The protagonist of the original Assassin's Creed is Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.
Altaïr is a Syrian Assassin operating during the Third Crusade, when the game moves among cities including Masyaf, Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus. His name is commonly rendered as Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, meaning “Altaïr, son of no one” in the game's fictional naming convention.
At the beginning of the story, Altaïr's arrogance causes him to lose his rank and equipment. His mentor, Al Mualim, then assigns him a sequence of assassination missions. These missions gradually reveal a conflict involving the Templars and Pieces of Eden.
Altaïr is sometimes confused with Ezio Auditore, the lead character of the next major historical trilogy. Altaïr also appears in later entries, especially Assassin's Creed: Revelations, but the original game is centered on his transformation from an overconfident master Assassin into a more thoughtful leader.