Talk:Rafiq

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Rafik as the name of the Rafiq of Damascus in Altaïr's Chronicles

I was always under the impression that Rafik is in actuality the name of the rafiq of Damascus in Altaïr's Chronicles. My take on this comes primarily from dialogue between Altaïr and Hamid, the rafiq of Tyre in the memory "The Red Hospital: 4-1" where the word "rafiq" is used as though it were a name rather than a general noun.
Altaïr: "Rafik, the silk merchant from Damascus sent me to him."
Hamid: "Rafik, you say? Welcome then, I've been expecting you."
The name in the game is transliterated differently as Rafik with a "k," though it is pronounced the same, and Rafiq is indeed sometimes used as a given name in real life. In addition, shortly after assassinating Tamir in Damascus, upon reaching the next checkpoint, Altaïr says this line: "I should go back to Rafik... Tamir's last words raised some questions." With the absence of articles preceding the word "rafik" in all instances, it seems plausible that Rafik in this case is coincidentally the name of the rafiq of Damascus.
On a side note, for whatever reason, Altaïr always refers to rafiq in the game as "Keeper." I did not scour the game for all examples, but here is one instance: "Hamid, the keeper of Tyre, should be around here somewhere." (4-1) Sol Pacificus (talk) 09:26, November 11, 2013 (UTC)

• If there are no objections, I will likely modify the article accordingly next week. Sol Pacificus (talk) 10:32, November 11, 2013 (UTC)

More modern rafiqs?

Apparently, ever since the Assassins actually formed a coherent whole with a hierarchy and all (might not have been before the Levantine Assassins), there's pretty much always been those Assassins who are field agents and those who are rather more...bookish, like the rafiqs of AC1. Henry Green of AC: Syndicate certainly seems to have held such a status in London, as well as others in more modern eras (Shaun and Rebecca, anyone?). Should this be added to the article, in one form or another? Sadelyrate (siniath) 12:40, July 11, 2018 (UTC)

I'm not sure of the relevance - neither Henry Green or Shaun are rafiqs. --Jasca Ducato (talk | contributions) 12:51, July 11, 2018 (UTC)

No, they aren't called that. But they fulfill the same duties, act as "teachers and field contacts to the Assassin visitors of their city, -- providing them with suggestions on where and how to gather information. Rafiq also coordinated and gathered the information", especially Henry to the Fryes. Sadelyrate (siniath) 13:16, July 11, 2018 (UTC)

Not all Assassins who aren't field agents are rafiqs; the roles became much more diversified after they spread around the world. Furthermore, rafiq was a specific, high rank of the Levantine Brotherhood, and while these rafiq might usually be given a stationary role running a bureau, any rafiq is prepared to act as a field agent when the need arises for a mission. In the structure of the Levantine Brotherhood, everyone was trained to be field agents as I understand it. Being assigned the role of running a bureau, being a teacher, being a conduit for informants depends on achieving a certain rank, so a rafiq isn't the same thing as an Assassin in a support role. Sol Pacificus^(Cyfiero) 13:28, July 11, 2018 (UTC)

In that case, I have trouble seeing how this article might be expanded, and so suggest the removal of the update-tag. Sadelyrate (siniath) 13:39, July 11, 2018 (UTC)