Herald

Heralds were citizens who informed the populations of cities about recent news, such as those concerning laws, taxation, or executions.

Renaissance

Heralds came about due to the lack of an effective means of information transfer, and were precursors to today's communication system.

During the Italian Renaissance, should Ezio Auditore commit a crime, the heralds would begin warning the people about the presence of the Assassin. To keep himself hidden, Ezio would often bribe them with 500f, and encourage them to speak of other matters.

When viewed through Eagle vision, heralds were marked with blue if they were announcing normal events. If they spoke of the Assassins (mostly lies and slander), they were seen glowing red, as any other enemy.

Trivia

• In Assassin's Creed, certain people may be found speaking publicly, attempting to convince citizens to join the Crusaders or Saracens. These men function much like heralds, although they are not referred to as such, and are purely aesthetic.
• Bribing a herald lowers notoriety by 50%.
• Heralds are slightly harder to knock out than normal civilians in Assassin's Creed II.
• In Assassin's Creed II, heralds will appear on the map as long as Ezio's notoriety is not at 0%. In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, notoriety must be greater than 50%.

File:Herold schmieren.png

Ezio bribing a herald.

• The achievement "Easy Come, Easy Go" can be unlocked by bribing a herald and stealing back the florins.
  • In this achievement, a herald is referred to as an "orator."
• The herald in the large square at the northern most part of the Centro district in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood may appear gold through Ezio's Eagle vision.
• The heralds of Rome in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood warn about swine flu and syphilis, while in Assassin's Creed II, they warn citizens about plague.

Source

• Assassin's Creed II