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"Altaïr, my friend. You must help me."

―An informant requesting help from Altaïr.

Informants were members of the Assassins' Order who offered aid to Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and other Assassins in investigations of Assassination Targets. However, before Altaïr could get this information from them, the completion of a small task was required as part of his penance. Informants could be found within Acre, Jerusalem and Damascus by synchronizing at view points.

Tasks

Before revealing their secrets, informants asked for something in return. Generally, this task was related to something they themselves had been assigned or a situation they couldn't handle. With another Assassin's momentary assistance, their needs would be met and they always gave something useful to the other Assassin's mission.

Flag Collecting

Some informants tested Altaïr by asking him to collect some Assassin flags within three to five minutes. The flags were always placed in a path, and precise freerunning would make the flags' retrieval simple. When all the flags had been retrieved, Altaïr

Templar Assassinations

Sometimes, the informant had angered a knight, or a group of knights. Fearful for his life, he would offer to give Altaïr information if he assassinated the knights in question within a set time limit. In addition, he had to stay unexposed - if he became exposed even once, he would fail the mission. Once all targets had fallen, Altaïr returned to his Informant.

Altaïr either used his Hidden Blade or Throwing Knives to complete his task. A Throwing Knife always killed instantly once it hit a knight. However, Archers were keeping close guard on the roofs, so he had to be stealthy while doing so.

Informant Escort

Altaïr talking to an informant.

An informant sometimes asked Altaïr to escort him to an exit of the city safely instead of 'in a body bag' in exchange for information. The task consisted of accompanying the informant through a path and repelling any attackers before they could kill him. Reaching the city's gates, the informant provided Altaïr with the information and then left the city.

Merchant Stand Destruction

In order to stop the monetary influx to a target's bank account, the informant asked Altaïr to destroy some merchant stalls. The way Altaïr did it was to grab a passerby and toss them into the stand. These actions could be done either with citizens or guards, with the respective consequences taken, like the loss of synchronization by killing civilians (which did not always happen, if the unfortunate thrown victim just fell unconscious) and/or being attacked and pursued by guards.

Archers Assassinations

These were performed similarly to the Templars' assassination task, but with different reasons. The informant needed to get to someone or something, but there were archers in his way, so he asked Altaïr to take them out and make his tasks a little easier. In exchange for the deed, he gave Altaïr the information he needed.

Rooftops' Run

An informant that didn't have the information Altaïr needed sometimes redirected him to another informant who in turn did have the information. He gave the location of the other informant and one had to run through the rooftops to reach him in time. Altaïr was also allowed to fall and run on the ground, but that would cost him time.

Characteristics

Informants dressed in ankle-length robes with a headscarf and sling-pack. The robes were a tannish white with red trimming. Nationality varied among the Informants, shown by their varying skin tone and voice prints -- this was indicative of the Assassins' internal diversity. Informants also varied in personality as much as origin. Some were friendly, even admiring, towards Altaïr -- others were downright hostile. Informants were more likely to be admiring as Altaïr regained his status, showing their respect for commitment to the Order demonstrated through action and for the skill of other members.

Trivia

• When approaching an Informant with the Hidden Blade, it is possible to assassinate him. If you wish to kill him, just getting far away from the location and coming back a short time later will make him respawn.
• On the PC version of the game, four more Investigation missions were added. These are also listed and are available on the PC version only. They were called Rooftops' Run, Archers Assassinations, Merchant Stand Destruction and Informant Escort.