Quotes / Assassin's Creed

Desmond I

Al Mualim: I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this, also, was a chasing of the wind. For in much wisdom, is much grief. And he that increaseth knowledge… increaseth sorrow.

- Ecclesiastes 1:18 spoken by Al Mualim's disembodied voice at the start of the game

—

Vidic: You’re inside the Animus.

Desmond: Which is?

Vidic: It’s a projector that renders genetic memories in three dimensions.

Desmond: Genetic memory…

Vidic: It seems you’ll need a bit of a tutorial. [Sighs] Very well. We’ll start simple. What is a memory, Mr Miles?

Desmond: It’s the… recollection of a past event.

Vidic: Specific to the individual remembering the event.

Desmond: Yeah, sure.

Vidic: Heh. What if I told you that the human body not only housed an individual’s memory, but the memories of his ancestors as well? Genetic memory, if you will. Migration, hibernation, reproduction. How do animals know when and where to go? What to do?

Desmond: That’s just animal instinct.

Vidic: Hmph. Now you’re arguing semantics, Mr Miles. Whatever you call it, the fact remains - these creatures hold knowledge absent the requisite first-hand experience. I’ve spent the past thirty years trying to understand why. I discovered something most fascinating. Our DNA functions as an archive. It contains not only genetic instructions passed down from previous generations, but memories as well - the memories of our ancestors.

Desmond: And the Animus lets you decode and read these DNA files.

Vidic: Precisely.

- Vidic explains how the Animus works as Desmond prepares to enter Memory Block 1.

Memory Block 1

Malik: Wait! There must be another way. This one need not die.

(Altaïr runs up behind a praying man, and kills him)

Kadar: An excellent kill. Fortune favours your blade.

Altaïr: Not fortune - skill. Watch a while longer and you might learn something.

Malik: Indeed. He’ll teach you to disregard everything the Master’s taught us.

Altaïr: And how would you have done it?

Malik: I would not have drawn attention to us. I would not have taken the life of an innocent. What I would have done is follow the Creed.

Altaïr: Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Understand these words. It matters not how we complete our task, only that it’s done.

Malik: But, this is not the way of-

Altaïr: My way is better.

Malik: ...I will scout ahead. Try not to dishonour us further.

- Alta&iumlr is introduced breaking two tenets of the Assassin's creed

—

Abbas: Ah, he returns at last.

Altaïr: Abbas.

Abbas: Where are the others? Did you ride ahead hoping to be the first to unpack? I know you are loathe to share the glory.

(Silence)

Abbas: Silence is just another form of assent.

Altaïr: Have you nothing better to do?

Abbas: I bring word from the Master. He waits for you in the library. Best hurry. No doubt you’re eager to put your tongue to his boot.

Altaïr: Another word and I’ll put my blade to your throat.

Abbas: There’ll be plenty of time for that later… brother.

Abbas confronts Altaïr as he returns from Jerusalem.

—

Al Mualim: Altaïr.

Altaïr: Master.

Al Mualim: Come forward. Tell me of your mission. I trust you have recovered the Temple’s treasure?

Altaïr: There was some trouble, Master. Robert de Sablé was not alone.

Al Mualim: When does our work ever go as expected? It is our ability to adapt that makes us who we are.

Altaïr: This time it was not enough.

Al Mualim: What do you mean?

Altaïr: I have failed you.

Al Mualim: The treasure?

Altaïr: Lost to us.

Al Mualim: And Robert?

Altaïr: Escaped.

Al Mualim: I send you, my best man, to complete a mission more important than ANY that has come before, and you return to me with nothing but apologies and excuses!

Altaïr: I did-

Al Mualim: Do not speak! Not another word! This is not what I expected. We’ll need to mount another force.

Altaïr: I swear to you I’ll find him. I’ll go and-

Al Mualim: No! You’ll do nothing. You’ve done enough! Where are Malik and Kadar?

Altaïr: Dead.

(Malik stumbles into view, clutching his left arm, which is soaked in blood)

Malik: No. Not dead.

Al Mualim: Malik?

Malik:' I still live, at least.

Al Mualim: And your brother?

Malik: Gone. (To Altaïr) Because of you!

Altaïr: Robert threw me from the room! There was no way back, nothing I could do!

Malik: Because you would not heed my warning! All of this could have been avoided! And my brother… my brother would still be alive! Your arrogance nearly cost us victory today.

Al Mualim: Nearly?

Malik: I’ve what your favourite failed to find. Here. Take it. Though it seems I’ve returned with more than just their treasure.

Assassin: Master, we are under attack! Robert de Sablé lays siege to Masyaf’s village!

Al Mualim: So, he seeks a battle. Very well. I’ll not deny him. Go. Inform the others. The fortress must be prepared.

Al Mualim: As for you, Altaïr, our discussion will have to wait. You must make for the village. Destroy these invaders. Drive them from our home.

Altaïr: It will be done.

- Altair returns to Al Mualim for the first time, with bad news of his failure in Jerusalem.

—

Al Mualim: You did well to drive Robert away from here. His force is broken. It shall be a long while before he troubles us again. Tell me, do you know why it is you were successful? You LISTENED. Were it that you’d listened in Solomon’s Temple, Altaïr… all of this would have been avoided.

Altaïr: I did as I was asked.

Al Mualim: No, you did as you pleased! Malik has told me of the arrogance you displayed, your disregard for our ways!

[Two Assassins seize Altaïr by his arms, restraining him]

Altaïr: What are you doing?!

Al Mualim: There are rules. We are nothing if we do not abide by the Asasiyyun’s (Assassin’s) Creed. Three simple tenets, which you seem to forget. I will remind you. First and foremost, stay your blade-

Altaïr: From the flesh of an innocent, I know.

[Al Mualim slaps him]

Al Mualim: And stay your tongue! Unless I give you leave to use it. If you are so familiar with this tenet, then why did you kill the old man inside the Temple?! He was innocent! He did not need to die. Your insolence knows no bounds. Make humble your heart, child, or I swear, I’ll tear it from you with my own hands. The second tenet is that which gives us strength. Hide in plain sight. Let the people mask you such that you become one with the crowd. You remember? Because as I hear it, you chose to expose yourself, drawing attention before you’d struck! The third, and final, tenet. The worst of all your betrayals. Never compromise the Brotherhood. Its meaning should be obvious. Your actions must never bring harm upon us, direct or indirect! Yet, your selfish act beneath Jerusalem placed us all in danger! Worse still, you brought the enemy to our home! Every man we’ve lost today, was lost because of you!

[Al Mualim takes a knife out of his belt]

Al Mualim: I am sorry, truly I am. But I cannot abide a traitor.

Altaïr: I am not a traitor!

Al Mualim: Your actions indicate otherwise. And so you leave me no choice. Peace be upon you, Altaïr.

- Al Mualim educates Altair in front of all the Assassins after successfully routing Robert de Sable

Desmond II

Lucy: So, you’re really an Assassin? Like Altaïr?

Desmond: Yes, and no.

Lucy: What do you mean?

Desmond: I was supposed to be one, but I ran away from the Farm when I was 16.

Lucy: The Farm?

Desmond: Yeah, that’s what they called the place where I grew up. The Farm. Like Masyaf, I guess, only not so, uh… creepy. Just a small community in the middle of nowhere. About 30 of us, living… you know, off the grid.

Lucy: Why?

Desmond: Thought my parents were just crazy hippies trying to… stick it to the man, you know? My dad was always going on about our enemies, how they’d be looking for us. How we have to be prepared. No-one ever came. Nothing ever happened.

Lucy: Why’d you run away?

Desmond: I could NEVER LEAVE the compound. You have any idea what it’s like being trapped in a place, knowing there’s a whole world out there I’d never get to see?

Lucy: Don’t you miss your parents?

Desmond: No. As far as I’m concerned, they weren’t my parents. They were my wardens, and I was their prisoner.

Lucy: It sounds like they only wanted to protect you.

Desmond: With all that’s happened… I don’t know. I guess they were right.

Lucy: I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dredge up the past.

Desmond: It’s alright. Gives me something to think about.

Lucy: Try and get some sleep. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.

—

Desmond: Gotta say, that’s a little creepy, doc - wakin’ up to you standing over me. You been watching me sleep?

Vidic: We’re always watching you, now get up. We’ve got a lot of work to do.

Desmond: Ooh, wonder who I get to kill today.

Vidic: Don’t be so cavalier! Your ancestors almost had the right idea, Mr Miles. If the deaths of a few people - evil people, no less - could save the lives of thousands more, well… it seems a small sacrifice.

Desmond: What do you mean, “almost”?

Vidic: They didn’t go far ENOUGH. To use a rather tired analogy, corruption is no different than cancer. Cut out the tumours, but fail to treat the source, and… well, you’re buying time, at best. There’s no true change to be had without comprehensive, systemic intervention.

Desmond: Chemo for the masses.

Vidic: Education - re-education, to be more precise. But it’s not easy, and it doesn’t always take.

Desmond: Let me guess, you’ve got a better solution? What is it, then?

Vidic: [Chuckling] Now that would be telling.

- Vidic has a spiel ready for Desmond when he wakes on the second day of imprisonment

Memory Block 2

Al Mualim: Do you remember, Altaïr, what it is the Assassin fight for?

Altaïr: Peace, in all things.

Al Mualim: Yes, in ALL things. It is not enough to end the violence one man commits upon another. It refers to peace within as well. You cannot have one without the other.

Altaïr: So it is said.

Al Mualim: So it IS! But you, my son, have not found inner peace. It manifests in ugly ways. You are arrogant and overconfident.

Altaïr: Were you not the one to say that nothing is true and everything is permitted?

Al Mualim: You do not understand the true meaning of the phrase, my child. It does not grant you the freedom to do as you wish. It is a knowledge meant to guide your senses. It expects a wisdom you clearly lack.

- Altaïr comes to after his apparent murder, and is informed it was illusion meant to symbolise his rebirth

—

Masun: You’ll see. Soon, all your eyes will be opened to the truth. We stand upon the threshold between this world and a new one. A better place, where all might live as equals! But men like Al Mualim… would see this dream destroyed. I see the way you look at me; hear the things you say: a traitor. I’m not a traitor. It’s Al Mualim who’s betrayed us! Today’s attack was but the first, and more will follow unless you repent! Give up your wicked ways. Rise up against the madman at Masyaf! See through his lies!

- Masun, the town crier of Masyaf and Altair's first interrogation target, foreshadows the ending

—

Altaïr: What will become of the one who helped him?

Al Mualim: It remains to be seen. Some do ill out of ignorance or fear. These men can be saved. Others suffer from corrupted wills, their minds poisoned and twisted. These men must be destroyed. Soon enough, we’ll know what sort of man Jamal is.

Altaïr: I’ve passed your test, then. What now?

[Al Mualim chuckles, and picks up a scroll]

Al Mualim: Oh, my child, we’ve only just begun. I hold here a list. Nine names adorn it; nine men who need to die. They are plague-bringers, war-makers; their power and influence corrupts the land and ensures the Crusades continue. You will find them, kill them. In doing so, you will sow the seeds of peace, both for the region, and yourself. In this way, you might be redeemed.

Altaïr: Nine lives in exchange for mine.

Al Mualim: A most generous offer, I think. Have you any questions?

Altaïr: Only where I need begin.

—

Rafiq: Altaïr. It is good to see you. And in one piece.

Altaïr: You as well, friend.

Rafiq: I am sorry for your troubles.

Altaïr: Think nothing of it.

Rafiq: A few of your brothers were here earlier, in fact. Oof, if you’d heard the things they said. I’m certain you’d have slain them where they stood.

Altaïr: It’s quite alright.

Rafiq: Yes, you’ve never been one for the Creed, have you?

Altaïr: Is that all?

Rafiq: I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget myself. What business brings you to Damas?

Altaïr: A man named Tamir. Al Mualim takes issue with the work he does. I am meant to end it. Now tell me where to find him.

—

Tamir: I have no interest in your calculations. The numbers change nothing! Your men have failed to fill the order, which means I have failed my client.

Man: We need more time.

Tamir: This is the excuse of a lazy, incompetent man. Which are you?

Man: Neither.

Tamir: What I see says otherwise. Now, tell me: what do you intend to do to solve this problem of ours?! These weapons are needed NOW.

Man: I see no solution. The men work day and night, but your... client, requires so much, and the destination… it is a difficult route.

Tamir: Were it that you could produce weapons with the same skill... as you produce excuses.

Man: I have done all I can.

Tamir: It is not enough.

Man: Then perhaps you ask too much.

Tamir: Too much? I gave you everything. Without me, you would still be charming serpents for coin. All I asked in return was that you fill the orders I bring you, and you say I ask too much?

[Tamir spits in the man’s face]

Tamir: You dare disrespect me?

Man: Peace, Tamir, I-I meant no insult.

Tamir: Then you should have kept your mouth shut!

[Suddenly, he whips out a knife and slashes the man in the stomach]

Man: No, stop!

Tamir: Stop? Ha heh. I’m just getting started.

[He goes at him again, slashing and cutting repeatedly]

Man: No! Stop! Ah! Ow! Argh!

Tamir: You came into MY souk, stood before MY men… and dared to insult ME?!

[Tamir stabs him in the back repeatedly, between words]

Tamir: You! Must! Learn! Your! Place!

[The man goes limp, dead, and Tamir throws him into the fountain, turning the water red with blood. One of his guards goes to move the man’s body]

Tamir: No. Leave the body. Let this be a lesson to the rest of you. Think twice before you tell me something cannot be done. Now get back to work.

- Tamir is introduced in the Souk Al-Silaah

—

Altaïr: Be at peace.

Tamir: You’ll pay for this. You, and all your kind.

Altaïr: It seems you’re the one pays now, my friend. You’ll not profit from suffering any longer.

Tamir: You think me some petty death-dealer, suckling at the breast of war? A strange target, don’t you think? Why me, when so many others do the same?

Altaïr: You believe yourself different, then?

Tamir: Oh, but I am. For I serve a far nobler cause than mere profit. Just like my brothers.

Altaïr: Brothers?

Tamir: Ah, but he thinks I act alone. I am but a piece, a man with a part to play. You’ll come to know the others soon enough. They won’t take kindly... to what you’ve done.

Altaïr: Good. I look forward to ending their lives as well.

Tamir: Such pride. It will destroy you, child.

- Talal's Confession

Desmond III

Desmond: Man, put yourself in my shoes. I’m being held hostage by a group of scientists - at least, I think you’re scientists - and forced to spend all day in some crazy-ass machine. You won’t tell me WHAT you’re looking for, or why you want it, but I’m supposed to be thanking you for keeping me alive. This is so FUCKED.

- Desmond flips out as Lucy proves reticent to tell him what's going on

—

Desmond: Hey, you know what, I’ve got a question I think you can actually answer.

Lucy: What’s up?

Desmond: Why is it that sometimes the guys in there… talk like they’re from the future?

Lucy: The future?

Desmond: Ye… I mean the present. Now, today... whatever.

Lucy: You’ve probably noticed that English has become the official language of the Holy Land.

Desmond: Yeah, I was gonna say.

Lucy: The Animus is translating speech it deems vital into more modern English, so expect a few anachronisms. I could probably make it more authentic, but… you ever read Chaucer?

Desmond: Who?

Lucy: Yeah. Definitely not for you.

—

Desmond: So, why are you doing all this, doc? What are you hoping to accomplish?

Vidic: You turn the television on lately? Read the newspaper?

Desmond: I never cared much for that stuff.

Vidic: Then… let me sum it up for you. The world’s a mess. It’s pathetic, really. You’ve seen it first-hand yourself. A thousand years between you and your ancestor, and society remains just as barbaric. Just as STUPID.

Desmond: And your point is?

Vidic: Order, Mr Miles. The world needs order. THAT is what we’re working towards, and THAT is what you’re helping us to achieve.

Desmond: Ha ha, you expect me to believe you’re building a better tomorrow?

Vidic: That’s exactly what we’re doing! The human race calls out for direction. They want to know why they’re here, what they’re meant to do - well, heh... we’re going to tell them. And once they understand HOW to live their lives, everything will be better.

Desmond: Better how?

Vidic: An end to all conflicts, large and small. Isn’t that what you Assassins strive for? Peace, in all things?

Memory Block 3

Al Mualim: You’ve done well, Altaïr, and I’m confident that this is but the first of many successes.

Altaïr: Tamir spoke as if he knew you well. He implied my work had a larger meaning.

Al Mualim: Significance comes not from a single act, but the context within which it is performed. The consequence is borne of it.

Altaïr: Then, is there more I need to know?

Al Mualim: Altaïr, your greatest failure was borne of knowing too much. If I choose to withhold information, it is only to ensure you do not make the same mistake a second time.

Altaïr: I see.

Al Mualim: No, you don’t! And it will remain this way until you’ve learned your lesson.

- Altaïr returns to Al Mualim after killing his first target, Tamir, to find a still frosty reception

—

Patient: NO, HELP! Help me! Help me, please! You must help me!

Garnier: Enough, my child. I asked you to RETRIEVE the patient, not to KILL him. There, there. Everything will be alright-

Patient: No. No-!

Garnier: Give me your hand.

Patient: Don’t touch me! Not again!

Garnier: Cast out this fear, else I cannot help you.

Patient: Help me? Like you helped the others? You took their souls! I saw. I saw! But not mine, no. You’ll not have mine!

(Garnier backhands him)

Garnier: Take hold of yourself! Do you think this gives me pleasure? Do you think I want to hurt you? But you leave me no choice.

Patient: (To Crowd) Every kind word, matched by the back of his hand! All lies and deception! He won’t… be content… until all… bow before him!

Garnier: You should not have done that. Return him to his quarters. I’ll be along once I’ve tended to the others-

Patient: You can’t keep me here! I’ll escape again.

Garnier: No... you won’t. Break his legs, both of them.

- Garnier is introduced, recapturing an escaping patient at his hospital in the Hospitaller Fortress

—

Altaïr: Let go your burden.

Garnier: Ah. And rest, now, yes? The endless dream calls to me. But before I close my eyes, I must know: what will become of my children?

Altaïr: You mean the people made to suffer your cruel experiments? They’ll be free now to return to their homes.

Garnier: Homes? What homes? The sewers? The portails (gates)? The prisons that we dragged them from?

Altaïr: You took these people against their will.

Garnier: Yes. What little "will" there was left for them to have. Are you really so naive? Do you appease the crying child simply because he wails? “But I want to play with fire, father”. What would you say - “as you wish”? Ah, but then you’d answer for his burns.

Altaïr: These are not children, but men and women full-grown.

Garnier: In body, perhaps, but not in mind, which is the very damage I sought to repair. I admit, without the Piece of Eden - which you stole from us - my progress was slowed. But there are herbs, mixtures and extracts - my guards are proof of this. They were madmen before I found and freed them… from the prisons of their own minds. (Sighs) And with my death, madmen they will be again.

Altaïr: You truly believe you were helping them?

Garnier: It’s not what I believe, it’s what I know.

- Garnier's Confession

—

Al Mualim: What is it?

Altaïr: The doctor insisted his work was noble, and looking back, those who were supposedly his captives seemed grateful to the man. Not all of them, but enough to make me wonder… How did he manage to turn enemy into friend?

Al Mualim: Leaders will always find ways to make others obey them, and that is what makes them leaders. When words fail, they turn to coin. When that won’t do, they resort to baser things. Bribes, threats, and other types of trickery. There are plants, Altaïr - herbs from distant lands - that can cause a man to take leave of his senses. So great are the pleasures it brings, men may even become enslaved by it.

Altaïr: You think these men were drugged, then? Poisoned?

Al Mualim: Yes, if it truly was as you describe it.

Altaïr: Herbs. This seems a strange method of control.

Al Mualim: Our enemies have accused me of the same.

Altaïr: “The promise of paradise”.

Al Mualim: They think it is a garden, overflowing with women and pleasure; that I drug you as Garnier did his men, and tempt you with these rewards.

Altaïr: They do not know the truth of it.

Al Mualim: Which is how it must be.

Altaïr: But if they knew the truth of it, that all we seek is peace...

Al Mualim: Then they would not fear us, and we would have no hold over them. Go. It is time you continued with your work.

- Altaïr returns to Al Mualim after killing Garnier, and references the "Promise of Paradise" theory about the real-life Assassins

—

Altaïr: Safety and peace, Malik.

Malik: Your presence here deprives me of both. What do you want?

Altaïr: Al Mualim has asked-

Malik: Asked that you perform some menial task in an effort to redeem yourself. So be out with it.

Altaïr: Tell me what you can about the one they call Talal.

Malik: It is your duty to locate and assassinate the man, Altaïr, not mine.

Altaïr: You’d do well to assist me. His death benefits the entire land.

Malik: Do you deny his death benefits you as well?

Altaïr: Such things do not concern you.

Malik: Your actions VERY MUCH concern me!

Altaïr: Then don’t help me. I’ll find him myself.

Malik: (Sighs) Wait, wait. It won’t do having you stumble about the city like a blind man. Better you know where to begin your search.

- Altaïr meets Malik at the Jerusalem Bureau to begin his investigation into his third target, Talal

—

Altaïr: Malik.

Malik: Come to waste more of my time?

Altaïr: I found Talal. I’m ready to begin my mission.

Malik: That is for me to decide.

Altaïr: Very well. Here’s what I know: he traffics in human lives, kidnapping Jerusalem’s citizens and selling them into slavery. His base is a warehouse located inside the barbican north of here. As we speak, he prepares a caravan for travel. I’ll strike while he’s inspecting his stock. If I can avoid his men, Talal himself should prove little challenge.

Malik: “Little challenge”? Listen to you! Such arrogance.

Altaïr: Are we finished? Are you satisfied with what I’ve learned?

Malik: No, but it will have to do. Rest, prepare, cry in the corner. Do whatever it is you do before a mission, only make sure you do it quietly.

- Altaïr returns to the bureau after completing his investigations

—

Altaïr: What now, slaver?

Talal: Do not call me that! I only wish to help them, as I myself was helped.

Altaïr: You do no kindness imprisoning them like this.

Talal: “Imprisoning them”? I keep them safe, preparing them for the journey that lies ahead.

Altaïr: What journey? It is a life of servitude.

Talal: Oh, ho, ho, ho… You know nothing! It was folly to even bring you here; to think that you might… see, and understand.

Altaïr: I understand well enough. Show yourself!

...

Talal: Ah, so you want to see the man who called you here.

Altaïr: You did not call me here. I came on my own.

Talal: Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Did you? Who unbarred the door? Cleared the path? Did you once raise a blade against a single man of mine, eh? No. All this, I did FOR you. Step into the light, then, and I will grant you one final favour.

(Altaïr steps forward into the square of light, and Talal’s men all drop down to surround him. From out of the shadows of the balcony, Talal emerges)

Talal: Now, I stand before you. What is it you desire?

Altaïr: Come down here. Let us settle this with honour.

Talal: Why must it always come to violence? It seems I cannot help, for you do not wish to help yourself… and I cannot allow my work to be threatened. You leave me no choice. You must die.

- Talal is introduced addressing Altaïr from the shadows inside his warehouse

—

Altaïr: You’ve nowhere to run, now. Share your secrets with me.

Talal: My part is played. The brotherhood is not so weak that my death will stop its work.

Altaïr: What brotherhood?

Talal: Al Mualim is not the only one with designs upon the Holy Land, and that’s all… you’ll have from me.

Altaïr: Then we are finished. Beg forgiveness from your God.

