Scholar
Scholars were "holy men" who were usually deep in prayer, and could be either Christian monks or Muslim ascetics. All of them wore robes similar to Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's, except that it covered their legs entirely, and they possessed no Assassin gear or weapons.
Groups of scholars could be seen walking and praying in all cities (excluding Masyaf) during the Third Crusade. However, they had slightly different appearances, according to their location; those in Jerusalem and Damascus wore turbans, while those in Acre were hooded. One could also encourage the appearance of additional groups of scholars in and around cities, by saving male citizens in distress.
Types
There were generally two types of scholars seen in the game; Christian monks and Muslim ascetics. Christian monks wore attire similar to Altaïr's, most notably the hood, though they came in a variety of styles and colors; such as in Acre, where scholars could be seen with Hospitalier colors. Muslim ascetics were men with turbans, and though they did not resemble Altaïr as much as the Christian monks, they could still be used to blend with.
Functions
If Altaïr joined the scholars, they would walk in a diamond formation around him. This shielded Altaïr being seen from all directions, and once blended with, the scholars could assist Altaïr in two different ways.
Hiding spot
If Altaïr was being chased by guards and managed to break their line of sight, he could blend in with the scholars and trick the guards into thinking he had disappeared. To do this, Altaïr moved to the center of the group and began walking with them, lowering his head to appear as if he was praying.
If Altaïr was outside the guards' line of sight when he began blending with the scholars, the guards would give up on the chase after a few moments. However, if Altaïr could still be seen by the guards and he attempted to approach a group of scholars, they would stop their prayers and flee in terror, breaking their formation.
Passing guard posts
Scholars had the additional use of getting past entrances blocked by guard posts. Each of the three large cities' entrances and some paths to restricted areas within them were blocked by a phalanx of guards, who would push Altaïr away if he tried to enter. Scholars were usually situated near to them however, which allowed Altaïr to easily enter the restricted area without alarming anyone and starting a fight by joining them. The reason for this was that guards allowed scholars to pass by unchallenged, granting Altaïr easy access without climbing buildings or fighting.
Trivia
- In Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, Altaïr could not blend in areas without any scholars, such as Limassol, Kantara Castle, Buffavento Castle, Saint Hilarion Castle (excluding the first area) and the Archive.
- An achievement could be obtained by blending with scholars 20 times.
- Altaïr could not normally kill scholars using any weapons, however, throwing them into water would cause them to drown.
- In Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade, it was mentioned that the Saracen leader Salah Al'din had encouraged scholars to visit and spend time in the cities of Damascus and Jerusalem, which was presumably why the city guards always allowed them, and by extension Altaïr, to pass through the city gates unhindered.
- Although scholars did not appear in Assassin's Creed II, monks could occasionally be found wandering the streets and countrysides, such as within the Monte Oliveto Maggiore monastery.
- In Assassin's Creed II, though Ezio Auditore da Firenze was able to blend with any crowd, an incident reminiscent of scholars occured during the Bonfire of the Vanities, wherein he must blend with a group of monks to pass into a guarded city gate.
- In Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles, Altaïr disguised himself as a scholar in order to enter the camp that besieged Acre.