| Dadua Maïga of Gao | |
|---|---|
| |
| Biographical information | |
| Born |
1485, Gao, Songhai Empire |
| Died |
1567, Marrakesh, Saadi Sultanate, Morocco |
| Political information | |
| Affiliations |
Malian Brotherhood |
| Real-world information | |
Dadua Maïga (1485-1567) was a member of the Malian branch of the Assassin Brotherhood, born in the late 15th century in the city of Gao, which was then a bustling trade hub in the Songhai Empire.
Early Life[]
He was the youngest of three siblings and was orphaned at a young age when his parents and siblings died in a fire that engulfed their home, with him being the only survivor. Dadua was taken in by a group of turaeg merchants, who taught him the art of negotiation and survival in the harsh desert environment.
Introduction into the Brotherhood[]
When Dadua was a teenager, he crossed paths with the then mentor of the Malian Brotherhood, Fatouma Halidou, who was impressed by his resourcefulness and quick thinking. She soon recruited him into their ranks and began training him in the ways of the assassins. Fatouma recognized Dadua's potential and made sure to challenge him with difficult missions that tested his abilities. Dadua's first mission for the brotherhood was to eliminate a corrupt noble who had been exploiting the people of Gao for his own gain, known as Alhassan Moussa. Dadua succeeded in carrying out the mission with precision and skill, and his success earned him the respect of his fellow assassins. From then on, Dadua was given increasingly important and dangerous missions, which he always completed with unwavering dedication and loyalty to the cause. Dadua showed a natural aptitude for the craft, and his agility and speed made him a formidable opponent. From then on, Dadua was given increasingly important and dangerous missions, which he always completed with unwavering dedication and loyalty to the cause.
After Dadua had managed to eliminate Moussa, the assassins who had discovered him knew that he had potential to become one of their most skilled members. They saw in him a natural talent for stealth, agility, and the ability to think on his feet, all essential traits for a successful assassin. Dadua was trained in the art of stealth, learning to move silently through the shadows, to blend in with crowds, and to strike without warning. He quickly became one of the most promising recruits in the brotherhood, and his skills were put to the test on numerous missions. Eventually, the assassins who had recruited Dadua decided that it was time for him to see the true extent of the brotherhood's power. They brought him to Timbuktu, the city where the headquarters of the Songhai Brotherhood was located at the time.
Assassination of Askia Musa[]
In 1531, Askia Musa, the Askia of the Songhai Empire, was ambushed and killed in the village of Mansura. It was a carefully planned operation by the Malian Brotherhood, with Dadua Maiga at the forefront of the mission. Askia Musa was known to be in league with the Templars for many years, and had usurped the throne from his aging father, Askia Muhammad I, only three years earlier (although he had merely forced him to abdicate instead of killing him) to put the Empire under complete Templar control, giving the order direct access to its gold deposits and salt mines. Musa had already been manipulating his father for many years and influencing him to make policies and laws that favor the Templar Order in secret. As a result, the Brotherhood, in collaboration with the Askia's disgruntled brothers who were fed up with his despotic rule, decided that Askia Musa needed to be eliminated as soon as possible to cut off the Templars' new source of income.
Dadua knew that the task of assassinating the Askia would not be an easy one. Askia Musa was heavily guarded, and his palace in Gao was fortified with numerous traps and guards. Dadua decided to take a patient approach, spending weeks observing the palace's movements, studying the patterns of the guards and the Emperor's routines. It was soon decided that attacking the emperor in Gao directly was a horrible idea that would draw too much attention, and the brotherhood settled on attacking him in a place he least expected instead: in a small, inconspicuous village.
Dadua and his fellow assassins spent weeks gathering intelligence, studying the layout of the village, and identifying the best locations for the ambush. They knew that Askia Musa would be traveling through the area, and they were ready to strike when the time was right. On the day of the attack, the assassins lay in wait, hidden in the surrounding foliage. As the emperor's entourage passed by, Dadua sprang into action, launching a surprise attack that took the group by surprise. The battle was fierce, with both sides suffering heavy casualties, but in the end, Dadua emerged victorious, striking the emperor himself down with a takouba. The death of Askia Musa was a significant blow to the Templars, and it marked a turning point in the battle for control of the Songhai Empire.
Discovery of Isu Temple at Djenné[]
Around the year 1532, the Brotherhood had received intelligence that there was an Isu temple hidden beneath the Great Mosque of Djenné, one of the most important religious sites in the empire. Dadua was chosen to lead the mission to find this ancient site, a testament to his skills and experience. He assembled a team of assassins and set out for Djenné, where they began to investigate the mosque. It didn't take long for Dadua to realize that there was something unusual about the building. The structure was old, far older than the mosque that had been built on top of it, and the architecture was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Using his knowledge of the Isu, Dadua began to search for hidden entrances and secret passages that would lead them to the temple. It was slow and painstaking work, but eventually, they discovered a hidden staircase that led deep beneath the mosque. As they descended deeper into the temple, they found themselves surrounded by strange machinery and technology, all of it seemingly frozen in time.
As Dadua delved deeper into the Isu temple beneath the mosque, he could feel the weight of history pressing down on him. The place was vast, its walls covered in carvings and inscriptions that spoke of the Isu's might and wisdom. It was as if he had stepped into a different world, one where the impossible was commonplace and the laws of nature were mere suggestions. But Dadua was not here to admire the temple's beauty. He was on a mission to retrieve a lost artifact of Eden, one that the Assassins believed could help turn the tide in the ongoing war against the Templars. He had been sent here by his fellow Assassins, who had discovered the temple's location through their extensive network of spies and informants.
As he made his way through the twisting passages and ancient chambers of the temple, Dadua encountered a series of deadly traps and puzzles. He relied on his training and instincts to avoid them, but it was clear that the Isu had not wanted their secrets to be uncovered easily. Finally, after hours of searching, he came upon a sealed chamber that he knew must be the location of the artifact. Using his knowledge of ancient languages and technology, Dadua was able to decipher the complex series of locks and mechanisms that kept the chamber sealed. With a final twist of a lever, the door opened, revealing a small pedestal in the center of the room. On it sat a gleaming object that seemed to pulse with energy.
Dadua approached the pedestal cautiously, knowing that the artifact was both incredibly powerful and incredibly dangerous. As he reached out to take it, he felt a jolt of electricity shoot through his body. For a moment, he thought he might be electrocuted, but then the sensation passed, and he found himself holding the artifact in his hand. It was a small, golden sphere, no larger than a grapefruit, but it seemed to contain the entire universe within it. Dadua could feel its power coursing through his veins, filling him with strength and clarity of thought. He knew that he had found something truly extraordinary, something that could change the course of history.
It was a marvel to behold, and Dadua felt a sense of awe and wonder at the Isu's ingenuity. But he also knew that the Brotherhood had a mission to complete. They searched the temple, looking for any other information or artifacts that could be of use to them. In the end, they found what they were looking for, a device that could manipulate time itself. The Brotherhood knew that such power could not be left in the wrong hands, and so they took the device and destroyed the temple, sealing it away from the world forever.
With the artifact safely in his possession, Dadua made his way back to the surface, his heart racing with excitement and anticipation. He knew that the Assassins would be waiting for him, eager to hear of his success and to begin the next phase of their war against the Templars. For Dadua, this was just the beginning of a long and perilous journey, one that would take him to the very edges of the known world and beyond. But with the artifact of Eden in his hand, he knew that he was ready for whatever lay ahead. Dadua returned to Timbuktu with a newfound appreciation for the Isu and their technology, but also a deep sense of respect for the dangers that such power could pose. The memory of his journey to the temple of Djenné would stay with him for the rest of his life, a reminder of the incredible things that lay hidden beneath the surface of the world.
Relocation to Morocco[]
Dadua in his later years
In the 1550s, Dadua found himself on the run after a failed assassination attempt on a high-ranking official in the Songhai Empire. The official had strong ties with the Templars, and his death would have dealt a significant blow to their operations in the region. Dadua had planned the operation meticulously, but a last-minute complication forced him to abandon the mission and flee. Dadua knew that the Templars would be hot on his trail and that he needed to leave the empire as quickly as possible, as he was declared an outlaw after the botched assassination attempt. He made his way across the Sahara Desert, evading patrols and staying off the beaten path to avoid detection. The journey was long and arduous, and Dadua was forced to rely on the survival skills he had been taught many years ago to make it through. He subsisted on meager rations of water and dried meat, and often had to go without food for days at a time. After several weeks of travel, Dadua finally arrived in Morocco, where he hoped to lay low and plan his next move. He knew that the Templars would be searching for him, and that he would need to be careful if he was to avoid capture. He took up residence in a small village on the outskirts of Marrakesh, where he spent several years laying low and gathering information on the Templars' activities in the region. Despite the danger he faced, Dadua refused to abandon his mission to fight against the Templars. He remained committed to the Brotherhood's cause, and his years in exile only strengthened his resolve.
Ottoman Invasion of Saadi Sultanate[]
Soon after relocating to Morocco, Dadua quickly discovered that the corrupt nobles of the Saadi Sultanate had been colluding with the Templars to further their own agendas. It was a difficult time for the people of the region, as the Ottomans were wreaking havoc and destruction in their wake. But Dadua knew that he had to act fast to stop the Templars from gaining even more power and influence in the area. He found a willing ally in the form of the Saadian prince, Abdallah al-Ghalib, who had been exiled by his own family for opposing their alliance with the Ottomans. Together, Dadua and al-Ghalib hatched a plan to eliminate the Templar conspirators and drive out the Ottoman invaders. It was a risky move, but one that they knew had to be taken for the greater good.
Dadua's expertise in assassination proved invaluable in carrying out their plan, and he and al-Ghalib succeeded in eliminating the Templar conspirators and staging a successful counter-attack against the Ottomans. Their victory was short-lived, however, as the Ottomans would return in force in the years to come, But for Dadua and al-Ghalib, it was a small triumph against the forces of oppression and tyranny.
Legacy[]
Dadua Maïga passed away in 1567 at the age of 82 in Marrakesh, but his legacy lived on. His contributions to the Malian Brotherhood were immeasurable, and his influence continued to be felt long after his death. The assassins he had trained and mentored went on to become some of the most skilled members of the brotherhood, and his teachings continued to shape the way the brotherhood operated for centuries to come.
Dadua's story is a testament to the power of determination and hard work. Despite the challenges he faced early in life, he never gave up and went on to become one of the most respected members of the Songhai Brotherhood. His legacy continues to inspire new generations of assassins to this day.