Talal: He’s long abandoned us. Long abandoned the men and women I took into MY arms.

Altaïr: What do you mean?

Talal: Beggars, whores, addicts, lepers - do they strike you as proper slaves? Unfit for even the most menial tasks? No. I took them not to sell, but to save. And yet, you’d kill us all, for no other reason... than it was asked of you.

Altaïr: No. You profit from the war, from lives lost and broken.

Talal: Yes, you would think that, ignorant as you are. Wall off your mind, eh? They say it’s what your kind do best. Do you see the irony in all this? No. Not yet, it seems, but you will.

- Talal's Confession

—

Malik: Altaïr! Wonderful to see you return to us. And, how fared the mission?

Altaïr: The deed is done. Talal is dead.

Malik: Oh, I know, I know, in fact… the ENTIRE CITY KNOWS! Have you forgotten the meaning of subtlety?!

Altaïr: A skilled Assassin ensures his work is noticed by the many.

Malik: No! A SKILLED Assassin maintains control of his environment.

Altaïr: We can argue the details all you’d like, Malik. But the fact remains, I’ve accomplished the task set to me by Al Mualim.

Malik: Go, then. Return to the Old Man. Let us see with whom he sides.

Altaïr: You and I are on the same side, Malik.

- Altaïr returns to the bureau after killing Talal

Desmond IV

Lucy: You’re not the only one who doesn’t get to go home at night.

Desmond: Wait, are you saying YOU’RE a prisoner?

Lucy: When they first approached me, I was finishing up my PHD. The university had made it clear I had no future there. They didn’t like the subject of my doctorate, called it pseudoscience; said keeping me on would discredit and embarrass them. (Sighs) It was the same everywhere - other universities, companies I interviewed with. Pretty soon I was out of money and out of time. I was THIS close to waiting tables. Then I got a letter.

Desmond: From Vidic?

Lucy: He said he’d been following my career since undergrad, that he believed in my work and wanted to meet to discuss my future. You have no idea how good it felt to hear that. So, I met with him. What did I have to lose?

Desmond: And he offered you a job?

Lucy: Yes. Here at Abstergo, helping out on the Animus Project. I’d have a chance to test my theories and prove my professors wrong. How could I turn that down?

Desmond: Think I’m missing the part where YOU became a prisoner.

Lucy: Sometimes I wonder… if they weren’t behind it all. If they manipulated events so that I’d get desperate. They can do that. They can do anything. I didn’t think when I agreed to come here. They even told me I’d be trapped - for six months, a year max. Once the product launched, there’d be no need for secrecy anymore. But until then, I’d be a guest of the company. At least, that’s what they said.

Desmond: And when the Animus was ready?

Lucy: They came in while I was sleeping. Three guys. Guns.

(Lucy wanders over to one of the ceiling-height windows off Vidic’s desk and looks out at the city. Desmond joins her)

Lucy: They dragged me out of bed. God. The worst part is I knew them. One guy, Richard, we ate lunch together sometimes, and now he was gonna… They were cracking jokes. I tried to pull away. He hit me. And that’s when he told me I was going to die.

Desmond: Christ, what did you do?

Lucy: Nothing. I kept telling myself it wasn’t real. And then Warren was there, shouting at them to get away from me… and they listened.

Desmond: Jesus.

Lucy: He’s not a happy man, Desmond - I wouldn’t even say he’s a good man - but he saved my life. They never came for me again, and he promised they never would.

Desmond: You’re still stuck here working for these nutjobs.

Lucy: But I’m alive. Anyway, I really do need to get the Animus repaired. I’ll see you tomorrow, Desmond.

- Desmond talks to Lucy, and finds out how she came to work for Warren Vidic

—

Vidic: Rise and shine! We’ve got quite a day ahead of us.

Desmond: You’re in a good mood this morning.

Vidic: Ms Stillman has made some modifications to the Animus. You should be able to remain inside even longer now.

Desmond: And help you with your treasure hunt?

Vidic: This is serious business, Mr Miles. I don’t think you fully appreciate the work that Abstergo does.

Desmond: Maybe because I don’t actually know what you people do?

Vidic: We change the world. Every day, in a hundred different ways. Did you know that nearly every single breakthrough of the past millennia, be it medical, mechanical, or philosophical, has come from Abstergo or its predecessors?

Desmond: That’s a bold claim, doc. Think you might be exaggerating a bit?

Vidic: Not in the slightest. Oh! We certainly don’t take the credit. That would arouse far too much suspicion. We… choose our beneficiaries with great care.

Desmond: Why?

Vidic: Isn’t it obvious? It means WE’RE in control.

Desmond: But how? What makes you guys so special, so smart? What, that you happened to invent these things while us mere mortals stumble around like idiots?

Vidic: To be fair, we don’t invent them. We find them.

Desmond: “Find them”?

Vidic: They’re gifts, Mr Miles… from Those Who Came Before. We’ll have to continue this discussion later. Time’s wasting.

- Vidic wakes Desmond on the third day of captivity, and namedrops a race of people that will become VERY important soon

Memory Block 4

Al Mualim: King Richard, emboldened by his victory at Acre, prepares to move south towards Jerusalem. Salah ad-Din is surely aware of this, and so he gathers his men before the broken citadel of Arsuf.

Altaïr: Would you have me kill them both, then? End their war before it begins in earnest?

Al Mualim: No. To do so would scatter their forces, and subject the realm to the bloodlust of 10,000 aimless warriors. It will be many days before they meet, and while they march, they DO NOT fight. You must concern yourself with a more immediate threat - the men who pretend to govern in their absence.

Altaïr: Give me names and I’ll give you blood.

Al Mualim: So I will. Abu’l Nuquod, the wealthiest man in Dimas; Majd Addin, regent of Jerusalem; William of Montferrat, liege-lord of Acre.

Altaïr: What are their crimes?

Al Mualim: Greed. Arrogance. The slaughter of innocents. Walk among the people of their cities - you’ll learn the secrets of their sins. Do not doubt that these men are obstacles to the peace we seek.

Altaïr: Then they will die.

- Altaïr returns to Al Mualim after killing Talal, and is informed of Richard's relocation to Arsuf after his victory at the Siege of Acre

—

Rafiq: Altaïr, my friend, welcome, welcome. Whose life do you come to collect today?

Altaïr: His name is Abu’l Nuquod. What can you tell me about him?

Rafiq: Oh, the Merchant King of Dimas, richest man in the city. Quite exciting! Quite dangerous. I envy you, Altaïr. Well, not the bit where you were beaten and stripped of your rank, but I envy everything else. Oh, except for the terrible things the other Assassins say about you. But yes, aside from the failure and the hatred, yes - aside from those things, I envy you very much!

Altaïr: I do not care what the others think or say. I’m here to do a job, so I ask again: what can you tell me about the Merchant King?

''- Altaïr visits the Damascus Bureau to begin his investigation into Abu'l Nuquod.

Abu’l: Welcome, welcome. Thank you all… for joining me this evening. Please, eat, drink, enjoy all the pleasures I have to offer. Take your time. I will wait.

(Wine starts pouring out of the fountain in the centre of the courtyard. Several guests fill their goblets from it)

Abu’l: I trust everything is to your… satisfaction?

Man: Most excellent!

Crowd: Yeah!

Abu’l: Good, good. It pleases me to see you all so happy, for these are dark days, my friends, and we must enjoy this bounty, while we still can. War threatens to consume us all. Salah ad-Din bravely fights for what he believes in, and you are always there to support him without question. It is your generosity that allows his campaign to continue. So, I propose a toast, then. To you, my dear friends!

Crowd: To your health, Abu’l Nuquod!

Abu’l: You have brought us to where we are today. May you be given everything you deserve for it.

Crowd: Yeah! Woohoo!

Abu’l: Such kindness! I didn’t think it in you! You, who have been so quick to judge me, and so cruel.

(The crowd boos)

Abu’l: Oh, do not feign ignorance. Do you take me for a fool? That I have not heard the words you whisper behind my back? Well, I have, and I fear I can never forget. But this is not why I called you here tonight, no. I wish to speak more of this war, and YOUR part in it. You give up your coin quick as can be, knowing all too well it buys the deaths of thousands. You don’t even know WHY we fight. “The sanctity of the Holy Land”, you’ll say, or “the evil England nation of our enemies”. But these are lies you tell yourselves. (Laughs) No. All this suffering is borne of fear and hate! It bothers you that they are different, just as it bothered YOU that ‘I’ am different! Compassion. Mercy. Tolerance. These words mean nothing to ANY of you - mean nothing to those infidel invaders who ravage our land in search of gold and glory, and so I say, ENOUGH! I’ve pledged myself to another cause. One that will bring about a NEW world, in which ALL people might live… side-by-side… in peace. A pity none of you will live to see it.

(One of the guests starts choking and coughing, and after a few moments, falls to the floor, dying. Another guest follows, and another, and soon the crowd is screaming in fear)

Abu’l: Kill anyone who tries to escape.

- Abu'l Nuquod is introduced holding a lavish feast that soon turns sour

—

Altaïr: Be at peace, now. Their words can no longer do harm.

Abu’l: WHY have you done this?

Altaïr: You stole money from those you claimed to lead, sent it away for some unknown purpose. I want to know where it’s gone and why.

Abu’l: Look at me! My very nature is an affront to the people I ruled, and these noble robes... did little more than to… muffle their shouts of hate.

Altaïr: So, this is about vengeance, then.

Abu’l: No, not vengeance, but my conscience. How could I finance a war in service to the same God… that calls me an abomination?

Altaïr: If you do not serve Salah ad-Din’s cause, then whose?

Abu’l: In time, you’ll come to know them. I think, perhaps, you… already do.

Altaïr: Then why hide? And why these dark deeds?

Abu’l: Is it so different from your own work? You take the lives of men and women, strong in the conviction that their death will improve the lots of those left behind. A minor evil, for a greater good? We are the same.

Altaïr: No. We are nothing alike.

Abu’l: Ah, but I see it in your eyes. You. doubt. You... cannot stop us. We will have our new world.

- Abu'l Nuquod's Confession

—

Al Mualim: Word has reached me of your success. You’ve my gratitude and that of the realm. Freeing these cities from their corrupt leaders… will no doubt promote the cause of peace.

Altaïr: Can you really be so sure?

Al Mualim: The means by which men rule are reflected in their people. As you cleanse the cities of corruption, you heal the hearts and minds of those who live within.

Altaïr: Our enemies would disagree.

Al Mualim: What do you mean?

Altaïr: Each man I’ve slain has confessed strange words to me. They are without regret. Even in death, they seem confident of their success. Though they do not admit it directly, there IS a tie that binds them. I’m sure of it.

Al Mualim: There is a difference, Altaïr, between what we are TOLD to be true, and what we SEE to be true. Most men do not bother to make the distinction - it is simpler that way. But as an Assassin, it is your nature to notice, to question.

Altaïr: Then what is it that connects these men?

Al Mualim: Ah, but as an Assassin, it is also your DUTY to still these thoughts, and trust in your Master. For there can be no true peace without order, and order requires authority.

Altaïr: You speak in circles, Master. You commend me for being aware, then ask me not to be. Which is it?

Al Mualim: Your question will be answered… when you no longer need to ask it.

- Altaïr returns to Al Mualim after killing Abu'l Nuquod

—

Rafiq: Word has spread of your deeds, Altaïr. It seems you are sincere in your desire to redeem yourself.

Altaïr: I do what I can.

Rafiq: And sometimes, you do it well. I assume it is work that reunites us?

Altaïr: Yes. William of Montferrat is my target. What can you tell me of the man himself?

Rafiq: William has been named regent while the King conducts his war. The people see it as a strange choice given the history between Richard and William’s son, Conrad, but I think Richard rather clever for it.

Altaïr: Clever how?

