BASIM IBN ISHAQ

Basim was born around 844 in Samarra,[2] to the architect[3] Ishaq ibn Khalid[4] and his Norse wife, who died of an unspecified illness[5] during Basim's youth.[2] After Caliph al-Mutawakkil[4] took credit for Ishaq's greatest creation,[3] the Great Mosque of Samarra, he was sentenced to exile.[6] Abandoning his seven-year-old son,[7] Ishaq left the caliphal capital and was presumed to have later died in poverty,[6] but in truth was held hostage in al-Ula[8] by a group of robbers led by a man named 'Abis.[9] In Ishaq's absence, Basim was considered an orphan and grew up on Baghdad's streets.[2] Basim discussing his nightmares with Nehal Basim discussing his nightmares with Nehal As a child,[2] Basim frequently visited the city's House of Wisdom. During one such visit, he met the famed astronomer Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, whom he described as kind and openhearted, and the experience left a lasting impression on him.[6] For a time, Basim lived in the Karkh district of Baghdad,[10] where he met and befriended the Chinese tea merchant Kong.[11] Basim was secretly the inheritor of the memories of Loki, an Isu who had used Yggdrasil to seed his genetic code into humanity's gene pool to circumvent the Great Catastrophe that destroyed his race. His goal was to be reunited with his lover Aletheia, whose consciousness was preserved within the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus.[12] Basim was initially unaware of his past life, though he still experienced Loki's repressed memories in the form of nightmarish visions of a djinn, representing the torture Loki had been made to endure during his imprisonment in the Alamut Temple. He also mistakenly perceived Loki's consciousness as Nehal, his alleged best friend, who accompanied Basim at every step and encouraged him to pursue his own self-interests.[13] This went against Basim's desire to fight for justice, born from the injustice his own father had experienced.[14] Advertisement Introduction to the Hidden Ones Meeting Roshan Basim: "You need something stolen, I am your man. Dervis can attest. He has given me all your contracts." Roshan: "Then you have done your part." Basim: "I can do more." —Basim trying to convince Roshan to recruit him into the Hidden Ones, 861.[src]-[m] By 861, Basim was living in Anbar, where he was part of a network of thieves led by the peddler Dervis, for whom he conducted various jobs on behalf of his clients. One of those clients were the Hidden Ones, whom Basim admired for their dedication to fighting injustice and oppression, hoping to one day join them.[14] Basim offering his services to Roshan Basim offering his services to Roshan On 11 December 861, Basim was tasked by Dervis to steal a shipping ledger from the harbor on the Hidden Ones' behalf. This upset Nehal, who viewed the job as a favor due to the Hidden Ones usually paying very little, and she reminded Basim that he owed nothing to anyone but himself. After infiltrating the harbor and stealing the ledger, Basim returned to Dervis' hideout, finding him in the midst of a conversation with the Master Assassin Roshan.[14] Basim gave Roshan the ledger, from which she deduced that a chest sought by the Hidden Ones had arrived in Anbar that morning. Basim volunteered to steal the chest and expressed his intention to join the Hidden Ones, but Roshan dismissed him and left. Dervis was infuriated by Basim's attitude towards Roshan and threatened to reduce his pay, before telling him that if he wished to keep working for him, he had to do as he was told.[14] Breaking into the Winter Palace Al-Mutawakkil: "Do you have any idea what they will do to me?" Basim: "Please, I—I am sorry." Al-Mutawakkil: "This... This is your fault." —Al-Mutawakkil confronting Basim after the latter stole the chest's contents, 861.[src]-[m] After talking with one of his fellow thieves, Jasib, Basim learned that the chest had been taken to Caliph al-Mutawakkil's Winter Palace and decided to steal it in the hopes of ingratiating himself with the Hidden Ones, much to Nehal's protests. Breaking into the palace at night alongside Nehal, Basim witnessed a meeting between al-Mutawakkil and five masked figures, who threatened the caliph to keep the chest safe and to never lay eyes on its contents.[14] Al-Mutawakkil confronting Basim Al-Mutawakkil confronting Basim After the masked people left, Basim stole the contents of the chest: a disk-shaped artifact which displayed a holographic message of an unknown man striking a prisoner. This attracted the attention of al-Mutawakkil, who realized that the masked people would punish him for seeing the artifact and attempted to take revenge on Basim. In the ensuing struggle, the caliph managed to pin Basim against a pillar and began choking him.[14] Acting quickly, Basim grabbed the caliph's knife and stabbed him in the neck,[13] though in his mind it was Nehal who had done this.[14] Al-Mutawakkil's son Abu 'Abdallah was drawn by the commotion and, seeing Basim standing next to his father's corpse, ordered the guards to capture the thief. Basim managed to escape from the palace and outrun the guards chasing him before returning to his dwelling. After processing the events that had just transpired, he attempted to go to sleep, but experienced one of his recurring nightmares of the djinn.[14] Advertisement Joining the Brotherhood "I cannot explain what I saw. That object. It did something to me. I was... somewhere else. Cold. And frightened. Before I knew it, the Caliph had his hands around my neck. I... it was an accident, I did not mean for... just wanted to help." ―Basim trying to explain the events that went down at the Winter Palace to Roshan, 861.[src]-[m] Basim discovering the consequences of his actions Basim discovering the consequences of his actions The following morning, Basim was awoken by Roshan, who questioned him about the artifact he had stolen from the Winter Palace, but he could not explain what he had experienced. Roshan then invited Basim to join her in fleeing Anbar, as the guards were searching for a thief matching his description. However, Basim refused to abandon his friends and went to Dervis' hideout.[14] To his horror, he found the bodies of all his friends hung and tied to wooden poles—a clear warning from the Caliphate guards intended for him. At that moment, Nehal appeared to console Basim, but he angrily blamed her for killing al-Mutawakkil, thus indirectly causing his fellow thieves' deaths, and ended their friendship. Realizing that the guards would not stop until they killed him, Basim decided to accept Roshan's invite to escape and went to the docks.[14] Basim rescued by Roshan Basim rescued by Roshan At the harbor, Basim was caught by several guards who attempted to execute him, but he was saved by Roshan, who killed his assailants. As more guards showed up, Roshan instructed Basim to follow her to the top of a nearby building. There, he watched as Roshan took a leap and jumped into the river below. With the guards rapidly approaching him, Basim followed suit and fell into the water while dodging a soldier's sword swing.[14] Hidden One training "Never forget the tenets you have sworn to uphold. Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent. Hide in plain sight. Never compromise the Brotherhood. Then out of the dark, you will come into the light. And from the light, you will return to the dark." ―Roshan at Basim's induction into the Brotherhood, 860s.[src]-[m] Roshan subsequently took Basim to the Hidden Ones' base at Alamut in order to induct him into the Brotherhood, and became his mentor, training him in swordsmanship, stealth, and freerunning. During his training, Basim became acquainted with several of his fellow Hidden Ones, including Nur, who became a close friend; the Eagle Master Fuladh Al Haami, who introduced him to an eagle named Enkidu; and the blacksmith Rebekah, who forged him a personal scimitar at Roshan's request.[15] Basim and Nur informing the Alamut Council of the mercenaries Basim and Nur informing the Alamut Council of the mercenaries Two months into his training, while Basim was on patrol duty with Nur, the two spotted several mercenaries near the Hidden Ones' camp. After dispatching them, they reported back to Roshan, Fuladh, and the Brotherhood's Mentor, Rayhan. Believing the mercenaries had been sent by the Order of the Ancients to find their hideout, Rayhan decided to send someone to Baghdad to investigate the Order's activities, and Nur volunteered.[15] Eventually, Basim completed his training and was formally inducted into the Brotherhood, receiving a Hidden Blade after cutting off his left ring finger, as well as Enkidu as a companion. Shortly after Basim's induction, Nur returned from Baghdad, gravely wounded but still alive. Realizing that the Order held more power in Baghdad than they initially thought, Rayhan assigned Basim, Roshan, and Fuladh to continue Nur's investigation and establish a stronger presence for the Hidden Ones in the city.[16] Similarly to Loki, Basim was a curious mind, possessing a deep commitment to the pursuit of scholarly activities and a hunger for knowledge and wisdom. In his youth, he was a frequent visitor of Baghdad's House of Wisdom, where he indulged in his passion for science, studying various books about astronomy and other scientific subjects.[107] Basim haunted by Loki's memories, represented as a djinn Basim haunted by Loki's memories, represented as a djinn Due to being orphaned at a young age, Basim was forced to become a thief to survive on Baghdad's streets. Despite this, he possessed a strong desire to help those in need and fight against corruption and injustice, likely born from the injustice his own father had faced. He was also earnest, charismatic, and witty. However, in his desire to impress and join his idols, the Hidden Ones, he could also be quite reckless, as shown in his decision to break into the Winter Palace, which later resulted in the deaths of most of his friends.[108] After becoming a Hidden One, Basim was initially a firm believer of the Creed and served without question. Over time, however, he began to doubt his own freedom and realized the Brotherhood's hypocrisy, which was first pointed out to him by people like Ali ibn Muhammad and Nehal, who believed that people only owed a moral obligation to themselves and should be free to act as they pleased. He also started questioning his own nature and sought to uncover the source of his nightmares of the djinn, which had been haunting him for most of his life. To this end, he effectively betrayed his master Roshan by choosing to investigate the Alamut Temple against her orders, though his decision was supported by Mentor Rayhan.[108] Upon learning that he was Loki incarnate, Basim chose to embrace his repressed memories, going back on his vow to abandon his past which he had made when he first joined the Hidden Ones.[108] After becoming fully aware of his past life as Loki, Basim assimilated some of Loki's traits, becoming a darker and more mysterious character who mostly kept to himself. He also frequently employed manipulation as a tactic to achieve his goals. He was notably able to play on Sigurd's desire for greatness to convince him that he was a god and create a rift in his and Eivor's friendship.[107] Like his past self, Basim was a skilled manipulator Like his past self, Basim was a skilled manipulator As Loki's human self, Basim's main objective was to reunite his family and exact revenge on Odin for imprisoning his son Fenrir. Despite this, he did not abandon the Hidden Ones, as he still believed in their cause, even if not as thoroughly as when he had first joined. He also sought to spread his teachings to his apprentice, Hytham, and took pride in knowing that Hytham was taking after him, according to Eivor.[107] Like his predecessor, Basim valued loyalty and kindness towards his kin. He was loyal to Sigurd's clan, despite being aware of his true nature, and showed them kindness and devotion throughout their time together in Norway and England. Only upon discovering that Eivor was Odin's human self, Basim went into a manic state and betrayed his former ally, attempting to kill Eivor to avenge the suffering brought upon his family. He also tried to kill Sigurd despite their friendship, simply because he had chosen "the wrong side."[107] Following his defeat and imprisonment in the Grey, Basim spent centuries carefully studying the calculations to determine the best paths to take for his next plots. By the 21st century, his repeated studies of the calculations and Loki's memories had made him capable of understanding how modern human societies and equipment functioned, such as the Animus.[107] Skills and equipment "Through all my stoicism, my harsh lessons, know that you have impressed me, Basim." ―Roshan to Basim, 860s.[src]-[m] Growing up alone on the streets of Baghdad, Basim took to thievery as a means of survival, becoming a skilled pickpocket. A master freerunner, he was able to scale most buildings as well as natural elements with relative ease, and could also transverse over and under various obstacles almost instantly. He also proved to be a strong swimmer whilst exploring various underwater ruins, and was capable of holding his breath for a relatively long period of time.[108] Basim fighting two guards with his sword and dagger Basim fighting two guards with his sword and dagger While Basim had some experience sneaking around, being able to infiltrate the Anbar harbor and the Winter Palace, his stealth skills were refined upon joining the Hidden Ones. He learned how to blend in with his environment, such as groups of people and benches, and mastered several assassination techniques with his Hidden Blade. When focusing enough, he could assassinate enemies in such a rapid succession that, when an Assassin later relived Basim's memories via the Animus, the machine struggled to render his movements.[108] Basim initially possessed virtually no combat skills, but over the course of his training at Alamut, he became a proficient swordsman. During his time in Baghdad, he wielded a sword and a parrying dagger and would utilize both in combat, allowing him to strike at his enemies quickly and block incoming attacks. However, while he could take on a few guards with relative ease, he struggled when confronted by larger groups.