Ezio Auditore da Firenze (24 June 1459 – 30 November 1524) was an Italian nobleman from the Republic of Florence who was the Mentor of the Italian Brotherhood of the Assassin Order from 1503 to 1512. He was motivated to join the Assassins by revenge for Rodrigo Borgia's execution of his father and brothers, and hunted down his family's killers from 1476 to 1498. With all of them dead, Ezio proceeded to bring down Borgia rule in Italy from 1499 to 1503, resulting in the deaths of Rodrigo and his son Cesare Borgia's minions; however, this also resulted in the death of his uncle, Mario Auditore. Ezio proceeded to kill Cesare Borgia in Spain in 1507, and he headed to the old Assassin stronghold of Masyaf in 1511 to find out what the Assassins fought for. After a 10-month journey, he was captured there by the Byzantine rebels, and he set out on a new mission to destroy the Byzantine rebels in Constantinople and Cappadocia and gain the stolen keys to Masyaf that the Byzantines had captured. In the end, he found the vault where his ancestor Altair Ibn-La'Ahad had died, and Ezio unraveled the truth to the past. He retired from the Assassins and lived as a farmer in Florence until he died of a heart attack at the age of 65 in a market in Florence, having married Sofia Sartor and started his own family.
Early career[]
Early life[]
Ezio in the arms of his father, shortly after birth
Ezio was born in the Repubblica Fiorentina on 24 June 1459, as the second son of Giovanni and Maria Auditore. He appeared to be stillborn, but, after some words of encouragement from his father, he began to cry, leading his father to call him a "fighter". Ezio was the younger brother of Federico and the older brother of Petruccio and Claudia Auditore. Up until the age of 17, Ezio lived a life of luxury amidst the members of the Florentine noble class; he was apprenticed to the renowned banker Giovanni Tornabuoni, who worked alongside Giovanni Auditore's banking business, but was all the while unaware of his father's allegiance to the Assassin Order.
In 1476, Ezio's brother Federico convinced him to hit on a beautiful girl near his house, and Ezio tried to flirt with her. He failed, and she walked away - determined to follow her, he tailed her to her house, finding out that she lived in the Casa di Vespucci. There, he found his family's rival Vieri de Pazzi threatening to rape her, so Ezio beat him up and the girl introduced herself as Cristina, saying that she would give Ezio a second chance, before kissing him. Later that year, along with a gang of thugs, he attacked Vieri de Pazzi and his gang, trying to settle a dispute between their two noble families. Vieri threw a stone at Ezio, scarring his face, so Ezio and his gang (aided by his brother Federico) beat down Vieri's boys. He looted 200 florins so that he could go to the doctor and tend to his facial wound. That night, he visited the beautiful Cristina Vespucci, and had sexual intercourse. He returned home to the Palazzo Auditore, were he saw his father, who at first admonished him but then said that he reminded him of himself and laughed. He was sent to deliver a letter to Lorenzo de Medici, and en route got in a fight with some Pazzi thugs, but beat them up and ran to the De Medici home. He gave the letter to the butler, and he returned to his father.
Family life[]
Ezio Auditore in 1476
When Ezio returned home, he saw Gonfaloniere (Alderman) Uberto Alberti speaking with his father. He told his father that Lorenzo was out of town, and that he gave it to the man at the door. Ezio read the letter, finding out that Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza was assassinated in an incident in Milan by three men: Giovanni Andrea Lampugnani, Carlo Visconti, and Gerolamo Olgiati, and that his father was attempting to warn De Medici that the assassination may have been more than just discontent with Sforza's rule - he believed that a third party sought their own interests and that Francesco de Pazzi was implicated. Ezio was hinted towards his father's intervention in the event, and he copied down the letter's content to keep as a document. After speaking with his father, he saw his sister Claudia in a sad mood, and he decided to help her: she was told that her boyfriend Duccio de Luca was unfaithful, so Ezio decided to punish him. He saw Duccio giving a ring to her, and heard him say that his father said that he could do better than an Auditore. He beat Duccio into yielding and staying away from his sister.
When he returned, he met Petruccio who said that he wanted some feathers. After collecting all three, he brought them back to Petruccio in his room, and gained 100 florins. After that, he met with his mother Maria in the courtyard, and she told him that she wanted him to join her on an errand. He walked with her to the home of Leonardo da Vinci, who had painted some pictures for her. He carried the box of artwork home, and was introduced to Leonardo - Leonardo would play a major role later in his life.
Trouble with the Pazzis[]
Giovanni sent Ezio to deliver two letters and retrieve a third from a pigeon coop, and when he gave a letter to one man, he said that "they" were moving and that Giovanni should as well. Ezio attempted to read the letters, but they were sealed, and it would be wrong for him to open them. He delivered the other, and took the scroll from from the pigeon in a rooftop coop, and he returned home. When he returned, he did not see his family, but was found by a maid. He found out that his father and brothers were in jail at the Pallazzo della Signoria, and he found his mother in shock, as she had been raped and beaten when she resisted.
He climbed up the tower where they held prisoners and asked his father what happened. Giovanni told him to return home to get a hidden sword and take everything in a secret chest, which was his Assassins equipment. Giovanni told Ezio that expected the events to happen, but not that way. He explained that all of it would seem strange to Ezio, but it was important. Ezio was told to take documents to Uberto Alberti, the Gonfaloniere.
Ezio drew a sword and killed two guards who tried to arrest him, and he escaped his palace. He delivered the letter to Uberto, who said that everything was going to be fine. He also said that the documents detailed a conspiracy against the Auditore family, and offered Ezio a stay at his home, but Ezio politely refused. He caught a glimpse of a figure in a red cloak behind him but did not notice who he was: he was the Spanish nobleman Rodrigo Borgia.
Becoming an Assassin[]
Ezio headed to attend the acquittal of his father and brothers, but he found them on the gallows instead. Giovanni argued to Alberti that he had given him documents, but Alberti said that there were no documents and no evidence. Giovanni, Petruccio, and Federico were sentenced to death by hanging, and the three were killed. Ezio attempted to intervene, but Alberti ordered the guards to arrest him. There in the crowd was one of the men to whom Ezio was sent to give a letter by his father, who told him that he better run and run fast. Ezio escaped the guards and met Annetta Ferri, his maid, whose sister Paola owned a house north of the Duomo where he could stay.
He headed to La Rosa Cota, Paola's brothel, so that he could have a home. Paola taught Ezio blending and stealing, two vital skills, as she promised that she would teach him how to survive so that he could take his vengeance on Alberti. When he returned from learning the ways of the courtesans, he found out that Paola had stolen the hidden blades from the guards and she gave them to Ezio, and told him to go to Leonardo da Vinci to get them repaired. Using a code, Da Vinci cracked the manuscript and was able to repair them for Ezio.
When a member of the Florentine guard entered the place and took Leonardo out for questioning, Ezio stabbed him with a hidden blade and brought the body inside with those that Da Vinci was researching.
Revenge[]
Uberto Alberti is killed
Ezio returned to Paola at night, and he was told that Uberto was attending Verrocchio's latest works at a public event at the Santa Croce cloister. He found Uberto arguing with Principe Lorenzo de Medici of Florence outside of the art gallery, and he heard that he was allies with the Pazzi. Alberti claimed that Lorenzo crowned himself as prince of Florence, and Uberto warned him that he might gather the wrong sort of attention when Medici insulted his alliance with the Pazzi. Ezio trailed him without being detected, using courtesan women to distract the guards at the rear of the gallery.
He found Uberto talking with a colleague, and he stabbed him twice in the chest with hidden blades, and killed him quickly. Ezio captured a letter from Alberti, which said that it was not hate that forced Alberti's hand, but fear. Alberti wrote to his love that his allies offered him money, land, and title in exchange for his collaboration in the assassination of the Auditores, and that Alberti wanted to make a name for himself and his wife. Alberti confessed that, looking back, he saw no other way. Ezio fled the Santa Croce cloister and returned to Paola, who advised him to tear down the wanted posters, kill corrupt officials, and bribe heralds. He bribed one herald, killed Nicea Cioffi, and tore down two posters, and returned home. He was met by his speechless mother and his sister, and Ezio gave Claudia the sad news that her brothers and father were dead. He told them that they would head to the city of Monteriggioni, where his uncle Mario Auditore had a villa.
Arrivederci[]
He led his family out of the city, but as he neared Monteriggioni, he found Vieri de Pazzi and some Florentines waiting for him. Vieri demanded his palazzo, two new steeds, a prettier bride, and Ezio's life, but Ezio resisted, and found a strange scarred man on the road. The man threw him a sword, and Ezio fought off the attackers with the man and his men's help. He asked him what his name was, and found out that it was Uncle Mario.
Ezio bought a dagger, greaves, and five medicine pouches, and Mario taught him how to dodge, counterattack, taunt, escape from combat, and how to duel in the courtyard. However, when Ezio said that he was going to sail for Spain in three days with his family, an angered Mario prepared his men to ride to San Gimignano to slay Vieri. Ezio decided to meet up with him, having found out that he left the house to kill the snake. Before he left, he found his mother praying to the feathers that Petruccio had been given by Ezio, and promised Claudia that she would come back. Ezio set out to join Mario in killing Vieri, his old enemy, and avenge his family.
Vieri's Downfall[]
Ezio met up with Mario and the mercenaries in San Gimignano in Tuscany, and was told that the city was larger than the Templars and the south gate suffered for it. Mario and his men distracted the guards, so Ezio snuck over the wall and opened the gates, getting rid of the archers with throwing knives. He opened the gates to let the mercenaries into the city, and distracted the guards from raising the alarm along with some of Mario's men. After killing them, Ezio headed to Santa Maria Assunta, where he helped to fight off attackers who ambushed Mario.
Vieri dead
Mario told Ezio that he should go and find Vieri, and on a rooftop, he looked down and spotted a meeting of Templars. He found rich Spaniard Rodrigo Borgia, Vieri, Francesco de Pazzi, and Jacopo de Pazzi, and he heard Rodrigo say that Vieri would manage the mercenaries, Francesco would lead the guards, and Jacopo would make sure that the city was cleaned up. When they departed, Ezio decided to chase down Vieri.
He found him on the ramparts with a few guards, and he deflected a sword stroke by Vieri, counterattacking by running him through with a sword. A dying Vieri revealed that the reason why his family was killed was because Giovanni was secretly a member of the Assassins, and the Pazzi were a family of Templars. Ezio shouted at the dead boy of Vieri, but Mario stepped in and told him to have some respect, and Mario gave Ezio a letter picked from Vieri's body. By killing Vieri, Tuscany grew quiet once more.
Codex[]
Ezio was brought inside of the villa by Mario, who wanted to tell him about the codex and show him his home. Mario told Ezio that the Codex was written by old assassin Altair Ibn-La'Ahad, and was passed down from his great-grandfather. Ezio collected four pages and brought them to the home, and found his sister Claudia with a logbook, and found out that Mario made her write down improvements for the city and upgrades. Ezio also found out that he had the ability to renovate the city's buildings to attract more people and get income.
Mario also showed him a gallery of statues of Assassins: Caligula's assassin Leonius, Alexander the Great's killer Iltani, Cleopatra's poisoner Amunet, Qin Shi Huang's murderer Wei Yu, the innovator of the hidden blade Darius, Genghis Khan's slayer Qulan Gal, and a locked away statue of Altair Ibn-La'Ahad.
La Volpe[]
Ezio returned to Florence to deliver his codex pages that he gathered two years before to Leonardo, and as Leonardo deciphered them at his workship, Ezio practiced new assassination techniques. Ezio was told to find "La Volpe", a man who could help him in bringing down the Pazzi family's plots against Florence. En route to meeting La Volpe near the Mercato Vecchio, Ezio removed unneccessary heat by assassinating Eterie Luchini, a corrupt official in league with the Templars. He headed to the meeting spot, where he was robbed, so Ezio attempted to chase the thief. He was stopped by La Volpe, who introduced himself and told Ezio that he knew everything going on in Florence. Ezio told him that he needed to find Francesco de Pazzi, so La Volpe tipped him on a meeting at the Santa Maria Novella church after a caravan from Rome arrived. He also gave Ezio his 100 florins back, and met him in front of the church later on. Ezio snuck into the church through the catacombs at the bottom, and crept through the underground graves. He used a mechanism to control the mazes and find his way through to the meeting. He overheard that Pope Sixtus IV had given the Pazzis bows, axes, spears, swords, pikes, and other weapons that could supply a battalion of troops. Bernardo Baroncelli delivered the weapons, and he overheard Rodrigo Borgia and Baroncelli talking about assassinating Giuliano de Medici. Ezio left the catacombs and headed to the ground level, preparing to stop the plot. Before he left, he found the tomb of Darius, who assassinated Xerxes I of Persia in 465 BC, and took his seal from his sarcophagus.
Battle at the Duomo[]
Ezio alerted La Volpe about the weapons, enough for a battalion, and about how Pope Sixtus IV backed the assassination. He headed to prevent the conspirators from attacking the Medici family, and through the eavesdrop earlier he found out that the Conspirators intended to kill Lorenzo de Medici and Giuliano de Medici in front of Florence Cathedral during Sunday Services so that all of Florence would see the murder.
While on the way to the church, he assassinated corrupt officals Osvaldo Casaletto and Vittorio Salvatori, who bore false witness to his crimes and traded dignity for coin.