Rafiq: Richard and Conrad do not see eye to eye on most matters. Though they are civil enough in public, there are whispers that each intends evil upon the other. And then, there was that business with Acre’s captured Saracens. In its wake, Conrad has returned to Tyre, and Richard has compelled William to remain here as his guest.

Altaïr: You mean, his hostage.

Rafiq: Whatever you wish to call it. William’s presence here should dissuade Conrad from acting out.

Altaïr: I’ve never been one for politics.

Rafiq: But surely you realise your every action shapes the course of this land’s future? You are a politician too, in your own way.

Altaïr: As you wish.

- Altaïr visits the Acre Bureau to begin his investigation into William of Montferrat

—

Herald: Stop! Eh… enough, enough! What is it you want? Gold? I’ve a few pieces on me. Take them. Take them and go!

Altaïr: It’s not gold I seek, but information.

Herald: I know nothing!

Altaïr: You know William. Tell me how to reach him.

Herald: It’s impossible. He meets with the King.

Altaïr: And when will the King be gone?

Herald: Today, but it won’t help you. They’re sure to argue, and then William will retire to lecture the soldiers, so it always goes - Richard berates William, William berates his men. He won’t see you.

Altaïr: I already told you - I need to see William. I never said he needs to see me.

Herald: Then our business is done.

Altaïr: Not yet, I’m afraid. There’s one last thing I need from you.

Herald: What is it?

Altaïr: Your life.

- Altaïr interrogates a herald about William

—

Man: For once, it seems things might go our way, and not by accident.

Man: Well, the Bible does say, “God helps those who help themselves”.

Man: Nah - it doesn’t, actually. That’s from one of Aesop’s Fables. The Bible says quite the opposite, in fact. Many passages of being... patient and faithful, and waiting for the Lord to decide IF he wishes to assist.

Man: Well, I say we’ve waited long enough.

Man: You’ll hear no argument from me.

- In one of Altaïr's eavesdrops, two serfs discuss sneaking into Richard's fortress, under the cover of being repairmen

—

Altaïr: Richard’s visit has upset him. Once the King has left, William will retreat into his fortress to brood. He’ll be distracted. That’s when I will strike.

Rafiq: You’re sure of this?

Altaïr: As sure as I can be. And if things change, I’ll adapt.

Rafiq: Then I give you leave to go. End the life of Montferrat, that we may call this city free.

- Altaïr returns to the bureau to get permission to assassinate William, and we see the first real glimpse at Altaïr's character growth

—

Richard: 3,000 souls, William. I was told they would be held as prisoners, and used to barter for the release of our men.

William: The Saracens would not have honoured their end of the bargain. You know this to be true. I did you a favour.

Richard: Oh, yes! A great favour indeed. Now, our enemies will be that much stronger in their convictions, fight that much harder.

William: I know our enemy well! They will not be emboldened, but filled with fear.

Richard: Tell me, how is it you know the intentions of our enemies so well? You, who forsake the field of battle to play at politics.

William: I did what was right! What was just!

Richard: You swore an oath to uphold the work of God, William! But that is not what I see here! No, I see a man who’s trampled it!

William: Your words are most unkind, my liege. I would hope I might have earned your trust by now.

Richard: You are Acre’s regent, William, set to rule in my stead. How much more trust is required? Perhaps you’d like my crown?

William: You miss the point! But this is nothing new.

Richard: Much as I’d like to waste my day trading words with you, I’ve a war to fight. We’ll have to continue this another time.

William: Do not let me delay you then… your Grace.

- Richard makes his first appearance, berating William for the Massacre at Ayyadieh

—

Altaïr: Rest now. Your schemes are at an end.

William: What do you know of my work?

Altaïr: I know that you were going to murder Richard, and claim Acre for your son, Conrad.

William: (Chuckling) For Conrad? My son is an arse, unfit to lead his host, let alone a kingdom. And Richard? The else he know (sic) is no better, blinded as he is by faith… in the insubstantial. Acre does not belong to either of them.

Altaïr: Then who?

William: The city belongs to its people.

Altaïr: How can you claim to speak for the citizens? You stole their food, disciplined them without mercy, forced them into service under you.

William: Everything I did, I did to prepare them for the new world. Stole their food? No. I took possession, so that when the lean times came, it might be rationed properly. (Coughs) Look around. My district is without crime, save those committed by you and your ilk. And as for the conscription, they were not being trained to fight. They were being taught the merits of order and discipline. These things are hardly evil.

Altaïr: No matter how noble you believe your intentions, these acts are cruel and cannot continue.

William: We’ll see how sweet they are, the fruits of your labours. You do not free the cities as you believe, but rather, damn them. And in the end, you’ll have only yourself to blame. You, who speak of good intentions.

- William's Confession

—

Altaïr: Each man I’m sent to kill speaks cryptic words to me. Each time I come to you and ask for answers. Each time you give only riddles in exchange. But no more.

Al Mualim: Who are you to say “no more”?

Altaïr: I’m the one who does the killing. If you want it to continue, you’ll speak straight with me for once.

Al Mualim: Tread carefully, boy. I do not like your tone.

Altaïr: And I do not like your deception!

Al Mualim: I have offered you a chance to restore your lost honour.

Altaïr: Not lost! Taken - by you! And then you’ve sent me to fetch it again like some damned dog.

(Al Mualim draws his sword)

Al Mualim: It seems I’ll need to find another. A shame. You showed great potential.

Altaïr: I think if you had another, you’d have sent him long ago. You said the answer to my question would arise when I no longer needed to ask it, so I will not ask - I DEMAND you tell me what binds these men.

Al Mualim: ...Ah, what you say is true. These men are connected, by a blood oath not unlike our own.

Altaïr: Who are they?!

Al Mualim: “Non nobis domine, non nobis”.

Altaïr: Templars.

Al Mualim: Now, you see the true reach of Robert de Sablé.

Altaïr: All of these men - leaders of cities, commanders of armies.

Al Mualim: All pledge allegiance to his cause.

Altaïr: Their works are not meant to be viewed on their own, are they? But as a whole. What do they desire?

Al Mualim: Conquest. They seek the Holy Land, not in the name of God, but for themselves.

Altaïr: What of Richard, Salah ad-Din?

Al Mualim: Any who oppose the Templars will be destroyed. Be assured, they have the means to accomplish it.

Altaïr: Then they must be stopped.

Al Mualim: That is why we do our work, Altaïr - to ensure a future free of such things.

Altaïr: Why did you hide the truth from me?

Al Mualim: That you might pierce the veil yourself. Like any task, knowledge precedes action. Information learned is more valuable than information GIVEN. Besides, your recent behaviour had not inspired much confidence.

Altaïr: I see.

Al Mualim: Altaïr, your mission has not changed - merely the context… within which you perceive it.

Altaïr: And armed with this knowledge, I might better understand those Templars that remain.

Al Mualim: Is there anything else you want to know?

Altaïr: What about the treasure Malik retrieved from Solomon’s Temple? Robert seemed desperate to have it back.

Al Mualim: In time, Altaïr, all will become clear. Just as the role of the Templars has revealed itself to you, so too will the nature of their treasure. For now, take comfort in the fact… that it is not in their hands, but ours.

Altaïr: If this is your desire.

- Altaïr returns to Al Mualim after killing William

—

Al Mualim: How did you know I wouldn’t kill you?

Altaïr: Truth be told, Master, I didn’t. I took a leap of faith.

—

Altaïr: Safety and peace, Malik.

Malik: Were that the city was possessed of either. Why do you trouble me today?

Altaïr: Al Mualim has marked Majd Addin for death. What can you tell me about him?

Malik: Salah ad-Din’s absence has left the city without a proper leader, and Majd Addin has appointed himself to play the part. Fear and intimidation get him what he wants. He has no true claim to the position.

Altaïr: That ends today.

Malik: You speak too readily. This is not some slaver we’re discussing. He rules Jerusalem and is well protected because of it. I suggest... you plan your attack carefully - get to better know your prey.

Altaïr: With your help, I will. Where would you have me begin my search?

Malik: What’s this? You’re actually asking for my assistance, instead of demanding it. I’m impressed.

Altaïr: Be out with it.

- Altaïr returns to the Jerusalem Bureau to begin his investigation into his sixth target, Majd Addin

—

Malik: What news, novice?

Altaïr: I am not a novice.

Malik: A man’s skill is defined by his actions, not the markings on his robe.

Altaïr: We can trade barbs or do Al Mualim’s work. It’s your decision.

Malik: Then BE OUT WITH IT.

Altaïr: Jerusalem’s regent, Majd Addin, is holding a public execution not far from here. It’s sure to be well guarded, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I know what to do.

Malik: And that is why you remain a novice in my eyes. You cannot KNOW anything, only suspect. You must expect to be wrong, to have overlooked something. ANTICIPATE, Altaïr. How many times must I remind you of this?

Altaïr: As you wish. Are we done?

Malik: Not quite. There is one more thing. One of the men to be executed is a brother - one of us. Al Mualim wishes for him to be saved. Do not worry about the actual rescue - my men will take care of that - but you must ensure Majd Addin does not take his life.

Altaïr: I won’t give him the chance.

Malik: So I hope.

- Altaïr returns to the bureau after completing his investigation

—

Majd: Silence! I demand SILENCE! People of Jerusalem, hear me well. I stand here today to deliver a WARNING. There are malcontents among you. They sow the seeds of discontent, hoping to lead you astray. Tell me, is this what you desire?

Crowd: No!

Majd: To be mired in deceit and sin? To live your lives in fear?

Man: No!

Woman: We do not!

Majd: Then you wish to take action?

Crowd: Yes!

Man: We do!

Majd: Your devotion pleases me. This evil must be purged. Only then, can we hope to be redeemed.

Man: This is not justice! And all of you stand idle, complicit in this crime.

(Next to him, another man draws his sword and runs for the stage)

Man: God (sic) curse you all!

(Shortly, he takes an arrow to the shoulder, and collapses onto the floor, causing the crowd to gasp in shock. The other man tries to run, but one of Majd’s guards cuts him down with a sword)

Majd: See how the evil of one man spreads to corrupt others? They sought to instill fear and doubt within you. But I… will keep you safe! Here now… are four filled with sin! The harlot. The thief. The gambler. The heretic. Let God’s judgement be brought down UPON THEM ALL!

- Majd Addin is introduced hosting an execution and lapping up the excitement of the crowd

—

Majd: Temptress! Succubus! Whore. She goes by many names, but her sin remains the same. She turned her back on the teachings of God; she defiled her body to advance her station. Each man she touched, forever stained!

Woman: Punish her!

Man: She must pay!

Woman: Whore!

“Harlot”: This man speaks lies. I am here today not because I laid down with other men, for I did not. He means to murder me because I would not lie down with him.

Majd: Even now, offered redemption, she continues TO DECEIVE! She rejects salvation. There is only one way to deal with this.

(He kills her, and the crowd cheers)

“Gambler”: A game of chance condemns me to death? Show me where such a thing is written! It is not sin that corrupts our city, but you!

(Majd kills him, and again the crowd cheers)

Majd: This man took what was not his - money, earned through the labour of another! It could have belonged to any of you! And so, you have ALL been violated! What say you to this?

Woman: Shame!

Man: He is vile!

Woman: Curse the thief!

“Thief”: It was a single dinar found on the ground! He speaks as though I trespassed, as though I ripped it from the hands of another!

Majd: Today a dinar, tomorrow a horse! The next day, another man’s life! The object itself is not of consequence. What matters… is that you took what did not belong to you. Were I to allow such behaviour, then others would believe it their right to take as well. When would it end?

(Majd kills him, and the crowd cheers)

Majd: He spreads lies and vicious propaganda, has only murder on his mind. He poisons our thoughts as he poisons his blade; turns brother against brother, father against son! More dangerous than any enemy we face!

Woman: Destroy the unbeliever!

Man: Kill him!

Woman: Slit his throat!

“Heretic”: Killing me will not make you any safer. I see the fear in your eyes, hear the quiver in your throat. You are afraid, afraid because you know our message cannot be silenced - because you know we cannot be stopped!

- Optional dialogue following Majd's intro in which he executes each of the four criminals on stage in turn

—

Altaïr: Your work here is finished.

Majd: No. No! It had only just begun!

Altaïr: Tell me, what’s your part in all of this? Do you intend to defend yourself as the others have and explain away your evil deeds?

Majd: The brotherhood wanted the city, I wanted power. There was… an opportunity.

Altaïr: An opportunity to murder innocents.

Majd: Not so innocent. Dissident voices cut deep as steel. They disrupt order. In this, I do agree with the brotherhood.

Altaïr: You’d kill people simply for believing differently than you.

Majd: Of course not! I’d kill them because I could, because it was FUN. Do you know what it feels like to determine another man’s fate? And did you see the way the people cheered? The way they feared me? I was like A GOD. You’d have done the same if you could. Such power.

Altaïr: Once, perhaps. But then I learned what becomes of those who lift themselves above others.

Majd: And what is that?

Altaïr: Here. Let me show you.

(Altaïr stabs Majd a second time)

- Majd Addin's Confession

—

Altaïr: Jerusalem needs a new ruler.

Malik: So I have heard.

Altaïr: What’s this? No words of wisdom for me? Surely, I have failed in some spectacular fashion.

Malik: You performed as an Asasiyyun should. No more, no less. That you expect praise for merely doing as told, however, troubles me.

Altaïr: It seems everything I do troubles you.

Malik: Reflect on that - but do so on your way back to Masyaf. Your work here is done.

- Altaïr returns to the bureau following Majd's assassination

Desmond V

Lucy: That little fight your ancestor started during the Third Crusade? It never ended. You’re being held by Templars.

Desmond: Vidic’s a Templar?

Lucy: There’s no way you could’ve known - they hide it so well. But to answer your question, Vidic works for them, we all do. Abstergo is their company.

Desmond: I thought Templars were old dudes with funny hats, who… sat around drinking beer and plotting world domination with like, the lizard people.

Lucy: No, except the part about world domination, I guess. Look, Desmond, it’s complicated. Half the stuff they say about the Templars comes from crazy, tinfoil-hat-wearing nutjobs. The other half is misinformation intentionally produced by the Templars themselves.

Desmond: But they ARE the bad guys, right?

Lucy: If there’s one thing I’ve learned since I started working here, it’s that there’s no such thing. It’s all SO relative. I guess the best way to explain it is… what they WANT is good, but the way they’re going about it… it’s bad. Really bad.

- Lucy fills Desmond on after they find out the Assassins are mounting a rescue attempt

Memory Block 5

Al Mualim: Come in, Altaïr. I trust you’re well-rested, ready for your remaining trials?

Altaïr: I am, but I’d speak with you first. I have questions.

Al Mualim: Ask, then. I’ll do my best to answer.

Altaïr: The Merchant King of Damas murdered the nobles who ruled his city. Majd Addin in Jerusalem used fear to force his people into submission. I suspect William meant to murder Richard, and hold Acre with his troops. These men were meant to aid their leaders - instead, they chose to betray them. What I do not understand is why.

Al Mualim: Is the answer not obvious? The Templars desire control. Each man, as you’ve noted, wanted to claim their cities in the Templar name, that the Templars themselves might rule the Holy Land, and eventually, beyond. But they cannot succeed in their mission.

Altaïr: Why is that?

Al Mualim: Their plans depend upon the Templar treasure- the Piece of Eden. But we hold it now, and they cannot hope to achieve their goals without it.

Altaïr: What is this treasure?

Al Mualim: It is temptation.

Altaïr: It’s just a piece of silver.

Al Mualim: Look at it!

Altaïr: What am I supposed to see?

Al Mualim: This… “piece of silver”, cast out Adam and Eve. It turned staves into snakes, parted and closed the Red Sea; Eris used it to start the Trojan War, and with it a poor carpenter turned water into wine.

Altaïr: It seems rather plain for all the power you claim it has. How does it work?

Al Mualim: He who holds it commands the hearts and minds of whoever looks upon it - whoever… TASTES of it, as they say.

Altaïr: Then Garnier’s men?

Al Mualim: An experiment. Herbs used to simulate its effects, to be ready for when they held it.

Altaïr: Talal supplied them. Tamir equipped them. They were preparing for something. But what?

Al Mualim: War.

Altaïr: And the others, the men who ruled the cities - they meant to gather up their people, make them like Garnier’s men.

Al Mualim: The perfect citizens. The perfect soldiers. A perfect world.

Altaïr: Robert de Sablé must never have this back.

Al Mualim: So long as he and his brothers live, they will try.

Altaïr: Then they must be destroyed.

- Altaïr returns to Al Mualim after assassinating Majd Addin, and sees the Piece of Eden for the first time

—

Rafiq: Here are the places where you should focus your search: on the docks east of here, among the ships and their crews; at the chapel to the northeast, near a cross overlooking the port; and to the north, in front of Saint John’s Gate.

Altaïr: This is most helpful. My thanks for the guidance.

Rafiq: Altaïr?

Altaïr: Yes, rafiq?

Rafiq: I owe you an apology.

Altaïr: For what?

Rafiq: For doubting your dedication to our cause.

Altaïr: No. It was I who erred. I believed myself above the creed. You owe me nothing.

Rafiq: As you wish, my friend. Go in safety.

- Altaïr returns to the Acre Bureau to investigate his seventh target, Sibrand, and unexpectedly gets an apology from the rafiq there

—

Soldier: He’s planning something at sea - that’s why he came here.

Soldier: Planning what?

Sibrand: What’s the meaning of this? The two of you off in a corner, whispering, PLOTTING?!

Soldier: Nothing of the sort. We were only-

Sibrand: Only what? What secrets are you keeping?

Soldier: You misunderstand.

Sibrand: Damned Assassins, they’re probably here right now, watching us. (To the air) Do you find this amusing?! DO YOU?! Well, laugh while you can! (Back to the soldiers) Double the patrols.

Soldier: Which ones?

Sibrand: ALL OF THEM!

Soldier: But we don’t have the men.

Sibrand: FIND THEM! Recall our knights from the field if you must!

- Sibrand makes an Early-Bird Cameo during an eavesdrop mission, and makes it instantly clear that he's paranoid to an insane extent

—

Monk: You are mistaken, Master Sibrand, I would never propose violence against any man, and m-most certainly not against you.

Sibrand: So you say. And yet no-one here will vouch for you. What am I to make of this?

Monk: I-I live a simple life, my lord, as do all men of the cloth - it is not for us to call attention to ourselves.

Sibrand: Perhaps. Or perhaps they do not know you because you are not a man of God, but AN ASSASSIN!

Monk: Never!

Sibrand: You wear the same robes.

Monk: W-If they cover themselves as we do, it is only to instill uncertainty and fear. You must not give in.

Sibrand: Are you calling me a coward?! Challenging my authority?! Are you perhaps… hoping to turn my own knights against me?!

Monk: No. No, no, no... I-I don’t understand wh-why you’re d-doing this to me. I’ve done nothing wrong.

Sibrand: I don’t recall accusing you of any wrongdoing. Which makes your outburst rather odd. Is it the presence of guilt that COMPELS A CONFESSION?!

Monk: But I confess… nothing.

Sibrand: Ah, defiant to the very end.

Monk: What do you mean?

Sibrand: William and Garnier were too confident, and they paid for this with their lives. I WON’T make the same mistake. If you truly are a man of God, then surely the Creator… WILL PROVIDE FOR YOU?! Let HIM stay my hand.

Monk: You’ve gone mad. (To crowd) Will none of you come forward to stop this? He is clearly poisoned by his own fear, compelled to see enemies where NONE exist.

(Sibrand draws his sword)

Sibrand: It seems the people share my concern. What I do, I DO FOR ACRE!

(Sibrand kills the monk)

Sibrand: Stay vigilant, men. Report any suspicious activity to the guards. I doubt we’ve seen the last of these Assassins. Persistent BASTARDS! Now, get back to work!

- Sibrand is formally introduced hosting a Kangaroo Court at the docks over a monk dressed in Assassin-like white robes

—

Sibrand: Please, don’t do this.

Altaïr: You are afraid?

Sibrand: Of course I am afraid.

Altaïr: But you’ll be safe now, held in the arms of your God.

Sibrand: Have my brothers taught you nothing? I know what waits for me - for all of us.

Altaïr: If not your God, then what?

Sibrand: Nothing. Nothing waits. And that is what I fear.

Altaïr: You don’t believe...

Sibrand: How could I, given what I know - what I’ve seen? Our treasure was the proof.

Altaïr: Proof of what?

Sibrand: That this life is all we have.

Altaïr: Linger a while longer, then, and tell me of the part you were to play.

Sibrand: A blockade by sea, to keep the fool kings and queens from sending reinforcements. Once we… once we…

Altaïr: Conquered the Holy Land?

Sibrand: Freed it, you fool. From the tyranny of faith…

Altaïr: Freedom?! You worked to overthrow cities, control men’s minds; murdered any who spoke against you.

Sibrand: I followed my orders, believing in my cause. Same as you.

- Sibrand's Confession

—

Altaïr: Sibrand’s life is ended.

Rafiq: So it is, so it is. You should ride for Masyaf and inform Al Mualim of your success.

Altaïr: Yes. I should return and speak to him - of this and other things.

Rafiq: Is everything alright, my friend? You seem… distant.

Altaïr: It’s nothing, rafiq. Just a lot on my mind.

Rafiq: Talk to me, then. Let me help.

Altaïr: I need to make sense of this myself first. But thank you for the offer.

Rafiq: It is the men you kill, isn’t it? You feel… something for them.

Altaïr: How?

Rafiq: Ah, my friend. You’re not meant to enjoy these grim tasks. Regret, uncertainty, sympathy. This is to be expected.

Altaïr: I should not fear these feelings?

Rafiq: You should embrace them. They are what keep you human.

Altaïr: What if I’m wrong? What if these men are not meant to die? What if they mean well? Misguided, perhaps, but pure in motive.

Rafiq: I am but a rafiq, Altaïr, and such things are beyond me. Perhaps Al Mualim can help you to make sense of it.

Altaïr: Yes. Perhaps. Thank you, rafiq.

Rafiq: It is my pleasure to have served with one as skilled as you.

- Altaïr returns to the bureau after assassinating Sibrand

—

Altaïr: A question, Master, if I may?

Al Mualim: Ask, and I will answer.

Altaïr: Why these men - Jubair and Sibrand?

Al Mualim: Ah, don’t you see? They pave the way for change; ensure threats both old and new are not given cause to intervene.

Altaïr: To weaken them is to weaken our enemy. I suppose that makes sense.

Al Mualim: Were these men to continue their work, OUR work would quickly be undone.

Altaïr: How is that? We’ve caused them much grief.

Al Mualim: We strike at the arms, yes, but this is a hydra that you face, and it is quick to replace that which is severed.

Altaïr: Then we should lop off its head and be done with this.

Al Mualim: Soon, soon. We are close. Only one man stands between us, and our ultimate goal.

Altaïr: I will return to my work. The sooner this last man dies, the sooner I might face our true enemy.

Al Mualim: Before you go, ‘I’ have a question for YOU.

Altaïr: Of course.

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 which we can either submit to, as most do, or transcend.

Al Mualim: What is it to transcend?

Altaïr: To recognise 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.

Al Mualim: Do you see now why the Templars are a threat?

Altaïr: Whereas we would dispel the illusion, they would use it to rule.

Al Mualim: Yes. To reshape the world in an image more pleasing to them. That is why I sent you to steal their treasure. That is why I keep it locked away. And that is why you kill them. So long as even one survives, so too does their desire… to create a new world order. Take your equipment - seek out this last man. With his death, Robert de Sablé will at last be vulnerable.

