Assassin's Creed

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,(Altair meaning flying eagle) 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 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 Crusader and Saracen against their new-common enemy: the Assassins themselves. Altaïr pursues de Sablé to Arsuf and defeats him in trial by combat before Richard the Lionheart, convincing the king of de Sable's treason but not that an end to the war would be welcome to both sides. With his dying breath, de Sablé reveals 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, Jesus turning water to wine 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.

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