Ezio located Francesco in the crowd but was too late to stop the murder: Bernardo Baroncelli and Francesco de Pazzi drew knifes and killed Giuliano brutally. Lorenzo was wounded but survived, and Ezio intervened, helping him fight off 12 of the Templar mercenaries. He escorted Lorenzo back to his home, where he was taken care of. He then chased Lorenzo on the top of the rooftops from the top of the Pallazzo della Signora, and after a long chase, killed him with two throwing knives. Ezio had Francesco's corpse hung from the Palazzo della Signoria as Jacopo was chanting "Liberta!" many times with a crowd of Florentine people, causing Jacopo to flee on his horse.
Four to the Floor[]
Later, Ezio encountered Lorenzo once more, having saved his life from the Pazzi conspirators. Lorenzo told him of a time when he was six and almost drowned in the Arno, and he woke up one day to the sound of his mother crying, and he found a rescuer. This man was Giovanni Auditore, and the Medicis and Auditores were friends from then on. Lorenzo told Ezio that Jacopo de Pazzi had fled, but that there were many more people. He told Ezio that they were Antonio Maffei, Archbishop Francesco Salviati, Stefano da Bagnone, and Bernardo Baroncelli.
Shortly after, he met with Leonardo da Vinci, who asked him about the Medici-Pazzi feud. He thanked Ezio for saving the city, and Ezio gave Leonardo a Codex page that Lorenzo had given him. The paper contained a blade design for delivering poison, but it was hard to do the blade without cutting off his ring finger.
Hunting the Pazzis[]
Baroncelli dies
He returned to Mario, and Ezio gave him his codex page. Mario said that he would send his scouts to find the co-conspirators that Ezio had made a list of from De Medici, and after practicing some evasive maneuvers on the practice field with Ezio, Mario found out from one of his scouts that they located all of the conspirators. He headed to San Gimignano first, as it was the closest location to him. There, it was reported that conspirator Bernardo Baroncelli had been extradited to from Constantinople, having been arrested by Lorenzo de Medici, so Ezio moved into locate him. Using Eagle Vision while atop a tower, he located Baroncelli and chased him down, killing him with two throwing knives.
Salviati dies
Ezio's next assassination target was Archbishop Francesco Salviati, who was traced to the Villa Salviati in Tuscany. Rather than sneak, he was given command of an army of Mario's mercenaries and sent to subdue the villa guards and kill Francesco Salviati. With six men, he stormed the villa and tripped Salviati, jumping on Salviati and another man and impaling them both through the necks with his hidden blades.
Stefano da Bagnone dies
Ezio found out that Stefano da Bagnone, another Priest in the conspiracy, was hiding near an abbey at Monte Oliveto Maggiore. He entered the abbey and used crowds to cover his movements, but he spotted Bagnone and managed to stab him in the back with his hidden blades. Bagnone said that Jacopo met with others in the "shadow of the Roman Gods" before dying. With the guards on him, Ezio made his escape, running away and throwing a smoke bomb, distracting the guards. He saddled up on his horse and rode off to the next target.
Antonio Maffei dies
The final name on the list was a third priest, Antonio Maffei, who was in San Gimignano on a tower preaching for the civilians to repent. Ezio painstakingly climbed the tower and attacked Antonio, slashing him with a hidden blade and pushing him off the tower. Maffei died, scolding Ezio, and he was the last of the minor conspirators to die.
During this time, Ezio also assassinated corrupt San Gimignano officials Remo Palla and Martino Mazzio, who were paid to bear false witness to his crimes by the Templars. He also delivered a letter from a man named Ramondo to a wedding reception, and the letter revealed that the groom Leone was an imposter from Florence and not a Guelph, as he claimed - the result of his job was not only being paid, but also Leone being dropped from the Torre Grossa in revenge.
He then read a letter taken from Bernardo Baroncelli, addressed from Jacopo de Pazzi. He heard that Jacopo planned to meet with other Templars in Venezia, Rome, or with "the Maestro", and also heard that he wish that he never had collaborated with the Templars - staying in San Gimignano was suicide, and Florence was lost to him.
Jacopo's Downfall[]
Jacopo de Pazzi dies
With the others dead, Jacopo de Pazzi was the last name on the list. Ezio trailed Jacopo to a meeting, hoping to add new Templars to his list of future targets, and he stealthily followed him. He followed him to the meeting place, where he found Rodrigo Borgia. He heard Rodrigo admonish Jacopo, who blamed the failure to Francesco, and he heard a "Signor Barbarigo" talking. He witnessed Jacopo being hacked down by Rodrigo Borgia and Emilio Barbarigo, and Rodrigo noticed Ezio in the shadows, and had two mercenaries bring him forwards. Ezio killed the two mercenaries after they laughed at his offer of sparing them, and he put Jacopo out of his misery with his sword. He evaded the remaining guards, and fled from the scene.
Ezio brought the news to Lorenzo de Medici, who thanked him for keeping his dream alive a little longer, and Ezio told him that there were others that needed killing in Venezia. Lorenzo gave Ezio a cape that identified him as a friend of the Medici, which would cause more respect from city guards. Next, he headed to Leonardo da Vinci, but he heard that he was paid to move his entire workshop to Venice.
He decided to follow him there, as the House of Barbarigo would be his next targets. He helped Leonardo repair his carriage and escorted him safely to Romagna, shaking off Borgia pursuers. Ezio held off the Borgias as Da Vinci escaped, and met up with Da Vinci at the Venetian docks. Since he did not have a pass, he helped a trapped woman named Caterina Sforza, and she gave him a pass to board the ship as a reward. Da Vinci explained that she was the daughter of the Duca di Milano and her husband Girolamo Riario was the Lord of Forli; she was not to be messed around with.
Benvenuto[]
Aided by Alvise da Vilandino, he and Da Vinci took a tour of Venice. They saw the Ponte del Riato over the Grand Canal, the San Giacomo del Rialto church, the silk and spice markets (where they saw some of Emilio's thugs destroy a merchant's merchandise), and the Palazzo della Seta, which was Emilio Barbarigo's home. He heard that Barbarigo tried to unite the merchants under a single banner, saying that he was fighting for the people and nonsense.
Later, he saw the same merchant head to guards to demand compensation, but the guards beat him up and killed him, saying that he was "disturbing commerce". There, the tour ended, and he saw a group of thieves entering the palace.
Thieves Guild[]
Rosa
As he looked at the palace to scout out certain entrances, the thieves burst into the area, and one named Rosa tried to climb the wall, but was hit in the leg by an arrow. Ezio decided to help her escape to the water, fighting off the Barbarigo guards. Ezio took her to the water, where a thief named Ugo took her onto a gondola. Ezio proceeded to hold off the guards, and he brought a wounded Rosa to a table, and he met with Antonio de Magianis, who was the leader of the Thieves' Guild. Magianis told him to meet him and discuss something later, as he knew why Ezio was in Venice and had heard of his exploits in Florence.
He entered the home, and he tried coffee, which was an interesting concoction brought to Antonio by a Turk merchant. Antonio told him that they would strike soon, but they had to recover from the failed attempt to rob the Pallazzo della Seta. Ezio helped Antonio in killing three traitorous thieves paid by Barbarigo, as well as corrupt official Piero de Petrillo, decreasing his notoriety by 75%.
