Najma Alayza

Najma Alayza was a Moorish member of both the Libyan Brotherhood and Spanish Brotherhood of Assassins during the Renaissance.

Biography

Early life

Born in Granada to a Moorish noble family, Najma grew up in comfortable surroundings, protected and safe. Her mother vanished when she was young, leaving Najma and her older brother Ubayd in the care of their father, an influential philosopher and astronomer in the Granada court who was also a Brotherhood ally.

When Najma's father was murdered, the only clue was a dagger left on his body. Among his effects Najma found a letter addressed to her, marked to be opened in the case of his death. In it, her father instructed her to go to Libya, where her mother would take care of her. There her mother, a member of the Libyan Brotherhood, revealed that family had a long-standing Assassin allegiance. She identified the dagger that had murdered her husband as belonging to Najma's brother Ubayd, once also an Assassin before having defected to the Templar Order, theorizing the two had quarreled over Ubayd's treachery and the son had killed his father in anger.

Najma decided to join the Brotherhood and train as an Assassin with her mother, in order to hunt her brother and avenge her father's death. In 1499, she returned to Granada after years in exile in search of her brother.

Return to Granada

Ubayd and Garza, his handler, had been abducting Assassin allies in the city and handing them over to the Spanish Inquisition. While she tracked down her target, Najma crossed paths with Spanish Assassins also investigating the kidnappings. They would rescue their allies from the Ubayd, but much to Najma's ire, he would escape, forcing the Assassins to retreat to safety. After escaping the compromised safe house, Najma and the Spanish Assassins made their way to Garza's villa in the city's north end, hoping to find Ubayd. They infiltrated the villa and rescued their allies, though Garza escaped to the Alhambra fortress.

In the Alhambra, Garza and Ubayd argued about their actions, with Ubayd regretting both the pain he inflicted in Granada and the murder of his father, before Garza abruptly stabbed him and left Ubayd to bleed to death as Najma arrived. Ubayd would admit to his sister that he was a fool to trust the Templars, and asked that she set things right for Granada, before dying from his wound. She remarked to the Spanish Assassins that Ubayd deserved a better death, even after all he had done, before chasing Garza.

Graza fled through the streets of Granada, with the Assassins hot on his heels. The Assassins made their way through the towers and along the walls, eventually cornering Garza on the edge of a rampart. Najma then assassinated Garza with her Hidden Blade. The Spanish Assassins offered her a place in their Brotherhood, which she accepted, eager to fight the Templar Order's oppression of Moors in Spain.

Behind the scenes

Najma is a character introduced in Assassin's Creed: Rebellion through the Helix Rift Event Kinslayer which first ran from 22–26 May 2019.

Etymology

The name Najma (نجمة) is derived from the Arabic word najma (نَجْمَة) "star", alternatively from najma (نَجْمَة) "stalkless plant, herb, grass" both further derived from the Arabic root n-j-m (ن ج م‎). Alayza is a possible Arabic laqab al-Ayza without the particle, with ʕāyez (عايز) being the Egyptian Arabic for "wanting, want".

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion – Kinslayer

References

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