Assassin bureau

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"You must now report to each Bureau leader before carrying out your task."

―Al Mualim.

Altaïr in an Assassin bureau in Damascus

An Assassin bureau was a command center used by the Assassin Brotherhood, most often located within cities where they also served as safe houses. Bureaus typically doubled as shops as well; more than mere fronts for the Assassins, these stores usually traded in genuine merchandise such as silks, carpets, and pottery, generating income for the Brotherhood. Their primary function nevertheless was to act as bases of operation through which missions could be processed and overseen.

A tradition that dated back to at least the 1st century BCE, bureaus were an integral component of the Assassins' operational structure. During the time of the 12th century Levantine Assassins, they were run by Assassins ranked Rafiq or higher, and cities in the Levant such as Acre, Damascus, and Jerusalem had one per district. Throughout the ages, not all Assassin Guilds utilized the bureau as an administrative unit, at times relying on other organizational methods such as Dens, but the system remained in use into the 20th century. It was rendered obsolete only in the Great Purge of 2000 which decimated the Assassin population and forced them to rely almost exclusively on mobile cells.

Function

Bureaus acted as sanctuaries for members of the Assassin Order, where their users could physically and mentally prepare themselves for a mission, allowing them to restock on weapons, sleep or meditate. It also allowed Assassins a place to wait for the appropriate moment to strike, or for the dust to settle after an assassination.

Inside each bureau resided a leader, who held either the rank of Rafiq or higher. They would often give Assassins useful information on where to learn more about assassination targets. Once the strike had been planned and approved by the bureau leader, an Assassin was given a feather to soak in the blood of their target as proof of their success.

Building

A Third Crusade bureau's main chamber

The exterior of the building was typically quite discreet, resembling that of common construction, although they did not have any obvious windows or doors.

The entrance was usually located on the roof, which could be reached by either climbing the walls or via a ladder located in an entry alley, for instance. This was likely to be a measure to prevent curious civilians (or more importantly, the city guards), from stumbling upon it.

Main chamber

The main chamber served as the entrance hall to the bureau, and was a small living area comprised of two fountains, potted plants and several pillows and carpets. This place was intended as a location for Assassins to rest before and after assassinations.

The walls were decorated with hanging carpets and the Assassin insignia, while the ceiling was grated with an opening that acted as an entrance into the Bureau. When the city guards were on alert, the opening was closed with a grated panel.

Leader's chamber

The Bureau leader's chamber

A bureau leader's chamber was adjacent to the main chamber. From behind a desk, each leader addressed those who would come to speak with them, while also studying and attending to the Assassin Order's operations in that respective city.

Behind the desk were bookshelves and closets, where registries of missions were kept. The books and scrolls the leader had access to were also located in this area.

Across the room, a raised walkway held weapons, books, and other items that could assist Assassins in their missions.

History

Ptolemaic Egypt

The Hidden Ones bureau in Memphis

One of first bureaus was founded in Memphis, Egypt sometime in 44 BCE after the creation of the Hidden Ones by Bayek and Amunet. These first bureaus were very similar to the way the Levantine Brotherhood would eventually come to be made; secluded with the only entry point being on the roof.

Sometime between 44 BCE and 38 BCE, a bureau was established in Sinai by one of Bayek's first Hidden Ones, Tahira. The Sinai bureau had a secret exit that backed onto mountains. Unfortunately, the Sinai bureau was destroyed by fire and the Hidden Ones of Sinai fled to the mountains of the Arsinoe Nome, where they made a new bureau.

Roman Empire

The Roman branch of the Hidden Ones known as the Liberalis Circulus would establish multiple bureaus in the province of Britannia from Eboracum to Londinium. Additionally, the Temples of Ceres in Glowcestreshire was utilized by the Liberalis Circulus as an Hidden One bureau. Many of these bureaus were used to accomplish specific tasks such as the execution of three Christian priests and the assassination of important targets in the Roman Empire.

By the 5th century, Hidden Ones' magister Vitus ordered his brethren to evacuate Britannia and move their base of operations to the German city of Cologne, which had a functioning local chapter. This was caused by the withdrawal of the Western Roman Empire from Britain in 410 AD and hostility from the Celtic tribes in the province. The departure of the Liberalis Circulus left a trove of archived documents that were inside the now abandoned bureaus.

Viking Age

In 873, Basim ibn Ishaq and Hytham established a bureau in the English village of Ravensthorpe with the help of Eivor Varinsdottir of the Raven Clan. The purpose was to re-establish the Hidden Ones' presence in Britain since the Liberalis Circulus had left the area in 432. Basim assigned Hytham to oversee and upkeep the bureau. Inside, Hytham received letters from an anonymous individual known only as a "Poor Fellow-Soldier of Christ", who provided information about key members of the Order of the Ancients in the cities of Lunden, Jorvik and Wincestre. Throughout the 870s, Eivor destroyed the Order and gave all of its medallions to Hytham. Eivor also recovered pages of the Magas Codex scattered throughout the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and gave them to Hytham.

Golden Age of Piracy

The Assassin bureau in Havana

During the early 18th century, the bureaus spread throughout the major cities in the West Indies varied in size and description; the bureaus in Havana and Kingston held at least one building and had a surrounding courtyard or walls, the Nassau bureau consisted of a small collection of buildings, and the Cayman 'ghost' bureau had no defined buildings or areas to speak of.

After killing the traitorous Duncan Walpole in 1715, Edward Kenway recovered and subsequently sold a map detailing the four bureaus' locations to the Templars operating in the region, unwittingly putting the Assassins stationed there in danger. Edward eventually traveled to the four bureaus and made amends for disclosing their locations; in doing so, he assisted the bureau Masters in various ways, in return for a collection of keys that would grant him access to a set of Templar Armor.

List of known bureaus

Ptolemaic Egypt

• Alexandria bureau
• Arsinoe bureau
• Klysma bureau
• Memphis bureau

Roman Empire

• Camulodunum bureau
• Eboracum bureau
• Londinium bureau
• Ratae bureau
• Rome bureau
• Temple of Ceres bureau
• Venta Belgarum bureau

Middle Ages

• Acre bureau
• Damascus bureau
• Ravensthorpe bureau
• Jerusalem bureau
• Tyre bureau

Golden Age of Piracy

• Cayman bureau
• Havana bureau
• Kingston bureau
• Nassau bureau

Trivia

• Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad could return to a bureau any time to restock on throwing knives.
• A bureau's entrance would be closed when social status was exposed to prevent guards from discovering the Bureau and subsequently violating a tenet of the Creed.
• During the Third Crusade, the Acre bureau was lined with books, while the Damascus bureau was lined with pottery.
  • Accompanying this, there was also a chess board inside the Assassin bureau of Damascus.

Gallery

• 
  Concept art of the bureau in Damascus

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
• Assassin's Creed: Origins
  • The Hidden Ones
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla