The Creed

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"Nothing is true, everything is permited."

―The Creed's maxim

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The Creed was the code and guiding philosophy of the Assassin's Order.

The Three Tenets of the Creed

The Creed was an unwritten set of rules orally passed down from generation to generation among the brotherhood of the Assassin Order and known by every member. It mainly emphasises three simple memorable tenets that focused on a successful mission and ensured the safety of the brotherhood.

Stay your Blade from the Flesh of the Innocent

"That man had no need to die!"

―Malik at Solomon's Temple

The goal of the assassins is to ensure peace in all things. The Assassin Order believe that political assassinations and the death of the corrupt will bring peace and a true sense of security to the common people. Slaying innocents and civilian bystanders who do not need to die goes a long way towards spreading strife and discord, as well as ruining the name of the Assassin Order itself.

Hide In Plain Sight

"Let the people mask you such that you become one with the crowd."

―Al Mualim

Be unseen. The Assassins aim to get close to their target secretly, usually in public, to perform awe-inspiring assassinations. The greatest effect from an assassination is when an Assassin seemingly materializes from nowhere, slayes a corrupt leader, and vanishes into the darkness. If an Assassin is spotted stalking their target, the supernatural effect of fear is diluted, as well as simply making it difficult for the Assassin to reach his target.

Never Compromise the Brotherhood

"Your actions have put us all in grave danger! For that, you must be punished! I'm sorry, child."

―Al Mualim before fakely stabbing Altaïr

The actions of one must never bring harm to all. If an Assassin fails, is captured, or is being chased, he must never commit an action or say anything that can be tied back to the Brotherhood or the location in Masyaf. For example, in the videogame Assassins Creed, in the beginning of the game, Altair openly exposes himself to Robert de Sable and the other Templars and fails to assassinate him. This failure compromised the brotherhood which in turn lost the Assassin Malik his arm, and lost his brother Kadar and led Robert de Sable to gather the other Templars and attempt an attack on the Masyaf Fortress.

Assassin's Creed

During an extremely important mission at Solomon's Temple, Altaïr breaks all three tenets: he murders an innocent old man who would have alerted the guards; he shows himself to Robert de Sable before he attempts to kill him; and he leads the Templars back to the location of the Masyaf headquarters. The breaking of the second tenet allows Robert de Sable to evade Altaïr and escape. The Templar Treasure they were all seeking seems lost forever- until a gravely wounded Malik shows up with it.

Believing that the failure was caused by his breaking of the Tenets, Al Mualim strips Altaïr of all his weapons and equipment, demoting him to Novice rank. Altaïr then must earn his way back to the top of the order.

When Desmond is reliving Altaïr's memories, he must follow these tenets as well to stay synchronized with his ancestor's memories in the Animus.

If the player makes Altaïr break the 1st Tenet (hurt or kill innocent people) he loses one Synchronization and then onto five.

There is no punishment for breaking the 2nd tenet, but there is an significant advantage to following it. Be discreet- do not draw attention to yourself unless necessary. Use low profile actions when possible, blend with the people, and take advantage of Scholars , and the guards will never trouble you.  

"The 3rd Tenet is simple. Your actions must never come to harm the Brotherhood, direct or indirect." As an example, you will not be able to enter to the Assassins' Bureau when you are Exposed, as this would cause the guards to discover it. Interestingly, you can slaughter Masyaf guards with no repercussions.

Altair unknowingly breaks this Tenet after dispatching 8 of the higher ranked Templar members. Since they were from both Saracen and Crusader origins, their respective leaders, Saladin and Richard the Lionheart, would have been more willing to join together to combat a new threat, the Assassins. Robert de Sable, leader of the unknowingly corrupt Templars, attempted to convince Richard of building up forces with Saladin and attacking Masyaf. It was all Robert's plan to take the Piece of Eden from Al Mualim's grasp. In this way, he indirectly broke the third Tenet.