Jamal
Jamal was a member of the Levantine Brotherhood of Assassins who served under the Mentor Al Mualim during the Third Crusade. In 1191, he betrayed the Order by assisting the Knights Templar in their attack on Masyaf; acting as an insider, he provided the enemy's plans to his accomplice Masun and instructed him to open the fortress gates for the intruders.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Betrayal of Masyaf[edit | edit source]
By 1191, Jamal and the herald Masun had established contact with the Templar Order, having been won over by their cause.[1] Operating as traitors within the Brotherhood, the pair utilized a local basket weaver to exchange letters and coordinate their activities. In July 1191, their role became pivotal when a Templar force led by Grand Master Robert de Sablé attacked the village in pursuit of the Apple of Eden. To assist the invaders, Jamal provided Masun with the Templars' plans and instructed his accomplice to open the gates for the enemy.[2][3]
Despite the breach and subsequent casualties, the Templars were repelled when Master Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad triggered a trap, sending a cascade of logs rolling down to crush the enemy vanguard. In the aftermath of the defense, Altaïr was brought before Al Mualim, who stripped him of his rank and possessions for his arrogance at Solomon's Temple and for violating all three tenets of the Creed.[4] As a chance at redemption, the demoted Assassin was tasked with uncovering the identity of the traitor who had aided the invaders.[5]
Discovery and aftermath[edit | edit source]
The Brotherhood had already identified Masun's treachery, though his apprehension was delayed to serve as a reminder for Altaïr on the methods of the hunt.[5] During this period, Masun attempted to protect Jamal by hiding coin near a dead cypress tree in the village and writing a letter that urged his accomplice to flee to Damascus and lose himself among the populace until the scrutiny subsided.[3]
Jamal never received the warning, as the letter was pickpocketed from the basket weaver by Altaïr.[3] Consequently, Jamal remained at Masyaf while Masun was apprehended for publicly preaching against Al Mualim. During his subsequent interrogation, Masun yielded and identified Jamal as the accomplice who had informed him of the Templars' plans and instructed him to open the gate.[1]
Following Masun's execution, Al Mualim deferred judgment on Jamal, seeking to determine if the man had acted out of ignorance and fear or possessed a corrupted will. The Mentor noted that while those who acted out of ignorance could be saved, those with poisoned minds had to be destroyed.[5] As Altaïr departed Masyaf for Damascus to hunt Tamir, he passed Jamal standing guard at the village outskirts, still posing as a loyal Assassin.[6]
Personality and traits[edit | edit source]
Jamal was a calculating and deceptive individual who managed to maintain his standing within the Brotherhood while secretly serving the Templar Order. Unlike his accomplice Masun, who operated openly in the village, Jamal acted as the primary coordinator of the betrayal from within the fortress, providing the Templars' plans and instructing others to facilitate the enemy's entry.[1] His ability to mask his true allegiances allowed him to remain undetected even after the siege, continuing to pose as a loyal Assassin while his fate was being weighed by the Mentor. Al Mualim viewed Jamal's character through a lens of philosophical scrutiny, questioning whether the traitor had acted out of "ignorance or fear"—which would allow for his salvation—or if he possessed a "corrupted will" and a "poisoned" mind that necessitated his destruction.[5]
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- Jamal is a transliteration of the Arabic name جمال, meaning 'beauty'.
- Originally, Jamal was intended to be an assassination target in Assassin's Creed, but was ultimately cut from the final game due to development constraints. However, he still appears as a minor Easter egg.
- When viewed in Eagle Vision, Jamal appears as the only red enemy Assassin. If he is assassinated, the other Assassins will ignore the act; however, if he is openly attacked, the surrounding Assassins will react as standard guards and attack the player.
- Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's investigation of Masun and Jamal, as well as mentions of their betrayal, are omitted from the novel Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade.