Master Assassin

The Assassin insignia

The title of Master Assassin is one of the highest attainable ranks within the hierarchy of the Assassin Order, and those who hold it are presumed to have reached the peak of their training as an Assassin. The rank garners a large amount of respect from other members within the Order and indicates individuals who possess uncommon skill and talent, most often in the arts of stealth and assassination.

A Master Assassin is meant to embody the Creed: they have never harmed an innocent, always hid in plain sight, and never compromised the Brotherhood.

History

Origins with the Hidden Ones

Main article: Master

The title originated from that of Master, which was held by the most esteemed members of the Hidden Ones, the original incarnation of the Assassin Brotherhood. The earliest known Hidden One to become a Master was Hakor, an Egyptian Hidden One who lived during the 1st century BCE, around the same time as the brotherhood's formation.

During the era of the Roman Empire, the Roman Hidden Ones operating in Britannia used the Latin title of Magister, but it held the same meaning. Between the 2nd and 5th centuries CE, several Hidden Ones rose to attain the rank, including Eghan, Khloe, Marcellus, Maya, Sebastos, and Vitus.

The earliest known use of the Master Assassin title was in the mid-8th century, when the Chinese Hidden One Li E attained the rank for his efforts in fighting against the Order of the Ancients' influence in China.

Roshan, Fuladh, and Basim, three Master Assassins of the Alamut Brotherhood

During the mid-9th century, two Master Assassins of the Alamut Brotherhood, Roshan and Fuladh Al Haami, sat on the council that governed over the branch. Roshan later trained Basim Ibn Ishaq, who also rose to attain the rank while fighting the Order of the Ancients in Baghdad. However, Roshan eventually left the Hidden Ones after disagreeing with Mentor Rayhan over how to handle the revelation of Basim's true nature as an Isu incarnation. Basim himself would betray the Hidden Ones in 877 to pursue his own agenda and would become trapped in the Grey for centuries, losing his rank in the process.

Middle Ages

In 1176, Umar Ibn-La'Ahad and his fellow Assassin Faheem Al-Sayf held the title of Master Assassin within the Levantine Brotherhood. However, Umar gave his life to spare the Brotherhood from a siege by Sultan Saladin's forces, in retribution for an assassination gone wrong.

Al Mualim elevating Altaïr to the rank of Master Assassin

In 1189, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad attained the rank of Master Assassin after saving the life of his Mentor, Al Mualim, during a Templar attack on Masyaf. However, he lost it two years later, when he was demoted to a novice following his failure to obtain the Apple of Eden beneath Solomon's Temple, along with his arrogance and disregard of the Creed's tenets. Altaïr eventually regained this title through several assassinations in support of the Order's interests, and held it during the assassinations of Robert de Sablé and Al Mualim. Eventually he became Mentor of the Levantine Brotherhood, leading it until his death in 1257.

In the early 13th century, William of Cassingham, a member of the English Brotherhood, became a Master Assassin. However, during the First Barons' War, he operated independently from the Brotherhood, because unlike his fellow Assassins, he supported the reign of King John, viewing it as the lesser evil compared to baronial rule.

In the early 14th century, Thomas de Carneillon held the rank of Master Assassin before becoming Mentor of the French Brotherhood.

Renaissance

In 1492, Aguilar de Nerha and María held the position of Master Assassins within the Spanish Brotherhood. Aguilar would later assume the mantle of Mentor, following his predecessor Benedicto's death that same year.

Ezio Auditore being elevated from Master Assassin to Mentor

Around 1500, Ezio Auditore da Firenze obtained the rank, before rising to become Mentor of the Italian Brotherhood, following the liberation of Rome from the House of Borgia's grasp. Ezio's fellow Italian Assassins Lucas Bellini and Girolamo da Lucca, who accompanied him on his travels from Rome to Spain, also attained the rank at some point.

During the early 16th century, both Yusuf Tazim, the leader of the Ottoman Brotherhood, and Piri Reis, the famed Ottoman cartographer and bomb specialist, were Master Assassins, as were two of Yusuf's lieutenants, Dogan and Kasim.

Wang Yangming, the Mentor of the Chinese Brotherhood in the early 16th century, was a Master Assassin, as was Zhu Jiuyuan, who briefly led the Chinese Assassins during Yangming's disappearance to escape the Great Rites Controversy. Jiuyuan's apprentice Shao Jun would later be elevated to this rank during her hunt of the Eight Tigers, and eventually Mentor following Yangming's death in 1529.

During the mid-to-late 16th century, the Japanese Assassin Fujibayashi Tsuyu, the leader of the Kakushiba ikki, held the title of Master Assassin. Two of her fellow Assassins, the ninja Momochi Sandayu and Hattori Hanzō, also attained the rank.

