History of the Assassins

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PL Treasure HunterHQ He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.
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"We've been fighting them for thousands of years. Even longer if you believe the
stories of their origins. I do."
―William Miles about the Assassins' struggle against the Templars.[src]
Assassins

Organizational information
Leader's title
Mentor
Locations
Global
Religion
Various
Historical information
Date formed
Prehistory
Date reorganized
48 BC
1191
The history of the Assassins spans thousands of years, from the dawn of humanity
until the modern era. Though the Assassins in their modern capacity were only
founded during the Middle Ages, their predecessors were notably active during the
end of the reigns of King Xerxes I, Emperor Qin Shi Huang and Alexander the Great,
and into Ptolemaic Egypt and the Roman Empire. After their rebirth as the
Assassins, they operated throughout the rest of history.

Throughout their existence, the Assassins and their precursors were continuously
entangled with the Order of the Knights Templar and their respective precursors.

Contents[show]
History
Ancient world
Prehistory
"The seeds were planted as two worlds became one. Behold, the Assassins, the
children of two worlds!"
―Clay Kaczmarek talking about the early Assassins, 2012.[src]
Eden 3 v
Adam and Eve fleeing Eden with an Apple of Eden

The first traces of the Assassin ideology can be traced back to the dawn of
humanity, when humanity first rebelled against their Isu creators. Adam and Eve led
the humans in a fight for free will and liberty from oppression, for which they
would later be considered by some as the first proto-Assassins.[1]

Adam and Eve's Apple would later be passed on to their son Abel. Abel would in turn
by killed by his jealous brother Cain, who took the Apple for himself. Cain would
later be regarded as the first follower of the Templar philosophy, and the Mark of
Cain became the Templar insignia.[2]
Early history
Amorges: "The Order aren't just a group of people—they're an idea. And idea cannot
be beaten. And idea cannot be destroyed."
Darius: "Not by blades, but through knowledge, through wisdom... Through ideas of
our own. Nothing is absolute, Amorges. You taught me that a long time ago."
―Amorges and Darius discussing the Order of the Ancients and the group they formed
in opposition, c. 422 BCE.[src]
Like Adam and Eve, other people descended from the First Civilization dedicated
their lives to protecting the freedom of mankind.[2] This responsibility was passed
down these bloodlines through the generations. One notable example was the
bloodline of King Leonidas of Sparta, who fought to keep Greece free from the
control of the Persian King Xerxes at the Battle of Thermopylae, and his
supporters, the Cult of Kosmos, a proto-Templar group.[3]

ACOD Darius assassinate Xerxes

Darius assasssinating King Xerxes

By 465 BCE, a small group of Persian freedom fighters consisting of Darius,

Amorges, Pactyas and others opposed the rule of King Xerxes and the Order of the
Ancients, a proto-Templar group. In 465 BCE, they ambushed Xerxes' entourage,
resulting in Xerxes' death by Darius' hands;[4] this became the first documented
usage of the Hidden Blade.[2]

After Xerxes' death, Darius feared the king's successor Artaxerxes would fall under
the Ancients' sway as well and planned to kill the young king. He was thwarted by
Amorges, who defected to the Order of the Ancients along with the rest of their
group, hoping to use their resources to bring about change. Darius was later framed
for another assassination attempt on Artaxerxes, conducted by the Order,[4] which
caused Artaxerxes to turn blind. Darius attempted to kill Artaxerxes again later
using poison, which was unsuccessful and merely took away Artaxerxes' sight.[3] The
Ancients subsequently pursued Darius for the next decades, as well as other
descendants of Isu bloodlines that they referred to as "Tainted Ones".[4]

Peloponnesian War
"In destroying the cult, you have done what I could not. But this imbalance comes
with a price, my child. For without chaos, there is supreme order. A loss of
progression and freedom. But there is still hope - hope in you, hope in the future
you will bring."
―Pythagoras talking to Kassandra in a vision created by the Pyramid, c. 422 BCE.
[src]
In 446 BCE, the Cult of Kosmos orchestrated a plan to abduct one of King Leonidas
of Sparta's grandchildren, Alexios, who was also the son of Pythagoras. The Cult
forced the Oracle of Delphi to declare a prophecy that Alexios would cause the fall
of Sparta. After Kassandra disrupted the ritual to sacrifice Alexios, he was
presumed dead and taken by the Cult, intending to use his unique bloodline to
unlock the Pieces of Eden. Kassandra was similarly presumed dead after being thrown
off the mountain's cliffside by her stepfather Nikolaos, growing up to become a
mercenary on Kephallonia, becoming known as the "Eagle-Bearer".[3]

ACOD Memories Awoken - Deimos and Kassandra about their past

Kassandra's reunion with Alexios

In 431 BCE, the Cult orchestrated the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens
to secretly gain control of Greece. Kassandra was hired by Elpenor, secretly a
member of the Cult of Kosmos, who tasked her with killing her stepfather, but
spared his life. Through Elpenor, Kassandra learned of the existence of the Cult,
their interest in finding her mother Myrrine, and that her brother had become a
feared member of the Cult. She subsequently travelled around Greece, allying
herself with people such as Herodotos, Sokrates, Hippokrates, Aspasia and Perikles
to help find clues to her mother's whereabouts, all the while disrupting the Cult's
plans by taking out its members.[3]

After failing to save Perikles from her brother and seeing Athens fall into the
control of the Cultist Kleon, Kassandra reunited with her mother and through her,
located her biological father Pythagoras inside the remnants of the ancient First
Civilization city of Atlantis, on the island of Thera. Through her parents, she
discovered the importance of her lineage and her role in keeping Atlantis safe from
those who sought to harness its power for their own gain.[3]

File:ACOD The Resistance.png

In 424 BCE, Kassandra freed Sparta from Cultist rule by killing one of its kings,
Pausanias. Two years later, she formed a resistance with her closest allies to free
Athens from the Cult's rule through the city's new leader Kleon, eventually killing
him during the Battle of Amphipolis. Not long after, Myrrine and Kassandra reunited
with Alexios on Mount Taygetos, where Kassandra was forced to slay her brother.
After destroying the Cult, she experienced a vision of future Assassins from the
Cult's artifact, the Pyramid, before destroying the artifact and sparing the Cult's
former leader Aspasia. She also helped Pythagoras seal Atlantis from the world, and
inherited the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus from him, allowing her to live
indefinitely until the time came to pass it on.[3]

Around the same time, Darius and his son Natakas sought refuge in Makedonia in
their attempts to evade the Persian Order of the Ancients, eventually crossing
paths with Kassandra, who attempted to stop the Persians' attacks on the villages.
Joining forces, they eliminated the Ancient Pactyas and his subordinates, who were
pursuing Darius and the Tainted Ones, before going their separate ways. They
reunited in Achaia, where they joined forces to take down the Ancient Phila, who
blocked Makedonian refugees from escaping. After doing so, Kassandra started a
relationship with Natakas and settled down in Dyme, Achaia with him, Darius and her
newborn son Elpidios.[4]

ACOD Legacy of the First Blade memory Screenshot 20

Kassandra, Darius and Elpidios sharing a moment

Eventually, the Persian Ancients' leader Amorges managed to locate Darius and
Kassandra in Achaia, laying siege to the village, killing Natakas and abducting
Elpidios. Despite Natakas' death causing a rift in their relationship, Kassandra
and Darius worked together to take down the remaining Ancients and ultimately
confronted and killed Amorges. Fearing that the Ancients would continue to hunt
her, Kassandra told Darius to take Elpidios away from Greece. The two eventually
settled in Egypt, where Elpidios' descendant Aya would lay the groundwork for the
Brotherhood generations later.[4]

Other activities
"Ironically, Alexander will die by the poison of those whom he had vanquished in
battle. But not here, as he is gone already. Soon, I will complete my mission. For
my brothers to come, if I die before I can pass on my secrets, here is the recipe
for the poison, may it serve the Order."
―Iltani's transcription of Alexander's assassination, 323 BCE.[src]
Iltani
Iltani

Some hundred years later, in the 4th century BCE, an ancient Order that served as a
precursor to the Assassin Brotherhood operated against the Order of the Ancients.
[5] In 323 BCE, Iltani, one of these proto-Assassins, halted the advance of
Alexander the Great,[6] an ally of the Ancients.[7] She managed to fatally poison
the Greek conqueror and attempted to retrieve his Staff of Eden.[2]
In 210 BCE, the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, who was also affiliated with
proto-Templars,[6] was killed by Wei Yu with a spear for his tyrannical rule over
the Chinese people.[2]

Around 70 BCE, the ancient protectors of Egypt known as the Medjay, who would later
give rise to the Assassin Brotherhood, were hunted by the Order of the Ancients. A
former soldier named Bion, employed by the Ancient Raia, managed to kill several
Medjay including Sabu in 56 BCE. Bion was eventually killed by Sabu's son Bayek and
his future wife Aya, before Bayek proceeded to kill Raia.[8]

Formation of the Hidden Ones

Aya: "When we assassinate, we assassinate only those who deserve it. The few sick
souls who try to control us... but they will never know who we are. Cold,
calculated poets of the kill."
Bayek: "I am fine with this. I am not a father anymore. I am not a husband. I am
not a Medjay. I am a Hidden One."
―Bayek and Aya during the inception of their brotherhood, 47 BCE.[src]
In 49 BCE, members of the Order of the Ancients travelled to the Siwa Oasis in
Egypt to discover more about an Isu vault hidden beneath the Temple of Amun. In
doing so, they kidnapped the local protector, the Medjay Bayek, and his young son
Khemu to push the Medjay for information. The altercation led to the death of his
son, sending Bayek and his wife Aya on a quest for vengeance against the Ancients.
After killing his first target Rudjek, Bayek returned to Siwa to kill the priest
Medunamun, from whom he obtained an Apple of Eden.[9]

Origins Quest09Egypt'sMedjay Part06

Bayek working with Cleopatra

Aya was bound to her duties as protector to Queen Cleopatra, who was engaged in a
civil war with her brother Ptolemy XIII, supported by the Ancients. During her
absence, Bayek hunted the men responsible, forming a network of people opposing the
Ancients and supporting Cleopatra. As Bayek took down most of the Order's network,
his and Aya's attentions shifted to helping Cleopatra secure an alliance with
Pompey the Great against Ptolemy to get support from the Roman Republic.[9]

When the Ancients had Pompey murdered, they enabled her to meet with Pompey's
rival, general Julius Caesar, in Alexandria, which formed a successful alliance.
The two later aided Cleopatra by unlocking the door to the tomb of Alexander the
Great. The Order of the Ancients had meanwhile been manipulating Caesar and, by
extension, Cleopatra.[9]

Origins Quest21TheAftermath Part03

The very first Brotherhood meeting

Their influence over Cleopatra allowed them to retrieve Alexander's Staff of Eden
from the tomb and to kill Cleopatra's follower Apollodorus the Sicilian, who held
the Apple of Eden. Faced with stronger opposition than before, Bayek and Aya met
with their allies who opposed Cleopatra and Caesar, laying the groundworks for a
new Brotherhood.[9]

In 47 BCE, after Caesar and Cleopatra betrayed Bayek and Aya under the Ancients'
influence, the two returned to Siwa to stop the Order's leader Flavius Metellus,
finding only an opened vault. Bayek tracked Flavius down, exacting revenge for
their son and reacquiring the Apple.[9]

Meanwhile, Aya had recruited the Roman Senators Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius
Cassius Longinus, enemies of Caesar, to their cause, determined to leave for Rome
to combat the Ancients there. Before leaving, Bayek and Aya named their new
brotherhood the Hidden Ones, laying out the foundation of the Creed and their
customs. They each established bureaus in Memphis and Rome.[9]

Early assassinations
"[Caesar] has created his own private senate, filled with deceivers, manipulators,
people who have no business in Roman affairs. My brothers are eager for blood, but
I am not certain I can spill it."
―Marcus Junius Brutus on Julius Caesar, c. 44 BCE.[src]
By 44 BCE, Julius Caesar had become the new figurehead of the Order of the
Ancients, with Lucius Septimius as his right hand. With Aya as their leader,[9]
Brutus and Cassius spearheaded a conspiracy with thirty-eight other Roman Senators
who opposed Caesar's imperialist ideals after he was appointed dictator for life.
[10]

FallofanEmpireRiseofAnother11
Aya dealing Caesar the first blow

On 15 March 44 BCE, Aya, Brutus and Cassius went to the Theatre of Pompey where the
Roman Senate was to convene. While Brutus and Cassius went to the curia, Aya fought
and killed Septimius, before joining her brothers in the Senate. Aya was the first
one to strike at Caesar, followed by the Roman Senators, resulting in Caesar's
assured death. Shortly after, Aya adopted the name Amunet.[9]

As they were subsequently pursued by Caesar's ally Marcus Antonius,[11] Brutus and
Cassius eventually fled from Rome, and a civil war ensued. The armies of Gaius
Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus were confronted by the army of Marcus
Antonius and Octavian at Philippi, and Cassius was killed in the ensuing battle.
Faced with inevitable defeat, Brutus committed suicide; his Brothers attempted to
revive him using one of the Shrouds of Eden, but were only briefly successful;[12]
nonetheless, some reports spread that Brutus survived.[11]

ACO THO Hidden Ones Gathering

Bayek and Amunet addressing the Hidden Ones in the Sinai

After Caesar's death, the Hidden Ones continued to be at odds with the Order of the
Ancients, now under the leadership of Octavian. In 38 BCE, the Hidden Ones in the
Sinai Peninsula faced trouble from one of Caesar's former generals, Gaius Julius
Rufio. The conflict saw Bayek reunite with Tahira, the local bureau leader, and
later his wife Amunet as they attempted to keep the region safe from the Ancients'
influence. Tahira was killed, and Bayek assassinated Rufio in retaliation. The
Hidden Ones subsequently aimed to spread their influence to Petra and Judea, where
the newly inducted Kawab intended to fight the tyrannical rule of King Herod the
Great.[13]

The same year, Bayek heard reports from Amunet of a curse that had struck Thebes
and the nearby Valley of the Kings. During his investigation, Bayek discovered that
an ancient artifact was being used to create illusions of dead pharaohs that
attacked the populace. After exploring several projections of the Afterlife brought
forth by the artifact, Bayek discovered that it was another Apple of Eden used by
the priestess Isidora in retaliation for the murder of her mother at the hands of
grave robbers. Bayek killed Isidora and handed the Apple to his ally Sutekh, who
went to hide the Apple but eventually mysteriously died in the Waset Desert.[14]

ACO Aya Cleopatra poison

Amunet hands Cleopatra the poison

In 30 BCE, thirteen years after Aya decided to spare Cleopatra's life after killing
Caesar,[9] the Egyptian Pharaoh was caught in a civil war between Octavian and her
lover, Marcus Antonius. After Marcus Antonius was defeated and committed suicide,
Octavian's forces closed in on Alexandria, throwing Egypt's people into the
crossfires of war. Amunet infiltrated Cleopatra's palace to implore her to end the
war, persuading the Pharaoh to take her own life using Amunet's poison;[11] legend
would later say Amunet killed her with a poisonous asp.[2] As a final gesture to
her former friend, Amunet took her son Caesarion in as a Hidden One.[11]

Activities in the Roman Empire

"The power of this artifact has yet to be uncovered, but the object itself
possesses a strong symbolic value for our circle..."
―Lucius to his son Aquilus about the Ankh, in a message recorded by the artifact,
259.[src]
In 27 BCE, the Roman Republic had been transformed into the Roman Empire by
Octavian. The third Emperor who reigned over this new empire, Caligula, was
influenced by the Ancients. This turned him into a target for the Hidden One
Leonius, who fatally stabbed him in 41 AD.[2] Eventually, the Roman branch of the
Hidden Ones renamed itself to Liberalis Circulum (Circle of Liberals).[15]

[hide]The enclosed content is of ambiguous canonicity.

AC1D Aquilus Gracchus
Aquilus in General Gracchus' tent

By 259 AD, the Liberalis Circulum had a headquarters in the city of Lugdunum. The
Roman proto-Assassin Lucius tasked the Aleman Accipiter with obtaining a Precursor
artifact known as the Ankh. Lucius' son Aquilus travelled to meet Accipiter,[16]
but was left unconscious when his assassination of General Gracchus failed.[17]
Accipiter rescued him and gave him the Ankh, which Aquilus took to his father.[16]

Lucius was murdered by his friend Caïus Fulvus Vultur, secretly a proto-Templar,
and the Ankh was stolen.[16] Aquilus exacted revenge on Senator Vultur, but he was
arrested by Roman guards on his return to Lugdunum. After Accipiter negotiated a
truce with the Prefect of Lugdunum on behalf of the Alemanni, he attempted to
rescue Aquilus, who was killed by Roman guards during Accipiter's ambush. Accipiter
left the Ankh in the care of Aquilus' wife Valeria.[18]

The Brotherhood remained active throughout the history of the Roman Empire. In 330
AD, during the reign of Constantine the Great, one proto-Assassin became acquianted
with the Emperor.[19]

Middle Ages
Viking Age
King Eric: "Why not leave your work and your Brotherhood in the shadows?"
Torgny: "Because my Brotherhood has an enemy. We oppose an Order that has gained
tremendous power among the Franks, and their influence is spreading. They have had
dealings with Harald of Denmark, who sails with Styrbjörn."
―King Eric of Sweden and Torgny the Lawspeaker about the Brotherhood's purpose,
985.[src]
At the time of the Great Heathen Army's raids of England and battles against King
Alfred the Great, the Brotherhood maintained a presence in England. The viking
Eivor got involved with the Brotherhood to some degree, [20] at some point in or
after 873.[21]

By the later half of the 10th century, the Brotherhood had made its way over to
Scandinavia, which was then inhabited by the Norsemen. The Brotherhood had
affiliated themselves with King Eric of Sweden, and the Brotherhood's Mentor,
Torgny the Lawspeaker, served as King Eric's advisor.[22]

As of 985, the Brotherhood opposed the Scandinavian prince Styrbjörn the Strong,
King Eric's nephew. The Brotherhood suspected that Styrbjörn's ally, King Harald
Bluetooth, was affiliated with the predecessors of the Templar Order and in
possession of a Piece of Eden, one of the prongs of the Trident of Eden. To oppose
the Order's expansion to Scandinavia, the Brotherhood's members, namely Thorvald
Hjaltason, opposed Styrbjörn's campaigns against King Eric, fighting to remove the
Order's against from their ranks.[22]

Reformation in the Levant

"You cannot kill a creed. Even if you kill all of its adherents, destroy all of its
writings – these are a reprieve at best. Some one, some day, will rediscover it.
Reinvent it. I believe that even we, the Assassins, have simply re-discovered an
Order that predates the Old Man himself..."
―An excerpt from Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's codex, 1190s.[src]
ACM Al Mualim
Al Mualim in his youth

By 1090, the Brotherhood in the Levant had been reformed as the Order of Assassins,
where it fell under the control of Hassan-i Sabbāh. In response to the Templars'
reformation as a public knightly order, Sabbāh determined that the Assassins too
had to become a public organization. Under his leadership, assassinations were much
more often carried out in public, encouraging the people to stand up against
oppression alongside the Assassins.[6]

In 1162, the Brotherhood was led by Hassan the Younger. He sent an individual who
would later come to be known as Al Mualim to establish a fortress in Masyaf, which
some speculated to be the consequence of an ideological rift between the two.[23]

By the 1170s, control of the Levantine Brotherhood had fallen to Al Mualim.[24] He

enforced a series of rules for his Assassins, including prohibiting the use of
poison, as well as promising new initiates that paradise would await them upon
their deaths.[2]

In 1176, Saladin set up camp outside the Levantine Assassins' headquarters of

Masyaf, intent on destroying the Brotherhood. Al Mualim sent Umar Ibn-La'Ahad to
silently infiltrate Saladin's tent and plant a message, but Umar was discovered and
forced to kill a nobleman. Saladin discovered Umar's name from interrogating Ahmad
Sofian, and sent his uncle Šihāb ad-Dīn to negotiate peace with the Assassins;
however, he called for Umar's execution, to which Al Mualim reluctantly complied.
[24]

Conflict during the Third Crusade

Altaïr: "You held fire in your hand, old man. It should have been destroyed."
Al Mualim: "Destroy the only thing capable of ending the Crusades and creating true
peace? Never."
―Altaïr and Al Mualim about the Apple of Eden, 1191.[src]
AC1 Solomon's Temple Altair attacks Robert
Altaïr attempting to kill Robert de Sablé

Since at least 1189,[25] Al Mualim was aware of an Apple of Eden located somewhere
in the Holy Land. Unbeknownst to his subjects, he collaborated with the high-
ranking members of the Knights Templar to find the artifact and, secretly, claim
the Holy Land for himself. They eventually located it in an ancient vault beneath
the ruins of Solomon's Temple.[26]

Before the Knights Templar could claim it, Al Mualim had three of his subjects,
including Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, retrieve the artifact. Arriving at the same time as
the Templars, Altaïr ignored his master's orders and decided to take his
oppportunity to kill Grand Master Robert de Sablé. Though Malik Al-Sayf was gravely
injured and his brother killed, he returned the artifact to Masyaf.[26]

The Knights Templar followed Altaïr back to Masyaf, where they attempted to lay
siege to the fortress, but were routed by Altaïr. For breaking the tenets of the
Creed, Altaïr was demoted to a novice and was sent on a quest to restore his rank
of Master Assassin by killing nine notable Templar targets on both sides of the
crusader conflict in Damascus, Acre and Jerusalem, winning back the trust of his
master and fellow Assassins.[26]

Masyaf Confront
Al Mualim using the Apple's powers on Altaïr

After Grand Master de Sablé used his subordinate Maria Thorpe as a decoy to prevent
Altaïr's attempt on his life, he wrote to meet Saladin and King Richard I of
England at the Battle of Arsuf to rally them against the Assassins. Altaïr faced de
Sablé in combat during his meeting with King Richard, as per the king's request,
and killed the Grand Master, who in his dying moments revealed Al Mualim's
treachery.[26]

Meanwhile, Al Mualim used the artifact to make his Assassins bend to his will. They
ultimately faced opposition from a small group of Assassins including Altaïr and
Malik. Altaïr confronted his master in the fortress' garden, where he fought off
the illusions created by the Apple and ultimately killed the Mentor.[26]

Reforms and globalization attempts

"Though I ask my brothers now to abandon their rituals, I do not ask that they
abandon the creed. THIS is what makes us Assassins. Not the removal of a finger.
Not a false promise of paradise. Not the prohibition of poison. Our duty is to the
people, not to custom."
―An excerpt of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's codex, 1191.[src]
After the death of Al Mualim, a minor civil war broke out stirred by Abbas Sofian.
Altaïr eventually managed to become the new Mentor through gaining the support of
his fellow Assassins. He initiated a series of reforms, allowing the use of poison
and prohibited the taking of the ring finger and the promise of a false paradise.
[2] Altaïr then left on a journey to Cyprus, the Templars' new headquarters,
supporting the local resistance movement. Due to Altaïr's efforts, the Templars
left the island with the artifacts from the Templar Archive in Limassol, though the
Assassin managed to kill the new Grand Master Armand Bouchart,[27] gaining the
island for the Assassins in the process.[2]

Assault Armand Bouchart 14

Altaïr writing in his codex

Altaïr and Malik Al-Sayf worked together on inventing new assassination techniques
for the Assassins, resulting in the usage of dual Hidden Blades. All the while,
Altaïr continued to study the Apple and wrote in his codex, which defined the Creed
for generations to come.[2]

Altaïr and his Assassins also started visiting other countries to spread their
reformed Assassin philosophy.[24] However, Altaïr was unsuccessful to spread his
teachings in Constantinople in 1204, due to the chaos of the Fourth Crusade, and
returned to Masyaf.[24]

First Barons' War

"Your barons are no better than the King if they take aid from the French."
―William of Cassingham justifying his allegiance to John, 1215.[src]
ACM-Robert Fitzwalter
Robert Fitzwalter during the war

In 1215, tensions rose among the aristocracy in England, when King John had fallen
under the sway of the Knights Templar. In doing so, the king refused to abide by
Magna Carta. This led the Assassin Robert Fitzwalter to lead the local barons in
rebellion against the king, with additional support from the Kingdom of France.[28]

However, this created a rift in the Brotherhood, as the Master Assassin William of
Cassingham opposed Fitzwalter's support of the barons and alliance with the French.
He instead worked to support John's young son Henry. By the end of the conflict,
John had passed away and Henry became the new King of England.[28]

Assassination of Genghis Khan

"A dark tide rises to the east - an army of such size and power that all the land
is made quick to worry. Their leader is a man named Temujin, who has adopted the
title Genghis Khan. He sweeps across the lands, conquering and subsuming all who
stand in his way. Whatever his motives, he must be stopped."
―An excerpt from Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's codex, c. 1217.[src]
Around 1217, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad recognized the threat of the rising Mongol Empire
under the leadership of Genghis Khan, and suspected him of wielding a Piece of
Eden. Together with his wife and son Darim, he left the Levantine Brotherhood in
the care of Malik Al-Sayf and journeyed to Mongolia. They joined forces with the
fledgling Mongolian Brotherhood, and made plans to take down the Khan and stop the
Mongol horde.[24]

Genghis dead
Darim and Genghis Khan moments before the latter's death

In February 1227, Darim and Qulan Gal pursued Genghis Khan's son Jochi, who was
fatally poisoned by Darim.[28] In August 1227, Qulan Gal joined Altaïr in an attack
on the Great Khan's camp in China, though Altaïr was wounded in the process and the
Mongols were alarmed.[24]

Genghis Khan attempted to flee, but his horse was shot down by Qulan Gal, followed
by Darim who killed him with another arrow.[24] The Assassins consequently rescued
Gal's apprentice Nergüi, who was left disfigured.[28] With the Mongols left
leadership, Altaïr and his family concluded their business in Mongolia and left
their Mongols brothers for Masyaf.[24]

Fall of Masyaf
"Our tactics, too, must change. It means an end to our fortresses. [...] We must
weave our webs quietly. And we must do so differently than we have in the past."
―An excerpt from Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's codex, 1191.[src]
New regime 6
Altaïr and Maria meeting Abbas and Swami

Circa 1216, Abbas Sofian plotted the murder of Altaïr's son Sef, and framed Malik
Al-Sayf for the murder. With the Levantine Brotherhood left leaderless, he
installed a council with himself as its head. Altaïr and his family returned in
1228, and after meeting with Abbas, Altaïr rescued Malik from imprisonment. During
their absence, Abbas' right-hand man Swami killed Malik,[24] spurring Altaïr and
Maria to meet with Abbas. The meeting turned violent, resulting in the deaths of
Maria and Swami. Altaïr fled with the help of his son Darim,[25] and started living
in exile in Alamut,[24] while Abbas became the new Mentor of the Levantine
Brotherhood.[25]

