Roshan
Roshan[2] (Arabic: روشان; born c. 802[1]), also known as Roshan bint-La'Ahad[3] (روشان ابنة لا أحد), was a Hidden One of Persian descent based in Alamut during the 9th century. Holding the rank of Master Assassin, she was a member of the council that governed over the Brotherhood. She was also a brief lover of the mercenary Azadeh in her younger years.
As a teenager, she was married off to a Persian harbor master who regularly abused her. After killing her husband, she became a fugitive, adopting the name "Roshan" and finding work under many different employers over the years, including the inventor Bakhit, the madam Maryam, and the peddler Dervis. During this time, she also trained in swordsmanship under Advi, a royal guard in Thatta, who ultimately sacrificed himself to save her.
While living in Fustat, Egypt in 824, Roshan was framed for theft and imprisoned, but was rescued by the Hidden One Fuladh Al Haami, who recruited her into his team of mercenaries. They were tasked with stealing an artifact from the Martyrs of Agaunum, a cult working with the Order of the Ancients, but most of the mercenaries perished along the way, with only Roshan and Azadeh surviving. Nevertheless, the two were able to secure the artifact, after which Fuladh recruited Roshan into the Hidden Ones.
In 861, Roshan became a mentor to Basim Ibn Ishaq, a street thief from Samarra, and was secretly aware of his Isu heritage as the incarnation of Loki long before Basim himself had realized. Fiercely loyal to the Brotherhood, Roshan tried to suppress his nature but became disillusioned when Basim and the Hidden Ones' leadership learned the truth and stood by each other anyway. In protest, Roshan left the Brotherhood and cast aside her Hidden Blade for several years until reclaiming it ahead of an encounter with the Viking Eivor Varinsdottir in England.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Early life[edit | edit source]
The woman who would later name herself Roshan[1][2] was born around 802 in the village of Kandovan, as the eldest of three sisters. When she was fourteen, a Persian harbor master came to the household and offered a dowry to her parents in exchange for one of their girls as a wife. Roshan volunteered herself as to save her sisters Bolour and Masha from the grim fate of becoming the harbor master's wife, having realized the kind of man he was. For the next three years, she was abused by her husband but was comforted by his other wives, especially Talâyi.[1] While together on his ship, Roshan was given herbs by Talâyi to stop her from becoming pregnant by their husband.[4]
One day while stationed in Baghdad, Roshan had suffered enough and slit her husband's throat, causing havoc on the ship. While hiding from the guards, she was saved by Talâyi, who thanked her for killing the harbor master but advised her not to return home. Realizing the guards were coming, Roshan jumped off the ship while the other wives distracted the soldiers. Swimming to shore, she soon disguised herself as an old man[1] and made her way to the House of Wisdom.[5]
Work as Bakhit's assistant[edit | edit source]
At the House of Wisdom, Roshan managed to live on scraps and rats for some time. She later began following a reclusive inventor and ate his leftovers whenever he left them unattended. One day, she was noticed by the Sudanese inventor, who introduced himself as Bakhit. While discussing Roshan's education, Bakhit began to mentor her and even encouraged her to take classes at the center. Within months, she excelled in the classes and became well-read and knowledgeable in both sciences and mathematics. After eight months, Bakhit offered her to become his assistant and move with him to a new home in Thatta.[5] She accepted and they both left for Thatta under the protection of Thatta's prince's bodyguards.[6]
During the journey to Thatta, Roshan took an interest in watching the bodyguards train. One of the guards, Advi, noticed Roshan and started to train her in swordsmanship, despite Bakhit's reluctance. After a month on the road, she had become stronger and toned from practicing with tahtib sticks alongside Advi. Upon arriving at Bakhit's new quarters in Thatta, Roshan quickly discovered that her position as Bakhit's assistant was dangerous after noticing one of his former assistants who had been disfigured during an experiment. Nevertheless, she exercised caution even more while working for the inventor.[6]
For the next two years, Roshan survived Bakhit's experiments, in part thanks to her special vision which allowed her to work on his dangerous devices without activating them. One day, after sparring with each other, Advi admitted his feelings towards Roshan but, remembering her old husband, she politely rejected his advances and returned home. After taking a bath, she heard a knock and readied her dagger, only to find an impressed Advi. The guard informed her that Bakhit had forfeit his deal with the prince by secretly doing odd jobs for other clients, and told her to be careful. Worried, Roshan began to keep an eye on Bakhit.[7]
Fleeing Thatta[edit | edit source]
Within a year, Roshan learned more under Bakhit and his other clients, including different languages. One client, Maryam, even offered her a job if Bakhit's work did not pan out for her. During this time, Roshan continued her training with Advi, who eventually gifted her a sword, a dagger, and her own tahtib sticks, personally detailed by Bakhit himself. Elated, Roshan stated her love of the gift before retracting her emotions, as to not lead Advi to believe she had feelings for him. Time passed and Roshan tried to persuade Bakhit to end his work behind the prince's back, but he told her that everything would be fine.[4]
