Basim ibn Ishaq

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"But a man you trust with anything... can take everything."

―Basim recalling Odin's betrayal to Eivor Varinsdottir, c. 875 CE.

Basim Ibn Ishaq (born c. 835) is a human reincarnation of the Isu Loki who used Yggdrasil to permit his consciousness to survive the Great Catastrophe millennia ago.

Born in the Abbasid Caliphate during the 9th century, Basim became a Hidden One working primarily in foreign nations on their behalf, even becoming the leader of the bureau of Constantinople. The fellow Hidden One Hytham became his apprentice and followed him in his travels.

After suffering a tragedy, Basim became aware of his true nature, remembering that Loki's lover Aletheia had her consciousness trapped in the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus and that the Isu Odin had both imprisoned their son Fenrir and banished his siblings Jörmungandr and Hel. Basim searched for a way to reunite his family while taking revenge on Odin, who had also used Yggdrasil to survive and be reborn.

In 870, Basim met the Viking Sigurd Styrbjornsson, the reincarnation of the Isu Týr. Seeing a way to reach his plan, Basim followed the Viking to Norway while also tracking the Order of the Ancients in the region for the Hidden Ones. In Fornburg, Basim became acquainted with Sigurd's foster-sister Eivor Varinsdottir, the reincarnation of Odin, and gave her a Hidden Blade.

When Sigurd and Eivor settled the colony of Ravensthorpe in England, Basim and Hytham installed a bureau there to rebuild a brotherhood in the island. While his apprentice helped Eivor hunt the Ancients, Basim searched for the Saga Stone with Sigurd to awaken his previous incarnation's nature. In 877, Basim confronted Eivor and Sigurd in Yggdrasil's chamber to take his revenge. Though he had the upper hand, Basim was defeated when the Vikings used Yggdrasil to trap him in The Grey.

For almost twelve centuries, Basim used Yggdrasil's functions to find a way to escape from the Grey. In 2020, he contacted the Assassin Layla Hassan who was the wielder of the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus. Basim guided her to Yggdrasil and tricked her into freeing him. He used the power of the Staff to regenerate his body, and was reunited with Aletheia. After offering his help to the Assassins, Basim used their Animus to explore Eivor's genetic memories, hoping to find proof his children survived the Great Catastrophe.

Biography

Early life

Basim was born in Samarra within the Abbasid Caliphate, as the son of an architect who was responsible for the constructing of the Great Mosque of Samarra. His father was exiled and died in poverty after someone else took credit for his work, while his mother died when he was still young. Growing up an orphan in the streets of Baghdad, Basim was a frequent visitor of the city's House of Wisdom. During one such visit, he met the renowned astronomer Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, whom he described as kind and openhearted, and left him a lasting impression.

Basim was also the inheritor of the memories of Loki, an Isu who used Yggdrasil to seed his genetic code into humanity's gene pool to circumvent the Great Catastrophe that destroyed the First Civilization. His goal was to be reunited with his lover Aletheia, whose consciousness was preserved within the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus.

By the age of seventeen, Basim made a living as a street thief and struggled with nightmarish visions of djinn as a consequence of Loki's consciousness manifesting within his mind. During a failed theft, Basim was rescued from guards by the Master Assassin Roshan, who recruited him into the brotherhood and became his Mentor.

Basim eventually become a Master Assassin but began suffering from manic episodes due to Loki's increasing influence. After an "intense but brief" struggle to reconcile his memories and Loki's, Basim became fully aware of and reached a "mutual understanding" with his past life. This led to Basim to becoming fixated on finding other Æsir who used Yggdrasil, resulting in him being described by his allies as a person of danger and intrigue.

Activities in Constantinople

In 867, Basim and the acolyte Hytham traveled to Constantinople to foil an assassination plot by the newly installed emperor Basil I, against his son.

By 870, Basim was dispatched to combat against the Order of the Ancients in Northern Europe, with the acolyte Hytham assigned by Mentor Rayhan as his apprentice. During this period, they were stationed in the Byzantine capital of Constantinople, where Basim served as the bureau leader.

