Darius

Darius was a male Persian Assassin living during the reign of King Xerxes. He assassinated him with the Hidden Blade, making it the first known assassination with the hidden blade.

Trivia

• Darius had all ten fingers, as seen on the picture on the right. Either this was a creation mistake or the hidden blade's design was later changed so that the ring finger needed to be removed. Another explanation may be the rather puffy aspect of Persian clothing. As it would be difficult for the blade to extend through the fabric, the mechanism is worn on the outside of the sleeve (as seen in the picture on the right), thus making the blade extend higher than normal and so it would be out of the way of the fingers. Because the style of clothing in the Holy Land, where Altaïr lives, is different, the mechanism is lowered and therefore requires removal of the ring finger. Alternatively it could be artistic license or oversight on the part of the sculptor.
• Xerxes' father was called Darius. His eldest son and heir to the throne was also named Darius. In real life, Xerxes was murdered by Artabanus, commander of the royal guard with the help of an eunuch named Aspamitres in 465 BCE. The prince Darius was supposedly accused of the murder by Artabanus, leading to his death. However, Artabanus himself was put to death by Xerxes' successor.
• Darius had his hidden blade on his right arm, despite the fact that most hidden blades are worn on the left (save for Ezio's second hidden blade). It is possible that he was right-handed, and Assassins of his day perhaps followed with the thought that since most use the right hand for sword fighting, it was only natural to put this new weapon on the same hand. When the hidden blade is on the left hand of a right-handed person, they are now free to use their dominant hand more effectively, perhaps holding an object or person, or throwing a punch. Another theory is that Darius could have been left-handed, and so he wielded the blade on the right.