Salim Ul-Haq was born in 1950, mere three years after the partition of the Subcontinent. His father, Ali Ul-Haq was the Mentor of the Subcontinental Assassins, until his death in 1953, after which the new mentor, Lakshman, raised the young Salim with the help of the child's Uncle, Mansoor.
Ancestors:[]
Salim's grandfather, Nazar, was a descendant of legendary Assassin Altair, and later married Sophia Antoinette, a descendant of equally infamous Ezio Auditore. Salim thus was a descendant of both Assassins.
Birth and Assualt 1950-1953:[]
Ali Ul-Haq was a Master Assassin, and a very accomplished and well-respected man in the Order. He promoted peace on his ascendence to the title of Mentor, saying in his famous speech,
"We are members of the same Brotherhood, and you know as well as I that why we roam the earth... to show the world that the greatest peace and best prosperity is in freedom. But remember, we fight not to destroy, but to protect. We must recognize our position. We have at the moment... no Templar hounds at our back. Let us Cherish this peace, and Nurture it, for who knows how long it would last..."
Later, as he married late in his life, he had a child when he was near 45 years old. He and his wife, a daughter of a retired Assassin, loved the child and both found it the center of their lives.
However, when the child was three years old, several Templars attacked their home in hopes of killing the Mentor. But he was not home, and instead, they killed his wife. Before they could decide what to do with the boy, Ali found them.
Overcome with rage, he killed them all despite having nearly no weapons other than his Hidden Blade, and a small concealed dagger. However, he was seriously injured and taking the boy, he made his way to the assassin's base, located underground.
There, he found his old friend, Lakshman. As Lakshman tried to dress his wounds, Ali stopped him, and instead gave the child to him, telling his friend to take care of him. As Lakshman swore he would, Ali asked for water. By the time Lakshman returned with the water, Ali was dead.
First Blood: 1974[]
At the age of 21, Salim had grown to be a strong, clever man. Though taught in the way of the Order, he was not yet officially an Assassin. However, he was still extremely talented in free-running and stealth, perhaps more so than some qualified Assassins.
When Lakshman finally thought the time was right, he gave Salim his Initiation robes. As was the Indian Assassin's custom, he was to be sent on an Assassination. If he was successful, he would be formally initiated into the Order.
During his briefing, he learnt that his target was a Templar agent, an Indian businessman by name Rajveer Singh. He was on the Assassination list for aiding the Templars financially, as well as running a secret network of spies that collected information that was passed onto the Templars.
The assassination was to be in the words of Lakshman, "Fast and Fierce", and Salim would have to avoid getting caught.
- "Be unseen, and be swift, be fast and fierce like a tiger. Take no joy from death; the Tiger hunts for survival, not for pleasure.""
- ―Lakshman, briefing Salim
During the mission, Salim was given only symbolic robes with no armor at all. He was also given no weapons other than a simple combat-knife. He traveled further east into India. Two days he spent blending and observing, before, one night, infiltrating the man's luxurious home and stabbing him with his knife.
- Rajveer: "So they WERE right... You people truly are heartless killers... But now my worries are over, I died for a noble cause! You... but you will die alone... as a man who's hands will forever be stained with blood!"
- Salim: "No. We fight for the free will, for all that is right, if only you knew it. But now, may your soul rest in peace."
- ―Salim responds to his targets last words
After killing him, Salim managed to sneak out and contacted the closest Assassin hideout, where he spent the night until his transportation was readied. The next day, Salim made his way west in a car, then took a train to Dehli.
Induction and Ascension: 1974-1977[]
Salim's Diary, which he called "Jhoota Such" or "False Truth", is still a treasured item for the Subcontinental Assassins.
In it he describes his Induction ceremony, as follows:
"As I stepped into the circular room lit by a dazzling chandelier, I could feel my blood rushing, even more thunderously than the day I had killed that Templar. It was less a room, more like a hall. I was already wearing my novice robes, nearly Identical to my previous ones, but tougher, with leather straps below the cloth. As Ustadh [Lakshman] and Uncle announced my name to the hooded assassins around us, Uncle bestowed on me the honor of honors: the Hidden Blade." - Salim, in his Diary
Salim expresses awe and respect for the hidden blade in many entries, impressed by it's casual but flexible design. He made the hidden blade his standard/ signature weapon. He would over the course of three years, use it to assassinate the following Major Templars, gaining a rank with each kill.
Jonas:[]
A thirty-year-old doctor who was a Templar with almost fanatical degrees of loyalty to the newly formed Indian Abstergo Industries. He would gather test subjects from the college he gave lectures at in the afternoon. Salim Assassinated him just as he tried to drug a young girl. He died instantly, as Salim struck him twice with his Hidden Blade, once in the stomach, then in the heart. Giving him his last rights, and making sure the girl was fine, Salim fled the scene.
Mehmood:[]
Not sure even if his name truly was Mehmood, Salim tailed this well built and mysterious man according to orders, and eavesdropped on any Templar names he might reveal. When compiled the information needed, Salim struck him from behind. In his last breaths, Mehmood injured Salim as he twisted Salim by his arm into a nearby street corner. However, he immediately collapsed, and the Assassin, standing up, gave him his due respect as he died.
Guru:[]
Masquerading as a holy man, this Templar agent collected information for the Templars. Salim assassinated him after exposing him as a scam, after which people left him in disgust. Before he could kill him, however, he fought and defeated two of the Agent's bodyguards. The 'Guru', attempted to flee but was intercepted by Salim, who shot him with a gun he'd stolen from one of the dead bodyguards, before finishing him off with with a sprinting assassination with his Hidden Blade.