Wanted poster

"I've seen posters all across the district. Tearing them down will help the city forget your face."

―Paola to Ezio Auditore, 1477.

A wanted poster of Ezio Auditore initiated by the Pazzi

Wanted posters are printed signs containing information about a person whom the authorities wish to apprehend. They typically feature an image of the criminal in question, along with a set monetary reward that will be offered to any citizen who assists in the criminal's capture.

Over the centuries, numerous Assassins whose actions attracted the attention of the authorities have had wanted posters of them hanged around the cities in which they operated. These Assassins often had to tear down said posters in order to reduce their notoriety and facilitate their activities.

History

In Baghdad during the 860s, the Alamut Hidden One Basim ibn Ishaq removed wanted posters of himself to reduce his notoriety to the guards and public.

In late 9th-century England, the Grantebridgescire reeve Othswith hanged several posters demanding the head of the criminal Egil the Fornicating Crow, who was wanted under Danelaw and in the jurisdictions of both King Alfred of Wessex and Burgred of Mercia for a number of thefts and the murders of innocent Norsefolk.

In 1476, Ezio Auditore first encountered wanted posters in Florence after his murder of Uberto Alberti, and tore them down on the instructions of the Italian Assassin Paola. The posters prominently displayed the Pazzi family crest and promised a reward of 50,000 florins to anyone who killed or captured the Assassin. As he traveled to other cities in Italy and Spain during the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Ezio encountered more wanted posters that were hanged by the authorities once the Assassin had committed socially unacceptable actions, requiring him to tear them down as well.

Edward tearing away a wanted poster

In February 1725, the Macau authorities hanged several wanted posters of the British Assassin Edward Kenway around the city, after he was blamed for the murder of the Dutch navigator Hendrik, as well as other recent incidents in Macau.

In the mid-18th century, the Louisianian Assassin Aveline de Grandpré found the need to remove wanted posters bearing the image of her slave persona, to decrease any negative focus of her in the public eye. Around the same time, the Colonial Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton removed wanted posters to reduce his notoriety in Boston and New York, or could bribe printers to stop producing them altogether.

In 1918, the Russian Templars hanged several wanted posters of the Russian Assassin Nikolai Orelov in Kazan, framing him as a member of the White Army and turning him into a target of the Bolsheviks. While on his way to meet with his friend Leon Trotsky to secure passage to Moscow, Nikolai tore down any posters he came across to reduce the risk of being recognized.

In December 2012, the subway stations in São Paulo, Brazil, were covered with wanted posters of the Assassin Desmond Miles, charging him with murder and violating firearm laws. As a result, Desmond was forced to stay hidden from the authorities while navigating the stations.

Trivia

• Many of the posters displayed in Florence, Venice, Forlì, and San Gimignano were placed in unusual places where citizens could hardly see them, negating their intended purpose. However, the posters in Rome were often placed at ground level and in more crowded areas.
• In New Orleans and the Louisiana Bayou, just about all posters were posted on street level.
• Assassin's Creed II: Discovery included a feature to insert one's photos in place of Ezio's printed face.
• In Assassin's Creed II, the wanted posters continued to state that members of the Pazzi family would offer a reward even after all the Pazzi conspirators had been killed by Ezio.
• The posters in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood remained the same as the ones in Assassin's Creed II, though the symbol of the Pazzi family was replaced with that of the Borgia.
• If a poster was located on the wall of a Borgia tower, igniting the tower would not remove the poster or lower notoriety.
• Contrary to the notices issued for Ezio, the depicted image in Colonial American posters would update as Ratonhnhaké:ton grew older and became a full Assassin.
• The message on the Italian wanted posters was erroneously translated, as "morti di vivo" translates to 'dead of alive', whereas the correct phrasing would be "vivo o morto".
• Though the posters for Aveline de Grandpré could be seen as early as 1765, when Louisiana was still under French rule, they would be written in Spanish.

Gallery

• 
  Basim's wanted poster in 9th century Baghdad
• 
  Basim near a wanted poster depicting his likeness
• 
  3D model of a Florentine official holding a wanted posted
• 
  Ezio ripping away a wanted poster
• 
  Ezio's wanted poster in Spain
• 
  Edward's wanted poster in 18th century Macau
• 
  A wanted poster for Aveline
• 
  Aveline tearing away a wanted poster
• 
  A wanted poster of Connor
• 
  Samuel Adams removing Connor's wanted poster
• 
  A wanted poster of Desmond in São Paulo

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed II (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed II: Discovery
• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
• Assassin's Creed III
• Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
• Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag: Blackbeard – The Lost Journal
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia
• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple
• Assassin's Creed: Mirage
• Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced