Smuggler (Animi Avatar)

"A prowler of the ports, she hunts among the docks and has been known to venture into cities if the coin seems worthwhile. Using a hidden blade as her weapon of choice, her victims rarely even get the chance to admire the beauty obscured by her hood."

―Ubisoft description.

File:SmugglerBest.png

The Smuggler (real name: Lia de Russo) was an Animi Avatar used by Abstergo Industries to train the recruits in the first stage of their Animi Training Program.

She carried a unique version of the Hidden Blade, sometimes called the inverted hidden blade, as it extended from a compartment on the top of her forearm, instead of the orthodox blade below the wrist.

Unique Moves

The Smuggler had several unique moves:

(Low Profile, Back)

The Smuggler approaches her target, before grabbing their arm to keep them still as she performs a small spin around them. She then stabs upwards into the crevice beneath their jaw with her inverted hidden blade once she reaches their front, and with her target exterminated, the Smuggler lets go of their arm, allowing her victim's dead body to crumple to the ground.

(Low Profile, Front)

The Smuggler walks up to her target and grabs onto their shoulder to keep them steady, before releasing her blade from its hidden compartment and crouching down slightly. She then takes the opportunity to spring upwards and stab them in the neck, piercing their brain. Retracting her inverted hidden blade back into its sheath, the Smuggler watches as her victim's body collapses to the floor.

(High Profile, Front)

The Smuggler rushes over to her target, ducking down and releasing her inverted hidden blade, before she stabs them in the stomach as she makes contact with them. Using her strength, she momentarily lifts them from their feet, before unbalancing them and making them spin through the air, with their dead body collapsing in a heap on the floor afterwards. Sparing her victim one last glance, the Smuggler conceals her weapon and carries on as normal.

(High Profile, Back)

The Smuggler runs up to her target from behind and leaps onto them, sending them falling flat to the ground with her weight and the momentum. She then releases her blade from its compartment and stabs her victim in the back of the ribcage, forcing the blade into their heart, before hastily removing her weapon and sheathing it as she stands, ready to disappear from the scene.

(Bench Kill)

The Smuggler casually walks up to her seated target, before forcefully pulling them up off of the bench with one arm and stabbing them in their lung with her inverted hidden blade. Removing her hand from their shoulder, she lets her victim stand on their own, though they stagger backwards slightly and collapse to the ground, suffering heavy blood loss from their injuries.

(Aerial Kill)

The Smuggler jumps from the top of a roof onto her target, crashing into them and sending them to the ground. She then stabs them in the side of their neck with her inverted hidden blade, her weapon piercing through their jugular. As she gets up, the Smuggler leaves her victim's dead body laying still on the floor, concealing her blade in its compartment.

Customization

The Smuggler could be customized in several ways:

Colors:

• Basic: Dark green.
• Extra 1: Faded black.
• Extra 2: Gray.
• Extra 3: White.

Gear:

• Advanced: Added fancy, white, long-sleeved undershirt.
• Superior: Added circular adornment on the top of her chest, as well as added plate greaves.
• Elite: An extended skirt, an added miniature cape over her longer cape, and an added extra design on her chest guard.

Gallery

• 
  The Smuggler's colors.
• 
  The Smuggler's gear.
• 
  Early development art of the Smuggler.
• 
  Promotion artwork of the Smuggler.
• 
  Development image for the Smuggler, showing her Basic and Elite gear.
• 
  The Smuggler's inverted hidden blade.

Trivia

• In the PlayStation 3 beta, she was unlocked once Level 17 had been reached. In the actual game, however, she was available from Level 1.
• She shared similar kills with the Prowler (Bench Kill) and the Dama Rossa (Low Profile, Front).
• The Smuggler and the Prowler were the only Animi Avatars to have their weapons hidden on their forearms in the same manner as the Assassins, and were fully retractable, making them the only real "Hidden Blades".
• For her single player counterpart, Lia de Russo, she was featured without a cape.

Source

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood