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| “ | I followed my orders, believing in my cause, same as you. | „ |
| ~ Sibrand's last words. |
Sibrand is a major antagonist of its 2007 the video game Assassin's Creed, first installament of the serires
Publicly, he is the leader or Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights and the regent of Acre's port district. Secretly however, he is a member of the Order of the Knights Templar, working alongside eight fellow traitors to bring the Holy Land under the Templar's direct control. For this reason, he was targeted and ultimately assassinated by Altaïr Ibn La'Ahad in 1191.
He was voiced by Arthur Holden who also voiced Emilio Barbarigo in Assassin's Creed 2.
Personality[]
Unlike some of his fellow Templar's, Sibrand is not motivated by petty revenge or material profit. He genuinely believes that the Templar's are doing a good thing for humanity and is determined to see their ambitions fulfilled. That being said, he is a completely ruthless man who fails to see the hypocrisy in the violent methods he employs in order to create this new world.
Once a faithful man, Sibrand's life is now dominated by fear and paranoia. He fears death above all other things, having lost his faith in both God and the afterlife. As a result of this he is extremely vigilant to the point of paranoia. He sees plots and enemies where there aren't any and is determined more than anything not to share the fate of his Templar brethren, a task, which he completely failed at.
History[]
Becoming a Templar[]
A Crusader Knight serving under King Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade, Sibrand helped to establish the Order of the Teutonic Knights, becoming its first leader or Grand Master. At some point during the conflict, he was contacted by Robert De Sable, the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights Templar. Here, De Sable showed him and other men on both sides of the conflict the Apple of Eden and shared its secrets with them.
The "knowledge" imparted from this artifact, caused all of the men present, including to Sibrand, to renounce their faith and join De Sable. Agreeing on the futility of their conflict, they formed a Brotherhood, betrayed their respective leaders (Richard and Saladin) and secretly plotted to bring the entirety of the Holy Land under their direct control.
Amongst Sibrand's fellow conspirators, were William De Montferrat and Garnier De Naplouse (the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitalier). Together these three men were given direct control over three specific areas within the city of Acre. Sibrand was given control of the middle district, which linked to the port. Here, De Sable ordered him to gather as many ships as possible for the coming war, which Sibrand did willingly, much to the disgust and confusion of Acre's citizens.
Assassination[]
| “ | Please, don't do this. | „ |
| ~ Sibrand pleads with Altaïr after being fatally wounded by the Assassin. Assassins Creed Video game. |
Throughout 1191, several of Sibrand's Templar brothers were assassinated by the assassin Altaïr Ibn La'Ahad, upon the order of the Levantine Assassin mentor, Al Mualim. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before he himself was targeted, Sibrand became increasingly vigilant and ultimately paranoid. He began ordering his men to carry out frequent patrols. Alert for even the slightest signs of danger, Sibrand began to suspect several innocent people (including his own men) of conspiracy and collusion. These fears were ultimately justified, as unbeknownst to anybody including Sibrand himself, Altaïr eventually began stalking him.
As he had done with his previous targets, Altaïr carefully gathered information about his target, learning Sibrand's routine and movement. After being granted permission from the bureau leader, Altaïr went to the docks to find his target. There, he witnessed Sibrands paranoia, watching as the crazed and fearful man accused an innocent scholar of being an assassin, simply because the man wore white clothes. Declaring that he would not make the same mistakes that William and Garnier had, Sibrand killed the scholar, told his men to stay vigilant, before donning his helmet and returning to his ship. Even from the relative safety of his vessel, Sibrand still did not consider himself safe. Drawing his bow, he would frequently shout at his soldiers that if they would not protect him, he would deal with the issue himself before shooting wildly at birds and non-existent figures.
Unfortunately for Sibrand, Altaïr used the latter's paranoia to his advantage. Creeping along the docks unnoticed, Altaïr eventually managed to reach Sibrand's ship. The Assassin waited for his opportunity and when the Grand Master was distracted, he struck. Clambering onto the deck, Altaïr plunged his hidden blade into the Templar's neck, fatally injuring him.
