Altaïr ibn La-Ahad (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
theflyingone) wrote2016-06-30 06:19 pm
theflyingone) wrote2016-06-30 06:19 pm
Iɴғᴏ: Sʏɴᴏᴅɪᴘᴏʀɪᴀ
C H A R A C T E R;
NAME: Altaïr ibn La-Ahad
CANON: Assassin's Creed
POINT IN CANON:end of AC1 as of April 2018, 1-2 years after AC: Bloodlines
AGE: 25 when he arrived in July 2016
APPEARANCE: Images. 6 ft (183 cm), 170 lbs (77 kg). He has a scar on his lip and his left ring finger has been removed. Francisco Randez was used by Ubisoft as a model for his in-game appearance. As of 2016 Aug 21, he's had the Emperor's Mark on his stomach on his left: His tattoo, shaped like the old playing cards that later came to be called tarot, was as if drawn by a calligrapher in the stylized detail that was familiar to his time and place. Its most noticeable feature was the ankh in dead center, crossed over with a crook and flail. A pattern of stony mountains and a thin river below them filled the background, not unlike the landscape around Masyaf. Four ram's heads connected the card's borders. Nestled in the border on the right was an eagle, and on the left, a hand holding a sphere.
CANON HISTORY:
Altaïr's wikia
Assassins/Hashshashin/Asasiyun
Tenets of the Assassin's Creed:
CANON PERSONALITY
The most obvious aspect of Altaïr's personality throughout the first Assassin's Creed is how dramatically it changes, enough for close associates to call him a different man entirely in the end. The once arrogant, brash, and dismissive fighter embraces inner peace, reminds himself of the compassion he extended to friend and foe, exchanges most of his pride for wisdom and discretion, and even confronts the terrifying truth that he has more in common with his sworn enemies than he would like to admit. However, some aspects remain the same: He is still a young(ish) man with something to prove, a humanitarian, a tireless worker, insatiably curious, and a firm believer in killing a few key people for the greater good. He has always been passionate about a person's right to free will, disillusioned by the holy wars tearing up the land, prone to emotional excesses tied up with his desire to protect others, and longing to overcome his stunted growth in maintaining personal relationships. He is just prideful and self-destructive enough to believe that if he works hard, he can turn the tide of the bloodbath in the Holy Land, or at least safeguard all the things and people he cares about.
Altaïr lived in the 12th century, during the High Middle Ages and the events of the Third Crusade. Most of his cultural influence will have come from the concurrent Islamic Golden Age, and anything European travelers might have brought over with them. However, his worldview is aligned with the Assassins, who view themselves as apart from society. The Assassins chose not to take either side of political squabbles. They recognized that "laws arise not from divinity, but reason." Their main goal was peace, in all things. They saw the world as an illusion, and did not submit to it, instead seeking out the truth for themselves.
It is implied by the opening of the gate to the garden that only Assassins accepted into the Brotherhood (and of a suitable age) were allowed access there. The garden (as well as numerous other things in the Assassin's Creed series) is a reference to the book Alamut by Vladimir Bartol, where the Mentor would drug initiates with hashish and lead them to believe they had glimpsed paradise (the garden) and the beautiful women (houri) there. This promise of afterlife riches would ostensibly cement the bond of the new Assassins to the cause and eliminate their fear of death. Whether this exact method of initiation happened is not clear in canon (or actual history). It is even lampshaded by a conversation between Altaïr and Al Mualim, refuting rumors about the drugs at least. In any case, the results are the same: Altaïr does not fear death, putting himself time and time again in danger's path for the Brotherhood.
His quick promotion to Master Assassin had stirred up some dissent, which wasn't helped by his arrogance. Before his failure at Solomon's Temple, Altaïr regarded fighting and killing as ways to show off his skill. Altaïr would return from a mission to looks of admiration, yes, but also jealousy. As Al Mualim's favorite, he was used to competition and rivalry, and his aggressive manner further encouraged it. A conversation with an informant revealed that, before he got a swelled head, Altaïr used to work in cooperation with his fellow teammates. As Altaïr regained his rank piece by piece, he attempted to work together with people again, but he also had to regain their trust.
He initially responded to his demotion with anger, especially when novices, who were supposedly beneath him, tried to help him. He cut their words short, saying they were in his way. He claimed he could do everything himself without their help. He was at times insufferably rebellious. Both Al Mualim and the Bureau leaders spend half the game berating Altaïr for rash actions and not shutting up. Altaïr had a habit of turning his head and avoiding someone's eyes when they said things he didn't want to hear, much like an indignant teenager being scolded.
