Abu'l Nuqoud

"You take the lives of men and women, strong in the conviction that their deaths will improve the lots of those left behind. A minor evil for a greater good? We are the same."

―Abu'l Nuqoud

Abu'l Nuqoud was the merchant king of Damascus, and secretly, a member of the Templar Order. Abu'l was the fourth person Al Mualim ordered Altaïr to assassinate. He was located in the rich district of Damascus, Syria.

Biography

The Merchant King of Damascus

Altaïr: "You stole money from those you claimed to lead, sent it away for some unknown purpose. I want to know where it's gone and why!"

Abu'l: "Look at me! My very nature is an affront to the people I ruled, and these noble robes did little more than to muffle their shouts of hate."

—Altaïr and Abu'l

Abu'l Nuqoud was an abnormally large man with rich tastes – and a humongous appetite. Everything he said and did was to excess. He threw lavish parties, decorated his palace with gaudy works of art (as well as guards), and fed himself the finest foods. He hated the poor and saw them as a blight upon the land.

He believed they were the source of everything wrong with the world. He took a perverse pleasure in tricking and torturing those of lesser means, and was incredibly self-centered and loved nothing more than to remind the people of Damascus how generous he was. He knew how to throw a party – and earn the favor of "those who matter." At some stage in his lifetime, Abu'l Nuqoud joined the Templar organization and held knowledge of not only the Apple of Eden itself, but the secrets it held and the power it contained.

Assassination

" All this suffering is born of fear and hate! It bothers you that they are different, just as it bothers you that I am different!"

―Abu'l Nuqoud addressing the crowd at his party, before his death.

Abu'l before his death.

As Altaïr sought out Abu'l Nuqoud's life, the merchant king decided to throw a lavish party at his palace for the nobility of Damascus (paid for with money stolen from the city's treasury). After the guests had settled down, Abu'l proposed a toast for their generosity, then proceeded to lambaste them for their hatred and hypocrisy in supporting Saladin and his war campaign. It was revealed during Altaïr's assassination that he had poisoned the wine in order to exact revenge on the people who tormented him with their cruel words and bigotry. He also ordered his men to kill anyone who tried to escape from the party. Altaïr took advantage of the ensuing panic to assassinate Abu'l.

In his dying speech, Abu'l said that he did not join up with the Templars for revenge, but to create a new, better world instead of pretending to follow a god who called him an abomination, due to his obesity or his speculated homosexuality. He also challenged Altaïr's willingness to strike down those Al Mualim ordered him to, remarking that Altaïr doubts the worthiness of his cause.

Personality and characteristics

Believing himself to be an abomination, he could not be of service in a war to a God who agrees. He threw big and extraordinary parties, decorated his palace with expensive works of art and fed himself the finest foods while he wore expensive clothing. He hated the poor and saw them as a blight upon the land. He would even murder dozens of innocent citizens for the sake of his own pettiness and frustration for how they had talked about him behind his back.

Abu'l was an obese man, he wore velvet robes with a tint of yellow surrounding it, his robes were usually open in which it displayed his stomach. He wore long loose pants which were olive colored with yellow shoes that had a pointed tip at the end of it. He wore a turban which had a jewel that held up a feather. His robes had a possible animal skin around it for the collar.

Final Words

Altaïr: Be at peace now. Their words can no longer do harm.

Abu: Why have you done this?!

Altaïr: You stole money from those you claimed to lead, sent it away for some unknown purpose. I want to know where it's gone and why!

Abu: Look at me! My very nature is an affront to the people I ruled, and these noble robes did little more than to muffle their shouts of hate.

Altaïr: So this is about vengeance, then?

Abu: No, not vengeance, but my conscience. How could I finance a war in service to the same god that calls me an abomination?

Altaïr: If you do not serve Saladin's cause, then whose?

Abu: In time, you'll come to know them: I think perhaps you already do.

Altaïr: Then why hide? And why these dark deeds?

Abu: Is it so different from your own work? You take the lives of men and women, strong in the conviction that their deaths will improve the lots of those left behind: a minor evil for a greater good. We are the same!

Altaïr: No! We are nothing alike!

Abu: Ah, but I see it in your eyes: you doubt. You cannot stop us... we will have our "New World".

Behind the scenes

Creative director Patrice Desilets stated that the production team affectionately called the merchant king their "she-male". He pointed out that the fun of a character like Abu is "the big party, [where] everyone is drinking, then everyone is dying, and then you've got to go and reach him and kill him from behind."

Trivia

• In Arabic, ʾAbu n-Nuqūd (أبو النقود) literally means "Father of the Money" or "Father of the Coins".
  • In Arabic, it is common for people to use ʾAbu (أبو), meaning "Father of" as an honorific, followed by the name of the person's son. Sometimes, it is used beyond the literal sense to refer to a certain quality instead. In this case, "Father of the Money" refers to Abu'l Nuqoud's wealth.
  • Due to Arabic grammar, his name should pronounced as "Abun-nuqud' with no "L"
• He is the only target without any weapon upon him. He will turn to fight you if he makes it to a guard tower and receives a sword, however.
• Because of some of his mannerisms (such as his style of dress), his speech about people of all kinds living together, his words about not serving the "same god that calls me an abomination," the way he caresses one of his guards, and the fact that many characters refer to him as "different," it is speculated by some that he may be a homosexual.
• When looking at his face closely, you can see him suffering from severe acne. This could also be why he refers to himself as an "abomination".
• Even though he appears to be overweight and of quite old age, he can run relatively fast.
• In the mobile game, he is called "Vizier Abull Aswad".

Gallery

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  Altaïr observing Abu'l's party.
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  Abu'l pleases the crowd.
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  Altaïr overhears Abu'l trying to send a word to the audience.
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  Abu'l trying to send a message.