Hiding spot
Hiding Spots referred to different types of hiding places which were used by members of the Assassin Order to escape pursuers after breaking their line of sight, or performing an ambush.
Third Crusade
During the Third Crusade, hiding spots played a significant role for Assassins, since they frequently were their only way to successfully escape from a group of pursuers. Depending on the situation, Assassins could have used different kinds of hiding spots.
Haystacks
Of all hiding spots, haystacks were the ones that offered the most tactical use. Since they could appear both on rooftops and on the ground, they were always a good hiding place. Moreover, a Leap of Faith could be performed from a rooftop into them. Haystacks usually appeared in two different versions: as a pile or in a cart.
Rooftop gardens
Rooftop gardens were small booths which were covered with curtains on the inside. Thus, they provided an easy escape for Assassins. They appeared on rooftops ubiquitously throughout the Holy Land. Their appearance could differ depending on the city and the district. Rooftop gardens in poorer districts were usually flat, whereas the ones located in the richer districts were often decorated with ornaments and had a small, sometimes gilded, cupola.
Benches
Benches were found through out the cities. They appear to have two persons staying on it and the assassins were usually the third. The Assassins have used these benches as a way to blend with people while escaping guards. Yet if an assassin ran so fast that he made any interruption or hit one of the people staying on those benches, they would stand up and leave it which makes unavailiable to use in hiding by the Assassins.
Renaissance
During the Renaissance, hiding spots were once again quite important for the Assassins. Although they were able to escape from pursuers by breaking the line of sight or fleeing the area, hiding spots still offered an alternative way to escape. However, guards became more suspicious during that time period and often searched hiding spots for their targets.
Balconies
Balconies were a variant of rooftop gardens which could be found in Constantinople. However, they never appeared on top of a roof and could only be accessed by climbing the conjoined wall.
Carts
Haystacks worked exactly the same as during the Third Crusade. However, they were now rarely found on rooftops, and were instead usually in carts on the ground. Depending on the city, the hay was also often replaced with other things, such as rose leaves in more exalted cities such as Florence or Rome, or green leaves in more rural areas such as San Gimignano.
In certain locations, such as Constantinople, Castel Gandolfo or San Donato, large bushes could be found instead of haystacks. However, the visual nature was the only difference between them.
Rooftop gardens
Rooftop gardens were still present during the Renaissance and had a similar style in most cities, usually only differing in the color of the curtains. However, Rome, Constantinople and Venice had rooftop gardens with a unique, posher style, usually decorated with ivy or wine ranks.
Tents
Tents appeared in Constantinople and could be found in both Topkapı Palace and the Janissary camp. They worked essentially the same as haystacks although, unlike them, tents could only be accessed from two sides.
Water
Water provided an easy way to escape for Assassins, since they could jump into it from nearly every height without being hurt. Moreover, they could simply dive in order to break the line of sight with their pursuers.
Wells
Wells appeared during the Renaissance everywhere throughout Italy. They worked similar to haystacks, but Assassins could not perform a Leap of Faith into them. Wells, apart from haystacks, were the only places which were always scanned by cautious Borgia Seeker guards in Rome. Their visual appearance changed depending on the city they were located in.
Although existing in Constantinople too, most of the wells in the city were boarded-up with wooden planks. These could only be removed by using certain bombs.
Gallery
-
A haycart. -
A haystack in Monteriggioni.
-
A leaf cart in San Gimignano.
-
A simple rooftop garden.
-
A rooftop garden in Jerusalem.
-
A rooftop garden in Acre.
-
A rooftop garden in Forlì.
-
A rooftop garden in Venice.
-
A rooftop garden in Rome.
-
Ezio Auditore da Firenze pulling a guard into a well in San Gimignano.
-
A well in Rome.