Altaïr: It will be done.

Al Mualim: Safety and peace upon you, Altaïr.

- Altaïr returns to Al Mualim after killing Sibrand, and demonstrates his new-found understanding of the Assassins' creed

—

Jubair: Every single text in this city must be destroyed.

Scholar: My friend, you must not do this. Much knowledge rests within these parchments - put there by our ancestors for good reason.

Jubair: And what reason is this?

Scholar: They are beacons, meant to guide us - to save us from the darkness that is ignorance.

Jubair: No! These bits of paper are covered in lies. They poison your minds, and so long as they exist, you cannot hope to see the world the way it truly is.

Scholar: How can you accuse these thralls of being weapons? They are tools of learning.

Jubair: You turn to them for answers and salvation. You rely more upon them than yourselves. This makes you weak, and stupid. You trust in words - drops of ink. Do you ever stop to think who put them there, or why? No. You simply accept their words without question. And, what if those words speak falsely, as they often do? This is dangerous.

Scholar: You are wrong. These texts give the gift of knowledge. We need them.

Jubair: You love your precious writings? You’d do anything for them?

Scholar: Yes, er… yes, of course.

Jubair: Then JOIN THEM.

(Jubair throws the scholar into a bonfire)

Jubair: Any man who speaks as he is just as much a threat. Do any else among you wish to challenge me? Good. Your orders are simple enough. Go out into the city. Collect any remaining writings and add them to the piles in the streets. When you’re done, we’ll send a cart to collect them, that they may be destroyed.

- Jubair is introduced at the Madrasah Al-Kallasah arguing his ethics with a student of his

—

Jubair: Why? Why have you done this?

Altaïr: Men must be free to do what they believe. It is not our right to punish one for thinking what they do, no matter how much we disagree.

Jubair: Then what?

Altaïr: You of all people should know the answer. Educate them. Teach them right from wrong. It must be knowledge that frees them, not force.

Jubair: They do not learn, fixed in their ways as they are. You are naïve to think otherwise. If an illness… for which there is but one cure…

Altaïr: You’re wrong, and that’s why you must be put to rest.

Jubair: Am I not unlike those precious books you seek to save? A source of knowledge with which you disagree? Yet, you are rather quick to steal my life.

Altaïr: A small sacrifice to save many. It is necessary.

Jubair: Is it not ancient scrolls that inspire the Crusaders? That fill Salah ad-Din and his men with a sense of righteous fury? Their texts endanger others - bring death in their wake. I, too, was making a small sacrifice. It matters little now. Your deed is done, and so am I.

''- Jubair's Confession

—

Altaïr: Jubair’s fires are extinguished. His life as well.

Rafiq: Excellent news! I had no doubt you’d succeed.

Altaïr: You should’ve seen it. The scholars followed him so readily. It wasn’t just books they fed to fire, either, but any man who opposed them.

Rafiq: Such ignorance breeds only evil. You’ve done a good thing this day.

Altaïr: As with my other targets, he believed he was doing the right thing; clearing a path to a better future.

Rafiq: Of course he would. Such is the landscape of a madman’s mind.

Altaïr: The things I’ve seen these past few weeks… it’s as if all the land has gone mad.

Rafiq: And this is why we fight to end the war - that sanity might return. The people are desperate for direction. It’s easy for men like Jubair to prey on this, and turn them towards evil. You should go, Altaïr. Return to Al Mualim, tell him what you saw, let him know the good you’ve done this day.

Altaïr: Safety and peace, rafiq.

Rafiq: Upon you as well.

- Altaïr returns to the Damascus Bureau after assassinating Jubair

Desmond VI

Desmond: I think there’s a problem with the Animus.

Lucy: Nope. It’s working fine.

Desmond: I’m pretty sure it just ejected me when I-

Lucy: I’m pretty sure you should shut up.

Desmond: You ready to finally tell me what’s going on?

Lucy: We have to stop them, Desmond. When they access that last memory of yours? They’re just getting started. They wanna change everything - the way we live, the way we… think, the way we ARE. You’ve gotten the lecture from Vidic. About what’s wrong with the world, how we need order and discipline. So they’re going to give it to us, only we don’t have a say in the matter.

Desmond: How?

Lucy: The Templar treasure. They think it-

(Her phone rings, and she answers)

Vidic: Ms Stillman?

Lucy: I’m here.

Vidic: I need you to upload Desmond’s files to the database.

Lucy: Got it.

- Lucy kicks Desmond out of the Animus in time for him to overhear Alan Rikkin talking about retrieving something, and he directly asks her to explain what's happening

—

Desmond: So, what, you’re using me to find this Templar treasure? What did they call it, the… Piece of Eden?

Lucy: Yes.

Desmond: Well, it’s looking like it’s at Masyaf, so I don’t know why they’re wasting all this time with me. Why don’t they just send their people to pick it up?

Lucy: They can’t. It’s not that simple. The artifact from Masyaf - they had it. It was destroyed in The Accident.

Desmond: Then what are they hoping for me, you know, for my ancestor to tell them?

Lucy: They’re hoping he’ll show them where the other ones are.

Desmond: You mean there’s more than one of these things?

Lucy: Oh, Desmond. You have no idea.

—

Vidic (Over Phone): Is there a problem, Ms Stillman-?

Lucy: No, Warren. Everything’s Denver on my end.

Vidic (Over Phone): Then, where are the files?

Lucy: I’ve got to move these files before he gets suspicious. We’ll talk more later.

Desmond: Wait, what’s that mean, “everything’s Denver”?

Lucy: It means “everything’s fine”.

Desmond: Why Denver?

Lucy: It’s a reference to Denver International Airport. There’s an underground facility there. It’s where The Accident happened.

—

Vidic: Time’s wasting, Mr Miles.

Desmond: Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.

Vidic: We’re nearly done, you know.

Desmond: And then what?

Vidic: You’ll see. Maybe they’ll even let you watch when it begins. It’s not as terrible as you think.

Desmond: Look, I know you’re not gonna let me leave. So why not tell me what’s going on? Humour me.

Vidic: I’m not an idiot, Mr Miles. I think you’ve already learned quite a bit.

Desmond: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Vidic: Of course not.

Desmond: Alright, let me ask you something else, then.

Vidic: Yes?

Desmond: Some of the stuff I’m seeing in the Animus. Sometimes it seems wrong - untrue, like the history is off somehow. It doesn’t-

Vidic: Doesn’t what, Mr Miles? Match up with what you read in an online encyclopaedia? What your… high school history teacher taught you? Let me ask you something: do these supposed experts have access to secret knowledge, kept hidden from the rest of us?

Desmond: There are books. Letters, documents, all sorts of source material from back then. Some of it seems to contradict what the Animus is showing me.

Vidic: Anyone can write a book. And they can put whatever they want on its pages - ANYTHING. Ha. Used to be we thought the world was flat.

Desmond: Some people still do.

Vidic: Yes, and they publish books about it. Or that the moon landing was a hoax. I believe there’s also a book claims the world was created in seven days. A bestseller, too.

Desmond: Where’s this going, doc?

Vidic: The point, I suppose, is that you shouldn’t trust everything you hear, everything you read. What’s that your ancestor said? Nothing is true?

Desmond: Everything is permitted.

Vidic: Yes, exactly. It’s part of what makes the Animus so spectacular. There’s no room for misinterpretation-

Desmond: There’s always room.

Vidic: Touché, Mr Miles. Now that I’ve answered your question, can we begin?

- Desmond wakes on the fifth day of imprisonment

Memory Block 6

Al Mualim: We are close, Altaïr. Robert de Sablé is now all that stands between us and victory. It is his mouth gives the orders, his hand pays the gold. With him dies the knowledge of the Templar treasure, and any threat it might pose.

Altaïr: I still don’t understand how a simple bit of treasure could cause so much chaos.

Al Mualim: The Piece of Eden is temptation given form. Merely look at what it’s done to Robert. Once he’d tasted of its power, the thing consumed him. He saw not a dangerous weapon to be destroyed, but a tool - one that would help him realise his life’s ambition.

Altaïr: He dreamed of power, then?

Al Mualim: Yes and no. He dreams, and still dreams, like us, of peace.

Altaïr: But this is a man who sought to see the Holy Land consumed by war!

Al Mualim: No, Altaïr. How can you not see, when you’re the one that opened MY eyes to this?

Altaïr: What do you mean?

Al Mualim: What do he and his followers want? A world in which all men are united. I do not despise his goal - I share it. But I take issue with the means. Peace is something to be learned, to be understood - to be embraced.

Altaïr: He would force it.

Al Mualim: And rob us of our free will in the process.

Altaïr: Strange. To think of him in this way…

Al Mualim: Never harbour hate for your victims, Altaïr. Such thoughts are poison, and will cloud your judgement.

Altaïr: Could he not be convinced, then? To end his mad quest?

Al Mualim: I spoke to him, in my way, through you. What was each killing, if not a message? But he has chosen to ignore us.

Altaïr: Then there’s only one thing left to do.

Al Mualim: Jerusalem is where you faced him first. It’s where you’ll find him now. Let this final offering lend you strength. Go, Altaïr. It’s time to finish this.

- Altaïr returns to Al Mualim after assassinating Jubair

—

Malik: Safety and peace, Altaïr.

Altaïr: Upon you as well, Malik.

Malik: Seems fate has a funny way with things.

Altaïr: So it’s true, then. Robert de Sablé is in Jerusalem.

Malik: I’ve seen the knights myself.

Altaïr: Only misfortune follows that man. If he’s here, it’s because he intends ill. I won’t give him the chance to act.

Malik: Do not let vengeance cloud your thoughts, brother. We both know no good can come of that.

Altaïr: I have not forgotten. You have nothing to fear. I do not seek revenge, but knowledge.

Malik: Truly, you are not the man I once knew.

Altaïr: My work has taught me many things, revealed secrets to me. But there are still pieces to this puzzle I do not possess.

Malik: What do you mean?

Altaïr: All the men I’ve laid to rest have worked together, united by this man. Robert has designs upon the land, this much I know for certain, but how and why, when and where? These things remain out of reach.

Malik: Crusaders and Saracens working together?

Altaïr: They are none of these things, but something else. Templars.

Malik: The Templars are a part of the Crusader army.

Altaïr: Or so they’d like King Richard to believe. No. Their only allegiance is to Robert de Sablé and some mad idea that THEY will stop the war.

Malik: You spin a strange tale.

Altaïr: You have no idea, Malik. But tell me where they’ve been seen. I should be after him before he slips away.

- Altaïr returns to the Jerusalem Bureau to find Robert

—

Malik: What is this that Templars would attend his funeral?

Altaïr: I have yet to divine their true intentions, though I’ll have a confession in time. The citizens themselves are divided. Many call for their lives. Still others insist that they are here to parlay - to make peace.

Malik: Peace?

Altaïr: I told you - the others I’ve slain have said as much to me.

Malik: That would make them our allies. And yet, we kill them.

Altaïr: Make no mistake, we are nothing like these men. Though their goal sounds noble, the means by which they’d achieve it are not. At least, that’s what Al Mualim told me.

- Altaïr returns to the bureau after completing his investigation

—

Altaïr: Malik… before I go, there’s something I should say.

Malik: Be out with it.

Altaïr: I’ve been a fool.

Malik: Normally, I’d make no argument, but what is this? What are you talking about?

Altaïr: All this time, I never told you I was sorry. Too damn proud. You lost your arm because of me. Lost Kadar. You have every right to be angry.

Malik: I do not accept your apology.

Altaïr: I understand.

Malik: No, you don’t. I do not accept your apology because you are not the same man who went with me into Solomon’s Temple, and so YOU have nothing to apologise for.

Altaïr: Malik…

Malik: Perhaps if I had not been so envious of you, I… would not have been so careless myself. I’m just as much to blame.

Altaïr: Don’t say such things.