During his tenure, Basim traveled to Antioch with Hytham to fight the Snake-Eaters, a new faction of the Order of the Ancients taking control of the city. However, the Antioch Bureau was decimated by this conflict and Basim sent letters to his brothers asking for reinforcements. His old friend Mahaut from Francia sent two of her acolytes, Matthias and Oisel, while the Alexandrian bureau sent four Hidden Ones led by Jessamyn. Eventually, Basim and the Hidden Ones successfully drove the Snake-Eaters away from Antioch. As he had matters to attend back in Constantinople, Basim left with his apprentice and sent the six other Assassins after the Snake-Eaters' leadership on the Silk Road.

Basim learning of Ammon's failure

Later on, a fellow Hidden One informed him of Ammon's mission in Bulgar and his death. Disappointed in the acolyte's death, his interest was piqued when the Hidden One told Basim of a Norseman with a mark on his neck. He then set out to meet the Norse and learned his identity was Sigurd Styrbjornsson, son of jarl Styrbjorn Sigvaldisson in Norway. Both Basim and Hytham befriended Sigurd, and agreed to join him in his return to Norway.

Settlement in England

Basim and Hytham introduced to Sigurd's family, Eivor and Randvi

Two years later, Basim and Hytham arrived in Fornburg with Sigurd, where they were introduced to Sigurd's wife Randvi and his adopted sister Eivor. Later at night during a feast held to commemorate Sigurd's return, Basim and Hytham were present as Sigurd presented Ammon's Hidden Blade to Eivor as a gift. While Hytham opposed this, Basim stepped in and allowed Eivor to wield the weapon. Despite Basim's attempt to reason, Eivor insisted to wear and display the Hidden Blade openly on the outside. The group then stepped out of the longhouse onto a training ground to train Eivor in the use of the weapon. Along the way, Basim provided more introduction of the Hidden Ones' creed and values to Eivor. At the training ground, Basim taught Eivor the various ways of assassinating a target with a Hidden Blade which she tested on the straw dummies. Afterwards, Basim and Hytham left Eivor by herself such that she could continue to train and speak with her brother.

While in Norway, he was present to watch certain members of Raven Clan decide to move to England and escape the rule of Harald Fairhair under a unified Norway. In time, he indirectly told Eivor of a greater conspiracy by the Order of the Ancients to control the Norse as well as all of England.

Imprisonment

In 877, Eivor and Sigurd traveled to a fjord in the north of Hordafylke. There they found an ancient Isu ruin containing Yggdrasil, an Animus-like supercomputer. Consumed by Loki's memories, Basim attacked them. Eivor, herself the reincarnation of Odin, won the fight and Basim was trapped within the device.

Awakening

Basim meeting Layla within the simulation

By 2020, as the Earth's magnetic field began to strengthen beyond normal, Basim managed to send an audio message to the present-day Assassins, directing them to Eivor's remains in New England. Through use of the Animus, Layla Hassan synchronized with Eivor's memories and discovered the location of Yggdrasil. Venturing in with the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus for protection against the lethal radiation in the chamber, she discovered Basim's body still connected to the machine. She connected to the device and discovered that Basim's consciousness had been retained inside the shared simulation. Layla sacrificed her corporeal form to enter the Grey with The Reader but Basim was freed and managed to grasp the Staff to rejuvenate his body. Communicating with Aletheia's consciousness within the Staff, he confirmed that Odin was long dead and that Layla had fulfilled her purpose.

Basim meeting Shaun and Rebecca, requesting to meet Miles face-to-face

Traveling to Layla's safehouse, Basim met with Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings, members of Layla's Assassin cell in New England, where Eivor had been buried. After enduring the couple's anger at Layla's fate, he then remarked how his brotherhood of the Hidden Ones had renamed themselves as the Assassins, and requested a face-to-face meeting with their Mentor, William Miles, to discuss action against the Templars, the successors to the Order of the Ancients. After the couple had departed the cabin, Basim visited Eivor's grave, remarking how he managed to outlive his adversary before accessing the Animus to take advantage of the Bleeding Effect in the hopes of finding his missing children.

Basim reading Viking Myths

After a prolonged time in the Animus, Eivor appeared to Basim sitting by the fire as a Bleeding Effect-induced apparition, where she smiled and nodded at him, a gesture he returned. While still waiting for Rebecca and Shaun to return with their Mentor, Basim took to reading the books Shaun had gathered in his research of Norse culture and mythology. One such title, Viking Myths, recounted the tale of Loki and Baldr's exploits and Loki's eventual betrayal of Odin's son. While the events and setting differed over centuries of retelling, certain details remained the same, which Basim reacted to with an ambiguous smile.