Despite Bakhit's reassurance, Roshan's worst fears came true when, one evening, Advi broke into her home to warn her that the prince had found out about Bakhit's secret deals. With the guards coming, Roshan packed quickly and went to warn the other servants, only to discover that the guards had found them first. Forced to escape without them, Roshan jumped over the estate's wall and fled alongside Advi.[4]
Venturing through Thatta, the two ebbed and flowed through the streets until a group of soldiers spotted Advi. Hiding, Roshan watched as Advi was captured and interrogated by the guards for her location. With Advi refusing to say a word, one of the soldiers slit his throat as Roshan watched in horror. Recalling Maryam's offer, Roshan then fled the scene and eventually managed to find Maryam's caravan.[4] After informing her of what had happened, Maryam rushed her clients out of the caravan before leaving Thatta alongside Roshan.[8]
Joining Maryam's brothel[edit | edit source]
Traveling with Maryam along the Silk Road, Roshan thanked her for saving her while stopping herself from bursting into tears due to Advi's death. Maryam consoled her and offered her a job as a bookkeeper and bodyguard. Grateful to Maryam and feeling more secure, Roshan accepted. During the journey, Roshan continued to have nightmares about Advi but the caravan's women comforted and assured her that she was not to blame for his death. When they all arrived in Chang'an and toured around the city, Roshan felt more free and thankful for Advi's sacrifice.[8]
Saving Masha[edit | edit source]
Working for Maryam for a year, Roshan suggested Tabriz as a stop on their way to Armenia but wanted to visit her home village of Kandovan first. Keeping herself hidden, she found her parents living well before being spotted by a pregnant Bolour. The two sisters were happy to be reunited and Bolour told Roshan that she had married her childhood sweetheart Amon, but lamented and lied about Masha's situation. Pushing for the truth, Roshan learned that Masha had not been home due to her controlling husband, a Mongolian merchant named Bogd.[9]
To acquire more information on her sister's husband, Roshan contacted one of Maryam's clients, Dervis, a master thief and peddler, and made a deal with him to investigate Bogd's life and business. After two nights, Dervis managed to learn Bogd had squandered most of his wealth and would lose all of his wives due to his debts. To make matters worse, Bogd's creditors were the same people that Maryam owed money to, and Roshan learned that they planned to take over Maryam's business.[9]
Realizing her life with the caravan was at an end, Roshan was offered a job by Dervis as his bookkeeper. She accepted on the condition that Dervis set up a deal with Bogd to clear his debts in exchange for Masha's release. She then bought both fake and real garnets and gave them to Dervis to deliver to Bogd as a form of payment. Roshan also warned the caravan's women of the situation with Maryam's creditors and they all decided to take their leave. As she was packing for her departure, Roshan was caught by Maryam and explained to her how her financer Xex and the other creditors were planning to take over the caravan. Proud of Roshan for uncovering this, Maryam bid her farewell and left to meet her fate.[9]
When Roshan went to meet with Dervis, she initially expected him to betray his end of their deal, but was relieved to see him come with Masha, who was malnourished from Bogd's mistreatment. Watching from afar, Roshan saw Masha be reunited with Bolour, who decided to take her in and look after her alongside Amon. Roshan also used the last of her money to purchase a bag of garnets and had a street urchin deliver them to Amon as a gift. Afterwards, feeling at ease and happy about her sisters' future, she left the city with Dervis to begin her new life.[9]
Working for Dervis[edit | edit source]
Roshan and Dervis moved to Karachi, where the former learned that her old mentor Bakhit was still alive and being forced to create dangerous devices disguised as ordinary objects. When one of the devices was brought to Dervis, he informed Roshan that he acted as a middle man for transport and delivered the bombs to their buyers. Feeling guilty about Bakhit's devices being used, Roshan began to dismantle them in secret before they went into transit.[10]
After three months, Roshan and Dervis left Karachi and briefly found work in Sanaa before eventually settling in Fustat. There, Roshan had her own home and felt content with her life. During this time, she continued her work deactivating Bakhit's devices, until one day when she woke up to an entourage of soldiers at her doorstep, who had come to arrest her for theft. Realizing she had been framed, Roshan tried to escape but the soldiers captured and restrained her.[11]
Imprisoned[edit | edit source]
