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{{Era|AC2|Assassins}}
{{Era|Organizations|Assassins}}
{{Stub}}
{{Merge|[[Hidden Ones of Alamut]]}}
[[File:Insignia 4.png|thumb|The Persian Assassin insignia]]
{{Faction Infobox
The '''Persian Brotherhood of Assassins''' was the branch of [[Assassins]] located in the [[Iran|Persian Empire]] during the 5th century BCE.
|image = Insignia 4.png
|founder =
|leader = [[Mentor]]
|headquarters = [[Alamut]]
|locations = [[Iran]]
|parent = [[Assassins|Hidden Ones]] {{c|until 1090 CE}}<br>[[Assassins]] {{c|after 1090}}
|predecessor = [[Protectors of Persia]]
|formed =
|collapsed =
}}
The '''Persian Brotherhood of Assassins'''<ref name="The Essential Guide">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide]]''</ref> was the branch of [[Assassins]] that operated in [[Iran]]. It was originally a [[Hidden Ones of Alamut|branch]] of the Hidden Ones, who followed in the footsteps of a [[Protectors of Persia|similar group of assassins]] led by [[Darius]], the killer of King [[Xerxes I of Persia|Xerxes I]]. In 1090 CE, the Hidden Ones' Persian branch reorganized itself as the Assassin Brotherhood.


In 465 BCE, the Persian Assassin [[Darius]] assassinated the Persian King [[Xerxes I of Persia|Xerxes I]], who was supported by the [[Templars]],<ref name="Encyclopedia">''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia]]''</ref> which was the first usage of the Assassins' iconic [[Hidden Blade]]. This made Darius one of the most renowned Assassins in the Order.<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>
==History==
===Achaemenid Empire===
{{Main|Protectors of Persia}}
[[File:ACOD LotFB Artabanus Amorges Pactyas.png|left|thumb|250px|Darius, Amorges, and Pactyas planning the assassination of Xerxes I]]
In the 5th century BCE, a Persian elite by the name of Artabanus formed a group of freedom fighters to oppose the Achaemenid King of Kings Xerxes I, whose reign was secretly supported and influenced by the [[Order of the Ancients]].<ref name="Encyclopedia">''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia]]''</ref> With the help of his allies, including [[Amorges]] and [[Pactyas]], Artabanus assassinated Xerxes in August 465 BCE.<ref name="Shadow of a Legend">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[Legacy of the First Blade: Hunted]]'' – [[Shadow of a Legend]]</ref> This deed went down in the Assassins' history as the first recorded usage of their iconic weapon, the [[Hidden Blade]], and caused Artabanus to be posthumously honored as one of their predecessors.<ref name="The Essential Guide" /><ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>


In 1747, [[Salah Bey]], the captain of [[Nāder Shāh]]'s [[guards]] and a member of the Persian Brotherhood of [[Assassins]], assassinated Nāder Shāh in an attempt to obtain his [[Pieces of Eden|Piece of Eden]], the [[Koh-i-Noor]] diamond. However, the [[Koh-i-Noor]] in the Shāh's possession was discovered to have ended up in the hands of [[Ahmad Shāh Durrānī]], an Afghan chief. Salah thus planned to pursue him in order to acquire the [[Pieces of Eden|Piece of Eden]].
However, Artabanus' group disbanded not long after Xerxes' assassination due to an ideological split between its members. This conflict was caused by Artabanus' insistence on preemptively killing Xerxes' successor [[Artaxerxes I of Persia|Artaxerxes I]], a decision opposed by Amorges and other members of the group. These members soon defected to the Order of the Ancients and protected Artaxerxes from Artabanus, who was forced to change his name to "Darius" and flee Persia with his family.<ref name="Protector of Persia">''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]] – [[Legacy of the First Blade: Hunted]]'' – [[Protector of Persia]]</ref>
 
===Abbasid Caliphate===
{{Main|Hidden Ones of Alamut}}
By the time of the [[Abbasid Caliphate]], the [[Assassins|Hidden Ones]] had established the [[Hidden Ones of Alamut|Alamut Brotherhood]], an early incarnation of the Persian Brotherhood. Operating out of the fortress of [[Alamut]], which was built atop an ancient [[Isu]] [[Alamut Temple|temple]], the Hidden Ones battled the influence of the Order of the Ancients in the Caliphate while seeking to prevent their adversaries from acquiring Isu [[Piece of Eden|artifacts]].<ref name="ACMir">''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage]]''</ref>
 
