Tenets

The Tenets are the rules of the "Assassins Creed" the Assassins Order strictly live by:

1. 1Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent.

1. 2Hide in plain sight. "Let the people mask you such that you become one with the crowd." Al Mualim

1. 3Never compromise the Assassins Brotherhood (in other words Don't ever Endanger other Assassins in any way, shape or form through your actions).

Altaïr breaks all three tenets of the "Assassins Creed", during an extremely important mission in Jerusalem, and in the process was stripped of all his rank, weapons, honor, and dealt a timely blow to his overconfident ego, all after being appointed to "novice" or student within the Assassins Order. Altair was still granted access to his scholar robe field uniform. Showing how he had become a student of the entire order and in the process was meant to learn the true meaning of the "Assassins Creed". After being demoted Altair is told by his master that he must earn his way back into the Brotherhood by proving to him that he knew how to be an assassin, by locating a traitor of Masyaf and presenting him before the Assassins Order for questioning. Through instruction from one of the Assassins Brotherhood informers ( the Brotherhoods true and official trackers of major city officials, they maintain close watch over the actions of the official and report to the Assassins Bureau Leader)Altair applied his knowledge of tracking his targets by beggining his search. Successful of his investigation Altair earns his rights into the Order once again. Al Mualim proceeds with offering him his true mission of redemption, in hopes he may draw upon the way truly lived by the assassins due to their strict Creed. But it is the philosophical teachings of the "Assassins Creed", that Altair begins to adhere to, during his search towards inner peace, but also wisdom and guides him away from at first arrogance,impatience, and self pride to becoming a more calm,patient,listening,subtle demeanor possessing Assassin becoming that much wiser, focused....and lethal. As Altair publicly assassinates targets of the List of Nine and listens to their perspective and philosophy that their actions were based upon, sees how three simple tenets of the "Creed" commands the assasins of great wisdom and to never put ones self above others in any situation. Slowly Altairs personality evolves upon seeing the contradiction in the Assasssins philosophy and means of carrying it out through public political assassination, and the conspirators Altair is to assassinate. If you kill an innocent you will lose some 'health' (a testament of what happens for breaking the strict tenet) as it partially desynchronizes Desmond. If you kill too many innocents the desynchronization becomes too great and the screen will say: desynchronized, reason: killing innocents; first tenet.

There is also an achievement you can unlock if you don't break any tenets within the "Assassins Creed"