Roshan was subsequently imprisoned and forced to hide her gender from her fellow inmates to evade persecution. While plotting to escape, she was noticed and followed by another prisoner, whom she had nicknamed "Black Eyes". After Black Eyes attacked her, Roshan fought him off, though the commotion attracted the attention of the guards. Leaving Black Eyes to be apprehended by the guards, Roshan made her way to the final corridor and almost escaped when she was suddenly knocked down by a hooded stranger, who extended his hand to her.[12]
Rejecting the stranger's hand, Roshan was found by the guards and imprisoned again. However, the hooded stranger later came to her cell and offered her a way out in exchange for helping him with a job. Despite her doubts, especially after the stranger revealed that he had been observing her for some time and knew about her "gift", she ultimately accepted. As they escaped, Roshan watched the stranger effortlessly dispatch all the guards in their way and, astounded, wondered what she had gotten herself into.[13]
Contracted by the Hidden Ones[edit | edit source]
Arriving at a tavern, Roshan met the other mercenaries that the hooded stranger had recruited. As the stranger addressed the group, he revealed that their mission was to track down a cult known as the Martyrs of Agaunum and acquire a case they were safeguarding.[14] He then detailed the case's appearance and gifted them weapons and rations for their journey, telling them that the only way they would succeed was if they worked together.[14] After the stranger left, Roshan became acquainted with one of her team members, a fellow Persian named Azadeh, and her wolf companion Onyx, and used a false name to protect herself.[15]
After the group prepared themselves, they left on horseback, with each member partnered up. Roshan rode with Wei, a Chinese bombmaker, with whom she soon became acquainted. While talking with each other, she learned from Wei that their employer belonged to a group called the Hidden Ones, who had been fighting corruption and injustice for a long time. During their journey, Roshan and Wei took turns sleeping and keeping watch.[15]
One morning, as Roshan watched the sun rise, she was reunited with Azadeh and the two women discussed their reasons for committing to the group. After confiding with Azadeh, Roshan met up with the rest of the group and relayed her plan to ambush the Martyrs. Moving towards a passage along the Sinai, the mercenaries separated, with Wei and Azadeh together while Roshan stood below to fight alongside Roman pirate Dias, Samoan warrior Nafanua, Welsh mercenary Mared, and twin Northmen brothers Geir and Gud. Meanwhile, the last remaining team member, a self-proclaimed Christian prophet named Francis, was tasked to signal Wei to drop a bomb on the incoming Martyrs. However, the plan ultimately failed,[15] due Francis signaling Wei too early.[16]
Losing her teammates[edit | edit source]
Despite the failure of the ambush, the mercenaries proceeded to battle the Martyrs and their guards anyway. After being joined by Azadeh and Onyx, Roshan fought some of the guards before attempting to steal the case they were guarding from their caravan. Though she saw a symbol on one of the chests which matched the hooded stranger's description, she was soon pulled out and almost killed by one of the Martyrs. At that moment, however, the entire group witnessed Dias kiss Mared before using her as a human shield to protect himself from incoming arrows.[16]
Ultimately, the Martyrs managed to flee with the case while Nafanua accused Dias of killing Mared. Although tensions rose within the group, they all realized their predicament. Roshan interceded and came up with a plan to travel ahead the Martyrs across the Red Sea to Karachi. They all agreed but knew they had to get around the mountain in front of them.[16]
Paired and roped with Azadeh and Wei, Roshan survived the ascent of the mountain. However, during the descent, Roshan's team lost their footings until Geir and Gud saved them. However, Gud's foot set some rocks loose over Wei and he was knocked out by one. With Wei coming loose and losing consciousness, Roshan tried to save him but it was too late as Wei soon fell to his death. Feeling guilty, Roshan and Azadeh went to find Wei's body while the rest went to steal a ship. Finding what was left of Wei, Roshan believed Dias and the twins were responsible for his death but had no proof. Taking Wei's jade trinket, Roshan promised to go to Chang'an before leaving with Azadeh to find the rest of their group. After stealing a dhow, they all sailed towards Karachi.[17]
Finding the traitors[edit | edit source]
During the voyage to Karachi, both Roshan and Nafanua were targeted and nearly tossed overboard. Fortunately, they climbed back aboard with Azadeh's help. Feeling they could trust no one, Roshan and Nafanua guarded themselves until Azadeh came to watch over them. Azadeh also apologized to Roshan for not believing her about having a traitor within the team.[18]
After arriving in Karachi, the group all found an inn to rest. Roshan left to find new maps for their journey, but after acquiring the maps, she realized that she was being stalked by the twin brothers. Initially losing them, she was soon cornered by them in an alley.[18] Roshan initially fought off the brothers until finding an opening to escape. She then had Geir and Gud chase her towards the residential areas, where she tricked them into infiltrating a harem belonging to a wealthy man. When the twins were cornered by guards, Gud grabbed one of them and snapped his neck, initiating a fight which resulted in both brothers' death.[19]