[[File:ACMirage Promotional Screenshot 3.jpg|thumb|250px|Alamut Castle, the headquarters of the Alamut Brotherhood]]
In 824, the Hidden One [[Fuladh Al Haami]] hired a [[Fuladh's mercenaries|group of mercenaries]] to steal a case containing one such artifact from the [[Martyrs of Agaunum]], a cult allied with the Order. However, one of the mercenaries, [[Francis]], secretly served the Martyrs and sabotaged the group's mission, resulting in most members' deaths. Eventually, the last surviving mercenaries – [[Azadeh]], [[Dias]], and [[Roshan]] – ambushed the Martyrs while they were meeting with an Order member in [[Baghdad]] and killed them with Fuladh's help, securing the case. Fuladh then brought the case to Alamut and recruited Roshan to the Hidden Ones.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Daughter of No One]]''</ref>
 
By the 860s, the Alamut Hidden Ones supported the [[Zanj Rebellion|Zanj rebellion]] led by [[Ali ibn Muhammad]] and attempted to expand their influence in the Caliphate, establishing a number of [[Assassin bureau|bureaus]] in Baghdad.<ref name="ACMir" /> They also secured an uneasy alliance with the [[Tahirids]], who governed the grounds Alamut Castle was situated on.<ref name="A New Beginning">''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage]]'' – [[A New Beginning]]</ref>
 
In 861, Roshan recruited a new initiate to the Brotherhood, the young street [[thief]] [[Basim ibn Ishaq]], who was secretly the [[Reborn Isu|incarnation]] of the Isu [[Loki]].<ref name="Master Thief">''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage]]'' – [[The Master Thief of Anbar]]</ref> Aware of this fact, Roshan tried to suppress Basim's true nature while keeping this information hidden from the rest of the Brotherhood, fearing the consequences of such a discovery.<ref name="In Pursuit of Truth">''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage]]'' – [[In Pursuit of Truth]]</ref> After accompanying Roshan and other Hidden Ones to Baghdad,<ref name="Baghdad Bound">''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage]]'' – [[Baghdad Bound]]</ref> Basim assisted them in dismantling the Order's presence in the city, assassinating many of its high-ranking members and putting an end to the Order's search for Isu relics.<ref name="ACMir" />
 
[[File:ACMir In Pursuit of Truth 3.png|left|thumb|250px|The Hidden Ones' base under attack]]
However, during a confrontation with the Order's leader [[Qabiha]], Basim was informed of his true nature and the existence of the Alamut Temple. Although Roshan assassinated Qabiha and tried to dissuade her apprentice from seeking out the temple,<ref name="Serpent's Nest">''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage]]'' – [[The Serpent's Nest]]</ref> Basim, having grown distrustful of the Hidden Ones, disobeyed her and returned to Alamut. He arrived in the midst of an attack by Tahirid forces,<ref name="In Pursuit of Truth" /> who had betrayed the Hidden Ones due to a deal made by Baghdad's governor [[Muhammad ibn Tahir]] with the Order.<ref name="Judge and Executioner">''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage]]'' – [[Judge and Executioner]]</ref>
 
After helping the surviving Hidden Ones to repel the attack, Basim entered the Alamut Temple and regained the memories of his past life as Loki, while Roshan elected to leave the Brotherhood.<ref name="In Pursuit of Truth" /> For his actions, Basim was elevated to the [[Assassin rank|rank]] of [[Master Assassin]] and was later assigned to lead a [[Ottoman Brotherhood of Assassins|guild]] of Hidden Ones in the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] capital of [[Constantinople]].<ref name="The Silk Road">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Silk Road]]''</ref>
 
In 872, Basim and his apprentice [[Hytham]] left Constantinople and journeyed to [[Europe|Northern Europe]] to eliminate the last remnants of the Order, after befriending the [[Vikings|Viking]] [[Sigurd Styrbjornsson]].<ref name="The Prodigal Prince">''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' – [[The Prodigal Prince]]</ref> In 879, Fuladh, having risen to become [[Mentor]] of the Hidden Ones in the {{Wiki|Justanids|Justanid region}} of Persia, was set to host a council at Alamut. Mentor [[Rayhan]] invited Hytham to attend the council in order to be elevated to a new rank and to provide a full account of Basim's betrayal during their mission in [[England]].<ref name="Breaking the Order">''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' – [[Breaking the Order]]</ref>
 
