| “ | Of course not! I killed 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! | „ |
| ~ Majd Addin's final words. |
Majd Addin is one of the supporting antagonists from the acclaimed 2007 video game Assassin's Creed.
He was introduced as the appointed regent of the Saracen held city of Jerusalem, which he led in the absence of its true leader, Saladin. Covertly however, Majd was a member of the Order of the Knights Templar, specifically Robert De Sable's Levantine Brotherhood. An extreme sociopath and skilled manipulator, Majd ruled the Holy City with an iron fist, making his subjects fear him, just as much as they adored him.
However, Majd's tyranny and baseless cruelty, coupled with his hidden knowledge of the Pieces of Eden, eventually brought him to the attention of the Templar's enemies; the Order of the Assassins. Upon the orders of the Levantine Mentor Al Mualim, Majd became the sixth member of the brotherhood to fall at the hands of the infamous Assassin Altaïr Ibn La'Ahad.
For his video game appearance, Majd was voiced by Richard Cansino.
Personality[]
| “ | Majd: The brotherhood wanted the city. I wanted power. There was ... an opportunity. Altair: An opportunity to murder innocents? Majd: Not so innocent. Dissident voices cut deep as steel, they distrupt order. In this, I do agree with the brotherhood. |
„ |
| ~ Majd and Altaïr disguss the former's goals. Assassins Creed. |
Majd was a very sadistic and cruel man, who held little to no regard for human life. He freely executed his subjects on trumped up charges, carrying out the executions personally. Despite this baseless cruelty, however, Majd was a very intelligent man. His skilful use of honeyed words made (most) of the general public genuinely believe that Majd was acting in their best interest. This in turn boosted the Templar's inflated ego.
Despite being a member of the Templar Order, Majd cared little about the long term aims or of the Order. Whilst he did agree with some of their ideologies, Majd, by his own admittance only joined the Brotherhood to gain control over Jerusalem with his subsequent actions were carried out for his own sadistic pleasure. It is not known if or how the ancient artifacts impacted his faith but it is possible that the revelation that he would not be condoned or punished for his actions inspired Majd to act as he saw fit.
Biography[]
Rise to Power[]
Nothing is known about Majd Addin's early life, except that he was once a simple scribe in the court of Sultan Saladin. At some point however, Majd defected from the Saracen cause and joined the Order of the Knights Templar. Along with nine other "brothers" from both the Saracen and Crusader sides, Majd was shown the truth about the world and its inhabitants by the Templar Order's Grand Master, Robert de Sable. With their views on both the war and their religions changed, nine of these ten men, including Majd, pledged their allegiance to Robert. Banding together to form a Brotherhood, the group began operating covertly amongst the ranks of the Saracens and the Crusaders alike. Their intention was to overthrow their warring enemies and establish their own prosperous society within the Holy Land, with themselves as the new leaders.
Robert however, who was a very perceptive and clever man, appears to have recognized that Majd was not as committed to their cause as some of his other followers like Sibrand or William de Montferrat. For this reason, he appears to have assigned Majd the easiest and most simple task: take control of the Holy City of Jerusalem in Saladin's absence and await further instructions. With the Templar's vast resources at his disposal, Majd quickly established himself as the cities new regent. The general public believed that this appointment had been arranged by Saladin himself and although surprised that a simple scribe would be awarded such an esteemed position, trusted his judgement and offered no objection or resistance.
Unfortunately for them, Majd turned out to be a very brutal and cruel ruler. One of the very few Templar concepts that Majd fully embraced was the idea that if society was to flourish, law and order needed to be maintained at all times. Any voice or action that went against this stability needed to be immediately and ruthlessly stamped out. Taking this concept to the absolute extreme, Majd ruthlessly abused his new found authority. He demanded that cities population follow his laws, which he changed on a daily basis at all ways. His guards patrolled the city regularly and anybody found to be in violation of these laws was swiftly arrested. These unfortunate victims were then brought to the cities poor district and subjected to a public trial in which, the charges against them were greatly exaggerated. At each trial, Majd served as the judge, jury and executioner, a fact which greatly pleased and excited the sadistic Templar.
Death[]
| “ | Altaïr: Your work here is finished! Majd: No, no! It had only just begun! |
„ |
| ~ Altaïr Ibn'La'Ahad to Majd Addin, shortly before killing him. Assassins Creed. |
Despite Majd's open cruelty, he was (for the most part) able to convince the citizens of Jerusalem that he was acting in their best interests. This allowed him to continue with his schemes unchecked. What Majd appeared to have forgotten however was that there were other forces at work in the Holy Land besides that of the Templar Order. The tenth man, who shared in their knowledge of the Pieces of Eden, Al Mualim, wished to keep the knowledge and secrets of these ancient treasures for himself. Mualim eventually sent one of his most successful and infamous agents after Majd, a man who had already killed five out of Majd's eight brothers; Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.