Following her escape, Roshan changed her clothes and was soon found by Azadeh and Onyx. Thankful, Roshan asked Azadeh to accompany her to the library to uncover more information about the Martyrs. Soon, they learned that the cult was made up of devotees of the historical Theban Legion and that they were rumored to be using the legion's graves for miraculous healing powers. Shocked, they rushed back to the inn to inform the rest of their group about their findings.[19]
Back at the inn, Roshan surveyed her fellow mercenaries and realized they were still tired. Despite this, she decided to informed them of the Martyrs' true purpose. While Dias readied everyone and Francis left to find horses, Roshan worried over Nafanua, who looked sick. While following Onyx, who had the Martyrs' scent, the group all stopped as Onyx signaled Azadeh that they were not alone. Soon, a flurry of arrows were loosed right as Nafanua fell down. The rest of the group hid while Onyx was ordered to hide but she found and killed two of the attackers. Soon, Roshan, Dias, and Azadeh joined Onyx and killed their attackers.[20]
While Dias accused Francis of betraying them, Roshan noticed Nafanua had been killed by poison and stopped Azadeh from drinking from Nafanua's canteen. She then questioned Francis about his background and concluded that he must be from the Holy Roman Empire and knowledgeable about the Theban Legion. Feigning a smirk, Francis shouted out his support for the Martyrs before fleeing on horseback. Dias tried to shoot him with an arrow, but Roshan stopped him and claimed that, since Onyx had Francis' scent, he would lead them straight to the Martyrs.[20]
Confrontation at the House of Wisdom[edit | edit source]
Following Francis' trail, the group found themselves in Baghdad,[20] where they soon located Francis, who was meeting with the Martyrs at the House of Wisdom.[21] Infiltrating the center, the mercenaries witnessed the Martyrs pass the case to their customer. While the Martyrs were in prayer, Roshan and her team positioned themselves for an ambush and saw the customer become angry upon opening the case. When Azadeh whistled, Onyx attacked and killed Francis while Roshan and Dias slew two Martyrs. However, the other Martyrs fought back fiercely and one managed to destroy Roshan's tahtib sticks while she was trying to defend Azadeh.[21]
Defenseless, Roshan was about to be killed by the Martyr until Onyx saved her. However, the Martyr fatally injured Onyx, leading to a furious Azadeh killing him in revenge. Fighting another Martyr, Roshan was able to inflict a gruesome wound before the Martyr was assassinated by the hooded stranger as he attempted to flee. The stranger then attacked the customer while Dias killed the remaining Martyrs and Azadeh held Onyx, who died in her arms.[21]
Taking a look at the case, Roshan saw that it was of Bakhit's design before witnessing Dias run towards it. She almost warned him, but stopped herself and decided to wait and watch instead. As soon as Dias opened the case, an explosion occurred, killing him and briefly knocking everyone else unconscious. Once Roshan regained her senses, she saw the hooded stranger kill the injured customer before approaching her. After Roshan revealed that she knew the stranger had been observing her and Azadeh, he claimed that Roshan had been directionless for a long time and offered her a new purpose.[21]
Joining the Hidden Ones[edit | edit source]
Realizing that the stranger intended to recruit Roshan into the Hidden Ones, Azadeh asked her to reconsider, claiming that a life of service was a prison of different bars. However, Roshan, tired of running and wishing to find her place in the world, accepted the stranger's offer and told Azadeh to live her life before bidding her farewell with a kiss to the forehead. As an upset Azadeh took her leave, Roshan looked at her one final time before turning her attention to the stranger.[21]
As the two rode together towards Alamut, Roshan asked the stranger about who had hired the Martyrs, to which he responded it was the Order of the Ancients. He then explained that the case contained a powerful artifact and thanked Roshan for her assistance in securing it. When Roshan asked where they would go next, the stranger put his hood up, introduced himself as Fuladh Al Haami, and welcomed her to the Hidden Ones.[21]
Rising in the ranks[edit | edit source]
Over the following decades, Roshan rose through the Brotherhood's ranks and, by the 860s, had become a Master Assassin. Alongside Fuladh and the Mentor Rayhan, she was a member of the council that governed over the Alamut Brotherhood and ensured that the Creed's tenets were up-kept. Roshan was also responsible for the training of most of the Brotherhood's new initiates, teaching them swordsmanship, stealth, and freerunning.[2]
During this time, Roshan sought to put her past behind and considered herself a "daughter of no one". Despite having taken on a new name and responsibility upon joining the Hidden Ones, she regretfully had to dissuade her old friend Azadeh from constantly following rumors trying to find her.[2]
Training Basim[edit | edit source]
- "I can see it in your body. You lose focus too easy. The Leap of Faith is a crucial step on your path to initiation. It is one of the Brotherhood's first and most sacred rites. To perform it successfully, you must first center your mind, body and spirit. Embrace the fear. Quiet it. Find the stillness. And let go."