Canon conflicts on facts about his parents. According to Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade, his mother died in childbirth, and his father was executed by the Saracens when Altaïr was 11. However, according to Altaïr's Codex in Assassin's Creed II, he knew both his mother and father, though their passing was like that of two strangers. His birth parents, like all Assassin parents, were not allowed to be emotionally close to their children. Either way, Altaïr saw Al Mualim as the closest thing to a father. He didn't have the good fortune to know he could do better. When we first met Altaïr, it was clear from his struggle for Al Mualim's approval and the excuses he tried to make about his mistakes at Solomon's Temple that he had experienced years of emotional deprivation. He dealt with it by being aggressive, and, in Abbas's words, was "loathe to share the glory" of a successfully completed mission. Despite his lack of patience and constant questioning of some of Al Mualim's methods, he was eager to regain his rank and his master's approval again. He could not regret the only life he knew.
Emotion was a weakness in Al Mualim's eyes, one Altaïr was raised not to show. We do not see the Levantine Assassins greet each other with much physical affection, such as the (bro)hugs common among Middle Eastern men of the time. Altaïr harbored affection privately. His time with Adha a year before the events of Assassin's Creed had him considering laying down his blade. Some fellow Assassins knew of Altaïr's involvement with Adha, though it is unclear how much exactly. After her death, he responded to inquiries about her whereabouts with silence. Though Altaïr killed the Templars responsible for Adha's death, he realizes that revenge did not bring him peace. He still wakes from nightmares of the terrified face she wore in her last moments. With what happened to her, he suspects a life of peace is merely a dream that can never be a reality for him. He's even not sure if he can feel the same way about another woman again. (Anyone who has read his Codex will know that he eventually did some years later, with enemy-turned-ally Maria Thorpe; she was his better half until death.)
Altaïr was constantly questioning everything, from the laws of society, to Al Mualim, to the threads that bound his nine targets together as—he would later find out—Templars. It was Al Mualim who taught him to question the world, and Malik who counseled him to never know, only suspect. Altaïr places trust only in what he sees with his own eyes. He has little patience for the manipulation of himself or others. He would become frustrated at Al Mualim's reticence and speaking "in circles." He even risked Al Mualim's death threats when he demanded to know more about the men Al Mualim had sent him to assassinate. He did not know for sure if his master would kill him for that insolence. He said he "took a leap of faith."
Altaïr is habitually to-the-point. He demanded (later, asked politely) information quickly, and gave large amounts of information quickly and succinctly, not stopping to make small talk. He only took one moment to vocally contemplate when he was with someone he trusted, about something that had been troubling him for some time. In his interactions with civilians and noncombatants, Altaïr may seem frustrated at their unsubtlety in delicate situations. Everything is unsubtle to a man trained in stealth, and especially to a man who has learned from the mistake of blowing his cover. In addition, other characters may see his reticence as rude, and... it probably is. But he is secretive for a purpose. He doesn't want to compromise the Brotherhood.
Altaïr is accustomed to hiding in plain sight, and making his first strike his last. He demonstrates extensive observational skills that help profile his targets, and there is a lot of information (visual, cultural, psychological) he must retain. During his hunt for the nine Templars, Altaïr completed all reconnaissance as directed, which was necessary in order to even get close enough to his targets.
If a mission went differently than planned, Altaïr counted on his own ability to adapt to change. It has saved him countless times, though his friend Malik cautioned him on relying on it too much. Throughout the game, Malik acted as Altaïr's (often harsh) conscience when it came to discretion, prompting Altaïr to exchange equally harsh words with him. Just before leaving for his last target, Altaïr finally apologized to Malik, owning up to his inflated pride and mistakes at Solomon's Temple. Malik responded that Altaïr was no longer the man he once was, and had nothing to apologize for.
It is strongly implied through the game's system that Altaïr followed the Creed very closely—at first to regain his rank and keep his life, then because he felt remorse for his mistakes that cost Kadar's life and Malik's arm. And, though the Templars already knew the location of their hideout, Al Mualim convinced Altaïr that it was he who led them to battle on their doorstep through his indiscretion, resulting in more lives lost. He also saw his own arrogance and pride reflected in the cruel men he was sent to kill, and he "learned what becomes of those who lift themselves above others." He spared Maria Thorpe, Robert de Sable's disguised stand-in, because she was not one of his nine targets, though she was a Templar and his enemy. Altaïr was looking to do away with the needless killings he once employed, and to place others before himself in more ways than one.
Part of the Creed forbids the killing of innocents, but Altaïr took it a step further, going out of his way to help civilians being tormented by the corrupt guards paid to protect them. This often puts him at odds with the law. A staunch believer in free will, he cannot tolerate the oppression of others. Seeing Crusaders and Saracens commit unspeakable acts in the name of a benevolent God has disillusioned Altaïr. In Solomon's Temple, when he, Kadar and Malik viewed the Arc of the Covenant—an extremely important religious artifact from Biblical times—he told the novice Kadar not to be silly, there is no such thing. However, Altaïr will fight for people's right to choose their beliefs. When the Templars take people's freedom in exchange for peace, Altaïr is ready to pit himself against them.
The events of the summer of 1191 left little time for merrymaking, however Altaïr is not without a sense of fun. His job requires he complete missions with as much stealth as possible, but he also loves a good sword fight, as evidenced by his occasionalshit-eating grin when successfully dispatching several opponents in a row. He repeatedly uses the rooftops to his advantage, even if civilians comment that he is "acting like a child." To be fair, once a person has learned to use the city's surroundings to get around in the unconventional way of their choice, it is hard to adhere to the mundane. Altaïr has a focused directness that results in wanting to get things done quickly, and the goal of the game's parkour—to get from point A to B as swiftly and efficiently as possible—meshes nicely with that. The Animus's mechanic of collecting flags to sync with more of Altaïr's memories imply that he walked, climbed, and jumped everywhere. He conducted more than just business on rooftops. A few years after the events of the first game, c.1196, it is revealed that Altaïr has no qualms about passionately conceiving his children outside on high towers—in enemy territory.
Though he has gained a new wisdom and inner peace, it's just that: new. His better understanding of the Creed and himself has changed him into a calmer, wiser man, but he still has a little difficulty connecting with people on a personal level, despite his great compassion for his fellow man. He has trouble even putting into words any doubts and insecurities he may have, even when in the company of someone close. Altaïr is a good leader, with experience spearheading missions in small groups as a Master Assassin, but he is not yet a Mentor.
ABILITIES
INVENTORY
ARCANUM Emperor (Emperor)'s problem child is baaaack
S A M P L E S;
ACTIONSPAM SAMPLE: Getting timey-wimey
PROSE SAMPLE: Being Hakan's problem child
NAME: Altaïr ibn La-Ahad
CANON: Assassin's Creed
POINT IN CANON:
AGE: 25 when he arrived in July 2016
APPEARANCE: Images. 6 ft (183 cm), 170 lbs (77 kg). He has a scar on his lip and his left ring finger has been removed. Francisco Randez was used by Ubisoft as a model for his in-game appearance. As of 2016 Aug 21, he's had the Emperor's Mark on his stomach on his left: His tattoo, shaped like the old playing cards that later came to be called tarot, was as if drawn by a calligrapher in the stylized detail that was familiar to his time and place. Its most noticeable feature was the ankh in dead center, crossed over with a crook and flail. A pattern of stony mountains and a thin river below them filled the background, not unlike the landscape around Masyaf. Four ram's heads connected the card's borders. Nestled in the border on the right was an eagle, and on the left, a hand holding a sphere.
CANON HISTORY:
Altaïr's wikia
Assassins/Hashshashin/Asasiyun
"Nothing is true; everything is permitted."This maxim is subject to a wide array of interpretations. The maxim as Altaïr understands it can best be summed by Al Mualim's Socratic questioning:
Al Mualim: What is the truth?
Altaïr: We place faith in ourselves. We see the world the way it really is, and hope that one day all mankind might see the same.
Al Mualim: What is the world then?
Altaïr: An illusion. One we can either submit to, as most do, or transcend.
Al Mualim: What is it to transcend?
Altaïr: To recognize nothing is true and everything is permitted. That laws arise not from divinity, but reason. I understand now that our Creed does not command us to be free. It commands us to be wise.
Tenets of the Assassin's Creed:
1. Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent.
