Herald

Heralds were citizens who informed the populations of cities about recent news concerning laws, taxation, executions, etc. They came about due to the lack of an effective means of information transfer, and were precursors to today's communication system. In the Medieval period, heralds were the servants of monarchs or other lords who would serve as messengers, conveying their master's messages and proclamations. In that capacity, they served as early diplomats.

In Assassin's Creed II, if Ezio commits crimes, the heralds will begin to tell people to beware of a mysterious Assassin. Ezio can bribe these heralds with 500 florins to decrease his notoriety by 50%. Multiple heralds will appear on the map as long as Ezio's notoriety is not at 0%.

Heralds return in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood with the same function, however they will not appear unless notoriety is greater than 50%.

If you use Eagle Vision, heralds glow in blue if they are announcing normal events. If they are telling people about you (mostly lies and slander), then they are seen glowing red. They are also marked on the in-game map with a person icon.

Trivia

 * In Assassin's Creed, certain people may be found speaking in public attempting to convince citizens to join the Crusader or Muslim armies. These men function much like heralds, although they are not referred to as such and are purely aesthetic.
 * The money that you bribe a herald with can be stolen back from him.
 * Heralds are slightly harder to knock out than normal civilians in Assassin's Creed II.
 * The herald in the large square at the northern most part of the Centro district in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood may appear gold in eagle vision.
 * The heralds in Rome in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood warn about the swine flu and syphilis, while in Assassin's Creed II, they warn citizens about plague.