In the first Assassin's Creed game, the Master Assassin who leads the story is Altaïr.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad is the playable protagonist of Assassin's Creed, released in 2007. The game follows him during the Third Crusade, when he is sent across the Holy Land to investigate targets connected with the Templars. His name is sometimes written without the diacritic as Altair, but Altaïr is the conventional spelling used in the series.
Altaïr begins the story as an accomplished but overconfident Assassin. After failing a mission, he is stripped of rank and must regain his status by completing assignments for the Brotherhood's leader, Al Mualim. His missions take him to cities including Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus.
Players sometimes confuse Altaïr with Ezio Auditore, the later protagonist of the Italian Renaissance games. Altaïr is also central to Assassin's Creed Revelations, which explores his later life and legacy.