Malik: We are one. As we share the glory of our victories, so too should we share the pain of our defeat. In this way, we grow closer - we grow stronger.

Altaïr: Thank you, brother.

Malik: Rest if you need to, Altaïr, that you might be ready for what lies ahead.

—

Crowd: Amen.

Priest: We gather here… to mourn the loss of our beloved Majd Addin. Taken too soon from this world. I know you feel sorrow and pain at his passing, but you should not. For just as we are all brought forth from the womb, so too must we all one day… pass from this world. It is only natural, like the rising and the setting of the sun. Take this moment to reflect… on his life, and give thanks… for all the good he did. Know… that one day you will stand with him again in paradise.

Crowd: Amen.

Priest: As you know, this man was murdered. We have tried to track his killer, but it has proved difficult. These creatures cling to the shadows, and run from any who would… face them fairly. But not today. For it seems one —>(The priest points directly at Altaïr)

Priest: Seize him! Bring him forward, that God’s justice might be done!

- Altaïr attends the funeral of Majd Addin, where he finds Robert, but it turns against him

—

Altaïr: I would see your eyes before you die.

(He takes off Robert’s helm. Inside is not Robert, but a woman)

Maria: I sense you expected someone else.

Altaïr: What sorcery is this?!

Maria: No sorcery. We knew you’d come. Robert needed to be sure he’d have time to get away.

Altaïr: So he flees?

Maria: We cannot deny your success. You have laid waste to our plans - first the treasure, then our men. Control of the Holy Land slipped away. But then he saw an opportunity - to reclaim what had been stolen, to turn your victories to our advantage.

Altaïr: Al Mualim still holds your treasure, and we’ve routed your army before. Whatever Robert plans, he’ll fail again.

Maria: Ah, but it’s not just Templars you’ll contend with now.

Altaïr: Speak sense!

Maria: Robert rides for Arsuf to plead his case - that Saracen and Crusader unite, against the Assassins.

Altaïr: That will never happen. They have no reason to.

Maria: HAD, perhaps, but now you’ve given them one. Nine, in fact. The bodies you’ve left behind, victims on both sides. You’ve made the Assassins an enemy in common and ensured the annihilation of your entire order. Well done.

Altaïr: Not nine - eight.

Maria: What do you mean?

Altaïr: You are not my target. I will not take your life. You’re free to go, but do not follow me.

Maria: I don’t need to. You’re already too late.

Altaïr: We’ll see.

- Maria Thorpe's Confession

—

Altaïr: For now, we must focus on Robert. We may have thinned his ranks, but the man is clever. He goes to plead his case to Richard and Salah ad-Din, to unite them against a common enemy - against us.

Malik: Surely, you’re mistaken? This makes no sense. These two men would never-

Altaïr: Oh, but they would. And we have ourselves to blame. The men I’ve killed - men on both sides of the conflict, men important to both leaders. Robert’s plan may be ambitious, but it makes sense, and it could work.

Malik: Look, brother - things have changed. You must return to Masyaf. We cannot act without our Master’s permission. It could compromise the brotherhood. I thought… I thought you had learned this.

Altaïr: Stop hiding behind words, Malik! You wield the creed and its tenets like some shield. He’s keeping things from us - important things! You were the one told me we could never KNOW anything, only suspect. Well, I suspect this business with the Templars goes deeper. When I’m done with Robert, I will ride for Masyaf, that we may have answers. But perhaps you could go now.

Malik: I cannot leave the city.

Altaïr: Then walk amongst its people. Seek out those who serve the ones I slew. Learn what you can. You call yourself perceptive. Perhaps you’ll see something I could not.

- Altaïr returns to the bureau after learning of Robert's trick

—

Richard: Speak then! That I may judge the truth. Who is this traitor?

Altaïr: Robert de Sablé.

Richard: My lieutenant!

(Richard laughs)

Altaïr: He aims to betray.

Richard: That’s not the way he tells it. He seeks revenge against your people for the havoc you’ve wrought in Acre, and I am inclined to support him. Some of my best men were murdered by some of yours.

Altaïr: It was I who killed them and for good reason. Hear me out. William of Montferrat - he sought to use his soldiers to take Acre by force; Garnier de Naplouse - he would use his skills to indoctrinate and control any who resisted; Sibrand - he intended to block the ports, preventing your kingdom from providing aid. They betrayed you, and they took their orders from Robert.

Richard: Do you expect me to believe this outlandish tale?

Altaïr: You knew these men, better than I. Are you truly surprised to learn of their ill intentions?

- Altaïr finds King Richard camped at Arsuf and makes his case against Robert

—

Richard: This is a strange place we find ourselves in. Each of you accusing the other.

Robert: There really is no time for this. I must be off to meet with Saladin and enlist his aid. The longer we delay, the harder this will become.

Richard: Hold a moment, Robert.

Robert: Why? What do you intend? Surely you do not believe him?

Richard: It is a difficult decision, one I cannot make alone. I must leave it in the hands of one wiser than I.

Robert: Thank you.

Richard: No, Robert, not you.

Robert: Then who?

Richard: The Lord. Let this be decided by combat. Surely God will side with the one whose cause is righteous?

Robert: If this is what you wish.

Richard: It is!

Robert: So be it. To arms, Asasin (Assassin)!

—

Altaïr: It’s done, then. Your schemes, like you, are put to rest.

Robert: You know nothing of schemes. You’re but a puppet. He betrayed you, boy, just as he betrayed me.

Altaïr: Speak sense, Templar, or NOT AT ALL!

Robert: Nine men he sent you to kill, yes? The nine who guarded the treasure’s secret.

Altaïr: What of it?

Robert: It wasn’t nine who found the treasure, Assassin. Not nine, but ten.

Altaïr: A tenth? None may live who carry the secret. Give me his name.

Robert: Oh, but you know him well. And I doubt very much you’d take his life… as willingly as you’ve taken mine.

Altaïr: WHO?

Robert: It is your master, Al Mualim.

Altaïr: But he is not a Templar.

Robert: Did you never wonder how it is he knew so much? Where to find us, how many we number - what we aspire to attain?

Altaïr: He is the Master of the Assassins.

Robert: Oui. Master of lies - you and I just two more pawns in his grand game. And now, with my death, only you remain. Do you think he’ll let you live, knowing what you do?

Altaïr: I’ve no interest in the treasure.

Robert: Ah, but he DOES. The only difference between your master and I, is that HE did not want to share.

Altaïr: No.

Robert: Ironic, isn’t it? That I, your greatest enemy, kept you safe from harm. But now, you’ve taken my life, and in the process, ended your own.

- Robert's Confession

—

Richard: Why? Why travel all this way, risk your life a thousand times, all to kill a single man?

Altaïr: He threatened my brothers and what we stand for.

Richard: Ah. Vengeance, then?

Altaïr: No, not vengeance. Justice. That there might be peace.

Richard: This is what you fight for? Peace? Do you see the contradiction?

Altaïr: Some men cannot be reasoned with.

Richard: Like that madman, Saladin.

Altaïr: I think he’d like to see an end to this war as much as you.

Richard: So I’ve heard, but never seen.

Altaïr: Even if he doesn’t say it, it’s what the people want - Saracen and Crusader alike.

Richard: The people know not what they want. It’s why they turn to men like us.

Altaïr: Then it falls to men like you to do what is right.

Richard: Ha, nonsense. We come into the world kicking and screaming, violent and unstable. It is what we are. We cannot help ourselves.

Altaïr: No. We are what we choose to be.

Richard: Ha. Your kind… always playing with words.

Altaïr: I speak the truth. There’s no trick to be found here.

Richard: We’ll know soon enough. But I fear you cannot have what you desire this day. Even now, that heathen Saladin cuts through my men and I must attend to them. But, perhaps, having seen how vulnerable he is, he will reconsider his actions. Yes. In time, what you seek may be possible.

- Richard and Altaïr talk after his victory over Robert

Desmond VII

Vidic: Seems your Assassin friends found us.

Desmond: What?

Vidic: How’d you do it, Desmond?

Desmond: Hey, hey, look, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but whatever’s going on down there, has got nothing to do with me!

Vidic: They’re here for YOU, and I sure as shit didn’t invite them!

- Desmond comes to, and Vidic berates him as Assassins break into the building over the radio

—

Vidic: Looks like the cavalry won’t be coming.

Desmond: Dunno, doc. You were freaking out a minute ago. Your little research facility not as secure as you thought it was? Worried they’ll be back with more?

Lucy: I don’t think so, Desmond.

Vidic: What Lucy here is TRYING to say… is that there aren’t any Assassins left to come for you. We’ve been VERY busy this past year, hunting down your little enclaves, your… desert communes and whatnot. I’m afraid you’re on your own. Rest up, Mr Miles. Tomorrow, we finish this.

- After the security staff on the radio announce the neutralisation of the Assassins, Vidic drops the Wham Line that the Assassins are all but wiped out

—

Lucy: I’m sorry, Desmond.

Desmond: He mentioned the desert. Do you think…?

Lucy: They sent a team there but the place was deserted. I don’t know where your parents are, and I can’t promise they’re still alive… but I think they got away.

Desmond: Thanks. Thanks for checking.

Lucy: It’s not as bad as it seems.

Desmond: What’re you talking about? They just killed, literally KILLED, my only chance of getting outta here! And then I find out the Assassins are all but destroyed, and-and, Christ... I still don’t know what these people are planning! But I do know they plan to kill me when they’re done. I am SCREWED, okay? What do you WANT me to do?

(Lucy places her left hand on her heart. Her ring finger’s a stump, like Altaïr’s)

Lucy: Just try and have a little faith.

Desmond: You’re…

Lucy: Have faith. Rest up, Desmond. You’re gonna need the energy.

- After Vidic leaves the room, we get a Wham Shot where Lucy subtly reveals she's really an Assassin

—

Vidic: I’d like to get this over with as… quickly as possible.

Desmond: If you say so.

Vidic: Don’t be so glum, Mr Miles. Today is a historic day, one that will be remembered for years to come - remembered by some of us, anyway.

- Desmond wakes up on the sixth day of imprisonment

Memory Block 7

Malik: Altaïr, up here!

Altaïr: You picked a fine time to arrive.

Malik: So it seems.

Altaïr: Guard yourself well, friend. Al Mualim has betrayed us.

Malik: Yes. Betrayed his Templar allies, as well.

Altaïr: How do you know?

Malik: After we spoke, I returned to the ruins beneath Solomon’s Temple. Robert had kept a journal, filled its pages with revelations. What I read there broke my heart… but it also opened my eyes. You were right, Altaïr - all along, our Master has used us! We were not meant to save the Holy Land, but deliver it to HIM. He must be stopped.

- Altaïr returns to Masyaf and is ambushed by mind-controlled Assassins. At the last second, he's saved by Malik

—

Altaïr: The men we face - their minds are not their own. If you can avoid killing them…

Malik: Yes. Though he has betrayed the tenets of the creed, it does not mean we must as well. I’ll do what I can.

Altaïr: It’s all I ask. Safety and peace, my friend.

Malik: Your presence here will deliver us both.

- Malik shows how far his and Altaïr's relationship has come in a Call-Back to their first interaction in Memory Block 3

—

Al Mualim: Have you any final words?

Altaïr: You lied to me. Called Robert’s goal foul when all along it was yours as well.

Al Mualim: I’ve never been much good at sharing.

Altaïr: You won’t succeed. Others will find the strength to stand against you.

Al Mualim: (Sighs) And this is why so long as men maintain free will, there can be no peace.

Altaïr: I killed the last man who spoke as such.

Al Mualim: Bold words, BOY. But just words.

Altaïr: Then let me go. I’ll put words into action.

(Al Mualim laughs)

Altaïr: Tell me, MASTER, why did you not make me like the other Assassins? Why allow me to retain my mind?