For almost twenty years, Altaïr spent his days studying the Apple of Eden, creating
new inventions such as the Hidden Gun. In First Civilization ruins beneath Alamut,
he discovered artifacts known as Memory Seals, six of which he took with him.[24]
Meanwhile, tensions between the Assassins and Mongols rose when Qulan Gal and
Nergüi respectively killed Chagatai Khan and Ögedei Khan in 1241, creating a power
vacuum in the Empire.[28] Altaïr returned to Masyaf six years later and quickly
gained support from the Assassins. He went on to kill Abbas and retook his title of
Mentor, bringing the Brotherhood back to its former glory. He also started
construction of a library beneath Masyaf.[24]

The torch 7
Altaïr entrusting the Memory Seals to Niccolò Polo

In 1256,[24] under the orders of the Templar Mongol Khan, Möngke,[29] Hülegü Khan
destroyed the Assassin fortress of Alamut. Knowing the Mongols' arrival at Masyaf
was imminent, Altaïr requested the travellers Niccolò and Maffeo Polo to visit
their fortress. Altaïr started telling the Polo brothers his life story and trained
them in the ways of the Assassins, seeing them as the Order's future.[24]

On 12 August 1257, Hülegü Khan laid siege to Masyaf. The old Mentor handed the
Polos his codex and five Memory Seals, and ordered the other Assassins to abandon
Masyaf, wanting his Assassins to operate amongst the people. He then locked himself
in his library with the Apple of Eden and his final Memory Seal and passed away.
[25]

Conflict with the Mongol Empire

"Altaïr means us to spread the word of the Assassin, that is his plan. [...] He is
entrusting the spirit of the Brotherhood. He is passing the torch to us."
―Niccolò Polo in his journal The Secret Crusade, 1257.[src]
After escaping from Masyaf, the Polos were attacked by the Mongols and lost the
codex. Nonetheless, they arrived in Constantinople, founded an Assassins Guild, and
hid the Memory Seals in the city.[24] They journeyed to the Mongol Empire in 1259
to retrieve the codex, but their efforts were unsuccessful.[25]

That same year, the Mongols started expanding further into China, to the dismay of
the Chinese Brotherhood. To halt the Mongol advance, one Assassin served as a
general in the Chinese army and helped prevent the capture of Diaoyu Castle, but
was killed. Later, on 11 August, his daughter Zhang Zhi, an apprentice, killed
Möngke in revenge, against her Mentor Kang's wishes.[29]

ACM Marco Polo

Marco Polo during his journey through Asia

Only four years later, Nergüi carried out another high profile assassination when
he killed the Templars' Russian ally Alexander Nevsky, who held a notorious
alliance with the Mongols. He succeeded in exacting revenge for the Levantine
Brotherhood, by killing Hülegü Khan on 8 February 1265.[28]

The Polos returned to Venice in 1269, establishing another Assassins Guild in

Venice.[6] They took Niccolò's son Marco with them on their next journey to the
Mongol Empire two years later. Arriving at the Mongol court in 1275, Marco Polo
gained the trust of Genghis Khan's grandson Kublai Khan, and retrieved the codex
from the Khan's palace in Shangdu. The Polos brought it back to Venice,[30] where
they handed it to their new Brothers. Around 1296, it was under protection of the
Assassin and poet Dante Alighieri, who also began training the individual later
known as Domenico Auditore.[2]

Rebirth as a secret order

"In breaking the Templars' public facade, are we merely driving them into the
shadows? Fifty years ago, the Templars thought us destroyed, after all. Vanishing
from the public eye has proven our greatest strength in this interminable war—are
we now granting the same boon to our enemies?"
―An excerpt of the journal of Thomas de Carneillon, 1307.[src]
The Assassins decided to make their continued existence known to their mortal
enemies, by devising a plan to eradicate the Knights Templar. The Mentor of the
French Brotherhood, Guillaume de Nogaret, poisoned his political enemy Pope
Benedict XI in 1304, and exerted his influence over King Philip IV of France and
the new Pope Clement V to turn them against the Knights Templar.[31]

