Qulan Gal

"Such is our role, Nerkaa. The few of us must stand against very many."

―Qulan Gal to Nergüi, regarding the Mongolian Assassins' cause, 1227.^[src]^-[m]

Qulan Gal was a member of the Mongolian Brotherhood of Assassins during the 13th century. He was one of the Order's most renowned members due to his vital role in the assassination of Genghis Khan alongside the Levantine Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's son, Darim.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Early life[edit | edit source]

Qulan Gal was a member of the Assassin Order, operating mainly in the Mongol Empire. He was a renowned toxophilite, with his skill in archery later being hailed by the Order. During the early 13th century, the conqueror Genghis Khan caused turmoil in Mongolia, quickly overtaking land thanks to a Sword of Eden in his possession. As a result of Genghis Khan's tyranny, Qulan swore to stand against him and was later integral in the Khan's assassination.^[1]

Assassination of Genghis Khan[edit | edit source]

"I always felt an Assassin's strength lay in independence and self-reliance. Yet seeing how you and your family work together causes me to revise my opinion."

―Qulan Gal to Altaïr and his family, 1227.^[src]^-[m]

At some point between 1217 and 1227, Qulan Gal came into contact with the Levantine Assassins' Mentor Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, his wife Maria Thorpe, and their son Darim. The three had traveled from Masyaf to eliminate Genghis Khan due to the threat he and his empire posed to the Brotherhood. Realizing that they shared a common goal, Qulan decided to work with Altaïr and his family to assassinate the Khan.^[2]

In February 1227, Qulan and Darim assassinated Genghis Khan's eldest son Jochi during a hunting expedition to weaken their enemies' forces and resolve. After Darim slipped into Jochi's tent under the cover of night and poisoned his drink, Qulan watched the Khan's son succumb to the poison and informed him that his father would be the Assassins' next target.^[3]

Six months later, Qulan, Altaïr, Darim, and Maria planned to kill Genghis Khan in his camp in Xingqing in Western Xia. While Qulan and Altaïr went into the camp together, Darim and Maria covered them from a distance, respectively with his crossbow and her bow.^[2] However, during their infiltration, Altaïr was spotted and attacked by a Mongol soldier. Qulan killed the soldier before he could raise the alarm and carried the injured Mentor into a nearby tent. There, they found the young Assassin Nergüi, who had been captured while scouting the camp.^[4]

As he freed Nergüi, Qulan scolded him for his recklessness but also called him brave and honorable and expressed relief to see him alive. The three Assassins then proceeded to escape the camp and regroup with Darim and Maria on the nearby hill. Despite their position being compromised, the group refused to abandon their mission with the Great Khan so close, and devised another plan to lure him out of his camp and eliminate him.^[4]

After the Assassins set the Mongol camp ablaze with flaming arrows, Genghis Khan fled on horseback, accompanied by several guards. Qulan and Darim gave chase, and the former used his bow to dispatch all the guards and shoot the Khan's horse, injuring him on impact with the ground. Darim then finished off the defenseless conqueror with his crossbow, but the two Assassins were forced to flee as Mongol reinforcements arrived, leaving behind the Khan's Sword of Eden.^[4]

Later, Qulan and Nergüi bid farewell to Altaïr and his family, who were preparing to ride back to Masyaf. Qulan remarked that although he had initially believed an Assassin's strength to lie in their independence and self-reliance, seeing Altaïr, Maria, and Darim work so well together had made him change his mind. To this, Altaïr suggested that Qulan take on an apprentice and the Mongolian Assassin agreed, taking the young Nergüi under his wing.^[4]

Working with Nergüi[edit | edit source]

Several years later, Genghis Khan had been succeeded by his third son Ögedei. During this time, Qulan trained Nergüi so that he could be formally inducted into the Brotherhood. Before this could happen however, Qulan instructed his apprentice to travel to Samarkand. Ögedei had sent an entire tumen to reinforce the city, and Nergüi was to assassinate their captain without being detected by the large force. After discreetly killing the captain, Nergüi returned to Qulan and informed him of his success. They then met with the Mentor of the Mongolian Assassins, who inducted Nergüi into the Brotherhood and gave him his own Hidden Blade.^[5]

In 1241, Qulan told Nergüi of Batu Khan, the founder of the Golden Horde who was tearing through Russia. In order to slow his advance, Nergüi was tasked with assassinating Ögedei Khan, while Qulan assassinated the Khan's brother, Chagatai. With no ready successor to the throne, Batu would be forced to return to Mongolia. Both of the Assassins proved successful in their endeavors.^[6]

Legacy[edit | edit source]

Qulan Gal's role in the assassination of Genghis Khan, which allowed the Assassin Order to spread its influence within the Mongol Empire,^[2] earned the Assassin great praise amongst his brethren—so much so that he was regarded as one of the most illustrious members of the Order to ever live, alongside the likes of Darius, Amunet, and Altaïr himself.^[1]

By the time of the Renaissance, a tomb dedicated to Qulan Gal had been built underneath the Rocca di Ravaldino in Forlì, Italy. The Italian Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze explored the tomb and took the hidden seal from the sarcophagus, which later allowed him to obtain the Armor of Altaïr sealed in the Sanctuary beneath the Villa Auditore in Monteriggioni, where a statue of Qulan Gal, alongside other celebrated Assassins, had been erected.^[7]

In 2014, Qulan Gal's altered genetic memories were relived by a research analyst working for the Templar front company Abstergo Entertainment.^[3]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

Qulan Gal is a character first mentioned in the 2009 video game Assassin's Creed II, as one of seven legendary Assassins with a dedicated statue in the Sanctuary of the Villa Auditore. Outside of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, each of these Assassins have a unique accomplishment in history pertaining to the assassination of a historical figure. In Qulan's case, it was his shooting of Genghis Khan's horse, which resulted in the conqueror's death.

This event was later depicted in both the 2011 novel Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade and the second issue of the 2017 comic miniseries Assassin's Creed: Reflections, which revealed that Qulan had been assisted during his assassination of Genghis Khan by Altaïr and his family, and that it was Altaïr's son Darim who delivered the killing blow to the Khan.