Abu'l Nuqoud

"Good work, if a little… unrefined."

This article is being nominated for . If you wish to share your own opinion about this article, please read the instructions within the nomination page before voting.

"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^[src]

Abu'l Nuqoud was the merchant king of Damascus, and secretly a member of the Templar Order. Abu'l was the fourth person assassinated by the Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. His death, like those of his Templar brothers, was ordered by Al Mualim, the master of the Syrian Assassins at the time. Abu'l Nuqoud was located in the rich district of Damascus, Syria.

Biography

The Merchant King of Damascus

"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."

―Abu'l Nuqoud^[src]

Abu'l Nuqoud was an abnormally large man with rich tastes and a humongous appetite. Everything he said and did was to excess. He was known to throw lavish parties, decorate his palace with gaudy works of art, and feed himself the finest foods. He hated the poor and saw them as a blight upon the land, believing them to be the source of everything wrong with the world. He took pleasure in tricking and torturing those of lesser means, and was incredibly self-centered. He loved nothing more than to remind the people of Damascus how generous he was. He knew how to throw a party – and how to earn the favor of "those who mattered". At some stage in his life, Abu'l Nuqoud joined the Templar Order and gained knowledge the Apple of Eden and the plans the Templars had with the ancient artifact.

Death

"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.^[src]

When Altaïr sought out Abu'l Nuqoud, he learned that the merchant king had organized a lavish party at his palace for the nobility of Damascus. The party was paid for with money stolen from the city's treasury. After the guests had settled down, Abu'l, speaking from his balcony, proposed a toast for their generosity and then proceeded to lambaste them for their hatred and hypocrisy in supporting Saladin and his war campaign. It was soon revealed that he had poisoned the wine in order to exact revenge on the people who tormented him with their cruel words and bigotry.

He then ordered his men to kill anyone who tried to escape from the party. Altaïr took advantage of the ensuing panic to make his way to Abu'l, who tried to escape. Altaïr gave chase and managed to assassinate Abu'l.

In his dying speech, Abu'l told the Assassin that he did not join the Templars for revenge, but to create a new and better world instead of pretending to follow a god who called him an abomination. He also challenged Altaïr's willingness to strike down anyone when it was ordered by Al Mualim, remarking that Altaïr might doubt the worthiness of his cause.

Personality and characteristics

Abu'l Nuqoud could not bring himself to support a war for a God who labeled him an abomination. He threw large and extraordinary parties, decorated his palace with expensive works of art and fed himself the finest foods while wearing expensive clothing. He hated the poor and saw them as the source of all problems. He would even murder dozens of innocent citizens for the sake of his own pettiness and frustration, blaming them for his problems, and for talking 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 which 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. On his face, one could see the signs of severe acne.

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".

Trivia

In Arabic, ʾAbu n-Nuqūd literally means "Father of the Money" or "Father of the Coins".
He is the only target without any weapon upon him. He will only turn to fight you when he makes it to a guard tower and receives a sword.
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 that he is a homosexual.
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."
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".