Post Description

In September 2012, bartender Desmond Miles is kidnapped by Abstergo Industries, a pharmaceutical company, for use as a test subject in the Animus, a device that can read the memories of Desmond's ancestors through the "genetic memory" left behind in their descendants' DNA, then allow Desmond to simulate the experiences of his ancestors in a virtual reality environment. Abstergo intends to put Desmond in the device to simulate the memories of a particular ancestor, Altaïr ibn La-Ahad, a member of a clan of Assassins, specifically Altaïr's experiences during the year 1191 AD as part of the Third Crusade in the Holy Land. Desmond has trouble adjusting to the device, but eventually relives Altaïr's exploits over the next several days. The game then primarily takes Altaïr's point-of-view, with occasional swaps to Desmond when he exits the Animus.

Altaïr is first shown attempting to retrieve an item known as the "Piece of Eden" from Solomon's Temple with the help of other Assassins, but is stopped by Robert de Sablé, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, the sworn enemies of the Assassins. While retrieving the treasure, Altaïr breaks all three tenets of the Assassin's Creed ("Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent," "Hide in plain sight" and "Do not compromise the Brotherhood") within the opening minutes of gameplay, to attempt to kill de Sablé, but fails. Upon returning to the Assassins' stronghold at Masyaf and after narrowly defeating a retaliatory attack by the Templars, Al Mualim, leader of the Assassins, demotes Altaïr to an initiate but gives him another chance to rise through the ranks of the Brotherhood. Al Mualim assigns Altaïr the task of assassinating nine key figures across the Holy Land in Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus, to attempt to bring peace between the Crusader and Saracen forces. Each target is based on real historical figures from around 1191, including Majd Addin (Regent of Jerusalem), Garnier de Nablus (Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller), Jubair al Hakim (an eminent scholar in Damascus), Abu'l Nuqoud (the wealthiest man in Damascus), Grand Master Sibrand of the Teutonic Order and William V, Marquess of Montferrat (Regent of Acre).[9]

Altaïr completes each task, learning how each target is connected to Robert and the Templars, and how together they aim to use the Piece of Eden (which is actually only one of many) to enslave the minds of the population of the Holy Land, bringing "peace" to the land under their rule and robbing the people of free will. With men on both sides killed, he discovers that de Sablé's last ploy is to attempt to unite Christian and Muslim against their new-common enemy, the assassins themselves. Altaïr defeats de Sablé before Richard the Lionheart, failing to convince the king that an end to the war would be welcome to both sides. From de Sablé he discovers that Al Mualim is himself a Templar, and used Altaïr to kill the other members so he could keep the treasure for himself. Altaïr quickly returns to Masyaf to accost his master, who reveals the truth: the Piece of Eden which he had received from one of the men in the Temple after Altaïr's transgression creates illusions. He denounces religion and other seemingly supernatural events (e.g. the parting of the Red Sea, the Ten Plagues of Egypt and the presence of the Greek Gods in the Trojan War) as illusions caused by it, then states his intention to use the artifact to compel mankind into a brainwashed state and so bring an end to all conflict. Altaïr is eventually able to see through deceptions created by the artifact to kill Al Mualim. When Altaïr recovers the artifact, the Piece of Eden activates, showing a holographic view of the world with numerous locations of other Pieces of Eden marked across the globe.