After helping Antonio, he met with Rosa, and asked her if she could tell him how to climb. He was helped out by Franco, another member of the thieves. Afterwards, he met her in front of the Frari and climbed the tower, and Rosa told Antonio of his new skills. Afterwards, he met Ugo on the top of a building, and he heard that Emilio captured many other thieves during the failed assault on the estate, so he headed to free the captive thieves from Emilio. He freed each three groups and brought them back to Ugo one at a time.
Ezio met Ugo back at the docks, where he was told that Antonio's plan called for the thieves wearing archer outfits, and they would move into the Palazzo undetected. The thieves headed to three locations of chests carrying the uniforms, and after taking them, Ezio headed towards the docks to steal a boat. He took the boat to the docks and Ugo, who let Antonio know that he finished the job.
Everything Must Go[]
Barbarigo dies
Ezio was to approach from above under the cover of night and kill the archers on the buildings, and the thieves would take their places. Ezio slew all of the Venetian archers, and he returned to Antonio, and Antonio told him that as they spoke, his men were taking the place of the dead guards. Ugo said that his men could attack the guards as Ezio moved in to kill Barbarigo. He headed to the interior of the base, and he heard Carlo Grimaldi warning Emilio that his house of cards was crumbling. Just then, Ezio jumped down and stabbed Barbarigo in the chest with his hidden blades.
Shortly after, Rosa showed up, and she told Ezio to open up the gates for Antonio. The two opened the gates open, and Antonio congratulated him for taking Seta. The people tore down Emilio's banners and returned what had been stolen, and Antonio gave Ezio money as a reward. He also told Ezio that Carlo Grimaldi was a man who sat on the Council of Ten, and Ezio said that he had a meeting to attend.
Before he did so, Ezio tracked down Tazio Irace, a former conspirator with Archbishop Salviati. Following one of Lorenzo de Medici's gondoliers sent to aid him, he infiltrated the small ship that Irace was located on and assassinated him, assisting Medici in getting rid of a large threat in Florence, Tuscany, and Venezia.
Santo Stefano[]
Ezio found Carlo Grimaldi and Silvio Barbarigo talking as they walked to a meeting, so he decided to follow them and eavesdrop on their new conspiracy. He overheard Grimaldi saying that he needed more time to get Doge Giovanni Mocenigo to change his mind and work with the Knights Templar, as the Doge would not listen to him. When they arrived to the meeting with Marco Barbarigo in the town square, Marco told them that Emilio was dead and that there was no time, and that the Doge would have to be killed. They walked into an alley, where he found Rodrigo Borgia, who said that Doge Mocenigo would die that night, and once that deed was done, Marco would take his place. Silvio was to supply untraceable Cantarella poison and Carlo Grimaldi was to infiltrate the kitchen and poison the Doge's meal.
Iltani's statue
Ezio assassinated Beltramo Cassano, a public official, decreasing his notoriety and weakening the Barbarigo family before the assassination of the Doge could be carried out. He also assassinated Afro Triola, a Borgia messenger, taking his money away from the Templars. Later, he found out that the chest at Monteriggioni was full, so he traveled to the villa to collect the money. He then headed to Florence, where he assassinated Borgia messenger Valentino Petri and searched for the tomb of the assassin Iltani in "Il Duomo" (Basilica Santa Maria del Fiore). He climbed the construction works that painters were using to repaint the interior of the basilica, and climbed to the top, where he found a treasure room. He took the money from the treasure chests and took the seal from the sarcophagus before exiting through a window. Ezio was one seal closer to opening the gates to the armor of the legendary assassin Altair Ibn-La'Ahad in the vault in Monteriggioni. During his time in Florence, Ezio had also captured many codex pages.
Ezio then traveled through the Apennine Mountains, where he found a few chests along the road and on the top of an old rampart. He rode to Romagna on the long and twisted mountain roads, accidentally heading towards Florence quite a few times. Ezio looted more chests in abandoned houses before riding for Romagna/Forli, the domain of Caterina Sforza and Girolamo Riario. He got into a mess with the guards after assassinating corrupt politician Duilio Solazzo and after stealing two codex pages from guarded rooms, but tore down wanted posters to cut down his notoriety. He also assassinated captains Proteo Ascencio, Costante Del Duca, Dagoberto Gauci, and Lidio Marconi and beat up herald Bellino Nuccio.
Later, Ezio headed to Venice to continue his quest. At a birdhouse, he found a request from Lorenzo de Medici that asked for him to assassinate a merchant from the House of Soderini that was harassing one of his female allies. After using a viewpoint at the top of a tower, Ezio spotted Giovanni de Soderini, and he jumped from the tower into a cart of hay. He snuck up behind the man and stabbed him in the back with his hidden blades, killing him.
Soon after, he headed to Antonio de Magianis, and Antonio lended him his support and that of all of his men and women. Ezio and Antonio spotted a way to enter the Palazzo Ducale, through the Basilica of San Marco, and he overheard Carlo Grimaldi threatening the Doge. When Antonio remarked that only birds could enter the palazzo, Ezio remembered Leonardo's flying machine that he invented.
Ezio found a Borgia messenger, Bertolfo Campanile, while he was heading to Leonardo da Vinci to acquire the flying machine from him. Ezio pursued him on the rooftops after Campanile climbed up the side of a building in a vain attempt to lose Ezio. Ezio lost sight of him a few times, but he continued to chase him when he spotted him again. Ezio was pursued by Venetian archers who were angry at him being on the rooftops, but Ezio cornered Campanile on a roof. He beat him up until he paid up, and continued punching until he fell from the roof and died on impact with the street. Ezio then descended to the street, where he killed the pursuing Venetians.
Later, Ezio decided to test Leonardo's machine by jumping off a tower, attempting to control his weight in order to determine weight and direction. He eventually crashed, but Leonardo was happy that he flew. He tried to find a way how to extend the flight distance, and by seeing paper in a fire, he remembered that heat rises, and it could lift the wings of the machine. Ezio and Antonio made a new plan: Ezio would take care of the guards so Antonio and his men could light the fires needed to provide lift for the flying machine. While he was heading to attack the archers and guards in the way of Antonio's men, the corrupt official Ildegonso Martello saw his actions and attempted to run away. However, Ezio pursued him and stabbed him in the back with his hidden blades. Once he finished all of the guards, he headed to a rooftop, where he met with Leonardo and Antonio and the flying machine. Leonardo told him to fly over the fires, and he was also recommended to kick the archers if he got close enough. Before he returned to Leonardo, he killed the public official Oronzo Pini with his hidden blades. Shortly after, he found another public official, Igino Audino, and he stabbed him in the back. He also assassinated the Borgia messenger Amabile Neve and took his money.