Tragedy of Jacques de Molay 7

De Carneillon attempting to kill de Molay's advisor

On 13 October 1307, Assassins dressed as the king's mercenaries launched an assault

on the Temple in Paris to arrest the Templars and their Grand Master, Jacques de
Molay. Master Assassin Thomas de Carneillon also infiltrated the Temple to obtain
the Codex Pater Intellectus and a Sword of Eden, though de Molay's advisor hid them
in the Temple's crypt. With de Molay and numerous other Templars arrested, de
Carneillon led a decade-long hunt for Templar remnants in Europe. In 1314, de Molay
was executed, and the Assassins believed their mortal enemies officially disbanded.
[31]

In 1321, Dante Alighieri was killed by Templars, causing Marco Polo and Domenico
Auditore's father to order Domenico, Alighieri's apprentice, to take Altaïr Ibn-
La'Ahad's codex to Spain. Though the Templars hired pirates to attack Domenico and
his family in Otranto's harbor, the Assassin hid the codex's pages from the pirates
in various boxes. Three years later, the Templars had also killed Marco Polo and
Domenico's father. Domenico founded the noble House of Auditore in Florence, and
moved into the Villa Auditore in Monteriggioni, which became the new headquarters
of the Italian Brotherhood.[2]

[hide]The enclosed content is of ambiguous canonicity.

AC5EC Numa Karnak
Al'Khamsin fighting Templars in Karnak

In 1340, the Egyptian Assassin Numa Al'Khamsin was tasked by an Assassin elder to
retrieve the Scepter of Aset, an artifact given to rebelling Mamluks by another
Assassin in 1250, from the Templars.[32] Numa and his apprentice Ali Al-Ghraib
recovered it in Karnak, though Numa was imprisoned by the Mamluks upon his refusal
to hand it over.[33] Having escaped with the Templar agent Leila, Numa was led into
a trap by his apprentice under pressure of the Templars and subsequently killed by
Leila. Nonetheless, Al-Ghraib hid the artifact in a well, but died before he could
contact the Assassins.[34]

Near the middle of the 14th century, the Brotherhood in Germany discovered that a
group promising protection from the plague known as the Brothers of the Cross was a
secret Templar organisation pursuing the Ankh. In 1350, both the Brothers of the
Cross and the German Assassin Lukas Zurburg mysteriously vanished.[35]

In 1402, the Templars aided the ascension of the Yongle Emperor, which was followed
by a purge of the Chinese Assassin Brotherhood. Li Tong and an apprentice escaped
with an Apple of Eden, and she later exacted revenge on the emperor in 1424.[35]
Another notable assassination was carried out under orders of Ishak Pasha, leader
of the Ottoman Assassins, when he led the attack that resulted in the death of
Templar Vlad the Impaler.[25]

Hundred Years' War

"Rumors have been swirling about a Maid of prophecy for years. I have investigated
them all. Most are liars, memorizing the story and adhering to it, hoping to get a
little bit of coin and some fleeting fame. But the stories about Jeanne were
different."
―Yolande of Aragon to Gabriel Laxart, 1429.[src]
After the Assassins caused the disarray of the Templar Order in Paris in 1307, the
Assassins kept France free from Templar influence. Their enemies, meanwhile, had
strengthened their presence in Britain. Under the Templars' influence, the Hundred
Years' War between England and France started in 1337, with the Templars hoping to
regain control over France under the English banner.[36]
ACH Jeanne render
Jeanne d'Arc

By the start of the 15th century, prophecies of a Maiden who would lead France to
victory over the English and their French allies, the Burgundians, had begun to
spread. Hoping to find truth to the prophecy, the French Mentor, Queen Yolande of
Aragon, deployed Assassins throughout the country hoping to stumble upon the real
Maiden. In January 1429, the Assassin Jean de Metz, a squire working for Robert de
Baudricourt, met Jeanne d'Arc.[36]

Jeanne had a high amount of Precursor DNA, being able to enchant others by merely
being in their presence and hearing "Voices" who she believed to be angels –
believed by Abstergo to be Consus – delivering God's messages to her and who
informed her of her destiny to lead France to victory in the war.[36]

Recognising her as the prophesied Maiden, Jean de Metz swore loyalty to her and
helped her and her companion Gabriel Laxart to gain an audience with his lord, who
sent her to Duke Charles of Lorraine. Through the Duke of Lorraine, Jeanne, Gabriel
and Jean met the Dauphin of France, Charles. Jean also started training Gabriel
Laxart in Assassin skills, recognising that he also had high Precursor DNA. Jean
and Gabriel dug up the Sword of Eden that Jeanne had been informed of by "the
Voices", and after Jeanne met with the Mentor, Queen Yolande, the Assassins ensured
Jeanne received the aid required to form her own army to help the besieged city of
Orléans.[36]