- ―Roshan teaching Basim about the Leap of Faith, 862.[src]-[m]
In late 861, Roshan was operating in Anbar, where she maintained contact with her old friend Dervis, who led a network of thieves in the city that the Hidden Ones regularly relied on to gather information. While trying to learn more about an artifact that had recently arrived in Anbar, Roshan met the young thief Basim Ibn Ishaq, who had been assigned by Dervis to steal a shipping ledger from the docks. The ledger revealed that the artifact had been delivered to the Winter Palace, and Basim volunteered to steal it. However, Roshan brushed him off and left.[22]
Despite Roshan's warnings, Basim broke into the Winter Palace and managed to steal the artifact, though in the process he was forced to kill the caliph, Al-Mutawakkil, becoming a fugitive. Roshan visited Basim at his home the next day, taking the artifact and inviting him to join her in fleeing Anbar. Although Basim refused at first, he changed his mind after learning that most of his fellow thieves had been killed and went to the docks. There, Roshan protected him from several guards before climbing to the top of a nearby building. As Roshan leapt into the water below to escape, Basim followed her closely behind.[22]
Roshan brought Basim to Alamut, where she became his mentor. In addition to training him in the Hidden Ones' ways, she also explained to him the reach of the Order of the Ancients' influence in the Abbasid Caliphate and beyond, and why the Hidden Ones fought against it. In February 862, Roshan decided to transition Basim's training from wooden swords to steel ones and asked the Hidden One blacksmith Rebekah to forge Basim a scimitar and a parrying dagger, which her apprentice quickly put to use in a duel against his master.[2]
After Basim and another Hidden One, Nur, eliminated a group of mercenaries trying to find the Hidden Ones' base while on patrol, they reported back to Roshan and the rest of the Alamut Council. Suspecting the mercenaries had been sent by the Order, Rayhan decided to send Nur to Baghdad to investigate their enemies' presence in the city, instructing him to seek aid from the Zanj rebel leader Ali ibn Muhammad, a Hidden One ally. Although Roshan viewed Ali as a dangerous and delusional fool, she agreed with the Mentor's decision, and Nur departed for Baghdad.[2]
Mission to Baghdad[edit | edit source]
Eventually, Basim completed his Hidden One training and was formally inducted into the Brotherhood by Roshan and the rest of the Alamut Council. Immediately following her apprentice's initiation ceremony, Roshan asked him to duel as equals, as was custom among the Hidden Ones. However, their sparring session was interrupted by the sudden arrival of a wounded Nur.[23]
After Nur revealed that the Order had attacked him during his investigation in Baghdad and that Ali and his rebels had been captured, he passed out and was taken away to rest. Realizing that the Order held more power in Baghdad than they initially suspected, Rayhan decided to send Roshan, Basim, and Fuladh to the city to continue Nur's investigation and find and rescue Ali.[23]
Investigating Al-Ghul[edit | edit source]
- "An Order member is within our reach, Basim. And like those before and those yet to come, Al-Ghul's death will be just. This is a man who preys off the desperate and the disenfranchised. And such atrocities will only continue, for Al-Ghul is but a cog in a larger wheel. One that spins destructively. So long as it does, we Hidden Ones will make it our mission to slow it to a stop."