Killing the Doge[]
Grimaldi dies
When Ezio put on the wings, Ezio landed the on the roof of the Palazzo Ducale safely, letting the flying machine go into the ocean after he set foot on the roof. The Doge was alerted, but Grimaldi assured him that it was just kids with firecrackers. Ezio killed the guards on the roof without being detected, and he arrived in the room where Grimaldi and the Doge were drinking, but the Doge drank the poison and Grimaldi escaped, running from the balcony. Ezio chased him in the courtyard and jumped at him, pinning him to the floor and stabbing him in the back of the head. He proceeded to escape the palazzo and become incognito.
The Most Wanted Man in Venezia[]
A year later in 1486, Ezio headed to Leonardo's workshop to deliver a Codex page, and Leonardo found out that is was a design for a type of firearm. It was a "hidden pistol", a weapon the size of a hummingbird that gave off a large boom sound, first used in 1247 by Altair Ibn-La'Ahad to kill Abbas Sofian. After testing it out, Ezio returned to Leonardo, who told him to meet Antonio in the Dorsoduro district for help in bringing down the new doge, Marco Barbarigo. He was given a mask by Leonardo da Vinci to fit the Carnivale season that was going on, with people celebrating and shooting fireworks into the air.
Ezio entered the home of Sister Teodora in the Dorsoduro District, where he found Antonio, two prostitutes, and the sister. Just as Teodora was meeting Ezio, a woman reported that Lucia had been cut and a man stole her possessions, so Teodora said for Ezio to chase down and kill the murderer. Using his hidden gun, he shot the fleeing killer and evaded the guards of the city.
While heading back to the brothel, Ezio came across Borgia messenger Alberico Grazioso, who climbed up a ladder from the street and attempted to flee on the rooftops. Ezio pursued him, but archers on the rooftops also pursued both Ezio and Alberico. Ezio later cornered Alberico on a rooftop after failing three shots at him with his hidden gun, and he stabbed him with his hidden blades and looted 1,503 florins.
Afterwards, Ezio decided to return to Monteriggioni to collect the money from the Villa chest. While in the city of Forli, he saw Borgia messenger Sandro Ciancio at the entrance, and he chased him on the rooftops. Eventually, he caught up to him and stabbed him in the chest with his hidden blades, gaining him high notoriety. He solved this when he spotted the public official Silvio Nora, assassinating him with his hidden blades. Shortly after, he headed to the town square and killed another official, Ariele Terrana. After looking over parts of Romagna from a viewpoint, he bought a Viaggio caravan to go to Monteriggioni for 100 florins. When he headed to Monteriggioni, he opened the chest there, gaining 43,122 florins. He then returned to the caravan post outside of the castle and bought a trip to the Dorsoduro District for 100 florins.
Later, Ezio entered Sister Teodora's brothel once more, and he found out from Sister Teodora that Marco was holding the biggest party of all in Carnivale, so Teodora told Ezio that he had to steal a mask, as the masks at the party were numbered. Marco Barbarigo's aide Dante Moro was found out to have been auctioning off a mask, so Ezio took part in four games: a ribbon round-up where he obtained more ribbons than the competition from the ladies of Carnevale; a race where he beat the speed record set by the last contestant; and a game where he took a flag from the middle of the field back to his side of the field three times (he won 3-2); the last game was a fighting match. After defeating three of the contestants, Ezio was fought by Dante Moro, who was sent by Silvio Barbarigo to fight. Ezio stomped on Moro until he was defeated, and Ezio also killed four Venetian guardsmen sent to fight by Silvio. However, Silvio bribed the man presiding over the festival to make Dante Moro the winner of the mask.
Barbarigo dies
Ezio returned to the bordello, and he was advised to take back the mask. Antonio told him not to kill Dante, because it would cause Marco's party to be cancelled. He used prostitutes to distract Dante, pickpocketing him of the mask and two florins. He headed to the party, where he found Dante and guards searching for him. He hired prostitutes to distract them until Marco started his speech from his boat. Since the boat was well-guarded, Ezio used his hidden gun to shoot Marco in the heart. Marco died instantly, and Ezio fled the party and rested at Sister Teodora's bordello.
Meeting Agostino[]
Upon returning from the hit, Ezio met with Antonio at the Palazzo della Seta, where he was introduced to a new associate, Agostino Barbarigo. Barbarigo knew that his brother Marco had what was coming to him because he dealt with the Borgia, and he helped out The Committee of 41 had yet to confirm his ascension, so Bartolomeo d'Alviano helped him raise an army. He found Bartolomeo in a cage and released him, and they fought their way past the guards. Ezio and Bartolomeo entered Bartolomeo's headquarters, and found his place ransacked.
Bartolomeo told Ezio that it would be his honor to help him fight with Silvio, and while Bartolomeo readied his men for battle, Ezio was sent to rescue those who were captured in Silvio's attack in the Castello District. He freed all of the prisoners from the first cage, and although all of them died in the liberation of the second cage, those in the second cage replenished his reinforcements. He freed the third cage without casualties, and he returned to Batrolomeo, who along with Ezio, prepared to kill Silvio. Bartolomeo placed his men in small units around the city to drain the arsenal of mercenaries, leaving only a few to defend Silvio, perfect for Ezio to kill Silvio.
Assume the Position[]
Silvio and Dante die
Ezio took out all of the Venetian guards at three positions, planting men at each area. After he was done, he returned to Bartolomeo, and they readied the assault on the armory. Ezio climbed to the tip of the cross on a church and lit a firework, causing the mercenaries to strike, and battle began in the streets. Ezio helped Bartolomeo defeat Dante, but Dante fled due to the orders of Silvio.
Silvio was a slower runner and was caught from behind while running by Ezio, who stabbed him with his hidden blades. Dante made it to a ship, but Ezio killed him on the dock with his hidden blades as well. Ezio inquired as to where the ships were destined for, and while Silvio refused to tell Ezio where the ships were bound, Dante told him that they were supposed to go to Cyprus.
Boat from Cyprus[]
In 1488 Ezio was given a travel manifest for his birthday by Rosa, which stated that a ship from Cyprus was due to arrive on 25 June, a day later. Just then, Leonardo da Vinci told him of something important. He decoded the Codex and found out that it stated that "Only the Prophet can open the Vault", and Ezio remembered that he opened the vault in the Auditore Villa, which meant that he was The Prophet. He also found out that the death of his brothers and father, the Pazzis, and the Barbarigos were all planned out by "The Spaniard": Rodrigo Borgia. Ezio knew that he had to get rid of Borgia to end the conspiracy.
Ezio climbed the ramparts of a castle and saw uncle Mario in the fortress, and tailed a courier. He heard him say that Rodrigo Borgia was in Venice, and he made a plan to dress up as the courier. He took the uniform and played along, planning to assassinate the Spaniard. He followed the guard without gaining attention, and encountered Rodrigo, and he stabbed the captain. He encountered Borgia, who asked the men to leave him for him, because he knew that he was Ezio. He defeated Rodrigo in a duel, but guards arrived and he killed them, defeating Borgia again. Mario, El Volpe, Bartolomeo, and Antonio arrived to help kill the rest of the guards, and Rodrigo fled the scene, but Paola and Sister Teodora arrived. All of Ezio's old companions (and Niccolo Machiavelli) arrived, saying that they wanted to see the Prophet: Ezio. They had the Apple in their hands, an Ezio was inducted into the Assassins Order shortly after his victory.