===Assassin state===
[[File:Hassan-i Sabbah.jpg|thumb|200px|Hassan-i Sabbāh]]
In 1090, [[Hassan-i Sabbāh]] reorganized the Brotherhood into a public state, with Alamut as its capital.<ref name="The Essential Guide" /><ref name="Encyclopedia" /> In 1162, during the reign of [[Hassan the Younger]], an Assassin later known as [[Al Mualim]] was sent to the [[Levant]] to expand Assassin influence, establishing another [[Levantine Brotherhood of Assassins|branch]] autonomous from Alamut. This led to the construction of the fortress of [[Masyaf]].<ref name="AC1Guide">''[[Assassin's Creed: Official Game Guide]]''</ref>
 
After Al Mualim's successor, [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], was led to exile from Masyaf by [[Abbas Sofian]] in a coup d'état in 1228, he sought refuge in the Alamut fortress alongside his family. The former Mentor remained in Alamut for almost twenty years, eventually deciding to return and reclaim Masyaf in 1247.<ref name="TSC">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''</ref>
 
In 1256, the Persian Assassins in Alamut were besieged by the forces of the [[Mongol Empire]] led by [[Hülegü Khan]]. The Mongols had come seeking revenge for the assassination of their leader [[Genghis Khan]] in 1227,<ref name="ACM">''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]'' – [[Hülegü Khan (memory)|Hülegü Khan]]</ref> and were then under the leadership of [[Möngke Khan]], the founder of the [[Mongolian Rite of the Templar Order]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan]]''</ref> Hülegü Khan would later claim that the Assassins in Alamut had put up no resistance against the Mongols, and the fortress ultimately fell to the invaders.<ref name="ACM" />
 
===Timurid dynasty===
By the time of the {{Wiki|Timurid Empire}}, the Persian Brotherhood operated in secrecy once more. During the 15th century, the Persian Mentor sent one of their Assassin recruits, [[Dariâ]], to [[Venice]], [[Italy]], to aid in the rebuilding of the [[Italian Brotherhood of Assassins|Venetian Brotherhood]].<ref name="ACBoV">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice]]'' – [[A Cumbersome Legacy]]</ref>
 
===Afsharid dynasty===
In 1747, the Persian Assassin [[Salah Bey]], who served as captain of the [[Soldier|guards]] for [[Nāder Shāh]], assassinated the Iranian ruler in the hopes of retrieving the [[Koh-i-Noor]] diamond, a powerful Piece of Eden in his possession. However, the Koh-i-Noor had already been passed off to [[Ahmad Shāh Durrānī]], an [[Afghanistan|Afghan]] chief, who therefore became the next target of Salah Bey.<ref name="War Letters">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[War Letters]]: "The Fiend Nadir Shah"</ref>
 
==Members==
;Achaemenid Empire
*[[Amorges]] {{c|defected}}
*[[Darius]] {{c|leader; until c. 465 BCE}}
*[[Pactyas]] {{c|defected}}
;Abbasid Caliphate
<div style="float:left; width:48;">
*[[Tabid Al-Nubi]]
*[[Fuladh Al Haami]] {{c|Mentor; began c. 870s}}
*[[Hytham]] {{c|[[British Brotherhood of Assassins|British Brotherhood]]}}
*[[Basim ibn Ishaq]] {{c|British Brotherhood}} {{c|betrayed}}
*[[Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Musa]]
*[[Ahmad ibn Musa]]
*[[Al-Hasan ibn Musa]]
</div>
<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Naaji]]
*[[Nur]]
*[[Rayhan]] {{c|Mentor; began c. 860s}}
*[[Rebekah]]
*[[Roshan]] {{c|left}}
*[[Tabban]]
</div>
{{-}}
;Seljuk Empire
*[[Hassan-i Sabbāh]] {{c|leader; 1090 – 1124}}
;Timurid Empire
*[[Dariâ]] {{c|[[Italian Brotherhood of Assassins|Italian Brotherhood]]}}
;Afsharid Empire
*[[Salah Bey]]
 