- ―Roshan to Basim, shortly before Al-Ghul's assassination, 860s.[src]-[m]
Crossing the desert, the three Hidden Ones eventually reached Baghdad, whereupon Roshan and Fuladh went to the Harbiyah district to establish a bureau while Basim investigated around the city. After Basim joined Roshan and Fuladh at the bureau, the trio discussed the leads Nur had gathered during his investigation. Learning that Nur maintained contact with Beshi, a member of the Zanj rebellion, and regularly visited a dyeing factory, Basim decided to investigate both leads while Roshan and Fuladh remained at the bureau to search for additional clues.[24]
After Basim completed both of his investigations, he returned to the Harbiyah bureau to inform Roshan and Fuladh of what he had managed to gather on Ali's whereabouts. Deducing that Ali was being held at the Damascus Gate Prison, Basim and Fuladh left to rescue him while Roshan went to meet with Beshi and his rebels at a watermill on the northern outskirts of Baghdad.[25] After Basim freed Ali, the two met with Roshan to discuss their leads on the Order member known as "Al-Ghul", who had been capturing the Caliphate's enemies and forcing them to dig in the desert in search of artifacts.[26]
Just as the trio deduced Al-Ghul's identity to be soap mill owner Mas'ood Al-Ya'qoob, an injured Beshi arrived after having been caught while posing as a prisoner to spy on the Ancient. Beshi revealed Mas'ood's base of operations to be the Caravanserai and provided a description of the man, prompting Roshan and Basim to leave in order to eliminate their target. Ali offered to help but Roshan declined his assistance, believing the rebel leader would turn their mission into a large spectacle.[26]
On their way to the Caravanserai, Roshan told Basim that, despite the harshness of her lessons, she was proud of her pupil and believed he was ready to take on the Order of the Ancients. Upon arriving at their destination, Roshan left Basim to choose his approach and gave him a heron's feather to dip in Mas'ood's blood.[27]
After Basim assassinated Mas'ood, Roshan quickly pulled him away from the scene. Once the two were outside the Caravanserai, Roshan noticed that something was on her apprentice's mind and asked him to tell her what was troubling him. Basim revealed that he had been haunted by visions of a djinn, which stopped when he joined the Hidden Ones, but re-surfaced following Mas'ood's death. He also told Roshan that he had seen his childhood friend Nehal and asked for a respite to find and speak with her, which Roshan granted to him.[27]
Search at the Bazaar[edit | edit source]
- Basim: "What was it like, the first time you took a life?"
- Roshan: "I barely recall. It was a man I used to know well. Before all this. Before the Hidden Ones."
- Basim: "You do not remember...?"
- Roshan: "My memories are buried next to him. I refused to let his death haunt me, the way his breath haunted me when he was alive."
- —Roshan telling Basim about her first kill, 860s.[src]-[m]
During Roshan and Basim's hunt of Mas'ood, Fuladh scouted the other districts of Baghdad for possible locations to establish new bureaus. Once Basim returned to the Harbiyah bureau, Roshan informed him of this before joining Rebekah at the Karkh bureau to investigate the Order's presence in the district.[28]
When Basim joined Roshan and Rebekah at the Karkh bureau, the three Hidden Ones discussed the corruption in the district, which had become stronger than usual, with rumors of harassment from officials and goods being seized. Believing the Order to be responsible, Roshan and Basim decided to investigate the Bazaar, where Baghdad's annual grand auction, the Da'irat Al-mal, was set to take place. On the way there, the two talked about Basim's past, as he had spent a significant part of his childhood in Karkh.[29]
Upon reaching the Bazaar, Basim decided to ask his mentor about the first time she had taken a life. Roshan answered vaguely, claiming it was a man she had known well and that her memories of him were buried next to his body, as she refused to allow herself to be defined by her past. She then advised Basim to distance himself from the past as well, to prevent it from haunting him like his nightmares of the djinn. With that, Roshan left her apprentice to conduct his investigation at the Bazaar and find evidence of the Order's activities.[29]
After Basim completed his investigation, he reported back to Roshan and Rebekah at the bureau. With the information Basim had managed to gather, the three Hidden Ones deduced that the Order leader in Karkh was an affluential merchant, though they were unable to determine their exact identity. With the Da'irat Al-mal as his only lead, Basim decided to infiltrate the grand auction and locate his target, "The Treasurer". Roshan advised her apprentice to pose as a merchant and acquire a hairpin sought by his target to lure them out and eliminate them.[30]
Following his assassination of the Treasurer, Basim returned to the bureau to inform Roshan and Rebekah of his success. The former remarked that, despite this victory, the Order was far from vanquished, before noticing that her apprentice seemed troubled. When Roshan asked Basim in private if he had seen the djinn again, he claimed that it was gone for now and went to rest.[31]
Broken trust[edit | edit source]
- "You are not the first to walk the shadows broken, Basim. Stitch your shattered pieces into a whole. Pour your pain into the brotherhood. Purge yourself of the poison she dripped and come home to us. No more than a man. But no less than our brother. Or is it too little for you?"
- ―Roshan trying to convince Basim to return to the Hidden Ones, 860s.[src]-[m]
After Basim also eliminated the Order leaders in Abbasiyah and Sharqiyah and was promoted to Master Assassin, only the Ra's Al-Af'a of the Order, known as "Al-Bahamut", remained. When Basim arrived at the Harbiyah bureau to ask Roshan for any leads on Al-Bahamut's identity, she informed him of Ali and his rebels preparing to attack the Caliphal Palace. She also revealed that the people of the Caliphate were divided over the current caliph's claim to the throne, which many considered he had stolen from Al-Mutawakkil's son, Abu 'Abdallah.[32]
As Basim recalled seeing Abu 'Abdallah at the Winter Palace on the night of Al-Mutawakkil's murder, he decided to ask Roshan if the Hidden Ones had uncovered any new information about the artifacts sought by the Order. When Roshan asked her apprentice why he was so interested in the relics, he simply stated that it would benefit the Hidden Ones to uncover their secrets before the Order.[32]
Before Roshan could answer, Fuladh arrived at the bureau, and the three Hidden Ones proceeded to discuss the possible candidates for Al-Bahamut's identity: the poet Arib Al-Ma'muniyya, the royal concubine Qabiha, and Baghdad's governor Muhammad ibn Tahir. Having met all three, Basim was unsure which one of them was Al-Bahamut since they all appeared to have ties to the Order, so he headed to the Round City to conduct an investigation.[32]
Ultimately, Basim was able to learn that Qabiha was Al-Bahamut and met with Roshan near the Caliphal Palace to report his findings. Roshan decided to assassinate the Ra's Al-Af'a herself, believing her apprentice was not yet prepared to undertake such a mission. However, Basim argued that this was an opportunity to put all his training to the test, and Roshan relented, however uneasy she felt.[33]
Despite this, Roshan remained suspicious of her apprentice's motives and decided to follow him as he infiltrated the palace and confronted Qabiha. There, to her shock and anger, she witnessed Qabiha tell Basim about an Isu temple underneath Alamut, which she claimed held the answers to all of his questions. As the Ra's Al-Af'a offered to inform Basim about his true nature, Roshan acted quickly and stabbed her from behind with her Hidden Blade, killing her.[34]
After confirming Qabiha's death, Roshan angrily confronted her apprentice over his actions, demanding to know everything the Ra's Al-Af'a had told him. In response, Basim accused Roshan of preventing him from understanding his own nature and leaving him to struggle with his nightmares of the djinn alone. He also criticized the Hidden Ones' creed, which promoted free will but asked the Brotherhood's members to obey without question.[34]
Aware of Basim's true nature and its implications, Roshan believed it was in everyone's best interest if her apprentice remained unaware of it and invited him to accompany her back to the Hidden Ones, no more than a man but no less than a brother. However, Basim refused, prompting Roshan to threaten him that, if he decided to seek out the temple, she would not hesitate to kill him herself. With that, she stormed off, leaving Basim to escape from the palace by himself.[34]
Leaving the Hidden Ones[edit | edit source]
Roshan's worst fears came true when, amidst an attack on Alamut by Tahirid forces allied with the Order, Basim returned to the fortress to investigate the Isu temple. After fighting off several of the attacking Tahirid soldiers and getting injured in the process, Roshan made her way to the temple's entrance to prevent Basim from accessing it. As the master and her former student fought, Basim was able to break Roshan's defense with a throwing knife to the shoulder before taking advantage of her injuries to defeat and non-fatally stab her with his Hidden Blade.[3]
No longer in any condition to fight, Roshan could only try to dissuade Basim from entering the temple, claiming that she had the Hidden Ones' best interest in mind and begging her former apprentice to trust her. However, her pleas fell on deaf ears as Basim proceeded into the temple, where he ultimately unlocked Loki's dormant memories inside him. After learning that Rayhan had given Basim his blessing to investigate the temple, a disillusioned Roshan decided to leave the Hidden Ones and, following an argument with the Mentor, discarded her Hidden Blade and departed Alamut.[3]
Activities in England[edit | edit source]
Despite no longer serving the Hidden Ones, Roshan remained a loyal follower of their creed and continued to hunt down Order members across the globe. Two decades after leaving Alamut, she had managed to recover her Hidden Blade after some difficult years spent without it, and tracked the Ancient Makira to England, where the latter had formed an alliance with Sir Edward, Earl of Westerna. The Saxon mercenaries in Edward's employ often stole the Raven Clan's gear and launched raids with it to frame them, keeping all looted gold and silver while Makira took any writings they managed to recover for herself.[35]
While tracking Edward's men, Roshan encountered the Raven Clan's jarlskona Eivor Varinsdottir, who was also investigating the raids. After informing Eivor that Edward and Makira were responsible for tarnishing her clan's name, Roshan struck an alliance with the Viking to eliminate their mutual enemies, who had taken refuge in Ravensburg.[35]
Eivor infiltrated the fortress and publicly assassinated Edward, sending his men into disarray and allowing Roshan to drop from a tree and kill an unsuspecting Makira. The former Hidden One then looted a scroll from Makira's body and said that she would deliver it to Jerusalem, describing its contents as "a seed to plant" for the future, before parting ways with Eivor.[35]
Personality and traits[edit | edit source]