Intermission 1488-1498[]
Following Lorenzo's death, the Medici were deposed, and a monk named Girolamo Savonarola took over, turning Florence into hell. Then started the Bonfire of the Vanities, in which he burnt all "vain" literature. In 1492, Rodrigo Borgia was elected Pope, making Ezio enemies with the most powerful man in all of Italy.
Before he met with Mario Auditore, he decided to collect the last 16 pages of the Codex; he had already found 14. He also killed corrupt officials Salvatore da San Gimignano and Marco de Avilo while in San Gimignano hunting down two pages. He found the codex pages around Tuscany, in San Gimignano, Florence, Forli, and Venice, and after that, he returned to the Auditore villa.
He gave his Codex pages to Leonardo in the Villa, who decoded them, and Ezio finished what Mario and his father started years ago. He took a look at the Codex pages to discover the location of The Vault, and chaned the codex on the wall, and using Eagle Vision, he made a map of the world on the Codex wall, and found out the vault was in Rome. He also found out that the Papal Staff was the second Piece of Eden, so Ezio had to go to Rome to find the vault. D'Alviano said that he would cause trouble in the city to let Ezio gain the Apple.
To Rome[]
Ezio climbed the walls of the Vatican after arriving in Rome with Mario, and he infiltrated the Sistine Chapel. As Pope Alexander VI was praying in front of a whole crowd in the main room, he jumped down on the Pope and stabbed him with his hidden blades. However, the Pope used the Staff of Eden to attack all in the room, and all but Ezio died, because Ezio had the Apple in his pouch. The Pope fought Ezio, and the Pope was defeated by Ezio and four of his illusions. However, The Pope beat Ezio to the ground and stabbed Ezio in the chest, but he could not open the Vault, because he was not the Prophet. The two fought in the Vault with fists, but Ezio said that killing him would not bring his family back, and Ezio left him beaten down on the floor. Ezio used the Staff and Apple to open the Vault, and saw a vision of Minerva. She told him about the past, and Ezio heard her mention that she was talking through him to a "Desmond": Desmond Miles was his descendant, who was revisiting his ancestor through the Animus 2.1 machine.
Liberation of Rome[]
Escape from Rome[]
When he left the room, he found the Papal cloak on the floor, indicating Rodrigo had fled. Ezio could not take the Papal Staff out of the ground, and when he pulled it, the room started to go to a deeper level. He climbed up the wall, and he met with Mario, who aided him in escaping the Vatican. They fought their way through Papal guards, and Mario told Ezio to make his decision about the Apple. He gave it to Mario so that he could do away with it or make a new decision later, and they jumped into the river.
They rode back to Monteriggioni, which was upgraded with cannon. He was greeted by Claudia, and he said that he would explain everything in the study. Afterwards, he helped a townswoman carry flowers to the Villa to prepare for Claudia's birthday party. He also helped two mercenaries repair their cannon by finding the engineer, and he shot five groups of dummies outside of the castle using the fixed cannon. His last job was finding Mario's favorite horse that was lost.
Papal troops storm Monteriggioni
When he returned to the villa, he met Caterina Sforza, who told him that the Papal States armies resumed their march on Forli. He said that he would worry about it later, and he told all of the people in the room that he combined the staff and Apple and gained access to the Vault and told them about a moving painting of Minerva speaking to him, and also that she called out to a phantom named Desmond. Mario told Ezio that they had to seek out the temples, and Niccolo Machiavelli was mad when he found out that The Spaniard still lived. Mario said that he trusted Ezio's judgement, and Machiavelli said that he was leaving for Rome.
Ezio returned to his room, bathing, where Caterina Sforza came. She kissed him, and shortly after, had sexual intercourse. The next morning, 1 January 1500, Ezio woke to the sound of cannons, and a cannonball tore through the bedroom. Ezio set out to rally the troops while Caterina organized her guards to attack the rear of the besieging army, which was led by Cesare Borgia. Ezio fought bravely, using cannon and hidden blades, but he was wounded and Mario was killed. He tried to flee on horseback, but collapsed from his horse.
Il Carnefice[]
When he woke up, he was bandaged and taken care of by Magherita dei Campi, and was in Rome. He was told to meet Machiavelli at the Mausoleo di Augusto, and was given his equipment. He found a doctor and was given a pain duller, as a man his age (40 years old) could not use medicine to recover from his injuries. He then climbed to the top of a church tower and located the mausoleum, and he did a leap of faith into a wagon of hay. However, he heard guards talking about an escaped prisoner, so he decided that Machiavelli could wait and he followed them. He killed all six of them before they could assault a man who was crying at her hanging wife. The man said that Il Carnefice, who lived on the hill overlooking the gallows, would hang him if he cut the rope. Ezio offered to deal with Il Carnefice while the man cut his wife down from the rope.
Ezio ascended the cliffside homes until he reached Il Carnefice's mansion. He aimed his hidden gun at him while he was talking to other guards and let a shot ring out, hitting him in the arm and killing him instantly.
Borgia Towers[]
After dealing with Il Carnefice, Ezio headed to Machiavelli. Machiavelli took him on a tour of rome and told him of the strength of the Borgias. He told him that Cesare Borgia had conquered the Orsini and Colonna families, and that he was strong. He also pointed out Borgia Towers across Rome that kept Templar control, so he eliminated Borgia influence from a part of the Centro District by killing Captain Iacopo de Grassi and burning down his tower. Shortly after, he renovated the stable.
Ezio accompanied Machiavelli to the Campidoglio, where a thief stole some of his money. He caught up the thief near the tower of Domenico de Padova, and although he had Papal troops on his tail, he tackled the thief and took his money back. He then killed Padova and burnt his tower down.
The Borgia Letter[]
He returned to the Campidoglio, where he met Machiavelli again. At the Colosseum, he met Machiavelli's contact, who was supposed to intercept a letter. They found the contact apprehended, so they killed the three guards and found out that the Borgia courier still had the letter. Ezio tackled him and took the encoded letter and thought to delivered it to Machiavelli near the Terme di Traiano. However, he was ambused by the "Followers of Romulus" sect, a group of men dressed as wolves and serving Rodrigo Borgia. He killed all of them and found their hideout in the sewer of the Terme di Traiano under the Antico District. He located Nero's Golden Palace in the sewer, and he saw an empty bath. Ezio used four levers to increase the water pressure enough for the floor to cave in, and he investigated after jumping into the pool of water below. He found the Followers of Romulus hideout, which included a lava pit. He navigated his way past several obstacles and got to the treasure room, where he looted the treasure of the sect. The band of the false pagans drove the people of Rome into the arms of the Church and terrorized them for months, and when he gave Machiavelli the letter, he found out that they were coded and they needed a code sheet. Ezio and Machiavelli used secret tunnels to get to the Tiber Island hideout, where they had allies. He met with Fabio Orsini, who was the cousin of Bartolomeo d'Alviano. He told Ezio that today, Cesare commanded his men, but soon they would be free.