As the Assassin lowered him onto the deck, Sibrand did something that none of Altaïr's other targets had done and pleaded for his life. Clutching his killers arm, the Crusader acknowledged that he was, as the Assassin speculated, afraid to die. Altaïr tried to comfort the dying Templar, assuring Sibrand that he did not need to be afraid anymore. His suffering was over now. He would soon be at peace and welcomed into the eternal, loving care of the Christian God.
To his surprise however, Sibrand spurned this kindness. Perplexed, the covert Templar asked if Altaïr had learnt nothing from the other targets, i.e. Sibrand's brother Templars. Confused, the Assassin asked what he was talking about to which Sibrand revealed that he and the other members of Robert's Brotherhood were atheists. The Apple of Eden, Sibrand claimed, had done more than impart ancient wisdom. It showed them the truth about the world, including life and death. After studying it's wisdom, the nine brothers no longer believed in God or any form of afterlife.
Shaken Altaïr asked Sibrand about his role in the Templar's conspiracy. With nothing to lose anymore, Sibrand freely admitted that Robert had ordered him to gather ships for a navy. He stated that when the Templar's launched their coup to "free" the Holy Land "from the tyranny of faith", his armada would have patrolled the shores "to keep the fool Kings and Queens from sending reinforcements" allowing the Order to succeed in its ambition. Altaïr immediately pointed out the hypocrisy of Sibrand's actions. He spoke of liberty and freedom, yet he (and the other Templar's) besieged cities, whilst murdering and brainwashing any that opposed them.
Sibrand did not deny this accusation but did not repent either. With his last breath, the dying man stated that he was, at the end of the day, just following the orders for a cause that he believed in. With these final words, the Master of the Teutonic Order succumbed to his injuries, putting an end to Sibrand's treachery and life. As with all of his victims, Altaïr gave Sibrand his last rites; by marking a feather with his victims blood. He presented this feather to the head of the bureau, confirming the completion of his task.
Sibrand's death put an end to the Templar's influence over both the Teutonic Order and Acre. Thanks to his confession, Altaïr was able to expose Robert's treachery to King Richard I, putting an end to the Templar Grand Master's life and his plans of a Crusader Saracen alliance against the Assassins. Al Mualim, later used Sibrand's image, alongside those his "brothers", during Altaïr's final confrontation with his treacherous master at Massauf castle.
Trivia[]
- Along with fellow characters Robert De Sable, Richard the Lionheart, Saladin, William De Montferrat, and Garnier De Naplouse, Sibrand is based off of a real historical figure. Although many details of his life remain unknown, the real Sibrand was nothing like his game counterpart: -
- He was of course not a member of the Templar Order, although he probably did fight alongside them during the Crusade. There is also no evidence to suggest that the real Sibrand ever came into contact with the Assassin Order or faced potential assassination from them.
- Unlike in the game, Sibrand was a devout Christian and a strong believer in the afterlife.
- Whilst the Teutonic Knights are shown as a military order in the game (which took place in 1191), historically the Order would not be militarised until 1198. Sibrand whilst technically the first Grand Master, is generally considered one of the Order's founding fathers.
- Unlike his game counterpart, who murdered innocent people, the real Sibrand cared greatly about the welfare of the ordinary citizens, as demonstrated by him helping to establish a hospital within Acre in 1191/92.
- Finally, although contested, Sibrand is believed to have died around 1202, 10 - 11 years after the events of Assassin's Creed.
- In the game, Sibrand is the only member of the Templar Brotherhood to plead for his life.
- Sibrand was the only one of Altaïr's targets to appear before the assassination mission.
- Due to a glitch in the game, Sibrand can lose his helmet between the cutscene and his assassination/fight with Altaïr.
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 Villains
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Isu Proto-Templar Organizations Cult of Kosmos (Peloponnesian War) Order of the Ancients
Knight Templars Mongolian Templars Egyptian Templars Italian Templars Spanish Templars Byzantine Templars Chinese Templars Japanese Templars Caribbean Templars
Portuguese Templars Louisiana Templars Colonial Templars/American Templars British Templars Parisian Templars Austrian Templars Russian Templars German Templars 21st Century Templars (Abstergo Industries, mainly)
Assassin Brotherhood & Their Allies Bellatores Dei Girolamo Savonarola's forces The Tyranny of King Washington Xiongnu Jack the Ripper Mythological Creatures Miscellaneous | ||