Maffeo Polo
Maffeo Polo was a Venetian merchant and explorer, the brother of Niccolò Polo and uncle of Marco.
Biography
Maffeo traveled extensively between 1252 and 1294, but it was in the year of 1257 that Maffeo and his brother traveled to the aged-fortress of Masyaf to meet with Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Grand Master of the Assassin Order at the time. They spent six months in Masyaf, and while his brother spent much of his time with Altaïr, Maffeo grew restless, longing to set sail and leave the Assassin's fortress behind. To counter his brothers boredom, Niccolò told him about the history of the fortress.
During the preliminary Mongol attacks on the fortress in 1257, the Grand Master bequeathed five keys to Maffeo's brother, asking him to keep them safe. Altaïr also gave the brothers his Codex, though it was lost two days later during an attack by a Mongol scouting party. Following these events, the Polos', now honorary members of the Assassin Order, returned to Constantinople; their mission was then to create an Assassins guild within the city.