App for Ryan's Gulch

[isanovice]

☞ Player Information;
Name: Dee
Player Journal: arbitraryally
Age: 23
Contact: AIM; ArbitraryAlly Plurk; arbitraryally
Other characters currently played at Ryan's Gulch: N/A

☞ Character Information;
Character Name: Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
Canon: Assassin's Creed
OU or AU?: OU
Canon point: Just after his demotion, and setting forth to Damascus for his first mission to redeem himself.

Setting:

The Assassin's Creed series is set basically on Earth; however, it follows an alternate time line where man kind was created by Those Who Came Before, a group of sentient alien beings who also left behind a number of artefacts of incredible power and varying ability. The Assassins and the Templar have been at war with one another, and for these artefacts for thousands of years. Altaïr's story was set during the 12th Century Crusades. As a member of the Levantine Assassin Order, Altaïr worked to fight the Templar throughout the Holy Land, while at the same time uncovering the truths and conspiracies laying in his own Order.

For more information, the wiki is Here.

History:

Canon History

Personality:

To understand the facets of Altaïr's personality one must examine him as the novice whom we meet in the beginning of Assassin's Creed, and as the Grand Master that he becomes.

As a novice, Altaïr can be summed up in one word: Headstrong. The ex-Master Assassin is arrogant, egotistical and self-assured. He thinks very highly of himself and spares little care for the opinions of those around him. Despite this, so too is Altaïr a very devoted, loyal man. His devotion to the creed is unflinching, and has always risen above all else- though he sometimes used the morals of the Creed in a skewed way to suit his own purposes. Unfortunately this loyalty too has blinded him, along with the praise that he often received from the master of Masyaf. Because of this, Altaïr began to follow his own ego, instead of the teachings of the Creed. This would prove to be his greatest mistake, and he was severely punished for it.

Self-centered, egotistical, impatient, Altaïr chose to ignore the fact that he still had much to learn as an assassin, and as a man. Despite his arrogance and seemingly steely demeanour, this does not mean that Altair has no emotions; they are simply buried deep in the assassin. At the heart of him, Altaïr is a good, devoted man. He is very inwardly reflective, and all though much of his contemplations never make it past his lips, he is not afraid to ask questions. Smart and cunning, and inquisitive, he is not above questioning the world around him, especially when his instincts begin to warn him of something being wrong. So too does Altaïr have room to learn, but he has been hindered in the past by his own stubbornness, and his impatience. With time, Altaïr began to open up to the necessity of listening, and cast aside his own blindness.

He can seem cold, and unfeeling, but to those who have known him best, this is not true. He is simply stubborn, and holds no high regards for sharing his feelings outwardly with others.

His pride is one of his greatest foils, and this only feeds into his massive ego. However, his ego suffered a great blow at the hands of Al Mualim, and his sudden and abrupt demotion. Still, Altaïr is stubborn enough to continue and move forward even despite, and refuses to consider himself bested despite this demotion. He will work hard, and do anything he can to regain his former status as a master assassin. Once Altaïr has set his mind to a task, there is little that will stop him, or sway him from its completion.

Altaïr often comes across as threatening, when not being dismissive entirely. He considers many people to be completely below him, and cares little to spare even so much as a word for them. There are very few that have been able to earn Altaïr's respect. It is not impossible- merely difficult. He is also a quite brash man, acting without thought, but after his demotion, and the harsh words from Al Mualim about this fact Altaïr begins to open himself to the idea of knowledge before action.

There is almost nothing that Altaïr is afraid of. Death is a strong presence in Altaïr's life. As an assassin, he dispatches it, and so too is he prepared for his own. That isn't to say he is merely willing to hand his life over; he is a fighter, through and through, and will not give up even in the most seemingly dire of situations.

After the betrayal he suffered at the hands of Al Mualim, Altaïr became a much calmer man. No longer so blindly prideful, his thoughtful characteristics took on the forefront of his personality. In the face of his losses, a lesser man might have been crushed, and although Altaïr was devastated by this blow it was a pivotal moment for the Assassin. He learned to be compassionate, and his first concern was not for himself, but for the damage that the Brotherhood had suffered beneath Al Mualim's poison. His former ego was something he took an abrupt step away from, and Altaïr at last truly understood what it meant to be wholly devoted to the Creed, and not simply to his skewed version that suited only himself.

As a master he is of course, not without his faults. He still suffers moments of prideful arrogance, as old habits die hard- but his mind has been opened to a great many things, and he thinks twice before diving head first into any action that affects lives other than his own. So too can his temper and stubbornness blind him to what might just be staring him right in the face.

With his devotions now in order, Altaïr becomes a man who is not only wise, but also respected. He applies himself to bettering the Brotherhood, using his intelligence to learn, and to create. Quietly passionate he still comes across as aloof and distant, but instead of speaking very little because of feeling himself above others, now he simply chooses his words with care, and meaning.

Due to his canon point, Altaïr will not have changed or grown from the basic 'headstrong douche', however I felt it worth mentioning all the facets of his personality, including the man he becomes.

Abilities:

Altaïr is an Assassin, born into the brotherhood and as such, possessing of a great many skills. Often described as gifted, Altaïr was considered to be unmatched. As a Master Assassin, and the leader of the Assassin Order Altaïr has honed his body to be a weapon itself. A master of many different types of weaponry, his speciality lies in the bladed arts. His hidden blade and sword are more an extension of himself than mere tools that he wields, and he is an expert with the short blade and throwing knives as well. Altaïr uses a mix of blunt, quick motions as well as sweeping flourishes to dispatch his foes.

Subterfuge and subtlety is an assassin’s art, and as such Altaïr can easily hide in plain sight with practised ease and grace. Blending in with a crowd comes as second nature to him, and he’s a master of the ‘now you see him, now you don’t’ trick.

He is an excellent acrobat as well, skilled at parkour and freerunning. He takes to rooftops just as effortlessly as he walks upon the earth. A vertical ascension to a rooftop is second nature to him. He has been trained to pick his footing over precarious surfaces from a very young age, and had always excelled. His skills are almost unrivalled, to a point that many city informants and other assassins often ask for his help because of his swiftness, and the expertise he shows in dispatching his enemies. His quick reflexes and skilled blades have always served him well.

Sharp of mind and with sharper ears to match, Altaïr is a skilled eavesdropper. Able to pick out the most important voices from a cacophony of others this has often served Altaïr in discerning the information he needs to continue a mission. So too does he possess a skill known as ‘Eagle Vision’, which helps him to discern friends from enemies, and gives him a strong intuition on whether or not a person is a threat, or potential target of his. It can also be used to detect who is trustworthy to him, although it is not a skill that is infallible. When his Eagle Vision is active, to Altaïr’s eyes the world appears to fade to black, and people before him become illuminated in a colour to reveal their intentions. White for those possessing information, gold for those who are a target Altaïr is searching for, red for those with a hostile intent, and blue for those who are an ally, or non-threat. Depending on the situation and person, these colours can shift, and as mentioned Altaïr’s Eagle Vision can be fooled. All of this however, is entirely dependant upon a player’s permissions, and Altaïr can only use his Eagle Vision for short periods of time. Eagle Vision, according to canon is also something that can be trained, and as Altaïr trained from a young age to better learn the ability, it is likely that so too could he likely develop it further in time.

Altaïr is said to have been one of the most deadly Assassin's in the Order's history, his skills legendary hundreds of years after his passing.

In Ryan's Gulch these skills will serve Altaïr to gather more information about their surroundings. As an Assassin he is used to adopting new guises to blend in among the people, as well as learning as much as he can. He will likely attempt to reinstate the Brotherhood here, and his combat expertease will be used to train new recruits.

How did your character arrive in Rapture?

Altaïr, due to his time period and initial setting, will be taking the teleportation plasmid express! And won't be too happy to be landing under the sea. Swimming's not his forte.

Network sample:

[ The activation of the EZwave radio is accidental, as Altaïr is up with a start, alarmed- and expecting threat. His fingers twitch, feeling the familiar weight of his hidden blade, ready upon his arm. ]

What sorcery is this?

[ The demand is spoken sharp, and clipped, and he rolls to his feet, beginning to look around, ignoring the sense of uneasiness curled in the pit of his belly. He moves away from the radio, leaving it upon the floor as he searches the room. It is never wise to go forth in unfamiliar territory without assessing the situation. Lowly, beneath his voice he speaks, unawares that there is the remote possibilities that others might be listening. ]

Is this some kind of test? A Templar trick? [ He purses his lips, and then is gone altogether from the view of the camera, though the radio continues to record. ]

Log sample:

"Attack me,"

Altaïr's voice was low and firm as he stared the novice assassin down. He watched the brief spark pass through Desmond's eyes; the nervousness, an unsure presence in the other that Altaïr himself would deny having ever felt. There was no nervousness, no hesitation. Only action, only the process of moving forward, of learning through pain, and repetition.

For a brief moment, Altaïr closed his eyes. He drew in a slow breath, listened as the other fumbled forward. There was no real fear of the other in him, he doubted heavily in the other's skills, and had perhaps more faith than was modest in his own. ...Definitely more faith in his own skills than was considered modest.

In an instant, his eyes snapped open, glaring hard at the other. He caught Desmond's wrist with one hand, his other balled into a fist. Using the other's own momentum against him, Altaïr brought his fist against the other's sternum, with force enough to knock the air out of the other's lungs. It was a motion that Desmond had seen before within the animus, and before the other could be allowed to crumple entirely, Altaïr's foot had lashed out, kicking the other back, and painfully to the ground.

He stared down at the other, and didn't look particularly impressed. But well, at least Desmond could count himself lucky for not being kicked over the edge of the roof?

"You are clumsy, and lack form. The way you lead your attack puts little force behind the strike itself," he shook his head as he appraised the other's 'work', and reflected that it seemed as though he would have much of his own to do if the other were to become anything noteworthy. It was the work of a novice, and Altaïr could not help but reflect on when his own work had been so careless; so clumsy. The way the other flinched was telling to his hesitation.

Altaïr could not help but wonder if it were a lack of commitment that stalled Desmond's blade. It mattered little; Altaïr would teach him what it was to be a master assassin; to hold the Creed with the devotion it required, that it deserved. There was potential in this boy, yes- but it would take time, patience. Inwardly, Altaïr sneered, and questioned whether or not Desmond was even worth this time.