On that particular day, Majd's men had provided their master with four fresh victims for his cruel machinations, three men and a woman. Surrounded by his bodyguards and a group of archers, Addin eventually made his way onto the platform. The proceedings were briefly interrupted by the family of one of Majd's victims who tried in vain to save their falsely condemned son, only to be stopped and slain by Majd's archers. With the would-be-rescuers dealt with, Majd turned to each of his victims. The woman was accused of whoring whilst the men were accused of gambling, theft and heresy respectively. Using his silver tongue, Majd in typical fashion made these people sound far more guilty than they were. The first three victims tried in vain to defend themselves, professing their innocence, but Majd killed them anyway, as the crowd cheered him on.
Distracted by his "work" Majd (and his guards) failed to notice the shadowy figure moving through the crowd. Altaïr had come to the scene for two reasons: -
- To end Majd's rule over Jerusalem.
- Free one Majd's victims. Unbeknownst to the crowd, the heretic, was in fact a member of the Assassins Order.
By the time the corrupt Regent had dispatched the "thief" the Levantine Assassin was ready. As Majd turned to address the audience once again, he was struck from the side and fell to the floor, dropping his sword. Injured but alive, Majd now, ironically stared up into the face of his own executioner. Pinning Majed to the floor, Altaïr told the horrified regent that his rule over Jerusalem was over, before demanding an explanation. What purpose did these cruel murders serve? How did this slaughter benefit Majd and the so called Brotherhood?
Seeing no reason to deny the truth, Majd admitted that there was no purpose behind it. He simply revelled in the God like status his position gave him and the thrill of condemning people to death. Disgusted by this statement, the Assassin asked if Majd executed these people for believing differently from him? The Templar countered that his victims were not innocent. They were people who disrupted order and peace, which threatened the brotherhoods ideals. Majd also confessed that he didn't execute his victims for the benefit of the brotherhood but because he enjoyed it. Stating that the Assassin did not understand what it felt like to hold the power of life and death over other individual and kill them freely.
What the Templar did not know, however was that Altaïr had, in fact, shared this opinion not so long ago. The Assassin admitted that there was a time he would have agreed with him but not anymore. Altaïr said that he had learnt a very important lesson, witnessing first hand what happened to people who did as they pleased and lifted "themselves above others". Intrigued, Majd asked what this was?
Altaïr willingly showed him; plunging his Hidden Blade into the Templar's neck, killing him. In accordance with Assassin custom (of the time), Altaïr marked a feather with Majd's blood as both a confirmation of the kill and a mark of respect. He then escaped back to the bureau, where he reported his success.
Funeral[]
Despite his death, Majd was still of some use to the Templar Brotherhood. Following the death of his remaining allies, Robert knew Al Mualim would send his student after him. In an effort to turn Al Mualim's own schemes against him and potentially eliminate Altaïr, Robert publicly pretended that he wished to make peace with the Saracens. As a demonstration of his commitment, he asked to be allowed to attend the funeral of Jerusalem's late regent: Majd Addin.
Saladin welcomed the opportunity for peace and gave his blessing, although the citizens of Jerusalem were uneasy and distrustful of the Christian soldiers. As Robert had predicted, Al Mualim took the bait and sent Altaïr to Majd's funeral. Upon entering the cemetery, Altaïr found a large group of citizens, Saracen soldiers and Templar Knights in attendance. Spotting what appeared to be "Robert", Altaïr made his way through the mourners. He noted that very few of men and women in attendance appeared to be sad or mourning their late leader.
Before the Assassin could reach his target however, he was spotted. Moving forwards, "Robert" notified the cleric, before calling in additional soldiers. The imam leading the ceremony then pointed Altaïr out to the public, whereupon the Saracen and Crusader soldiers alike descended upon Majd's murderer. Altaïr managed to defeat his enemies and eventually unmasked "Robert" as the Templar agent Maria Thorpe. The woman gleefully informed Altaïr that Robert had played the Assassin like a fiddle. Robert was actually located at the fields of Arsuaf where he intended to persuade both Richard the Lionheart and Saladin to join forces against the common enemy who had already eliminated many of their subordinates, the Assassins. Thanks to a swift response from Altaïr, this scheme failed and the plans at Majd's funeral came to nothing.
Trivia[]
- Assassin Creed fans generally consider Majd to be one of, if not the most evil Templar in the entire franchise. Unlike the rest of his "brothers" he is not motivated by revenge or belief in a higher purpose. By Majd's own admission, his cruel actions were carried out for his own twisted and sadistic amusement.
- Majd was the first Templar in the Assassins Creed franchise who required more than one strike from the Hidden Blade to finish off.
- He is also, notably the only Templar to whom Robert did not assign a covert mission to help the Levantine Brotherhood take control of the Holy Land.
- In the game, during Majd's assassination mission the player (as Altaïr) can save all four of Majd's victims. In the corresponding novel, however, it was confirmed that Altaïr only saved his brother Assassin, letting the woman and two other men die.
External Links[]
- Majd Addin on the Assassin's Creed Wiki
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