2. Hide in plain sight.
3. Never compromise the Brotherhood.
CANON PERSONALITY
The most obvious aspect of Altaïr's personality throughout the first Assassin's Creed is how dramatically it changes, enough for close associates to call him a different man entirely in the end. The once arrogant, brash, and dismissive fighter embraces inner peace, reminds himself of the compassion he extended to friend and foe, exchanges most of his pride for wisdom and discretion, and even confronts the terrifying truth that he has more in common with his sworn enemies than he would like to admit. However, some aspects remain the same: He is still a young(ish) man with something to prove, a humanitarian, a tireless worker, insatiably curious, and a firm believer in killing a few key people for the greater good. He has always been passionate about a person's right to free will, disillusioned by the holy wars tearing up the land, prone to emotional excesses tied up with his desire to protect others, and longing to overcome his stunted growth in maintaining personal relationships. He is just prideful and self-destructive enough to believe that if he works hard, he can turn the tide of the bloodbath in the Holy Land, or at least safeguard all the things and people he cares about.
Altaïr lived in the 12th century, during the High Middle Ages and the events of the Third Crusade. Most of his cultural influence will have come from the concurrent Islamic Golden Age, and anything European travelers might have brought over with them. However, his worldview is aligned with the Assassins, who view themselves as apart from society. The Assassins chose not to take either side of political squabbles. They recognized that "laws arise not from divinity, but reason." Their main goal was peace, in all things. They saw the world as an illusion, and did not submit to it, instead seeking out the truth for themselves.
It is implied by the opening of the gate to the garden that only Assassins accepted into the Brotherhood (and of a suitable age) were allowed access there. The garden (as well as numerous other things in the Assassin's Creed series) is a reference to the book Alamut by Vladimir Bartol, where the Mentor would drug initiates with hashish and lead them to believe they had glimpsed paradise (the garden) and the beautiful women (houri) there. This promise of afterlife riches would ostensibly cement the bond of the new Assassins to the cause and eliminate their fear of death. Whether this exact method of initiation happened is not clear in canon (or actual history). It is even lampshaded by a conversation between Altaïr and Al Mualim, refuting rumors about the drugs at least. In any case, the results are the same: Altaïr does not fear death, putting himself time and time again in danger's path for the Brotherhood.
His quick promotion to Master Assassin had stirred up some dissent, which wasn't helped by his arrogance. Before his failure at Solomon's Temple, Altaïr regarded fighting and killing as ways to show off his skill. Altaïr would return from a mission to looks of admiration, yes, but also jealousy. As Al Mualim's favorite, he was used to competition and rivalry, and his aggressive manner further encouraged it. A conversation with an informant revealed that, before he got a swelled head, Altaïr used to work in cooperation with his fellow teammates. As Altaïr regained his rank piece by piece, he attempted to work together with people again, but he also had to regain their trust.
He initially responded to his demotion with anger, especially when novices, who were supposedly beneath him, tried to help him. He cut their words short, saying they were in his way. He claimed he could do everything himself without their help. He was at times insufferably rebellious. Both Al Mualim and the Bureau leaders spend half the game berating Altaïr for rash actions and not shutting up. Altaïr had a habit of turning his head and avoiding someone's eyes when they said things he didn't want to hear, much like an indignant teenager being scolded.
Canon conflicts on facts about his parents. According to Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade, his mother died in childbirth, and his father was executed by the Saracens when Altaïr was 11. However, according to Altaïr's Codex in Assassin's Creed II, he knew both his mother and father, though their passing was like that of two strangers. His birth parents, like all Assassin parents, were not allowed to be emotionally close to their children. Either way, Altaïr saw Al Mualim as the closest thing to a father. He didn't have the good fortune to know he could do better. When we first met Altaïr, it was clear from his struggle for Al Mualim's approval and the excuses he tried to make about his mistakes at Solomon's Temple that he had experienced years of emotional deprivation. He dealt with it by being aggressive, and, in Abbas's words, was "loathe to share the glory" of a successfully completed mission. Despite his lack of patience and constant questioning of some of Al Mualim's methods, he was eager to regain his rank and his master's approval again. He could not regret the only life he knew.
Emotion was a weakness in Al Mualim's eyes, one Altaïr was raised not to show. We do not see the Levantine Assassins greet each other with much physical affection, such as the (bro)hugs common among Middle Eastern men of the time. Altaïr harbored affection privately. His time with Adha a year before the events of Assassin's Creed had him considering laying down his blade. Some fellow Assassins knew of Altaïr's involvement with Adha, though it is unclear how much exactly. After her death, he responded to inquiries about her whereabouts with silence. Though Altaïr killed the Templars responsible for Adha's death, he realizes that revenge did not bring him peace. He still wakes from nightmares of the terrified face she wore in her last moments. With what happened to her, he suspects a life of peace is merely a dream that can never be a reality for him. He's even not sure if he can feel the same way about another woman again. (Anyone who has read his Codex will know that he eventually did some years later, with enemy-turned-ally Maria Thorpe; she was his better half until death.)