[108] During his later years in England, he preferred to utilize a single scimitar, which mirrored the weapon used by Loki during the Isu Era.[107] Basim fleeing from a group of guards after using a smoke bomb Basim fleeing from a group of guards after using a smoke bomb Thanks to the triplet brothers Abu Jafar Muhammad, Ahmad, and Al-Hasan, Basim had access to a variety of gadgets, including throwing knives, smoke bombs, a blowpipe, noisemakers, and explosive traps that could knock out large groups of enemies. Furthermore, the brothers could upgrade these tools at Basim's request using materials he had found while exploring Baghdad. This increased their efficiency and allowed Basim to apply different effects to them.[108] In his later years in England, Basim would abandon most of these gadgets, though he still occasionally used smoke bombs and throwing knives, as well as an early variant of the rope dart.[107] Basim possessed the rare ability of Eagle Vision, which allowed him to release a brief pulse that would locate and tag nearby enemies and points or objects of interest, even through walls and floorboards. Upon becoming a Hidden One, as was custom among the brotherhood, he received an eagle companion named Enkidu, who aided him in reconnaissance. After embracing his nature as Loki, however, Enkidu sensed the change in Basim's character and rejected him.[108] Basim's Hidden One initiate attire Basim's Hidden One initiate attire When he first joined the Hidden Ones, Basim was given the standard initiate's outfit. After rising through the Brotherhood's ranks and becoming a Master Assassin, he received a new set of robes,[108] including a red sash which signified his new rank.[109] Eventually, Basim abandoned these robes in favor of the standard attire worn by Hidden Ones in the Middle East, though he added a personal detail in the form of a broach on the right side. The broach featured a wolf, a snake, and a skull, likely representing Loki's children Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel; as such, its design was intended to reinforce Basim's ties to his past life.[107] Upon emerging from Yggdrasil in the 21st century, Basim wore a grey hoodie, a black t-shirt with a wolf and moon design on the front, brown cargo pants, and brown shoes with red laces.[104] Behind the scenes Basim ibn Ishaq is a character introduced in the 2020 video game Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, in which he is portrayed by the Canadian actor Carlo Rota.[110] He later appeared as the protagonist of the 2023 game Assassin's Creed: Mirage, where he is portrayed by the Lebanese-Canadian actor Lee Majdoub.[111] As a series protagonist, Basim has several distinctions. He is the second mainline protagonist who was introduced in a previous installment, after Edward Kenway, who was referenced in Assassin's Creed III and first appeared in the novel Assassin's Creed: Forsaken. He is also the only protagonist to serve as an antagonist in another game, and the only one to be playable in both the Animus and the modern day. In Valhalla, Basim's robes can be obtained for free from Ubisoft Connect as an outfit for Eivor to wear in-game. While wearing the outfit, Eivor's Hidden Blade is repositioned under her forearm as opposed to on top of it. As a result of this, she will have her left hand open as opposed to clenching it into a fist when assassinating enemies with the Hidden Blade. The repositioned Hidden Blade, however, can result in some animation errors in which the blade would clip through Eivor's hand while extended during certain attack animations and cutscenes. The same robes can be obtained again from Ubisoft Connect for Basim's younger self in Mirage, under the name "Basim Valhalla Costume". Unlike their depiction in Valhalla, the robes in Mirage have the large cloak removed and feature an additional red sash hanging behind Basim's right shoulder. Etymology Basim (باسم) is an Arabic name meaning "one who smiles",[112] derived from بَسَمَ (basama) meaning "to smile".[113][114] This is acknowledged in Mirage's 2025 downloadable expansion Valley of Memory, in which Basim's father Ishaq mentions that he was named after his mother's smile.[5] His nasab (نسب) "ibn Ishaq" means "son of Ishaq", with Ishaq, the Arabic form of Isaac, meaning "laughing". In official company material, Ubisoft continuously and erroneously stylizes Basim's nasab as "Ibn Ishaq", with a capital ⟨I⟩, when that is uncommon practice. Additionally, it occasionally renders his patronymic as "Is'haq", incorrectly adding a ⟨'⟩ to represent a sukūn ⟨ ْ⟩ denoting the preceding syllable ends in the consonant. This is a non-standardized way to romanize the Arabic إسحاق and is used to signify that the ⟨sh⟩ is not a digrah pronounced as a single phoneme. In standard transliteration schemes, a ⟨'⟩ is used to represent a hamza, which indicates a full glottal stop.