After a "face-to-face" meeting with William through the Animus, he agreed to help William understand how he survived for so long in suspended animation in return for providing the Assassins a blood sample to parse its genetic sequences through the Animus.

Personality and traits

Little is known about Basim prior to him fully transforming into a reincarnation of Loki. Even before he became a proper reincarnation of Loki, he still had all of Loki's inner desires. He shared in Loki's deep commitment to the pursuit of scholarly activities and hungered for uncovering more knowledge and wisdom. During his time being trapped inside Yggdrasil, he spent his time studying the calculations over and over again to determine the best paths to take for his next plots. By the time of the 21st century, his repeated studies of calculations and Loki's memories had made him capable of understanding how to modern human societies functioned and how their equipment functioned, particularly the Animus. ^{[citation needed]}

Like his original predecessor, Basim valued loyalty and kindness towards his kin. He was loyal to Sigurd's clan, despite knowing his true status, and showed them his kindness and loyalty throughout their time together in England. He only became antagonistic towards the Raven Clan after realizing that Eivor is actually Odin's reincarnation. Basim even displayed a vengeful and determined side which he inherited from Loki. Upon discovering Eivor's true status, he goes into a manic state, rambling on about his family's pain caused by Eivor, much to Eivor's confusion. He fought with great ferocity, even resorting to trickery to gain the upper hand on her. ^{[citation needed]}

Skills and equipment

Basim wore the standard attire of the Hidden Ones in the Middle East of that time. His red sash signified his rank as a Master Assassin. His weaponry, combat stances and prowess as well as his personal sword were mirror images of the same equipment and combat skills possessed by Loki back in the Isu Era. To reinforce his ties to his past life, he later ensured his Hidden Ones cloak was fastened by a broach on the right side that featured a wolf, a skull, and a snake, representing Loki's children Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel. Upon emerging from Yggdrasil in the 21st century, Basim wore a grey hoodie, a black t-shirt with a wolf and moon design on the front, brown cargo pants and brown shoes with red laces.

Behind the scenes

Basim Ibn Ishaq is a character who was first introduced in the 2020 video game Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, where he is voiced by the Canadian actor Carlo Rota. He also makes an appearance in the third issue of the comic mini-series Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Song of Glory. He will return as a younger playable character in the upcoming 2023 game Assassin's Creed: Mirage, where he will be voiced by the Lebanese-Canadian actor Lee Majdoub.

Basim's robes can be obtained for for free from Ubisoft Connect as an outfit for Eivor to wear in-game. While wearing the outfit, Eivor's Hidden Blade is repositioned under her forearm as opposed to on top of it. As a result of this, she will have her left hand open as opposed to clenching it into a fist when assassinating enemies with the Hidden Blade. The repositioned Hidden Blade however, can result in some animation errors in which the blade would clip through Eivor's hand while extended during certain attack animations and cutscenes.

Etymology

Basim is an Arabic name meaning "one who smiles", derived from بَسَمَ (basama) meaning "to smile". His nasab (نسب) ibn Ishaq means "son of Ishaq" with Ishaq, the Arabic form of Isaac, meaning "laughing".

Gallery

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  Concept model of Basim in Rebellion
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  Promotional art of Basim
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  Promotional art of Basim
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  Promotional art of Basim
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  Promotional art of Basim
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  Render of Basim
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  Database image of Basim
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  Basim as he appears in Rebellion
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  Basim's avatar in Rebellion's character menu
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  Basim as he appears in Song of Glory
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  Basim reawakening with the Staff in 2020

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first appearance)
  • The Last Chapter
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Song of Glory
• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
• Assassin's Creed: The Silk Road
• Discovery Tour: Viking Age (avatar only)
• Assassin's Creed: Where's the Assassin? (non-canonical appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Forgotten Myths
• Assassin's Creed: Escape Room Puzzle Book (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: The Golden City
• Assassin's Creed: Mirage

References

de:Basim Ibn Ishaq es:Basim Ibn Ishaq fr:Basim it:Basim ru:Басим ибн Исхак zh:巴辛姆·伊本·伊沙克