Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

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 Arabic) (1166 - unknown) is the main protagonist in Assassin's Creed, as well as the ancestor of Ezio Auditore da Firenze and Desmond Miles.

Biography

Early Life

Altaïr was born to an unknown couple, consisting of a Christian woman and a Muslim man. During his childhood his parents left Masyaf for unknown reasons, though Altaïr felt little at their departure due to the nature of the Assassin order. Prior to the events of the series, Altaïr trained under Al Mualim and quickly rose among his brethren in skill. This caught Al Mualim's eye and favor, and Altaïr was eventually promoted to the rank of "Master Assassin".

In the codex pages Altaïr states that he never felt a connection between his parents and him and that when he left them it was nothing more than departing "two strangers". He also stated that it was Al Mualim that cared for him and that was enough for him during that stage of his life.

Assassin's Creed

"A small sacrifice to save many. It is necessary."

―Altaïr

Altaïr, Malik and Kadar were sent by Al Mualim to go underneath the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to recieve an artifact(Which you later find out that this is the Apple) from the Templars. Whilst in the temple underground, Altaïr sees the Asssassin's arch-enemy, Robert de Sable, Altaïr attempts to kill Robert but fails and is thrown from the temple. Malik and Kadar were trapped with Robert and his Templars. Upon return to Masyaf, Al Mualim names Altaïr as a traitor to the Creed, but Malik returns with artifact. The Templars attack Masyaf, Altaïr defends the village and then he and two other Assassins climb the tower of the Castle and enact Al Mualim's plan, he performs a Leap of Faith off the tower to an area which leads to another tower full of logs which land on top of the Templars. After the attack Al Mualim deems Altaïr a failure and a traitor to the Creed and Al Mualim stabs him with a dagger, apparently killing him.

Altaïr wakes up from his "Sleep of the Dead" and Al Mualim strips him of his possessions and title. Altaïr now had to start from a novice once again and hunt down a traitor within Masyaf who had helped the Templars in the attack of Masyaf. On return to Al Mualim, Altaïr is ranked up and given his Hidden Blade and longsword back, he also is given a deal of nine lives for his own. He would later in the game find out that The nine people on the list were simply decoys for Altaïr.

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Altaïr doing a leap of faith

The Nine

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..."

Al Mualim: "A generous offer indeed. Have you any questions?"

Altaïr: "Only where I need begin."

—{{{7}}}

Altaïr starts his quest, leaving Masyaf and riding through the kingdom on horseback to Damascus, location of the first target, Tamir. Arriving there, he goes to the local Bureau and asks permission for the assassination. The dai denies it, ordering Altaïr to first gather information about his target. Going through the city's poor district, Altaïr interrogates informants, pickpocket letters and maps and eavesdrop on conversations around him, acquiring the location of the target. Returing to the Bureau with this info, he receives a permission for the kill and a white feather, to be wet in the victim's blood as proof of the murder. In a plaza of the market district, Altaïr witness Tamir slaying a business partner, and kills him while he does a round around the tends. Returning to the Bureau, Altaïr is directed to Al Mualim again, who congratulates him by the accomplishment and rewards part of his equipment back. Altaïr the leaves to the other cities, Jerusalem and Acre to his next targets.

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Altaïr chases Talal though the streets

Arriving at Jerusalem's Bureau, Altaïr is harshily received by Malik, that Bureau's new leader. Malik then sends him to the investigations, returning when he has the necessary information. After receiving the permission and the feather, Altaïr enters Talal's slave complex, but is ambushed by his followers. Dispatching of them, he chases Talal throughout the rooftops and streets, finally catching up to him and putting a hidden blade on his neck. Altaïr returns to the Bureau, reports to Masyaf and then goes to Acre, where Garnier de Naplouse is to be killed.

At Acre, he meets the Bureau leader and gather info about his target, then receives the feather and permission for the kill. Infiltrating Garnier's hospital, Altaïr watches him make the rounds on his patients and strikes him from above. A city wide alert is issued, and after escaping from the hospital and hiding in the Bureau, Altaïr returns to Masyaf to a talk with Al Mualim.

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Garnier's death from above

After killing eight of the nine, Altaïr is left with the assassination of Robert de Sable, who is in Jerusalem for a funeral. At the funeral Altaïr enters in a sword fight with "Robert" and his Templars, at the end of the fight Altaïr discovers that is wasn't Robert but a woman, Maria, he lets her go, fleeing for Arsuf where Robert is convincing Richard the Lionheart to join with Saladin to destroy the Assassins. Altaïr tries to convince Richard of Robert's plot to overthrow him, but Richard doesn't know who to trust and lets God decide. Altaïr and Robert then fight to the death, but Altaïr comes out victorious.

After the death of Robert, Altaïr discovers that Al Mualim was in fact a Templar and he returns to Masyaf to find out that the people of the Town had been put in a hypnotic trance, apart from him and few other Assassins. They make their way to the fortress. when Altaïr arrives he discovers that Al Mualim was responsible for this using the Piece of Eden which was recovered at Solomon's temple and after hearing many revalations Altaïr confronts his former master. After fighting many illusions, Altaïr manages to put his Hidden Blade into Al Mualim, ending the hypnotic trance. As Al Mualim dies he says that he did all this to ensure world peace and claims that Altaïr will not be able to destroy the Piece of Eden.

Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines

One month after the events of "Assassin's Creed", Altaïr fights and captures the Templar Maria Thorpe in Acre. Interrogating her, Altaïr learns that the sudden death of Robert de Sable has sent the Templars fleeing for the island of Cyprus. Altaïr decides to head there himself eliminate the remaining Templars. By the end of Bloodlines, Altaïr learns that Cyprus has been a storehouse for a large number of Templar artifacts (all the Pieces of Eden) for quite some time. Due to Altaïr's relentless pursuit, however, the Templars have been forced to move the collection elsewhere, perhaps leading to their eventual scattering across the globe. By the conclusion of the story, Maria finally understands the depths of the Templars' wickedness. Her relationship with Altaïr, antagonistic for most of the game, soon becomes a friendly one... and ultimately romantic (as seen in AC2). It is at this same time that Altaïr begins writing the first pages of the Codex. The trip to Cyprus is mentioned in the Codex Pages in Assassin's Creed 2 as well.

Legacy

It is known that after Bloodlines, Maria bore at least two children with Altaïr, as the codex mentions he will have her talk with their sons. Also before his death, he wore a new armor, the same armor that would one day be worn by his descendant Ezio Auditore da Firenze as his Master Assassin Armor. This armor is the symbolic color of black, signifying the upper most rank in the Assassin Order. His death is unknown, but likely he died in old age with his children and Maria watching over him as he passed away. It should be noted however that in his last entry into the codex he remarks about his temptations and his ability to call for the Apple and use it to extend his life, as he states "I know the knowledge is there." The fate of Altaïr remains unclear.

Assassin's Creed II

At the point in which Assassin's Creed II begins, Altaïr is thought to have been dead for hundreds of years. It is known that he left a Codex that his descendant, Ezio, will find. In it, he left a secret map which reveals the locations of Pieces of Eden scattered all over the world. However, at the end of one of the Codex entries, Altair states that while he feels death creeping up on him in his old age, he knows a Piece of Eden that may extend his life. He goes onto say that he "refuses to stare into it for fear of corruption", but ends the Codex entry with "but maybe I will just one last time". It is unknown what decision he ultimately makes, but it is not out of the realm of possibility that Altair may still be alive in the present.

It is also shown that Altaïr bore at least two children with Maria, the templar woman who took Robert de Sable's place in Jerusalem during the first Assassin's Creed.

Altaïr's armor is accessible in the game, but acquiring it is not necessary for completing the story. It is available to the player after exploring six Assassin`s Tombs and collecting the seals therein. When brought to the vault in the Villa Auditore, all six seals will open a gate, behind which lies Altaïr's armor.

You can also get a Altaïr costume in the game from the Uplay store for 30 points.

Hidden Role in Assassin's Creed II?

There is further evidence to suggest that Altaïr did not die of old age and that he used a Piece of Eden to extend his life in Assassin's Creed II. Philip Shahbaz, the voice actor for Altaïr in the original Assassin's Creed, is strangely not listed as reprising his role as Altaïr in Assassin's Creed II. Instead, Owen Thomas is credited as voicing Altaïr in Assassin's Creed II, with Philip Shahbaz's only mention on IMDB casted him as "voice". To this date, whoever "voice" was has not yet been revealed. This further suggests that Altaïr may have had a hidden role in Assassin's Creed II that has not been disclosed yet.

Characteristics and personality

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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' Order. Near the beginning of the game, he is demoted to the Assassins' Rank of Novice and removed of all his equipment save for his robes. In order to regain his status, he must publicly assassinate nine men who are involved in exploiting the war hostilities in the Holy Land.

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 "Assassins 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 his instinctive assassins nature, very briefly exposing himself to the publics 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 constanly changing environment, Altaïr's possession of such sharp perceptional skills carries over into how he reads the crowd for any slight sign of danger.

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The eagle 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 afterwars. In preperation 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.

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Altaïr escapes with the city on wide alert

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.

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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 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 philisophical 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, 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 front of the hood (to resemble a beak) and slits through the back of the outfit (to resemble tail feathers). The second part of his name, Ibn-La'Ahad means 'son of no-one', reflecting his mysterious origins. It has been revealed by Raymond that his father was a Muslim and his mother a Christian. His appearance is remarkably similar to Desmond's, only a few scars seeming to separate their appearances at first glance. His rebellious nature and mission failure would lead to his severe demotion, placing him on the same level as a raw initiate to the Assassin Order. That same attitude cost Malik his left arm, as well as the life of his brother Kadar at the beginning of the story. As the situation progresses and Altaïr listens to the final words of his assassination victims, listening to their revelations involving them and their justified corrupt deeds within the Holy Land and their cities, his attitude changes and he becomes less impetuous, overconfident, demanding, arrogant, self-centred and impatient, learning to perceive more between the lines and actions of the world while drawing upon the teachings of the "Assassins Creed". Near the end of the conflict, all of his brash and rebellious nature, has vanished behind a demeanour of calm, focused, driven, humble, more patient and higher wisdom of understanding. But with this he learns what it is the "Assassins Creed" truly means, and recommends of him as an Assassin.

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.
• 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.
• It is odd to note that, despite instant death when entering deep waters Altaïr does know how to swim since this been proven at the ending of Altaïr's chronicles.
• 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 the Altaïr outfit only have one hidden blade.
• His first name, "Altaïr", means "The Bird" or more literally "The Flying One". His last name, "Ibn-La'Ahad", means "Son of No One".
• His hood tip resembles an eagles beak.
• 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, weilding a long sword and exposed throwing knives.
• It is curious to note that the name Altaïr is in fact supposedly a feminine name in Arabic, however it is not uncommon as the name "Ashley" was once used for males in the past.
• 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.