Rosa in Fiore[]
He left the underground of Rome and took on the tower of Belardino de Verona, shooting Belardino and proceeding to destroy the tower by igniting the powder kegs. Afterwards, he headed to the Rosa in Fiore brothel, where he was looking for Madame Solari, but he heard that she was captured by slave traders. Ezio delivered the money necessary to save the mistress of the Rosa in Fiore from the slave traders holding her captive at the Isola Tiberina (Tiber Island). He brought him 2,500 florins, but the crew said to take it up with Cesare Borgia and slit her throat. Ezio killed all of the men and took his money back, and headed back to the brothel. He found his mother and sister there, and Claudia said that she would run the brothel, because she ran Uncle Mario's, and because there was no owner, she needed to run it. Ezio reluctantly let her run the business, and he renovated the brothel with the money he took from the slave traders. It soon became the most popular brothel in Rome, and he told Claudia to meet him at Tiber Island when Caterina Sforza was available.
He met La Volpe at his home, asking for use of his spies to help Machiavelli, but La Volpe said that Machiavelli was an ambassador to the Papal court and met with Cesare, and that he abandoned Ezio before the villa attack. Ezio agreed to spy on Machiavelli with La Volpe and persuade La Volpe to rejoin the Brotherhood. They climbed to a rooftop and saw a Papal guard giving Machiavelli a letter, only for a group of bandits to attack. He killed the archers to save a wounded man named Claudio, and he helped him rejoin La Volpe, while being searched for by guards. He escorted Claudio to the docks and La Volpe told him to remove his notoriety, so Ezio killed a witness and tore down a poster, before meeting up with La Volpe. He told him that he should not be afraid of Machiavelli, so La Volpe gratefully decided not to worry. Ezio renovated a Thieves Guild building, allowing the Thieves to have a more prominent presence in Rome and to aid in the fight against the Borgia. The Guild was run from the inn, led by La Volpe, who said that they had gambling, competition, and drinks, and he told La Volpe to go to Isola Tiberina with his findings on the Apple of Eden.
Ezio then visited Bartolomeo d'Alviano and his wife Pantasilea, and he heard that the fight against the French was good, as Bartolomeo's men were holding their own. However, Pantasilea said that the fight was on two sides: the Borgia on one side, the French on the other, and she advised him to get rid of the Borgia so that he could concentrate his forces on the French. Ezio made it his business to eliminate the Borgia captain Battista Borgia sending his troops to attack the Barracks so the mercenaries could focus entirely on the French assault. After a short chase, Ezio caught up to Borgia and stabbed him in the back with hidden blades and blew up the tower. Now that the Pope's men fled, Bartolomeo could summon more men. Bartolomeo kept track of Cesare and Rodrigo's every move in exchange for Ezio overseeing the renovation of D'Alviano's mercenary barracks.
After these tasks, he met with Machiavelli. He learned that Machiavelli had a list of agents that Cesare used to name the major Templars in Rome, and he found out that the list the guard gave to Machiavelli was that same list. He heard that Caterina was moving to the prison in the Castello next and Rodrigo and Cesare were in the Castel d'Angelo.
Den of Thieves[]
Ezio headed to the Castello, who saw Caterina Sforza being unloaded by guards and Lucrezia Borgia. She called Caterina the "She-Whore of Forli", while Caterina insulted Lucrezia's incest with her father and brother or both at the same time. Ezio infiltrated the Castel d'Saint Angelo and overheard Cesare saying to Octavian de Valois, Micheletto Corella, and Juan Borgia the Elder that the Pope did not matter and that Rome was in his hands.
He overheard through the window Cesare and Lucrezia kissing, and he also heard that the Pope was away from the Castello and needed some convincing when he returned. Cesare told her to behave while he was gone, and Ezio continued his infiltration shortly after. As he headed to find Caterina he heard that Borgia was leaving for Urbino, and knew that Machiavelli was going to be very disappointed. He found Caterina in her cell, and he heard that the guard handed the key to Lucrezia, who returned to her quarters at the top of the Castello. He confronted her in the courtyard, and she called the guards after refusing to give Ezio the key. Ezio killed all of the Papal troops and held Lucrezia hostage, forcing her to unlock the cell. Caterina knocked Lucrezia out and threw her in a cell, and Ezio and Caterina escaped the Castello to the stables. He told Sforza to go to the Isola Tiberina to Machiavelli, and Ezio held off the guards. After escaping, he headed to the Assassins hideout at Isola Tiberina. La Volpe brought Caterina back to the hideout, and Ezio told Machiavelli of the bad news. While La Volpe got Bartolomeo and Claudia, Ezio talked with Machiavelli outside. He told Machiavelli that he needed to recruit enemies of the state to disarm the Borgia, so he recruited a woman whom he had saved. He recruited another one, whom he had also saved from Borgia guards. With two Assassins recruited under Ezio, the Liberation of Rome had begun.
He returned to "Rosa in Fiore", where he found a dead prostitute outside of the entrance. Ezio asked another courtesan what happened, and she told him that it was the monster Malfatto, who hunted girls near the Tiber. Ezio set out to locate and kill him, for he was one of Cesare Borgia's private army.
Ezio followed the courtesans to Malfatto, who tried to flee. Ezio finished him quickly by shooting him in the back with a hidden gun. Having killed Malfatto, he stopped the attacks on his brothel's courtesans.
As he walked to the docks, he saw a little boy crying, sitting at the edge of the dock. He asked him what happened, and the boy said that some men took his mother on a boat ride and the guards told him that he would be next. The boy asked Ezio if he could bring his mother back and free the slaves, and he agreed to help him. He found out that his target was a Templar Order henchman named Silvestro Sabbatini, whose arm was cut off before 1502 by Cesare Borgia for failing him in a mission. But he was still loyal and fierce, with a mechanical arm crafted by Gaspar de la Croix.
Sabbatini dead
Ezio found him and tailed him to the captured slaves while remaining undetected by Silvestro or his guards. He followed him to the Circo Massimo, and he stabbed him in the back with hidden blades while he talked with a courtesan. Carlotta Caci, one of his apprentices, was killed by the guards in the duel.
While he returned from the assassination of Sabbatini, he heard a mysterious voice whisper for him. He found out that it was Leonardo da Vinci, who greeted him warmly. Da Vinci told him that the Borgia commandeered his services, and he told him that he had to construct weapons for the Borgia. Da Vinci gave him a list of names of the engineers who had made the machines, but he was also informed that the Templars had the Apple. They sat on a bench and Ezio asked Da Vinci to craft two hidden blades, so he could kill double the amount of enemies.
