Cypriot Resistance

The Cypriot Resistance was the collection of Cypriot rebels who fought against the Templar occupation of Cyprus. After King Richard I of England conquered Cyprus and ousted its ruler, Isaac Comnenus, he sold the island to the Knights Templar in 1192. Under the leadership of Grand Master Armand Bouchart, the Templars withdrew to Cyprus in force with the end of the Third Crusade and the demise of Bouchart's predecessor, Robert de Sablé. Cyprus quickly descended into chaos when its inhabitants became agitated by the abuses of Templar rule, exacerbated by their patronage of the Christian fanatic Moloch.
Tipped off by the Templars' retreat to Cyprus, the Mentor of the Levantine Brotherhood of Assassins Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad migrated to the island in order to eliminate the Templar presence and thwart their schemes there. Because Cyprus lacked an Assassin base, the Resistance was critical in assisting Altaïr with his operations on the island; in turn, Altaïr was pivotal in ensuring the Resistance's ultimate success in expelling the Templars by the end of the year, assassinating all its major leaders including Bouchart himself.
==History==
During the fall of 1191, the Assassin Jabal contacted the leader of the Limassol chapter of the Resistance, Alexander, informing him of Altaïr's arrival to the island, and that he required assistance. After making contact with Altaïr, Alexander informed him about some of the key Templar figures and locations in the district, and after the Assassin named Frederick the Red as his target, Altaïr was told by Alexander to contact the spy Osman for assistance in getting into the district castle.
After the successful assassination of Frederick, the Templars had the Resistance safehouse in Limassol set on fire, and had several of its members murdered. Afterwards, in the church area of the district, Osman was killed by Armand Bouchart in the midst of his public announcement regarding Frederick's death.
Despite the casualties, several members lived, among them being Alexander. He then gave his final assistance to Altaïr before making attempts to reform the Resistance, having the Assassin contact the pirate Pasha to gain transport to Kyrenia. Alexander further told Altaïr to look for the Resistance's district leader, Barnabas, for more assistance. On this note, Alexander took his leave with his men.
Arriving at Kyrenia, Altaïr encountered the resistance member Markos along with his men, who apprehended Maria Thorpe when she attempted to escape. Altaïr suggested that she stay with them while he searched for the safehouse, and afterwards, Altaïr met with Barnabas. There, Barnabas asked Altaïr to assassinate the Cypriot Jonas in exchange for assistance, though after doing so, Altaïr unknowingly sparked a riot, which put Maria and Markos in danger. Altaïr returned to Kyrenia's harbor and rescued the group, and left immediately to quell the riots as Markos made his way to the safehouse.
Returning to the safehouse, Altaïr found Markos and Maria, though there was no sign of Barnabas. Markos then informed him of Moloch, whose fanatics were the cause of the riots, to which Altaïr would then task himself with eliminating the Templar. After doing so, the Resistance safehouse was ransacked, with most of the members and Maria taken away. During that time, Markos revealed that Barnabas was murdered before Altaïr's arrival, and the Assassin was then tasked with rescuing the Resistance, though he only managed to save a portion of it from an execution. After stealing the key in a Templar stronghold, Altaïr freed the remaining members, though Maria was not amongst them.
Markos would then assume leadership of the Resistance in Kyrenia, and would later assist Altaïr in eliminating the remaining Templar presence, particularly the Dark Oracle and the twins Shalim and Shahar. After the deaths of the twins, the remaining Templars fled from the district, finally liberated from their influence. With Markos assuring that Kyrenia was finally safe, Altaïr followed the Templars back to Limassol.
Meeting again with Alexander, the man accused him of betrayal, due to the head of Barnabas being brought to him. Altaïr clarified that he met a different Barnabas, and informed him of the events in Kyrenia. Afterwards, Alexander and Altaïr worked together in sorting out the mess in Limassol, but some time later, Alexander was murdered and brought to the courtyard of Limassol Castle, where Altaïr met again with the impostor of Barnabas. However, this impostor would later be killed by Maria.
After the events on Cyprus, Altaïr left the island to resume his work in the Assassin Order, and the Resistance's fate was left uncertain.
==Organizational information==
The organization mostly functioned in secrecy, keeping a close eye on the city while maintaining their vigil on the government's actions. They mostly hid in inconspicuous safehouses in the city districts, where they kept most of their books, supplies, weapons and occasional prisoners. Much like guilds, the Resistance had a specific leader assigned to each chapter, who often coordinated their efforts and negotiated with several contacts.
Many of the members were well-informed, and knew several locations and shortcuts around the city, which they utilized when their situation required subtlety. Like the Assassins, the Resistance worked in secrecy in their stand against the government, keeping their strongholds obscure and their men protected.
==Equipment and implementation==
Usual members of the resistance wore dark brown clothes, and had swords by their sides. However, in public, they acted as normal civilians, blending with the populace. They seemed to prefer defending the citizens directly, rather than confronting the Templars head-on, probably because of their inferior numbers.
==Known members==
*Alexander of Limassol
*Markos
*Barnabas
*Osman
===Contacts===
*Jabal
*Pasha
*Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
==Trivia==
*Most of the members wore long black robes, similar to vigilantes.
*The Resistance safehouses were similar to the Assassin bureau. The safehouse entrance resided on the roof, and each had resting areas for their members.
*A refill station for throwing knives was present in the safehouses.
*Despite being allied with Altaïr's cause, members of the Resistance would usually insult him should he collide with them.
==References==
*Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
Category:Assassin-affiliated groups
fr:Résistance chypriote