List of Assassin's Creed characters

This is a list of characters in the Assassin's Creed series. Note that while many of the characters are based on actual historical figures, some of them are fictional.

Assassins

The "Assassins" are the main protagonists of the series. They are a secret society of warriors committed to the protection of humanity against the Templars. The Assassins oppose the Templars and their goal of complete dominance over humanity, and promote free will and the right of individuality, as the Assassins believes that humans have the right to choose whatever path they desire, even if that means a flawed humanity. They have existed through the entirety of recorded history. They abide to the Creed, a set of three rules that dictate the daily life of an Assassin. The three tenets are:

• Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent.
• Hide in plain sight.
• Do not compromise the Brotherhood of the Assassins.

The following list contains some of the most notable Assassins through the series.

Desmond Miles

Desmond Miles (Voiced by Nolan North^[1] and modeled after Canadian fashion model Francisco Randez) is the main protagonist of the Assassin's Creed series. He is a descendant of both Altaïr ibn La-Ahad, and Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

Desmond was born at an Assassin hideout, much like Masyaf, a modern day Assassin enclave called "The Farm". Isolated and living "off the grid", Desmond was born and raised as an Assassin. He was unable to leave this small community of thirty or so people, but desperately sought escape, as he believed that they were "just a bunch of hippies who wanted to stick it to the man." Desmond later facilitated his desired escape, claiming that he wanted to see the rest of the world. Desmond states that he has no regrets leaving his father or mother; at one point when accused of being an assassin, he responds "I'm not an Assassin…not anymore." At some time in his life, Desmond became a bartender, but lived under assumed names to protect himself. He used cash only, but was finally found by Abstergo via his fingerprint (needed for a motorcycle license).

Desmond is later put into the Animus, a machine that allows him to relive the memories of his ancestors stored in his DNA, by scientists Dr. Warren Vidic and Dr. Lucy Stillman, employees of Abstergo Corporation. They explain that they are searching the memories of Desmond's ancestors, specifically Altaïr ibn La-Ahad, for a certain piece of information, which they refuse to disclose. Without much choice, Desmond agrees to help them. Some time later, after recovering the information for which Vidic was searching, Abstergo's executives order Desmond killed; Lucy's quick thinking saves him, and she persuades Vidic to keep him alive until they know for certain that he's of no further use. Upon returning to his room, Desmond discovers that the Bleeding Effect has given him Altair's 'Eagle Vision', allowing him to discern friend from foe and read cryptic messages left on the walls and floor by Subject 16, another Animus subject.^[2]

In Assassin's Creed II, Desmond escapes from Abstergo with the help of Lucy, an undercover Assassin. Shortly afterwards, he goes into another Animus, supervised by Lucy and her team, consisting of Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane, in order to be quickly trained as an Assassin via the bleeding effect. This time, he goes into the memories of Ezio Auditore de Firenze, an ancestor from the Renaissance.

After successfully navigating Ezio's early memories (with help from Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane on the outside), Desmond is extracted from the Animus to avoid the mental degradation that Subject 16 suffered as a side-effect of the Bleeding Effect. Shortly after extraction, Desmond flashes back to one of Altaïr's memories, despite not being linked to the Animus. Here, Desmond learns of Altaïr having a lover, Maria, a Templar used as decoy by Robert de Sable in the first Assassin's Creed. As Altaïr leaves, Desmond wonders why he isn't following the Assassin; instead, he moves towards Maria, where he enters her womb, showing that Altaïr's child (and another of Desmond's ancestors) has just been conceived.

After spending more time in the Animus 2.0, Desmond begins to adjust to his newly developed skills, becoming highly agile and an expert in whatever weapons Ezio learned to use. The last segment of Ezio's memories brings an astonished Ezio (and by extension, Desmond) to a futuristic chamber underneath the Vatican, where a goddess, Minerva, addresses Desmond by name and, through Ezio, warns him of an impending cataclysm that has the potential to destroy all life on Earth. Desmond is pulled from the Animus quickly afterward, after Abstergo discover their hideout. The team escape, Desmond using the skills acquired from the bleeding effect to help fight off Abstergo's forces. Desmond enters the Animus while in transit, knowing that Ezio—and perhaps Subject 16—may have the answers they seek.^[3]

In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (the events of which are set only 2 weeks after Desmond was initially captured by Abstergo), Desmond, Lucy, Shaun and Rebecca arrive at Monteriggioni, where Villa Auditore was located. They set up a safehouse in the Villa's sanctuary, and Desmond re-enters the Animus, in order to discover the location of the Apple of Eden, an artifact obtained by Ezio and one of the "Pieces of Eden". After finding the location of the Apple through the Animus, Desmond and the others learn that the Apple is hidden under the Colloseum. The assassins find a way inside an ancient Vault, where the Apple is located. He then takes the Apple and Juno takes control of his body and forces him to stab Lucy for reasons which are unclear. After Desmond passes out, he gets put back into the Animus by William Miles and an unknown man, who are assassins. The events and assignments for the assassins seem to end after this and Desmond falls into a coma.^[4]

In Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Desmond finds himself in the Black Room, a "back door" in the Animus. There, Desmond must find a specific memory that links him with Altaïr and Ezio so that he can reintegrate his shattered subconscious and awaken from his coma. In the Black Room he sees Subject 16, and often speaks with him about how to reawaken from his coma. Desmond can also hear the voices of Bill Miles (His father), Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane while he is in this state.

Lucy Stillman

Lucy Stillman (Voiced by Kristen Bell^[1]) was a member of the Assassin's Order and former genetic memory^{[disambiguation needed ]} researcher who worked for Abstergo Industries in the Animus project.

Lucy first appears as she and Warren argue about whether to leave Desmond in the Animus or pull him out during a fragmented memory sequence. Afterward, while Vidic explains to Desmond what the Animus does and what 'genetic memories' are, Lucy explains Abstergo's goal in very broad and non-specific terms. Vidic wants to hurry Desmond along, seeing no reason to 'coddle' him, but Lucy manages to convince Vidic that Desmond will be useless without time to rest from his experience.

During Desmond's time in the Animus, Lucy is his chief defender, pressuring Vidic to allow Desmond more time to rest. In breaks between Animus sessions, Lucy begins to warm to Desmond, and answers what questions she can about the Animus, Abstergo and Vidic. Lucy also mentions that Desmond was not the only person Abstergo was detaining; she, too, is an unfortunate captive. Abstergo tried to silence her to keep her from speaking publicly about the Animus, but her attackers were ordered to stand down by Dr. Warren Vidic. She claimed that he saved her life that day, and she told Desmond not to judge Dr. Vidic so harshly, as he was under a lot of pressure. After a few days, Lucy hides the access codes for Desmond's door in his wardrobe so that he can roam freely about the Animus chamber, and 'forgot' her security pen on the Animus so that Desmond could access her e-mail account. Eventually, she reveals herself to Desmond as an Assassin, working undercover to learn more about Abstergo's goals.^[2]

After Desmond successfully retrieves the suppressed memory sequence, Abstergo executives order Desmond's murder, but Lucy convinces them to keep him alive to extract more information. Several hours later, Lucy returned and broke Desmond out of the Abstergo facility, eventually escaping to an Assassin safehouse, where Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings waited with the Animus 2.0, an improved and upgraded Animus machine of Rebecca's own design. They inform Desmond that they're going to attempt an unorthodox training regime: by using the Animus and the Bleeding Effect, they're going to try and 'imprint' his ancestors' skills on Desmond himself, turning him into a master assassin-by-proxy. Eventually, Abstergo tracks them to the safehouse, and the Assassins are forced to flee to a secondary facility in the north; on the way, Desmond goes back into the Animus to search Ezio and Altair's memories for any information that may help them.^[3]

Shortly thereafter they arrive at Monteriggioni, and establish their second base. There Lucy continues to help Desmond through the Animus. After Desmond finds the location of the Apple of Eden through Ezio's memories, Lucy, Shaun, and Rebbecca accompany him deep beneath the Colosseum, to a hidden vault where it resides. As Desmond holds the Apple, the Goddess Juno controls him through it. She then forces him to stab Lucy, demanding a "sacrifice in order to be awakened". It is revealed in Assassin's Creed: Revelations that she was apparently killed from the stabbing. She was given a funeral and buried in a cemetery just outside of Rome.

It is implied that Desmond and Lucy have feeling for eachother during Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and this might be partly why Desmond went into a coma.

Shaun Hastings

Shaun Hastings (Voiced by Danny Wallace) is a cynical, condescending and pessimistic member of the Assassin's team, specializing in research and information handling. Through conversations in Assassin's Creed II, Desmond learns that Shaun was interested in conspiracies from an early age, and developed a love of history. Though he was unaware of the existence of modern-day Templars and Assassins, he realized that there was some power-struggle going on. Shaun attempted to tell others about his findings, not realizing that the Templars would try to silence him. Fortunately, Rebecca Crane apparently "rescued" Shaun and recruited him into the order. This is mentioned as being unconventional, as most Assassins in the order are usually born into the order, not recruited. However, in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, actively recruiting new assassins into the order is a key aspect of gameplay.

During the events of Assassin's Creed II, Shaun's role is to provide tactical support to the other Assassins, as well as providing Desmond with interesting database entries, and the occasional piece of advice on glyph puzzles. Desmond can contact him at different points in the game to trigger various cutscenes, where he talks either about recent progress for the assassins, or his own past. He still usually works busily on his computer, and will often tell Desmond off if provoked. In Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Shaun questions William Miles about Desmond, asking if Desmond may be a Templar, because of Desmond being forced to stab Lucy. Also it is implied that Shaun attended Lucy's funeral, as he told Rebecca about the burial.

Rebecca Crane

Rebecca Crane (Voiced by Eliza Schneider) is a member of the Assassin's team. She is the creator of the Animus 2.0 - which she affectionately refers to as "Baby" - and provides technical support for the Assassins alongside her partner, Shaun Hastings. She appears to be an old friend of Lucy Stillman, although prior to the game, the two purportedly did not see one another for seven years, perhaps due to Lucy's internment at Abstergo.

In Assassin's Creed II, Rebecca serves as tech support for the Animus 2.0. She often leaves notes within the database entries that Shaun makes available for Desmond Miles while he is in the Animus, especially if the entries (i.e. about a particular structure) indicate the presence of a glyph or Assassin's tomb therein. The data module that Rebecca receives from Lucy with the records of the Abstergo version of the Animus allow Desmond to interact with the encrypted file Subject 16 left behind in Ezio Auditore da Firenze's memories.In Assassin's Creed Revelations Rebecca can be heard talking to Bill Miles during Desmond's coma.

Altaïr ibn-La'Ahad

Altaïr ibn-La'Ahad, (Arabic: الطائر ابن لا أحد (aṭ-ṭāʾir ibn lā ʾaḥad) "The Flyer - Son of No One") (Voiced by Philip Shahbaz) usually known by the mononym Altaïr, is the protagonist of Assassin's Creed and supplemental character Assassin's Creed: Revelations. He is an Arab Assassin whose birthday is the 11th of January 1165 and who lived during the third Crusade. The name ibn La-Ahad means "Son of no one" in Arabic, although the accuracy of the translation is heavily questioned. Additionally, Ben Reeves of Game Informer adds that the "name of the top assassin [...] is also the name of a star in the constellation Aquila - Aquila being another name meaning eagle. Not coincidentally Ezio is the Italian form of a Greek name that also means "eagle".^[5] Altaïr is an ancestor of Desmond Miles. When sent to the Temple of Solomon to find the Ark of the Covenant for Al Mualim with fellow assassins, brothers Malik and Kadar A-Sayf, he encounters Robert de Sablé-- Grand Master of the Knights Templar-- and his French Templars. Altaïr rashly confronts Robert de Sablé, who easily grabs him by the neck and tosses him through a wall. This causes a small rockslide and cuts Altaïr off from the ensuing fight. Altaïr escapes alone (leaving Malik and Kadar behind to be killed) and returns to Masyaf disgraced and empty-handed, where he is forced to explain himself.

Malik, however, survived and brings the Templar Treasure to Al Mualim (who calls it a "Piece of Eden"), and explains the events which led to Kadar's death and the injuring of Malik's left arm at the hand of Robert de Sablé. Robert and the rest of the Templars retaliate by besieging Masyaf, killing many of its citizens before being forced back by an intricate trap activated by Altaïr.

When Al Mualim discovers that Altaïr broke all three tenets of the Creed, he disgraces Altaïr, intending to execute him. However, Al Mualim fakes his execution, and demotes him instead. Now a Novice, Altaïr is stripped of all his weapons and equipment and must earn his way back into the Brotherhood. By murdering an innocent (an old man who he thought could have alerted the guards), revealing himself to Robert de Sablé, and leading the Templars back to the previously unknown location of Masyaf, he jeopardized not only his own safety, but the livelihood of the entire Brotherhood.

To re-establish himself within the Order, Altaïr is assigned to kill nine key targets who are threatening to tear apart the Holy Land. Malik is unable to fight due to his injury, and is assigned as the head of the Assassin's Bureau in Jerusalem.

As time passes, Altaïr learns more about the Piece of Eden and its uses. Al Mualim names this piece "the Apple," believing it to be the legendary apple from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. After assassinating eight of the targets, Robert de Sablé is the only remaining target that Altaïr must confront. Altaïr stalks de Sablé in Jerusalem and attempts to execute him, only to discover that de Sablé used an impersonator to cover his escape.

Altaïr chooses not to kill the impersonator, a Templar woman named Maria Thorpe. He discovers de Sablé's plan to unite the Saracens and Christians against the Assassins, and rushes to the Christian camp of Richard the Lionheart to reveal de Sablé's plans. Richard considers the accusations levelled against both de Sablé and Altaïr, and declares that God will decide who is truthful by ensuring the truth-teller is victorious in single combat.

Altaïr and de Sablé cross swords, but Altaïr manages to finally gain the upper hand and kills de Sablé, leading Richard to believe that Altaïr was telling the truth. As Altaïr stands over his fallen enemy, de Sablé uses his dying breath to reveal that there were in fact 10 key Templars who found the treasure, not 9, and that the last one was his mentor Al Mualim, who manipulated Altaïr into killing his former Templar allies.

Altaïr rushes back to Masyaf to confront Al Mualim, discovering that the town inhabitants have become soulless slaves to Al Mualim's will. He fights many of his brethren (with the help of Mailk and several other Assassin's still loyal to the Creed) in order to gain access to the castle and confront Al Mualim. Face to face at last, Al Mualim reveals to Altaïr that the Piece of Eden, the Apple, was instrumental in creating illusions on a grand scale in famous events in history. The Apple allows the holder to manipulate visual reality and control the weak-willed.

Master and student fight for control of the artifact, with Altaïr defeating Al Mualim. Unable to destroy the Piece of Eden, Altaïr discovers that among its abilities, it also holds a map that shows the locations of all the other Pieces around the world. This marks the end of first game installment.

While taking a break from the Animus 2.0 during Assassin's Creed II, Desmond suffers a hallucination via the Bleeding Effect that takes him back to the memories of Altaïr in Acre-- this shows Desmond is partially able to access Altaïr's memories without the use of the Animus interface.

In the vision, Altaïr chases after a person (revealed to be Maria, the Templar who had posed as de Sablé and who Altaïr had earlier spared). After the chase, Altaïr and Maria embrace on a rooftop and have sex. When Altaïr departs, Desmond finds his memory staying with Maria, moving toward her abdomen, indicating she is now pregnant with Altaïr's child, an ancestor of Desmond. This leaves Desmond confused as he recovers, but he keeps the fact that he accessed Altaïr's memories without the Animus to himself.

At the point when Assassin's Creed II begins, Altaïr has been dead for over two centuries. However, it is known that he left a Codex that Ezio Auditore da Firenze later finds; in it, Altaïr left a secret map, which reveals the locations of Pieces of Eden scattered all over the world. The Codex pages also reveal that Altaïr made several improvements in Assassin technology, such as compacting a wheellock firearm on the Assassin's wrist, as well as creating a fighting style which uses two hidden blades instead of one. In the game the player can obtain Altaïr's all-black Master Assassin armor, as well as his sword. The final page of the Codex states that Altaïr left for Mongolia with his family in his old age to assassinate Genghis Khan; it is unknown if they succeeded, however Genghis Khan's death is attributed to a Mongolian assassin by one of the statues found beneath Villa Auditore in the game.

In Assassin's Creed: Altaïr Chronicles, the year is 1190 AD, and the Third Crusade is engulfing the Holy Land. Crusaders clash with Saracens for control of the Holy City. The game takes place before the events of the original Assassin's Creed; Altaïr is tasked by Al Mualim to find and retrieve a sacred object: the Chalice. It is said to have the power to unite under one flag all the factions of whatever side possesses it - either the Crusaders or the Saracens - and end the Third Crusade in victory for one side or the other. But the Chalice is too powerful an object to be left in the hands of men alone. It must be found and destroyed quickly. After learning that the Chalice is kept in Jerusalem, Altaïr manages to arrive before the Templar leader, Basilisk. There he successfully rescues the Chalice from a group of Templars. There it is revealed that the Chalice is a woman named Adha, the woman Altaïr knew and had feelings before the events of game. From her, he learns that the Templars have paid off Harash, the second-in-command of the Assassins, to betray the Brotherhood. Altaïr then plans to attack Alep (the assassin fortress), kill Harash, and run away with Adha - but after making his way through Harash's assassin guards and killing him, Adha is kidnapped by Basilisk and taken to the Templars' port in Tyre.

Altaïr fights through the Templar Knights and kills Lord Basilisk in one final confrontation on his ship, only to find out Adha is on a different ship, which escapes before Altaïr can catch it. He swims to shore and, seeing the Templar ship far off in the distance, promises Adha that he will find her. However, in one of the Codex Pages found in Assassin's Creed II, it is said that Altaïr found Adha dead, although when or where is not stated.

Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines takes place between the events of the original Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II. The game is set on the island of Cyprus, taking the player to two of its cities, Limassol and Kyrenia. Altaïr has traveled to Cyprus from the Holy Land (the setting of the first game) in order to assassinate the last remnants of the Templars.^[6] Bloodlines includes more face time with Maria, the female Templar that was spared by Altaïr in Assassin's Creed. Altaïr captures Maria as Prisoner, but she escapes, before being captured again by Altaïr. In the novel Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade, Altaïr and Maria's relationship is more fully explored. They are married and have two sons: Darim and Sef.

In Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Altaïr creates 5 seals that Ezio must find to open a massive library hidden beneath Masyaf that has information that can tilt the scales in the war between the Templars and the Assassins.

Altaïr was chosen by the Guinness World Records to be 30th top video game character.^[7][8] IGN nominated Altaïr for their "Stars' 2007 Badasssss!" award;^[9] Additionally, IGN's Jesse Schedeen listed Altaïr as one of the fighters they'd have in their ultimate fighting game, saying he was a slightly more realistic and efficient version of the Prince from Prince of Persia.^[10] However, IGN, using results from a reader's poll and comments, also listed Altaïr as the 9th most overrated video game character, comparing him to a "poor man's Prince of Persia" and saying that he was a 2-D character who was very formulaic.^[11]

Other Appearances

• In Academy of Champions: Soccer, Altaïr appears as a playable character.^[12]
• In the video game The Saboteur, the player can obtain an Altaïr trophy.
• In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, player-character Solid Snake can disguise himself with Altaïr's outfit.
• In Prince of Persia, Altaïr's outfit is unlockable for the Prince to wear.
• Altaïr's outfit also appears in Rayman Raving Rabbids 2.
• In Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Altaïr's outfit is unlockable through a UPLAY download.
• In The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, there is an easter egg which shows a dead Altaïr in a haystack.

Malik A-Sayf

Malik A-Sayf (pronounced as-Sayf, voiced by Haaz Sleiman), who appears in Assassin's Creed alongside Altaïr, is an Assassin. Though not as skilled as Altaïr, he was evidently skilled enough, as he was sent along with his brother Kadar and Altaïr to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant from under Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. When Altaïr breaks the three tenets of the Creed and confronts Robert de Sablé directly, Malik attempts to stop him, but Altaïr's brashness leads to Altaïr being shoved aside and into another tunnel; the Templars block off the tunnel and deal with Malik and Kadar.

Later, just before the Templar invasion of Masyaf, Altaïr (who has returned alone to Masayaf) informs Al Mualim that he failed, and that he believed that the Templars must have killed Malik and Kadar and taken the Ark for themselves. As Altaïr is speaking, Malik appears, clutching his arm covered in blood, followed by a servant who carries the Ark in for him. Malik informs the surprised Altaïr and Al Mualim that Kadar is dead and that his left arm will have to be amputated. As Malik can no longer perform assassinations and subterfuge effectively, he becomes the Assassin Bureau Leader in Jerusalem.

Because Altaïr's actions directly led to the death of Kadar and the loss of Malik's arm, their exchanges are tense at best for the first part of the game; however, toward the end of the game, Malik forgives Altaïr because he is a "changed man", meaning Altaïr's pride for himself has been let go.

In Assassin's Creed II, it is implied through the Codex that Malik becomes Altaïr's right-hand man, which can be interpreted as ironic as his left hand is severed.

Ezio Auditore da Firenze

Ezio Auditore da Firenze (voiced by Roger Craig Smith) (1459-1524) is the protagonist of Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and Assassin's Creed: Revelations. He is a member of the Assassin Order around the turn of the 16th century.

An ancestor to both Desmond Miles and Subject 16, Ezio was unaware of his Assassin heritage until the age of 17, when his father Giovanni and two brothers Federico and Petruccio were falsely accused of treason and hanged. Ezio, because of his adventurous lifestyle, was already extremely agile and was taught how to fight, unlike Altaïr. Seeking revenge, he escapes with his surviving family members to the Tuscan town of Monteriggioni held by his uncle, assassinating Uberto Alberti in the process.

Learning of his heritage from his uncle, Mario Auditore, Ezio began his Assassin training. He also undertook his quest for vengeance against the Grand Master of the Templar Order, Rodrigo Borgia, who had ordered the executions of Ezio's father and two brothers. Although he succeeds in defeating Rodrigo, Ezio spares his life, realizing that killing Rodrigo won't bring back his family. During his quest, Ezio manages to not only unite and decrypt the pages of Altaïr's Codex for the first time since the times of his ancestor Domenico Auditore, but also to save the cities of Florence, Venice, and later Rome from the Templar agents. In liberating Roma (Assassin's Creed Brotherhood) from Borgia control, he helps to spread the Renaissance and the Assassin ideals of independence and freedom of thought throughout Italy.

In Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Ezio finds a letter written by his father a year before his birth. The letter tells of a library hidden in Masyaf that has an untold amount of information in it and can tilt the scale of the Assassin-Templar war. The letter also speaks of five seals left by Altaïr that will open the library. Ezio (now 52 years old) sets off for Constantinople. When Ezio Auditore finds one of these seals, he goes into a trance that allows him to relive Altaïr's memories.

Shortly before the death of Rodrigo Borgia (in Brotherhood) in 1503, Ezio is pronounced "The Mentor", or "Il Mentore", of the Assassin Order.

Although Desmond is related to both Altaïr and Ezio (and can therefore access their memories), Ezio is not a direct descendent of Altaïr and comes from a different bloodline. Instead, Desmond is the "convergence of a lot of special bloodlines rather than one diluted bloodline." ^[13]

Like both Altaïr and Desmond, Ezio has a crecent scar on his mouth across both his lips.

Ezio was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the 35th top video game character.^[7][8]

Other Appearances

Ezio's costume is unlockable in the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands as well as in LittleBigPlanet for the Playstation 3 and PowerUp Heroes for Kinect on Xbox 360.

• According to "Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia".

Ezio appears as a guest character in Soulcalibur V.

Subject 16

Subject 16 (Voiced by Cam Clarke) is the Assassin abducted by Abstergo directly before Desmond Miles. Dr. Warren Vidic pushes Subject 16 to the point of insanity. In the games Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, indirect references are made to the events immediately following Subject 16's insanity. The events are only revealed after beating the first game.

After completing the storyline of Assassin's Creed, Desmond gains Eagle Vision via the "Bleeding Effect" from the Animus, which allows him to see more than is usually visible. At this point, he can use his new-found ability to see blood covering the walls and floor of the room with the Animus; the blood was used to create symbols and writings, indicating the end of the world in a variety of ways and making references to several different cultures. All of the clues point to December 21, 2012. When Desmond enters his own room and uses Eagle Vision to view the wall behind his bed, he sees that it is almost entirely covered in blood and contains several more clues to what happened to Subject 16. Eventually it is revealed that Subject 16 felt his soul was being stolen and his mind shattered with so many memories of his ancestors, so he used his own blood to paint the clues before ending his life.^[14]

Before killing himself, Subject 16 makes one last contribution to the game: he places encoded messages throughout history in the form of glyphs. Each message requires decryption by solving a set of puzzles, and the messages are hard to understand unless viewed as a whole, to reveal what Subject 16 refers to as The Truth. During Assassin's Creed II, Desmond (now acting through Ezio Auditore da Firenze) can find and decode these glyphs. In Assassin's Creed II the Truth reveals a short video showing Adam and Eve stealing the piece of Eden and jumping over a wall. The video isn't explained further. The following game, Brotherhood carries yet another encoded message left by Subject 16 that the player has to resolve. When all clusters are solved, Subject 16 (appearing as a digital figure) appears to talk to Desmond, instructing a confused Desmond to find Eve as her DNA is the 'key'. The achievement in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood entitled ".. .- -- .- .-.. .. ...- ." translates to "I AM ALIVE." This achievement is earned by solving all of Subject 16's Cluster puzzles.

In Assassin's Creed Revelations, Subject 16 appears again to Desmond but his time in person. When Desmond is put into the Animus's "Safe Zone" he meets Subject 16 as he would appear in person. 16 explains to Desmond what's going on and that the same is happening to Desmond that happened to him. Unless Desmond can sort through Ezio's memories to find what his ancestors are trying to tell him, his mind will fall apart. Unfortunately, 16 is unable to do this because his body is no longer intact so he must remain within the Animus forever. When the Animus 2.03 tries to delete Desmond, 16 sacrifices himself to save him.

His real name is revealed in the Assassin's Creed encyclopedia (which was released alongside Assassin's Creed Revelations) as Clay Kaczmarek.

Yusuf Tazim

A character in Assassin's Creed Revelations. He is the Mentor of the Ottoman Assassin's, rising to the post sometime before 1511AD. That year, he met Ezio Auditore. He introduces Ezio to Constantinople and the hookblade. He is killed by Templar Leader Prince Ahmet, when Ahmet tries to kidnap Ezio's love interest Sofia Sarto.

Templars

The Templars are the antagonists of the series. They are a secret society of people whose only goal is "save humanity from itself." To achieve their goal, the Templars plan to obtain the Pieces of Eden, which will allow them to control human minds. The Templars control the flow of the modern world through political, scientific and economic means. Much like the Assassins, the Templars have existed through the entirety of recorded human history.

Dr. Warren Vidic

In Assassin's Creed, Dr. Warren Vidic (Voiced by Philip Proctor) is the head of the Animus program. Vidic does not care about the Animus test subjects; his only goal is finding the Pieces of Eden, whatever the cost. He forced Subject 16 into reliving many of his ancestors lives in a bid to find the Apple; this resulted in Subject 16 losing his sense of self as the Bleeding Effect overcame him and drove him to insanity and suicide. As a result, Vidic is begrudgingly more lenient towards Desmond, granting him more frequent breaks.

In Assassin's Creed II, Vidic makes a brief appearance during the game's ending, when he locates the Assassin hideout. Trying to recapture Desmond, he tries to make Desmond come peacefully and comments about Lucy's' betrayal, telling her about the pain that he was forced to inflict on the Animus subjects as a result. After Desmond and Lucy defeat the Abstergo guards, Vidic says that Desmond should enjoy his temporary victory, and escapes in an Abstergo van.

In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, he makes an appearance during the multiplayer introduction cutscene giving an introduction speech to Abstergo employees about the use of animus and its true purpose in exterminating the rest of the assassin order.

Allan Rikkin

Allan Rikkin is the CEO of Abstergo. He had sent several e-mails to Warren Vidic, one of which that details several Pieces of Eden^{[disambiguation needed ]} that they believe to be nothing more than mythical tales, including The Holy Grail. Rikkin is possibly one of the three men standing in the conference room right after Desmond Miles finished the Altaïr project.

Robert de Sablé

Robert de Sablé (Voiced by Jean-Philippe Dandenaud), one of the nine assassination targets assigned by Al Mualim for Altaïr to kill. De Sablé was a lieutenant under Richard the Lionheart, and Grand Master of the Knights Templar during the Third Crusade. He serves as the main antagonist of Assassin's Creed.

Born into a powerful family, Robert de Sablé was immersed from birth into nobility, though events during de Sablé's life are difficult to pin down; at some point he became lord and ruler of Briollay, France. Subsequently, de Sablé entered into the order of Knights Templar and reigned as their "Grand Master" from 1191 to 1193. During the 3rd Crusade, de Sablé and the Knights Templar laid siege to the city of Acre, which soon fell; throughout August 1191, they also recaptured many fortresses and cities along the Palestinian coast, which had been lost previously.

Grand Master of the Knights Templar, de Sablé follows a goal similar to the Assassins (in that he is attempting to end the war in the Holy Land). Al Mualim has no objections against him ending the Crusade, but is more against the way de Sablé attempts to do so—the Assassins would have people find peace themselves, but the Templar would force their "peace" onto others and attempt to control them.

Altaïr first encounters Robert de Sablé at the beginning of the game in Solomon's Temple, where he has apparently discovered the Ark of the Covenant. This is later revealed to be another artifact known as a "Piece of Eden", which the Templars wish to use to control the minds of the people, effectively controlling those who opposed the one who held the Piece. Believing that God didn't exist, de Sablé planned to bring peace and make the Holy Land a utopia by using the Piece of Eden; however, since the Assassins had it, he used brutal tactics to control the people, as he planned to overthrow King Richard and destroy the Assassins. When his lieutenants were assassinated by Altaïr, de Sablé convinced King Richard to ally with Saladin in order to destroy the Assassins. Later, Altaïr tried to convince King Richard of Robert de Sablé's evil plot, but the King didn't know who to trust and declared that Altaïr and Robert should fight, believing that God would aid the truth-teller to victory. Altaïr and de Sablé fought to the death in single combat; Altaïr proceeded to defeat de Sablé, and he implored Richard to search for the truth himself. With his dying breath, de Sablé revealed the nature of Al Mualim's betrayal to Altaïr.

Al Mualim

Al Mualim (Arabic for "The Teacher") (Voiced by Peter Renaday), is based on the real-life Rashid ad-Din Sinan, the Persian Assassin leader in the Syrian town of Masyaf. He may have also been partially inspired by Hassan-i Sabbah, another Persian and the leader of the South Caspian branch in the town of Alamut. He was a master Assassin who secretly led a double life as a Templar; he was also seen as a wisened old man whom Altaïr saw as a father figure.

After Altaïr broke all three tenets of the Assassin's Creed in one mission, Al Mualim reduced Altaïr to the rank of an initiate, and gave him a list of nine men to kill in order for Altaïr to redeem himself and bring an end to the Crusade. In actual fact, Altaïr was killing "rival" members of the Templar Order so that Al Mualim could keep the Piece of Eden for himself.

Altaïr eventually assassinates the ninth target, Robert de Sablé, but with his dying breath, de Sablé tells Altaïr of Al Mualim's true plans. Altaïr returns to Masyaf to find that the citizens are being controlled by the Apple, wielded by Al Mualim. Al Mualim himself broke all three tenets of the Creed, leading to a fight between himself and Altaïr, and after a lengthy battle Al Mualim is killed by his student and Altaïr takes possession of The Apple. Al Mualim is back in Assassin's Creed Revelations in one of the memories of Altaïr.

Rodrigo Borgia

Rodrigo Borgia (Voiced by Manuel Tadros) is the primary antagonist of Assassin's Creed II.

Rodrigo Borgia (1 January 1431 – 18 August 1503), born Roderic Llançol, later Roderic de Borja i Borja, was the leader of the Knights Templar during the Renaissance in Italy. He was elected Pope from 1492 to 1503 as Alexander VI. His enemies called him "The Spaniard" (due to his Spanish origins) while his Templar followers called him "Maestro" ("Master" in Italian and "teacher" in Spanish). He was one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his surname (Italianized as Borgia) became a byword for the debased standards of the papacy of that era.

The Medici were the ruling family in Florence, but a conspiracy was being plotted in an attempt to overthrow the powerful Lorenzo de' Medici, and Rodrigo Borgia was at the centre of it. One night in 1476, Borgia was on his way to leave Florence with few of his men in the dark streets of the city. Suddenly, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze, an assassin, intercepted him. Borgia fled immediately as Giovanni battled his men, and, as he hid behind a corner, Borgia saw Giovanni capture one of his men. Under torture, the prisoner revealed the plotted assassination of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan and a powerful ally of Lorenzo de' Medici; Giovanni quickly went to stop the attempt, but arrived too late. Borgia and his accomplices' plan had succeeded, and Borgia began planning the next move.

Deducing the origin of the Duke of Milan's murderers by looting a Ducat from one of them, Giovanni headed to Venice. There, he intercepted an encrypted message from Marco and Silvio Barbarigo to their master, Rodrigo. After Uberto Alberti and Father Antonio Maffei decoded the letter, Giovanni carried the copied message to Rome, in order to discover who was behind the plots. Once arrived in the city, he gave the message to a man; by tailing this one, it appears that the letter travels in various hands before arriving at its final destination: Rodrigo Borgia. Borgia headed next to see Pope Sixtus IV to obtain military support in order to conquer Florence.

The night before the trial of the Auditore family, Rodrigo was at Uberto's house. Ezio came by to give Uberto his father's letters, which would prove Giovanni not guilty of the charges against him; Ezio noticed the hooded man (Rodrigo) behind Uberto, but paid him no further notice. The following morning, Borgia attended the public judgement and hanging of Giovanni and two of his sons; years later, as Ezio confronted Rodrigo, he would state that Ezio's brothers did not need to die, but he had them killed anyway to make a point to the Assassins and to Ezio.

Two years after the Auditores' murders, Rodrigo went to meetings with the Pazzi family in San Gimignano and with the Templars in a catacomb under the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. There he reminded them to beware the Assassins, and stated that the next day would be "a new dawn for Firenze".

After Ezio thwarted the Templars in Florence, Borgia was to meet with the remaining conspirators in Tuscany. The Pazzi were going to ask for asylum with Borgia in either Venice or Rome, but before the meeting could even commence, most of the conspirators were killed by Ezio, one by one. Only Jacopo de' Pazzi actually made it to the meeting alive; there Jacopo claimed that the blame rested with his nephew Francesco for his impatience, and with Emilio Barbarigo for supplying the Pazzi troops with sub-standard weaponry. Enraged by Jacopo's snivelling excuses, Borgia lectured his subordinate on his failure, then stabbed him (aided by an all-too-eager Barbarigo). Ignoring Jacopo's pleas for mercy, Borgia stabbed him in the neck, then called out Ezio (who he knew had tailed Jacopo to the meeting). Sarcastically apologizing for killing Ezio's target for him, Borgia mocked Ezio, saying that he had been doing "this" for far longer than the novice Assassin. He ordered his men to kill Ezio and left without bothering to make sure the deed was done (he might have guessed that Ezio would escape, and chose not to stick around for it).

Borgia was later found in Venice, planning with Carlo Grimaldi and the Barbarigos to murder the current Doge (Giovanni Mocenigo) so that one of them could replace him and take control of Venice. Borgia chastised the Barbarigos for making their own plans and arguing over who would be the new Doge after they took Venice; he appointed Marco Barbarigo as the next Doge, and then left them to carry out his plans.

While Ezio was hunting the Barbarigos in Venice, Borgia was tracking the location of the Piece of Eden which Altaïr once took from the Templars. He sent ships to Cyprus in order to claim it from the Vault where Altaïr sealed it away before his death. He appeared in Venice to lay claim to the Piece of Eden, but Ezio, disguised as the carrier of the artifact, attempted to kill him. Borgia, however, was prepared for the attack, and told his men to stand down so that he could deal with Ezio personally. The two began an intense battle, with Ezio emerging as the victor. Realizing he could not defeat Ezio alone, Borgia called in more guards to overwhelm Ezio who also claimed that he could not stop his plans because he was the prophet who Altaïr was talking about in the codex pages. Suddenly, many of Ezio's allies appeared, revealing themselves to be Assassins. They held off the guards to allow Ezio to re-challenge Borgia, who then escaped before Ezio could kill him.

Borgia found out that Caterina Sforza's late husband had made a map of where all the Codex pages were, so he hired the Orsi Brothers to retrieve it. The Orsi's found out that Caterina had the Apple, so they took it, planning to present it to Borgia for an extra pay off. Unfortunately for Borgia, Ezio managed to kill both of the Orsi brothers, though the Apple eventually came into the hands of Girolamo Savonarola, an arch-enemy of Borgia.

With the Apple, Savonarola took control over Florence, and Borgia repeatedly sent his men to Florence in the hopes of acquiring the Apple with no success.

In the following years, Borgia fooled the Spanish Inquisitor General Tomas Torquemada into capturing and killing Assassins in Spain. Tomas, who thought Borgia was as much as a believer of God as he was, blindly followed his orders. Borgia also found out about Christoffa Corombo's plans to sail west; Borgia knew of the presence of America and the treasures that lay there, and did not want anyone to find it before him, therefore he arranged a meeting with Christoffa in Venice. Christoffa's friend Luis Santangel (secretly an Assassin) suspected a trap, and called for Ezio's aid; Ezio successfully rescued Christoffa, and eventually Christoffa did set sail west.

Borgia was elected Pope in 1492 and established his power in Rome; his true intent, however, was to gain access to the Vault that lays under the Vatican, where, according to Borgia, God himself rested.

In 1498, Borgia continued his campaign against Savaranola but it was Ezio who killed the monk before he was burned alive by an angry riot, claiming that "no one should die in such pain" and claimed the Piece of Eden for the assassins.

Borgia offered his daughter Lucrezia to Caterina Sforza's son Ottaviano Riario; Borgia figured that with a son-in-law like Ottaviano, he could control the regions of Forlì and Imola. Caterina declined the offer, as she knew of his plans and that Lucrezia 'never stayed married for long'. This enraged Borgia, and his son Cesare began an assault on Forlì.

In 1499, Ezio chased Borgia, planning to assassinate him. Ezio snuck into the Vatican and seemingly assassinated Borgia without being seen inside the Sistine Chapel. After Ezio finished speaking with Borgia, he left—only to see Borgia rise from the ground and use his Piece of Eden, the Papal Staff, to strike down Ezio and everyone else in the room. However, Borgia was surprised to see that Ezio was able to resist the power of his staff. Ezio brought out his own Piece of Eden: The Apple that Altaïr took from Al Mualim. Ezio then summoned four clones of himself to assist him in his battle against Borgia, eventually defeating him. But Borgia tripped Ezio with the staff, snatched The Apple from his hands, and combined it with The Staff to open up the door to the Vault, which had been underneath Rome the whole time. Ezio tried to stop him, but he was lifted into the air by Borgia, unable to resist two combined Pieces of Eden. Borgia stabbed Ezio with a dagger and left him to die on the floor of the Sistine Chapel before escaping into the Vault. Though injured, Ezio eventually made his way to the Vault, with Borgia furiously pounding the door to the inner chambers. Ezio dropped into the pit where Borgia was, and challenged him to one last fist fight, with no more weapons, no more plots, and no more decoys. Borgia accepted, and the two had one last battle. During the battle, Borgia stated that he never believed in the Bible or in God, and only became Pope to get the Staff and access to the Vault, wanting to unify Italy under the Templar rule. Ezio defeated Borgia, holding the Pope at blade-point and telling Borgia that he was not the Prophet; he never had been. Broken by this revelation and accepting defeat, Borgia told Ezio to kill him and put an end to it; however, Ezio refused, saying that killing Borgia would not bring back his family.

Borgia appeared in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, which takes place in 1503, the last year of his papacy. He appeared in the E3 trailer for Brotherhood, riding in a carriage through Rome with his son Cesare, when Ezio and his new band of Assassins appear and attack the carriage. Throughout the game, Borgia and his son are continually at odds: Cesare thinks his father is weak, while Rodrigo fears that his son's ambition is out of control. As the pressure between them (made worse by the Assassins) intensifies, Borgia in 1503 tries to do away with his son by offering him a poisoned apple, but Cesare, upon learning of his father's assassination attempt, turns the tables on Rodrigo and kills him with the same apple; later, Ezio discovers the results of Cesare's patricide, and respectfully closes Rodrigo's eyes in front of a scared Lucrezia Borgia.

Cesare Borgia

Cesare Borgia (Voiced by Andreas Apergis) is the primary antagonist of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

Cesare Borgia (13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was the son of Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia) and his first wife Vannozza dei Cattanei. During his childhood, Cesare (along with his other siblings) was raised by his father to become one of his personal weapons. However, he was naturally ambitious and aggressive; at age 18, when he sought his brother Juan Borgia the Younger's position as Captain General of the Papal Army (Cesare was a Cardinal at the time), he had his brother assassinated. After leading the army to many victories throughout Italy, Cesare developed extreme sadism and a lust for conquest. He later came to the absurd conclusion that he could not be killed by mortal men and that he would lead mankind into a new era, a belief that would stay with him for the rest of his life. In effect, he and his father were continually at odds.

In 1500, Cesare attacked Ezio Auditore da Firenze's headquarters in Monteriggioni to begin his conquest of Italy. His army quickly broke through the city's defenses, kidnapping Ezio's uncle Mario and Caterina Sforza and securing the Apple of Eden. Mario was shot by Cesare as an "invitation" to Ezio to face Cesare in Rome. Cesare's arquebusiers shot and wounded Ezio, therefore winning the battle; however, Ezio was able to escape, along with his family and some other citizens.

In 1502, Cesare forced Leonardo da Vinci into his service to build many war machines for his ever-growing army, such as a tank and a machine gun. However, Leonardo contacted Ezio (who fought the Borgia's forces to prove to the other Assassins that he can lead his own army) to destroy these machines before they could be used, and supplied Ezio with a parachute.

In 1503, Rodrigo decided that Cesare had to die before the balance of power he worked so hard to maintain was destroyed. To that end, he poisoned a bowl of apples with his last vials of cantarella. Cesare unknowingly ate one while he argued with his father about his dwindling support. When Rodrigo revealed that Ezio killed his supporters, Cesare demanded that he give him the Apple. Rodrigo refused, and Cesare's sister Lucrezia barged in to warn him of the poison. Angered by this revelation, Cesare shoved the poisoned apple down Rodrigo's throat, killing him in the process. Cesare was then driven into insanity, beating the Apple's location (the Basilica di San Pietro) out of Lucrezia. However, Ezio (who witnessed the entire affair) outran Cesare to the Apple, and used it to destroy the last Borgia presence in Rome. Cesare is soon arrested by order of Pope Julius II on grounds of "murder, betrayal, and incest" (Cesare had an intimate affair with Lucrezia Borgia before his arrest). As Cesare was taken to prison, he claimed that he would not be imprisoned for long, and he would not die by man's hands.

Ezio, haunted by Cesare's words, used the Apple to track his location; Cesare had escaped prison and was participating in the Siege of Viana in Spain. Ezio rode to Viana in 1507 and chased Cesare through the battle-torn plains. He eventually cornered Cesare on top of a castle and engaged him in a duel to the death. Ezio gained the upper hand, stripping Cesare of his armour and pinned him to the ground by stabbing his sleeve with his hidden blade. Cesare, still believing he would not be killed by a mortal man, was left "in the hands of Fate"; Ezio avenged Mario's death, throwing Cesare off the battlements to his death. Cesare's insanity and desire for power made Ezio decide to keep the Apple hidden under the Colosseum for safekeeping.In Assassin's Creed Revelations Cesare is sung in a song by Ezio if the player presses the right button in the mission 'The Prince's Banquet'.

Leandros

A Byzantine templar who appears in Assassin's Creed Revelations, who captures Ezio Auditore. He is later assassinated by Ezio in a village near Masyaf.

Manuel Palaoilogos

Heir to the lost Byzantine throne, Manuel is of of the major Templar Leaders in Assassin's Creed Revelations. He is assassinated by Ezio in Cappadocia, alongside his ally Shahkulu.

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