===Allies and puppets===
;Achaemenid Empire
*[[Kassandra]]
*[[Natakas]]
;Abbasid Caliphate
<div style="float:left; width:48%;">
*[[Fuladh's mercenaries]]
**[[Azadeh]]
**[[Dias]]
**[[Geir]]
**[[Gud]]
**[[Francis]] {{c|betrayed}}
**[[Mared]]
**[[Nafanua]]
**[[Wei]]
*[[Dervis]]
*[[The Gray One]]
</div>
<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Itamos]] {{c|[[Greek Brotherhood of Assassins|Greek Brotherhood]]}}
*[[Kong]]
*[[Murjana]]
*[[Tahirids]] {{c|betrayed}}
**[[Aban]]
*[[Zanj Rebellion|Zanj rebels]]
**[[Ali ibn Muhammad]]
**[[Beshi]]
</div>
{{-}}
;Afsharid dynasty
*[[Achilles Davenport]] {{c|[[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Brotherhood]]}}
 
==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' {{1stm}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]'' {{Imo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – ''[[Legacy of the First Blade]]'' {{c|as the Protectors of Persia}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' {{Imo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Golden City]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage]]'' {{c|as the Alamut Brotherhood}}
**''[[The Forty Thieves]]''
**''[[Valley of Memory]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Daughter of No One]]'' {{c|as the Alamut Brotherhood}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Mirage – A Soar of Eagles]]'' {{c|as the Alamut Brotherhood}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Assassins nav}}
{{Assassins nav}}
{{ACMir}}
<!--[zh:波斯刺客兄弟会]-->
[[Category:Assassin branches]]
[[Category:Assassin branches]]
[[Category:Assassin guilds]]

Latest revision as of 01:12, 25 May 2026

We do this together or not at all.

It has been proposed that this page be merged with Hidden Ones of Alamut, under the article: Persian Brotherhood of Assassins. Discussion to this effect can be held on the former article's talk page.

The Persian Brotherhood of Assassins[1] was the branch of Assassins that operated in Iran. It was originally a branch of the Hidden Ones, who followed in the footsteps of a similar group of assassins led by Darius, the killer of King Xerxes I. In 1090 CE, the Hidden Ones' Persian branch reorganized itself as the Assassin Brotherhood.

History[edit | edit source]

Achaemenid Empire[edit | edit source]

Main article: Protectors of Persia
Darius, Amorges, and Pactyas planning the assassination of Xerxes I

In the 5th century BCE, a Persian elite by the name of Artabanus formed a group of freedom fighters to oppose the Achaemenid King of Kings Xerxes I, whose reign was secretly supported and influenced by the Order of the Ancients.[2] With the help of his allies, including Amorges and Pactyas, Artabanus assassinated Xerxes in August 465 BCE.[3] This deed went down in the Assassins' history as the first recorded usage of their iconic weapon, the Hidden Blade, and caused Artabanus to be posthumously honored as one of their predecessors.[1][4]

However, Artabanus' group disbanded not long after Xerxes' assassination due to an ideological split between its members. This conflict was caused by Artabanus' insistence on preemptively killing Xerxes' successor Artaxerxes I, a decision opposed by Amorges and other members of the group. These members soon defected to the Order of the Ancients and protected Artaxerxes from Artabanus, who was forced to change his name to "Darius" and flee Persia with his family.[5]

Abbasid Caliphate[edit | edit source]

Main article: Hidden Ones of Alamut

By the time of the Abbasid Caliphate, the Hidden Ones had established the Alamut Brotherhood, an early incarnation of the Persian Brotherhood. Operating out of the fortress of Alamut, which was built atop an ancient Isu temple, the Hidden Ones battled the influence of the Order of the Ancients in the Caliphate while seeking to prevent their adversaries from acquiring Isu artifacts.[6]

Alamut Castle, the headquarters of the Alamut Brotherhood

In 824, the Hidden One Fuladh Al Haami hired a group of mercenaries to steal a case containing one such artifact from the Martyrs of Agaunum, a cult allied with the Order. However, one of the mercenaries, Francis, secretly served the Martyrs and sabotaged the group's mission, resulting in most members' deaths. Eventually, the last surviving mercenaries – Azadeh, Dias, and Roshan – ambushed the Martyrs while they were meeting with an Order member in Baghdad and killed them with Fuladh's help, securing the case. Fuladh then brought the case to Alamut and recruited Roshan to the Hidden Ones.[7]