Roshan was a woman of Persian descent and had a strong personality. A true warrior who was loyal and honest, she fought for justice and to protect her fellow Hidden Ones, but kept details of her life shrouded in mystery.[36] This was largely because her life prior to joining the Brotherhood was deeply traumatic and Roshan chose to distance herself from her past to prevent it from haunting her, going so far as to call herself the "daughter of no one".[29] Her only connection to her old life was her friend Azadeh, whom Roshan regretfully had to dissuade from searching for her.[2]
Even prior to joining the Hidden Ones, Roshan possessed a strong desire to help others. She volunteered herself to be married to the Persian harbor master to save her sisters from this fate,[1] and, years later, rescued Masha from her controlling husband while using the last of her money to secure her family's financial well-being without their knowledge.[9] Her kindness did not extend solely to family members, as she disarmed countless of Bakhit's deadly devices to prevent them from being used to do harm.[10] She also befriended many of her fellow mercenaries in Fuladh's employ and mourned their deaths, partially blaming herself for being unable to prevent them.[37]
As a Hidden One, Roshan was a devout follower of the Creed,[38] in part because she felt the Brotherhood had helped her find her purpose after years of being directionless.[21] However, her interpretation of the Hidden Ones' tenets was quite dogmatic, as she believed that in order to properly serve the Brotherhood, one had to cut all ties with their past life and be "reborn" as a new person.[23] Nevertheless, Roshan believed in fighting against the Order of the Ancients' corrupting influence and tried to teach these values to her apprentice Basim.[2]
While Roshan could be quite stoic and harsh with her lessons at times, she genuinely cared about Basim and hoped to help him overcome his nightmares by having him become as devoted to the Hidden Ones as her.[27] After discovering Basim's nature as a reborn Isu, however, Roshan began to fear her apprentice's potential and started to manipulate him in an attempt to prevent Basim from learning the truth. This ultimately resulted in their falling out after Basim learned he had been lied to,[34] and Roshan leaving the Alamut Hidden Ones upon realizing the rest of the Brotherhood disagreed with her actions.[3]
Skills and equipment[edit | edit source]
Roshan's first kill occured when she murdered her husband after enduring years of abuse at his hands.[1] Following this, she would not pick up a blade again until years later, when she trained in combat under Advi, who taught her to dual-wield twin tahtib sticks, as well as a sword and dagger.[7] During her training, Roshan received her own pair of personalized tahtib sticks as a gift from Advi and Bakhit,[4] which she would wield for several years, until they were destroyed during a fight with the Martyrs of Agaunum.[21]
Upon joining the Hidden Ones, Roshan refined her combat skills, in addition to mastering freerunning, stealth, and several different assassination techniques with her Hidden Blade.[38] She later became an instructor for many of the novice Hidden Ones, whom she trained in swordsmanship, though none of them reached her level of skill. The only exception was Basim, who was able to catch Roshan by surprise with one of his strikes during a sparring session,[2] and later defeated her, albeit only after she had already been significantly injured.[3]
Roshan possessed the extra-sensory ability known as Eagle Vision since childhood, though she kept it hidden from others since her mother got upset at her for asking questions about it. The vision enhanced all of her senses, allowing her to hear noises or see markings that would normally be inaudible or invisible.[13] It also allowed her to deduce a person's intentions just by observing them, though it was not infallible and could sometimes be activated unintentionally.[14]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
Roshan is a character originally created for the 2023 video game Assassin's Creed: Mirage, but her older self debuted in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (2020) as part of Shared History, a free 2022 downloadable mission that was released to promote Mirage. In both games, she is voiced by the Iranian-American actress Shohreh Aghdashloo.
In April 2024, Mirage's Creative Director Stéphane Boudon responded to a query regarding Roshan's name and speculated connection to the Ibn-La'Ahad family by saying that Roshan did "share DNA" with the series' original modern day Assassin protagonist Desmond Miles, but he did not elaborate further on their relation.[39]
In Mirage, Roshan's robes can be obtained for free from Ubisoft Connect as an outfit for Basim to wear in-game.
Name[edit | edit source]
Roshan (روشن) is a name derived from the Middle Persian word lwšn' ('light, bright'). It is cognate with the names Roxana and Lushan.[40] Bint-La'Ahad (ابنة لا أحد) means "Daughter of No One" in Arabic and appears to be a nasab, substituting for a patronym typical in Arabic names. The fact that Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, the protagonist of Assassin's Creed (2007), bears the same patronym that his sons Darim and Sef later inherit implies that it may instead be an unconventional laqab, a family name, or a nisbah, a name indicating affiliation. There is no source linking Roshan with Altaïr at this time.
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Shared History (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Mirage
- Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Daughter of No One
- Assassin's Creed: Mirage – A Soar of Eagles
- Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game
References[edit | edit source]
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