Age of Imperialism

In the early 17th century, the Master Assassin Avicenne oversaw Assassin operations in southwest France, until her death in 1609 during an ambush by the Master Templar Pierre de Lancre's forces. By 1690, Maréchal was a Master Assassin of the French Brotherhood.

In the late 17th century, Thomas Stoddard, a member of the British Brotherhood renowned for his skills as a tracker of Pieces of Eden, held the title of Master Assassin.

In 1714, Duncan Walpole, a Master Assassin of the British Brotherhood, secretly defected to the Templars. However, before he could meet with the West Indies Templars in Havana to officially join the Order, he was killed by the pirate Edward Kenway in 1715. After Edward joined the Brotherhood and returned to England years later, he would come to attain the rank of Master Assassin. Edward's acquaintance Rhona Dinsmore, a member of the West Indies Brotherhood who led their bureau in Havana, also became a Master Assassin by 1751.

Ratonhnhaké:ton arguing with Achilles Davenport

In the 18th century, Achilles Davenport was a Master Assassin and later Mentor of the Colonial Brotherhood. Following the near complete collapse of the branch in 1763, Achilles removed himself from the Assassin affairs, but eventually returned to prominence as the Mentor of the Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton. Ratonhnhaké:ton himself obtained the rank at some point later in his life.

By the late 18th century, the French Brotherhood was led by a Council, which consisted of four Master Assassins: Pierre Bellec, Sophie Trenet, Guillaume Beylier and Hervé Quemar, with the Mentor Mirabeau presiding over them. Arno Dorian, another notable member of the French Brotherhood, also attained the rank of Master Assassin at some point after being reinstated around 1794.

Early modern era

In the early 19th century, the Master Assassin Hamid, who would later serve as the Mentor of the Indian Brotherhood, rescued a young Kashmiri thief named Arbaaz Mir and inducted him into the Brotherhood. By the 1840s, Arbaaz would come to attain the rank of Master Assassin for his efforts in keeping various Pieces of Eden, most notably the Koh-i-Noor, out of Templar hands.

Jayadeep Mir, Jacob and Evie Frye, three British Master Assassins

Arbaaz's close friend Ethan Frye, a member of the British Brotherhood based in Crawley, also attained the position during this period. Following Ethan's death from pleurisy in 1868, his twin children Evie and Jacob worked with Arbaaz's son, Jayadeep, to liberate London from the influence of the Templars, who had held dominion in the city for over a century. This allowed the Brotherhood to rebuild its presence in London and led to Evie, Jacob, and Jayadeep becoming Master Assassins.

Around 1867, the French Assassin Henri Escoffier attained the rank of Master Assassin and left for Zürich, Switzerland, to establish his own Brotherhood. His fellow Assassin Amira Benyamina also attained the rank at some point before 1869 and relocated to Cairo, Egypt, where she joined the local Assassin Council. By 1870, Michel Moulin had become a Master Assassin and the leader of the French Brotherhood. In 1873, Pierrette Arnaud was elevated to the rank of Master Assassin by George Westhouse upon her return to England from Egypt.

During the period between the 19th and 20th centuries, Nikolai Orelov, a member of the Narodnaya Volya sect of the Russian Brotherhood, was a Master Assassin. However, in 1918, Orelov abandoned the Brotherhood in order to rescue Princess Anastasia Nikolaevna, whom the Russian Assassins intended to perform dangerous experiments on.

Contemporary era

By 2015, the latest Assassin known to have held the position of Master Assassin was Galina Voronina of the Russian Brotherhood.

Attire

Abbasid Caliphate

The Hidden Ones of Alamut wore different colored sashes to indicate their rank, with Initiates sporting blue sashes while Master Assassins wore red sashes. In some instances, a member of the brotherhood may have received a new set of robes upon being promoted to the rank of Master, as was the case of Basim Ibn Ishaq. However, by the 870s, this practice was seemingly abandoned, with Basim and his apprentice Hytham wearing a pair of near-identical robes, except for the aforementioned sashes.

Crusades

Like other Assassins of the Levantine Brotherhood, most Master Assassins possessed the eagle beak-like design upon their hoods, but their robes were generally longer, forming a bird-like "tail" that fluttered whenever they were in an area of strong wind. In addition, their leather belts were larger, their red sashes wider and longer, and they had permission to carry any weapon they desired.

