2,000 years — That's how long the Assassin Brotherhood has existed and that's also how long they've been waging war with the Templars. Thankfully, Ubisoft, with its impressive video game development hocus pocus, was able to condense all that into more or less 13 years. Since 2007, much light has been shed on the once enigmatic and shady Assassin Brotherhood.
Yet, their war against the Templars seems to have no end in sight. There have been many worthy heirs and hosts in each notable time period in the Assassin Brotherhood's existence throughout history — each of them solidifying the not-so-secret organization's place as one of the most popular video game factions to ever exist. So whether you're just curious about them or you're a Templar looking to gain some advantage, here's the rundown on who the Assassin Brotherhood really is.
10 They Started in Egypt
Assassin's Creed: Origins was an important foundation in the series's lore. It depicted how exactly the Assassin Brotherhood formed. That historic moment all began near the turn of the millennium in classical Egypt where the Pharaoh's elite Bayek and Aya started putting matters into their own hands after Cleopatra betrayed them.
By the end of the game, the couple has already formed a substantial group with its own purpose: to police oppressive authorities that seek to enslave the human race systematically. Those often turn out to be the members of the Templar Order.
9 They're Younger Than Their Templar Enemies
One admirable thing about Bayek and Aya's efforts is that during the Brotherhood's inception, they were waging an uphill battle. The Templar Order had a significant headstart of — give or take several thousands of years. Its original founder was surmised to be the biblical Cain.
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey also portrayed the Templar Order but under a different name, since they didn't get their official Templar moniker until the Viking Age. In any case, they're definitely an older and more seasoned organization than the Assassin Brotherhood.
8 They're Also Younger Than the Hidden Blade
What else is also older than the Assassin Brotherhood? Well, how about their signature weapon, the Hidden Blade? It was first portrayed and introduced in a DLC for Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. The blade was worn by a Persian assassin named Darius.
It would take several centuries more before Bayek adopted the hidden blade into his arsenal, prior to his founding of the Assassin Brotherhood. Since then, the succeeding members of the Assassin Brotherhood have also opted to use the subtle and small weapon to carry out their covert operations.
7 Early Assassins Had to Amputate Their Ring Fingers
That isn't to say the hidden blade had a smooth integration into the Assassin Brotherhood. Its introduction was rather bloody, with Bayek learning the hard way that the blade is obstructed by the ring finger. This way, the Brotherhood's progenitor unceremoniously lost his ring finger.
For more than a millennium, the hidden blade worked like this. Any assassin opting to use one would have to amputate their ring finger to make way for the blade. It was only thanks to Altair's modifications that the hidden blade no longer necessitated a ring finger sacrifice.
6 Their Goal is Mostly Anti-Authoritarianism
So, what exactly was the Assassin Brotherhood fighting for or against? The blunt answer would be the Templar Order but in actuality, their real enemy would be what the Templars represented, which is oppressive authority. The Templar Order views the human race as weak and feeble on their own and in need of someone pulling the reins in order to minimize the chaos in the world.
The Assassin Brotherhood also yearns to reduce this chaos but in a harmonious method that doesn't require slavery or dictatorship. Thus, they furthered their goals by eliminating the Templar Order's operations so that the human race can govern itself on its own footing guided loosely by the Assassin Brotherhood.
5 They're a Major Driving Force in Every Nation's Development
Speaking of guiding humanity, that isn't to say the Assassin Brotherhood employs a hands-off approach. Rather, they have sleeper agents pulling the strings albeit in a fair and more democratic manner compared to the Templars. Some of these members are Marco Polo, Ulysses Grant, and Nikola Tesla, among other prominent historical figures.
They operate on behalf of the Assassin Brotherhood but also of their own volition. Thus, the Assassin Brotherhood has had a hand in reshaping its fictional world's history just as the Templar Order also has its own all-star cast of totalitarian and villainous figures.
4 They Don't Have a God, Only Tenets
You could easily mistake the Assassin Brotherhood for a group of hooded fanatics serving a model deity but in reality, their belief is secular. They don't worship anyone or anything but their own tenets. To that extent, they're pretty comparable to the Jedi Order in Star Wars, except they're more murderous.
Their creed is all about upholding social justice and liberation from oppression. They believe that there is no singular truth, especially one that the Templar Order imposes on humanity. Hence, you can also view them as international peacekeepers who kill dangerous and controlling individuals in the hopes of saving thousands for every Templar they stab.
3 A Big Part of Their Tenet is Influenced by Islam
The first tenet of the Assassin Brotherhood states that they aren't allowed to harm innocents. This branches out into a lot of other altruistic beliefs that make them the champion of the poor or defender of the downtrodden. Meanwhile, the third tenet states to never compromise their brotherhood.
Both of those tenets seemingly take after the sayings of Islam as stated in the Quran. One of the teachings in Islam is to always help those in need and also to preserve the life of innocents. Likewise, anyone violating these rules of faith will be punished by death; it's not all fun and games in the Assassin Brotherhood, after all.
2 Many Assassin Leaders Have Misinterpreted Their Tenet
Those harsh tenet punishments sadly didn't stop a lot of significant figureheads in the Assassin Brotherhood from questioning or abiding by their faction's beliefs. The most notable one is Altair, who thought of the "nothing is true" motto a little too hypocritical since the Brotherhood has its own set of beliefs that it considers as structural truths.
The other one is Edward Kenway from Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. Kenway mistook the "everything is permitted" part of the creed as a pass to do whatever he wants with his freedom. The two of them eventually understood the deeper implications and subtexts of those Brotherhood values and rightfully became master assassins.
1 They're Inspired by Real-Life Persian Hashashin
Keeping in line with its Middle-Eastern inspirations, the Assassin Brotherhood was made in the image of the Hashashin in Persia (Iran) in the real world. They were also a sect of assassins who carried out political and religious assassinations under the behest of the radical Persian Shia Muslims.
One thing that contributed to their unwavering loyalty was the unsubstantiated and contested claim that they inhaled a drug called hashish, which is a potent form of cannabis. It would seem that the Assassin Brotherhood simply made its hashish more metaphorical as a tenet. Because assassins smoking cannabis before stabbing authorities is a little too gangster.