Eavesdropping

"Never make eye contact, always look occupied, stay relaxed."

―Al Mualim teaching a young Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad the method of eavesdropping.

Eavesdropping was a form of investigation used by Assassins in order to learn secrets of vital importance without being noticed.

History

High Middle Ages

Altaïr eavesdropping on a target in Damascus.

To begin eavesdropping, Levantine Assassins would locate their target and sit down on a nearby bench, neither too close nor too far from the target.

Appearing as nothing more than a civilian, the Assassin would listen in on a short conversation between their target and another person, before using what they had learned to their advantage at a later date.

Renaissance

Ezio eavesdropping on a meeting in Rome.

During the Italian Renaissance, Assassins would tail Templars or their targets to various locations, before listening to their conversations to gather more information about their enemies.

During his time in Constantinople, Ezio Auditore, as the Mentor of the Italian Assassins, would work with his forthcoming Master Assassins to find out more information about their prey. There were also times when Ezio would need to create a distraction so that he could eavesdrop without being noticed, such as the riot at the Harbor of Theodosius.

Trivia

• In Assassin's Creed, if Altaïr was being chased by guards, they could disrupt his chances of eavesdropping on a target by making them flee. However, Altaïr could eavesdrop once more after he had left the area and ended the conflict between him and the guards, since his targets would return to the area and resume their conversation.
• Once Altaïr had began an eavesdropping mission, regardless of how far he was from the target, he could hear the conversation with equal clarity, as though he were standing right next to the target.
• Generally, targets in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood walked faster and were more vigilant than targets in Assassin's Creed II whenever Ezio was tailing them.