Al Mualim: Who you are and what you do are twined too tight together. To rob you of one would have deprived me of the other, and those Templars had to die. [Sighs] But the truth is, I DID try - in my study, when I showed you the treasure. But you are not like the others. You saw through the illusion.

Altaïr: Illusion?

Al Mualim: That’s all it’s ever done. This Templar treasure, this… Piece of Eden. This Word of God. Do you understand, now? The Red Sea was never parted; water never turned to wine; it was not the machinations of Eris that spawned the Trojan War, but this! Illusions! All of them!

Altaïr: What you plan is no less an illusion - to force men to follow you against their will.

Al Mualim: Is it any less real than the phantoms the Saracens and Crusaders follow now? Those… craven gods who retreat from this world that men might... slaughter one another in their names? They live amongst an illusion already. I’m simply giving them another, one that demands less blood.

Altaïr: At least they choose these phantoms.

Al Mualim: Oh, do they, aside from the occasional convert or heretic?

Altaïr: It isn’t right.

Al Mualim: Ah, and now logic has left you. In its place, you embrace emotion. I am disappointed.

Altaïr: What’s to be done, then?

Al Mualim: You will not follow me, and I cannot compel you.

Altaïr: And you refuse to give up this evil scheme!

Al Mualim: It seems, then, that we are at an impasse.

Altaïr: No. We are at an end.

Al Mualim: I will miss you, Altaïr. You were my very best student.

- Al Mualim captures Altaïr with the Piece of Eden in the fortress's gardens

—

Al Mualim: Impossible. The student does not defeat the teacher.

Altaïr: Laa shay’a waqi’ un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine (Nothing is true, everything is permitted).

Al Mualim: So it seems. You have won, then. Go, and claim your prize.

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: Then I will.

Al Mualim: We’ll see about that.

- Al Mualim's Confession

—

Al Mualim: Destroy it. Destroy it as you said you would.

Altaïr: I… I can’t.

Al Mualim: Yes. You can, Altaïr, but you won’t.

- The Piece of Eden projects a globe, and Al Mualim goads Altaïr, who finds himself enraptured

Desmond VII

Desmond: What the hell was that?

Rikkin: Well?

Vidic: We’ve got the map.

Rikkin: How many?

Vidic: At least half a dozen.

Rikkin: We don’t need them all.

Vidic: We should assume some amount of decay. I can’t imagine they’ll all still be functioning. At least two appear to reside on landmasses that no longer exist.

Rikkin: We’ll dispatch teams to each site, and determine viability. We only need one, after all.

Vidic: What about the rest?

Rikkin: Collect them. Let’s not leave anything to chance. Last thing we need is some damn survivor making trouble for us in the new world.

Vidic: And the Assassin?

Rikkin: We have what we need. Kill him.

Lucy: Wait. You know how these things work. I doubt we’ll be able to walk right in.

Rikkin: What’s your point?

Lucy: We might need him. His memories. I’d recommend we hold him until we have confirmation that there aren’t any surprises waiting for us at the sites.

Vidic: (Scoffs) This is a waste of time.

Lucy: You said it yourself: we shouldn’t leave anything to chance.

Rikkin: Very well. Ensure we have no further need of him, THEN kill him.

Vidic: Fine.

- Templar Grand Master Alan Rikkin makes his only physical appearance in the games, at the completion of Vidic's mission

Altaïr's Notes

“Is it possible? Was Garnier helping those inside his hospital? He spoke of curing them from their madness using herbs and extracts. Some of them were even grateful for the work he had done. He was a madman and a butcher. How is it these men found good inside a man who was clearly intent on evil? What is it that I’ve failed to see? I should report this to Al Mualim.”

- After killing Garnier de Naplouse

—

“These men I’m sent to kill are wicked. They profit from the war. And so I am sent to stop them, and ensure that peace returns. But then why do the Merchant King’s words dig so deeply? Is it wrong for me to see a bit of truth in them? I should return to Al Mualim, that he may help me make sense of this and crush these seeds of doubt.”

- After killing Abu'l Nuquod

—

“William of Montferrat sought to kill King Richard. I had assumed he meant to do this for his son, Conrad, but it seems I was in error. His wish was for the people to inherit the land, free from the whims of petty tyrants. A ‘new world’ he called it. What is the meaning of these cryptic words? I shall have to ask Al Mualim…”

- After killing William of Montferrat

—

“Sibrand, like others I’ve slain, was convinced his brothers would bring peace to the land by freeing the people from the shackles of faith. This strange Brotherhood seeks the same as the assassins. But their methods are too brutal and imprecise. I admit, I am torn. While I can appreciate their goals, I view with disfavor the way in which they seek to realize them. Still, this situation raises questions. If we want the same thing, should we not be working together? Perhaps Al Mualim can explain.”

- After killing Sibrand

—

“Today’s work weighs heavily on my mind. Jubair swore he wished only to protect the people from repeating the mistakes of their ancestors. A noble goal. Still, his methods were unacceptable. He could not be allowed to continue. To deprive people of so much knowledge… He was not saving these people, but blinding them. But was killing him the only solution? I should return to Al Mualim with news of Jubair’s death.”

- After killing Jubair

—

“Al Mualim is the tenth Templar?! This cannot be! All these years I’ve looked to him for strength and guidance. His word has always been truth. And now I’m told it’s all been a lie? No. Even in death Robert seeks to poison my mind. Or does he? I remember the careful way in which the Master avoided my questions - changed the subject when I dug too deep. Was it deference he sought to teach me? Or blind obedience? Willful ignorance of the truth. There is but one way to answer these questions: I must seek Al Mualim.”

- After killing Robert de Sablé

—

“My master is dead - and many more with him, friend and foe alike. But the storm is broken, though pride may hold the clouds aloft a little longer. Of this much I am certain: with Robert and Al Mualim dead, the Saracen and Crusader armies will lay down their arms and give up this senseless war. Freed from the manipulations and schemes of wicked men, Saladin and Richard will find they have more in common than they think. Peace will return to the land. And if they should stray once more? Then my brothers and I will do what needs to be done to set things aright… Masyaf is quiet now, caressed by the winds which carry through the valley. What is this thing I hold, that it can bend men’s minds? No larger than an apple - yet its power greater than any weapon I’ve known. I have seen what evil even the smallest taste brings. I should destroy it… Yet something stays my hand. No. I will hold it a little while longer and see what it may teach me. Perhaps it can be turned to good. Or is this what the others thought when they held it? Is that its power, then? To turn the noble into cruel? I know not what the future holds for any of us, but I do know those assassins who remain will need guidance. I must attend to them. Help to heal their wounds. We will march together into the future, and emerge stronger than we were before. If we are to succeed, if we are to rebuild, then we must be careful not to repeat the mistakes of those who came before. We must be vigilant; ever mindful of the past…”

- After killing Al Mualim

Emails

As a general reminder, all employees of Abstergo Industries are prohibited from discussing corporate policy, proceedings, and projects. In light of pending litigation you are all reminded of sections 2.15 in your employment contracts: ‘You acknowledge and agree that ABSTERGO has developed such Confidential Information by the investment of significant time, effort and expense, and that such Confidential Information provides ABSTERGO with a significant competitive advantage in its business. You acknowledge and agree that a breach of this Agreement by You will therefore result in irreparable harm to ABSTERGO, the extent of which would be difficult to ascertain, and in any event money damages will be inadequate as a remedy in the event of such a breach. Accordingly, You agree that in the event of a breach of this Agreement by You, ABSTERGO shall be entitled to injunctive, or other equitable relief as the court deems appropriate, in addition to any other remedies which it may have available.’ Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your human resources manager. We thank you in advance for your compliance.

- Email from Abstergo Administration that can be viewed the first time you're able to access emails

—

I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID. I SAW HIM. HE HAD A METAL BALL. IT OPENED. THEY WENT CRAZY. SHOOTING. STABBING. TORE EACH OTHER TO PIECES. I KNOW IT WAS YOU PEOPLE. SAW THE LOGO. HEARD THE NAME. I’M GOING TO TELL. ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN. YOU’LL BE EXPOSED. THEY’LL KNOW THE TRUTH. AND THEN YOU WILL PAY. YOU CRAZY BASTARDS. YOU’LL PAY.

- Email from an unknown user on Vidic's laptop

—

Hundreds Hospitalized in Wake of Water Tampering Scandal: Abstergo Holdings stands accused of secretly manipulating a small town’s water supply in order to test a synthetic drug referred to internally as New Fluoride.

Nation Mourns the Loss of Final Film Studio: History was made today with the closing of the country’s last movie studio. The rising prominence of video games coupled with rampant piracy are considered to be the leading causes of its demise.

- Email from Abstergo News Wire Services available after Memory Block 5

—

Warren:

If this kid isn’t going to get us what we need, it’s time to start looking elsewhere. I’ve cc’d David from our Acquisitions department. He may be able to provide you with a couple of additional test subjects should Desmond be retired. In case you need reminding, WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

This crap with the fluoride enhancement is going to put us under a LOT of scrutiny. We need to launch on the 21st. If we wait any longer, we risk everything being frozen during the investigation. I have a feeling that none of our friends in D.C. are going to do us any favors on this one. We’ll deal with them come election time.

We’ve cleaned up the mess at DIA, but I’m hearing there’s some jackass baggage handler trolling newsgroups and nutjob websites with his tales of mass murder and corporate coverups. Where’s he even getting his information from? Your report said the Project Lead killed everyone down there before our cleanup crews arrived. I still don’t understand how they managed to botch that so badly.

Anyway, we’re trying to figure out who the hell he is so we can shut him up, but it’s proving difficult. I’m beginning to wonder if he doesn’t have help. Seems there are still a couple of those Assassin bastards running loose. It only takes one. But you already knew that. Makes me wonder if the fluoride leak was internal after all… And if it was, are we dealing with a whistle blower or something worse?

I’m about ready to pull the plug on your Subject Seventeen. So either get me results or get another person into that Animus.

-Alan

- Email from Alan Rikkin to Vidic after Memory Block 6

—

Mexican President Promises Better Border Security: Concerned about record numbers of illegal immigrants entering his country, the President of Mexico today promised to ramp up border security. The number of troops stationed along the border is expected to triple. Opponents are worried about an increase in violence between American refugees and Mexican troops. Fighting between the two groups has left 300 dead and nearly 1000 wounded over the past six months.

- Email from Abstergo News Wire Services after Memory Block 6

—

Warren:

I’ve finished my report on Subject Sixteen. You should take a look when you have some time as it validates my belief that we should be treating them with greater care. Failure to do so will only result in further breakdowns.

I’ll summarize things for now since I realize you’re probably pretty busy. Prolonged exposure to the Animus caused a “Bleeding Effect” within Subject Sixteen’s genetic structure. The result was a blending of genetic and real-time memory. He became unable to distinguish his own life from those of his ancestors, as witnessed with the incident in his room.

I believe this effect is very similar to certain forms of multiple personality and delusional disorders. People who claim to be experiencing past lives or the presence of other minds within their own are quite possibly experiencing a naturally occurring version of this Bleeding Effect. Though the specific symptoms may vary from subject to subject, the end result is the same: they lose their minds.

This is what I believe happened to Subject Sixteen. One of his ancestors seems to have been involved in an important event in the ancient Far East. The wall writings he left us defy any conventional explanation, though I’m not ready to dismiss them just yet. Per your request, I’ve asked for a linguist and historian to research them further in case there is some significance. I’ll let you know if they come back to us with anything.

I’ll get you a full copy of the report so that you can review my findings when you have the time. I know that this is not that important to you Warren, but it would mean a lot to me if you’d just take a look and think about it. We don’t need to push them so hard. We don’t need to kill them. From a purely practical perspective, there’s no point in destroying the subjects anyway. Once they’re dead, their knowledge is lost to us forever. And we both know how dangerous that can be.

Thanks for your time!

- Lucy

- Email from Lucy to Vidic after finishing the game, setting up to sequel