Altaïr was constantly questioning everything, from the laws of society, to Al Mualim, to the threads that bound his nine targets together as—he would later find out—Templars. It was Al Mualim who taught him to question the world, and Malik who counseled him to never know, only suspect. Altaïr places trust only in what he sees with his own eyes. He has little patience for the manipulation of himself or others. He would become frustrated at Al Mualim's reticence and speaking "in circles." He even risked Al Mualim's death threats when he demanded to know more about the men Al Mualim had sent him to assassinate. He did not know for sure if his master would kill him for that insolence. He said he "took a leap of faith."
Altaïr is habitually to-the-point. He demanded (later, asked politely) information quickly, and gave large amounts of information quickly and succinctly, not stopping to make small talk. He only took one moment to vocally contemplate when he was with someone he trusted, about something that had been troubling him for some time. In his interactions with civilians and noncombatants, Altaïr may seem frustrated at their unsubtlety in delicate situations. Everything is unsubtle to a man trained in stealth, and especially to a man who has learned from the mistake of blowing his cover. In addition, other characters may see his reticence as rude, and... it probably is. But he is secretive for a purpose. He doesn't want to compromise the Brotherhood.
Altaïr is accustomed to hiding in plain sight, and making his first strike his last. He demonstrates extensive observational skills that help profile his targets, and there is a lot of information (visual, cultural, psychological) he must retain. During his hunt for the nine Templars, Altaïr completed all reconnaissance as directed, which was necessary in order to even get close enough to his targets.
If a mission went differently than planned, Altaïr counted on his own ability to adapt to change. It has saved him countless times, though his friend Malik cautioned him on relying on it too much. Throughout the game, Malik acted as Altaïr's (often harsh) conscience when it came to discretion, prompting Altaïr to exchange equally harsh words with him. Just before leaving for his last target, Altaïr finally apologized to Malik, owning up to his inflated pride and mistakes at Solomon's Temple. Malik responded that Altaïr was no longer the man he once was, and had nothing to apologize for.
It is strongly implied through the game's system that Altaïr followed the Creed very closely—at first to regain his rank and keep his life, then because he felt remorse for his mistakes that cost Kadar's life and Malik's arm. And, though the Templars already knew the location of their hideout, Al Mualim convinced Altaïr that it was he who led them to battle on their doorstep through his indiscretion, resulting in more lives lost. He also saw his own arrogance and pride reflected in the cruel men he was sent to kill, and he "learned what becomes of those who lift themselves above others." He spared Maria Thorpe, Robert de Sable's disguised stand-in, because she was not one of his nine targets, though she was a Templar and his enemy. Altaïr was looking to do away with the needless killings he once employed, and to place others before himself in more ways than one.
Part of the Creed forbids the killing of innocents, but Altaïr took it a step further, going out of his way to help civilians being tormented by the corrupt guards paid to protect them. This often puts him at odds with the law. A staunch believer in free will, he cannot tolerate the oppression of others. Seeing Crusaders and Saracens commit unspeakable acts in the name of a benevolent God has disillusioned Altaïr. In Solomon's Temple, when he, Kadar and Malik viewed the Arc of the Covenant—an extremely important religious artifact from Biblical times—he told the novice Kadar not to be silly, there is no such thing. However, Altaïr will fight for people's right to choose their beliefs. When the Templars take people's freedom in exchange for peace, Altaïr is ready to pit himself against them.
The events of the summer of 1191 left little time for merrymaking, however Altaïr is not without a sense of fun. His job requires he complete missions with as much stealth as possible, but he also loves a good sword fight, as evidenced by his occasional
Though he has gained a new wisdom and inner peace, it's just that: new. His better understanding of the Creed and himself has changed him into a calmer, wiser man, but he still has a little difficulty connecting with people on a personal level, despite his great compassion for his fellow man. He has trouble even putting into words any doubts and insecurities he may have, even when in the company of someone close. Altaïr is a good leader, with experience spearheading missions in small groups as a Master Assassin, but he is not yet a Mentor.
ABILITIES
INVENTORY
ARCANUM Emperor (Emperor)'s problem child is baaaack
S A M P L E S;
ACTIONSPAM SAMPLE: Getting timey-wimey
PROSE SAMPLE: Being Hakan's problem child