacting the ground once he loses more than a quarter of his health—until he is killed. Altaïr then retrieves his crossbow for his own use afterwards.

Gallery

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  Majd Addin's character model by Michel Thibault
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  Character models of Majd Addin's personal guard
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  Assassin's Creed: Memories art of Majd Addin
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  Memories art of Majd Addin at a hanging
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  Majd Addin arriving at the execution
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  Majd Addin's final moments
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  Altaïr delivering the final blow to Majd Addin

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade
• Assassin's Creed: Memories