Basim ibn Ishaq

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"But a man you trust with anything... can take everything."

―Basim recalling Odin's betrayal to Eivor Varinsdottir, c. 875.

Basim Ibn Ishaq was a member of the Hidden Ones from the Abbasid Caliphate who operated during the 9th century, working primarily in foreign nations on their behalf. He was also the reincarnation of the Isu Loki.

Biography

Early life

Basim was the inheritor of the memories of the Isu Loki, who had seeded his genetic code into humanity's genepool to circumvent the Great Catastrophe that would destroy the First Civilization and be reunited with his lover Aletheia, whose consciousness was preserved within the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus.

Basim himself was the son of an architect, who constructed the Great Mosque of Samarra but was exiled and died in poverty after someone else took credit for his work. During his youth, Basim was a frequent visitor of the Grand Library of Baghdad.

Basim joined the Hidden Ones at a young age and trained to become a Master assassin. Years later, Loki's consciousness began manifesting in him, causing him to suffer from episodes of mania before Loki's consciousness was fully reborn in Basim. This led to Basim to becoming more concerned with finding other Sages, and this led to him being described by his allies as a person of danger and intrigue.

Meeting Sigurd

Circa 870, while stationed in Constantinople, a fellow Hidden One informed him of Ammon's mission in Bulgar and his death. Disappointed in his acolyte's death, his interest was piqued when the Hidden One told Basim of a Norseman with a mark on his neck. He then set out to meet Raven Clan Viking leader Sigurd Styrbjornson in Constantinople and befriended him.

Settlement in England

Two years later, Sigurd brought him and Hytham over to Norway, where he met Sigurd's adoptive younger sibling, Eivor Varinsdottir. While in Norway, he was present to watch certain members of Raven Clan decide to move to England and escape the rule of Harald Fairhair under a unified Norway. In time, he told Eivor of a greater conspiracy by a hidden enemy to control the Norse as well as all of England.

Imprisonment

In 877, Eivor and Sigurd traveled to a fjord in the north of Hordafylke. There they found an ancient Isu ruin containing Yggdrasil, an Animus-like supercomputer. Consumed by Loki's memories, Basim attacked them. Eivor, herself the reincarnation of Odin, won the fight and Basim was trapped within the device.

Awakening

By 2020, as the Earth's magnetic field began to strengthen beyond normal, Basim managed to send an audio message to the present-day Assassins, directing them to Eivor's remains in New England. Through use of the Animus, Layla Hassan synchronized with Eivor's memories and discovered the location of the Yggdrasil site. Venturing in with the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus for protection against the lethal radiation in the chamber, she discovered Basim's body still connected to the machine. She connected to the device and discovered that Basim's consciousness had been retained inside the shared simulation. Layla sacrificed her corporeal form to enter the Grey with The Reader but Basim was freed and managed to grasp the Staff to rejuvenate his body. Communicating with Aletheia's consciousness within the Staff, he confirmed that the Odin was long dead and that Layla had fulfilled her purpose.

Traveling to Layla's safehouse, Basim met with Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings, members of Layla's Assassin cell in New England, where Eivor had been buried. After enduring the couple's anger at Layla's fate, he then remarked how his brotherhood of the Hidden Ones had renamed themselves as the Assassins, and requested a face-to-face meeting with their Mentor, William Miles, to discuss action against the Templars, the successors to the Order of the Ancients. After the couple had departed the cabin, Basim visited Eivor's grave, remarking how he managed to outlive his adversary before accessing the Animus to take advantage of the Bleeding Effect in the hopes of finding his missing children.

Personality and characteristics

Little is known about Basim prior to him fully transforming into a reincarnation of Loki. Even before he became a proper Sage of Loki, he still had all of Loki's inner desires. He shared in Loki's deep commitment to the pursuit of scholarly activities and hungered for uncovering more knowledge and wisdom. During his time being trapped inside Yggdrasil, he stent his time studying the calculations over and over again to determine the best paths to take for his next plots. By the time of the 21st century, his repeated studies of calculations and Loki's memories had made him capable of understanding how to modern human societies functioned and how their equipment functioned, particularly the Animus.

Like his original predecessor, valued loyalty and kindness towards his kin. He was loyal to Sigurd's clan, despite knowing his true status, and showed them his kindness and loyalty throughout their time together in England. He only became antagonistic towards the Raven Clan after realizing that Eivor is actually Odin's reincarnation. Basim even displayed a vengeful and determined side which he inherited from Loki. Upon discovering Eivor's true status, he goes into a manic state, rambling on about his family's pain caused by Eivor, much to Eivor's confusion. He fought with great ferocity and tried to play every dirty trick to gain the upper hand on Eivor.

Basim wore the standard attire of the Hidden Ones in the Middle East of that time. His red sash signified his rank as a master assassin. Even his weaponry, combat stances and prowess as well as his personal sword was a mirror image of the same equipment and combat skills possessed by his original self, Loki, back in the Isu era. Upon emerging from Yggdrasil in the 21st century, Basim wore a grey hoodie, a black t-shirt with a wolf and moon design on the front, brown cargo pants and brown shoes with red laces.

Behind the scenes

Basim Ibn Ishaq is a character that appears in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. He is voiced by Canadian actor Carlo Rota. He also makes an appearance in the third issue of the comic mini-series Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Song of Glory.

Etymology

Basim is an Arabic name meaning "one who smiles", derived from بَسَمَ (basama) meaning "to smile". His nasab ibn Ishaq means "son of Ishaq" with Ishaq, the Arabic form of Isaac, meaning "laughing".

Gallery

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  Promotional art of Basim
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  Promotional art of Basim
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  Database image of Basim
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  Basim as he appears in Rebellion
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  Basim as he appears in Song of Glory

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Song of Glory
• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion