Rafiq

This article is about the Assassin rank. You may be looking for Rafik, the bureau leader of Damascus in 1190.

"Be sure to visit the city's Assassin Bureau when you arrive. I'll dispatch a bird to inform the Rafiq of your arrival. Speak with him, you'll find he has much to offer."

―Al Mualim to Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, 1191.

The Bureau, a Rafiq's home

A Rafiq, also known as a bureau leader or Keeper, was a graduated scholar of the Hidden Ones and their successive form, the Assassin Brotherhood. While the rank was first adopted by the organization's Levantine branch during the Middle Ages and is most commonly associated with it, bureau leaders have existed across many different time periods and geographical regions.

A Rafiq was responsible for coordinating Assassin missions in their assigned city or district from an Assassin bureau. In this capacity, the Rafiq provided valuable information for agents in their field work, such as the locations where information could be obtained about assassination targets, and determined whether or not the assassination could be conducted.

Role

The primary duties of a Rafiq were to serve as a teacher and field contact to the Assassin visitors of their city, in turn providing them with suggestions on where and how to gather information. A Rafiq also coordinated and gathered the information gathered by the Assassin informers of the city, who also acted as contacts in specific city districts.

Altaïr and the Rafiq of Damascus

Upon being assigned a target by the Mentor, Assassins were required to report their findings about their target to the local Rafiq to obtain leave for the strike. Once the Rafiq validated the gathered intelligence—confirming the target's location, routine, and a viable plan of approach—they presented the agent with a white feather to be dipped in the target's blood. The bloodstained feather was later returned to the Rafiq as proof of the assassination.

Aside from bureau responsibilities, each Rafiq held a particular skill or talent that they could teach, in addition to philosophy, religious doctrine, or adherence to the Assassins' Creed. These personal talents were integrated into their civilian identities, allowing each Rafiq to establish a legitimate business that served as a clandestine front for the local bureau. For the Rafiq, this business was in itself legitimate, such that the store served not just to disguise Assassin operations, but also as a means to sustain their operations and provide financial support for the Brotherhood. For instance, the bureau leader of Jerusalem in 1191, Malik Al-Sayf, operated as a cartographer; the Rafiq of Damascus in 1190, Rafik, was a silk merchant and his successor in 1191, a potter; Hamid of Tyre was a carpet merchant; and the Rafiq of Acre, Jabal, served as a scribe.

Dai

The rank of Dai was a high-level position within the Levantine Brotherhood, typically held by those overseeing major bureaus in key cities, such as Jerusalem.

Altaïr with Malik, the Dai and leader of the Jerusalem bureau

In 1191, Malik Al-Sayf held this rank while serving as the leader of the Jerusalem bureau. Following the mission to Solomon's Temple, Malik was appointed to this position of authority, which required the demoted Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad to report his findings and obtain Malik's permission before being granted leave for any assassination within the city. During these investigations, Altaïr consistently addressed Malik by this title as a sign of his standing.

During the retaking of Masyaf, after the betrayal of Al Mualim had been revealed, Malik in turn referred to Altaïr as "Dai." This address served as an acknowledgment of Altaïr's redemption and his re-attained leadership within the Brotherhood's hierarchy.

Known bureau leaders

• 
  Tahira
  Klysma, Sinai
  (until 38 BCE)
• 
  Fuladh Al Haami
  Sharqiyah, Baghdad
  (860s)
• 
  Tabid Al-Nubi
  Abbasiyah, Baghdad
  (860s)
• 
  Rebekah
  Karkh, Baghdad
  (860s)
• 
  Mahaut
  Chinon
  (c. 870)
• 
  Basim ibn Ishaq
  Constantinople
  (c. 870)
• 
  Hytham
  Ravensthorpe
  (873)
• 
  Marcella
  Lunden
  (878)
• 
  Rafik
  Damascus
  (c. 1190)
• 
  Hamid
  Tyre
  (c. 1190)
• 
  Kadar
  Jerusalem
  (c. 1190)
• 
  Damascus bureau leader
  Damascus
  (c. 1191)
• 
  Jabal
  Acre
  (c. 1191)
• 
  Malik Al-Sayf
  Jerusalem
  (c. 1191)
• 
  Diego de Alvarado
  Burgos
  (until c. 1492)
• 
  Opía Apito
  Cayman Islands
  (c. 1716)
• 
  Antó
  Kingston
  (c. 1716)
• 
  Rhona Dinsmore
  Havana
  (c. 1717)
• 
  Upton Travers
  Nassau
  (c. 1717)
• 
  Vance Travers
  Nassau
  (c. 1717)
• 
  Jayadeep Mir
  London
  (1865 – c. 1868)

Trivia

• Both Jabal and the leader of the Damascus bureau were addressed merely as "Rafiq", rather than by their name.
• Rafiqs did not appear in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, but key members of the Cypriot Resistance, such as Alexander of Limassol and Markos, acted in a similar manner to them and were situated in Resistance safe houses similar to Assassin bureaus.
• Rafiq, رفيق, is an Arabic word meaning 'friend'.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles
• Assassin's Creed: The Fall (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
• Assassin's Creed: Memories (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
• Assassin's Creed: Underworld
• Assassin's Creed: Origins
  • The Hidden Ones
• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Sword of the White Horse
• Assassin's Creed: The Silk Road
• Assassin's Creed: Mirage