Renaissance

When the order retreated underground after the Levantine Brotherhood's supposed collapse, a uniform guideline as to the attire of a Master Assassin no longer existed. The Master Assassins of the Renaissance in Europe were a small, underground group with broader access to knowledge and weapons. Most retained their freerunning, Hidden Blades and hooded traditions, though Master Assassins were the only ones permitted to wield dual Hidden Blades.

As Assassin Dens were erected within Constantinople, Ezio Auditore promoted several high-ranking Assassins to be Master Assassins who guarded the structures. These new Master Assassins would be trained specially by Ezio to be able to fulfill their role, and this extra training allowed them to hold the Dens against Templar attacks.

Known Master Assassins

• 
  Hakor
  (c. 30 BCE)
• 
  Eghan
  (c. 164)
• 
  Khloe
  (c. 211)
• 
  Marcellus
  (c. 383)
• 
  Maya
  (c. 423)
• 
  Sebastos
  (c. 423)
• 
  Vitus
  (c. 423)
• 
  Li E
  (c. 755)
• 
  Fuladh Al Haami
  (9th century)
• 
  Roshan
  (until 860s)
• 
  Basim Ibn Ishaq
  (860s – 877)
• 
  Umar Ibn-La'Ahad
  (until 1176)
• 
  Faheem Al-Sayf
  (c. 1176)
• 
  Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
  (1189 – 1257)
• 
  William of Cassingham
  (c. 1215 – 1257)
• 
  Thomas de Carneillon
  (c. 1307 – 1323)
• 
  María
  (until 1492)
• 
  Aguilar de Nerha
  (c. 1492 – 1526)
• Lucas Bellini (c. 1490s)[11]
  Lucas Bellini
  (c. 1490s)
• 
  Girolamo da Lucca
  (c. 1490s)
• 
  Ezio Auditore da Firenze
  (c. 1500 – 1513)
• 
  Yusuf Tazim
  (c. 1509 – 1512)
• 
  Piri Reis
  (c. 1511)
• 
  Kasim
  (c. 1511)
• 
  Castor
  (until 1511)
• 
  Dogan
  (1512)
• 
  Zhu Jiuyuan
  (until 1524)
• 
  Wang Yangming
  (until 1529)
• 
  Shao Jun
  (c. 1526)
• 
  Fujibayashi Tsuyu
  (c. 1560s)
• 
  Momochi Sandayu
  (c. 1560s – 1581)
• 
  Hattori Hanzō
  (until 1596)
• 
  Avicenne
  (c. 1609)
• 
  Maréchal
  (c. 1690)
• 
  Thomas Stoddard
  (c. 1692)
• 
  Duncan Walpole
  (until 1715)
• 
  Edward Kenway
  (c. 1723 – 1735)
• 
  Achilles Davenport
  (c. 1746 – 1781)
• 
  Rhona Dinsmore
  (c. 1751)
• 
  Ratonhnhaké:ton
  (c. 1781)
• 
  Pierre Bellec
  (until 1791)
• 
  Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau
  (until 1791)
• 
  Sophie Trenet
  (c. 1780s and 1790s)
• 
  Hervé Quemar
  (c. 1780s and 1790s)
• 
  Guillaume Beylier
  (c. 1780s and 1790s)
• 
  Arno Dorian
  (c. 1794)
• 
  Hamid
  (19th century)
• 
  Arbaaz Mir
  (c. 1841)
• 
  Ethan Frye
  (until 1868)
• 
  Henri Escoffier
  (c. 1867)
• 
  Jayadeep Mir
  (c. 1868)
• 
  Evie Frye
  (c. 1868)
• 
  Jacob Frye
  (c. 1868)
• 
  Amira Benyamina
  (c. 1869)
• 
  Mustafa Hussein
  (c. 1869)
• 
  Michel Moulin
  (c. 1870)
• 
  Pierrette Arnaud
  (1873)
• 
  Nikolai Orelov
  (c. 1917 – 1918)
• 
  Galina Voronina
  (c. 2015 – present)

Appearances

Assassin's Creed (first appearance) Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel Assassin's Creed: The Fall Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade Assassin's Creed: Revelations Assassin's Creed: Revelations novel Assassin's Creed III Assassin's Creed: Forsaken Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Assassin's Creed: Brahman Assassin's Creed: Memories Assassin's Creed: Rogue Assassin's Creed: Unity Assassin's Creed: Unity novel Assassin's Creed comic Assassin's Creed: Syndicate Assassin's Creed: Underworld Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia Assassin's Creed film Assassin's Creed: Rebellion Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (as "Master" and "Magister") Assassin's Creed: Dynasty Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Witches of the Moors Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Resurrection Plot Assassin's Creed: The Golden City Assassin's Creed: Mirage Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR Assassin's Creed: Shadows Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game

References

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