By the 860s, the Alamut Hidden Ones supported the Zanj rebellion led by Ali ibn Muhammad and attempted to expand their influence in the Caliphate, establishing a number of bureaus in Baghdad.[6] They also secured an uneasy alliance with the Tahirids, who governed the grounds Alamut Castle was situated on.[8]

In 861, Roshan recruited a new initiate to the Brotherhood, the young street thief Basim ibn Ishaq, who was secretly the incarnation of the Isu Loki.[9] Aware of this fact, Roshan tried to suppress Basim's true nature while keeping this information hidden from the rest of the Brotherhood, fearing the consequences of such a discovery.[10] After accompanying Roshan and other Hidden Ones to Baghdad,[11] Basim assisted them in dismantling the Order's presence in the city, assassinating many of its high-ranking members and putting an end to the Order's search for Isu relics.[6]

The Hidden Ones' base under attack

However, during a confrontation with the Order's leader Qabiha, Basim was informed of his true nature and the existence of the Alamut Temple. Although Roshan assassinated Qabiha and tried to dissuade her apprentice from seeking out the temple,[12] Basim, having grown distrustful of the Hidden Ones, disobeyed her and returned to Alamut. He arrived in the midst of an attack by Tahirid forces,[10] who had betrayed the Hidden Ones due to a deal made by Baghdad's governor Muhammad ibn Tahir with the Order.[13]

After helping the surviving Hidden Ones to repel the attack, Basim entered the Alamut Temple and regained the memories of his past life as Loki, while Roshan elected to leave the Brotherhood.[10] For his actions, Basim was elevated to the rank of Master Assassin and was later assigned to lead a guild of Hidden Ones in the Byzantine capital of Constantinople.[14]

In 872, Basim and his apprentice Hytham left Constantinople and journeyed to Northern Europe to eliminate the last remnants of the Order, after befriending the Viking Sigurd Styrbjornsson.[15] In 879, Fuladh, having risen to become Mentor of the Hidden Ones in the Justanid region of Persia, was set to host a council at Alamut. Mentor Rayhan invited Hytham to attend the council in order to be elevated to a new rank and to provide a full account of Basim's betrayal during their mission in England.[16]

Assassin state[edit | edit source]

Hassan-i Sabbāh

In 1090, Hassan-i Sabbāh reorganized the Brotherhood into a public state, with Alamut as its capital.[1][2] In 1162, during the reign of Hassan the Younger, an Assassin later known as Al Mualim was sent to the Levant to expand Assassin influence, establishing another branch autonomous from Alamut. This led to the construction of the fortress of Masyaf.[17]

After Al Mualim's successor, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, was led to exile from Masyaf by Abbas Sofian in a coup d'état in 1228, he sought refuge in the Alamut fortress alongside his family. The former Mentor remained in Alamut for almost twenty years, eventually deciding to return and reclaim Masyaf in 1247.[18]

In 1256, the Persian Assassins in Alamut were besieged by the forces of the Mongol Empire led by Hülegü Khan. The Mongols had come seeking revenge for the assassination of their leader Genghis Khan in 1227,[19] and were then under the leadership of Möngke Khan, the founder of the Mongolian Rite of the Templar Order.[20] Hülegü Khan would later claim that the Assassins in Alamut had put up no resistance against the Mongols, and the fortress ultimately fell to the invaders.[19]

Timurid dynasty[edit | edit source]

By the time of the Timurid Empire, the Persian Brotherhood operated in secrecy once more. During the 15th century, the Persian Mentor sent one of their Assassin recruits, Dariâ, to Venice, Italy, to aid in the rebuilding of the Venetian Brotherhood.[21]

Afsharid dynasty[edit | edit source]

In 1747, the Persian Assassin Salah Bey, who served as captain of the guards for Nāder Shāh, assassinated the Iranian ruler in the hopes of retrieving the Koh-i-Noor diamond, a powerful Piece of Eden in his possession. However, the Koh-i-Noor had already been passed off to Ahmad Shāh Durrānī, an Afghan chief, who therefore became the next target of Salah Bey.[22]

Members[edit | edit source]

Achaemenid Empire
Abbasid Caliphate
Seljuk Empire
Timurid Empire
Afsharid Empire

Allies and puppets[edit | edit source]

Achaemenid Empire
Abbasid Caliphate
Afsharid dynasty

Appearances[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]