He sat down on a bench and asked Leonardo to make him a new type of gauntlet that would make climbing faster, and after he received them, he left the bench and headed to his new objective. He set a goal to kill the Templar Overseer to recover a map showing the location of one of Leonardo's war machines. He looted a map from the dead overser and found out that a weapon capable of cutting down 100 men in mere seconds was located in Colli Albani. Ezio snuck through the village and guards to the blueprints, making sure not to be detected. He used stealthy kills to avoid the attention of the guards, and he burnt the plans, and also lit gunpowder kegs next to the wagon. Another one tried to escape, but Ezio caught up to it and stole it, and used the machine gun to hold off the attackers as his horses instintively rode down the road.
After gunning down many horsemen he detached the wagon and horses and used his hidden gun to shoot the barrels on the cart as he rode away, blowing up the machine gun and ridding the Borgias of Da Vinci's first war machine.
Flying Machine 2.0
Ezio also headed to Valnerina, a valley in Umbria, to destroy the prototype "bomber" (Flying Machine armed with bombs) that Da Vinci invented. Most had exploded or the pilots died, but one was being held in a workshop, and it was known to work. After infiltrating the castle and climbing the tower, Ezio rid himself of the guards by pulling a lever and opening a trap door. He then flew the machine to destroy convoys of parts headed for the castle, and he killed a messenger trying to inform Cesare. With the last hopes of building another machine done, he crashed his bomber into a tower and jumped out.
Having weakened the Borgia army in Italy, Ezio went in search of another scroll of Romulus in the maze-like ruins of the Palazzo Laterano, former residence of the Pope, in the sewers. He crawled through the ruins and eventually reached the treasure room by knocking a large cross onto the gates blocking it. Ezio found the scroll and left the ruins through a nearby gate, having achieved his goal.
After saving Ottavio Oliveri and Ortensia Orlandi from Papal troops and turning them into Assassin recruits, Ezio encountered a Minim monk preaching to a crowd about two students of the Minim Order who had died. Ezio questioned the monk on how they died, and the monk told him that they disagreed with Brother Ristoro's habits, and Ristoro had them poisoned. Ezio set out to do what the priest could not: kill him. Ristoro was, after all, the man who supplied religious icons, amulets, and equipment to Cesare Borgia's Borgia/Papal States army during the Italian Wars.
Ristoro was guarded by Borgia troops at his church, so Ezio would have to sneak past the Borgia guards before assassinating him. Ezio found Ristoro in the courtyard of a building, and he climbed onto the roof after taking out two Papal guards. He jumped from the roof and stabbed Ristoro in the back of the head with his hidden blades, killing him. Ezio uttered "requiescat in pace" before shutting his eyes.
Shortly after, he saved Candida Masini and she became an assassin. Along with Ottavio Oliveri and Ortensia Orlandi, she was sent to Florence to count the number of Templar troops in the city. At the same time, Ezio attacked Ferdinando di Napoli's Borgia tower, but lost Ercole Esposito, a new recruit, and he closed his eyes after killing all of his killers. He destroyed the Borgia tower, and upgraded stables, an art shop, a blacksmith, and a medical shop, and he gained an armored horse.
The leader of the Followers of Romulus
Ezio then planned to head to the city centre, but along the way he found out that a lair of Romulus was located underneath the Colisseum. Ezio searched for the shrine to Romulus, the third scroll, and a leader of the wolves. He encountered a leader of the Followers of Romulus and his men, and the leader ordered his men to attack Ezio. Ezio slew them and told the leader that he knew of his receiving of enciphered letters from the Borgias, and demanded that he prove his innocence by handing the codes over. The leader refused, and Ezio chased him. At first losing him amidst a crowd of partygoers in a cellar, Ezio later found him with his Eagle Vision and saw the leader mount a horse; Ezio pursued him on horseback. After a short chase, Ezio followed the leader to a small group of followers and killed the leader and all of his men near the shrine.
With the entrance clear, Ezio entered the shrine and took his third scroll of Romulus, as well as some Buddhist prayer beads and some money from chests. He then returned to Rome by opening a manhole, and he walked out onto the streets of the Centro District.
Ezio set out to assassinate Prospero de Siena and take over his Borgia tower in the western Antico District, sending in a recruit to assassinate Siena in his underground tunnel network before climbing and destroying the Borgia tower. He also saved Giovanni Migliore from a fight around the same time, and Migliore was recruited into the Order.
With his money, Ezio purchased the Colle Palatino landmark and restored the area to its beauty before the Borgias came along and turned Rome into their fortress. He later saved two men from the Papal guards and recruited them as assassins.
Donato Mancini fighting Ezio
While Ezio strolled towards the city on his horse, he found a man looking at his broken stand. Ezio inquired as to how it broke, and the man told him that he made the mistake of beating Donato Mancini in racing. Ezio set out to kill Mancini, as he was a captain of the Papal States' army and an acquaintance of Cesare Borgia.
Mancini's death
Ezio found out that Donato was about to hold a private race at the Circo Massimo, and Ezio set out to assassinate the egoistic general. As Donato rode to a race, Ezio charged at him. Donato yelled for Ezio to come closer so that he could strike him down or trample him.
However, Donato instead trampled several of his own soldiers, and Ezio dodged his cavalry attacks. Soon, outnumbered by several troops and Donato, on horseback, Ezio called on reinforcements from his Assassins Guild. Ezio pulled Mancini off of his horse and pulled him to the ground, but a knight of the Papal States stood in his way, forcing Ezio to fight him. Instead, one of Ezio's recruits stabbed Donato through the neck with their hidden blades, killing him. Ezio then fled the scene, having killed only Donato Mancini.
Shortly after, Ezio took down Tommaso di Viterbo's Borgia guard tower, killing him in a manner similar to Donato; he dragged him off his horse, but this time it was him who stabbed him through the neck with his hidden blades. This was the last guard tower in the Antico District, and he fully liberated the area. Before blowing up the tower, he assassinated Agapito Badolato, a corrupt official who was responsible for putting pressure on Auditore.
Ezio decided to send them on a difficult mission to Paris: with Louis XII of France and Ferdinand I of Spain quarreling over the ownership of Naples, Louis left his foreign ministers to command in his absence. They were Borgia-bought, and they targeted Borgia enemy Desiderius Erasmus, a religious reformer. Ezio sent his team of assassins to remove Erasmus before the Templars could find him. They succeeded, and Erasmus survived.
While the assassins carried out this mission, Ezio searched for another scroll of Romulus; he needed 6 to open the treasure room, and he had 3 so far. He searched in the Catacombe di Roma underneath the Piramide Cestia for the scroll, and he fought against some Followers of Romulus in the catacombs. He climbed a large tower to get to the treasure room, slaying Romulus followers all the way. He finally took the 4th scroll, and climbed up from the sewers, entering the city of Rome again.
One day, he met a man burying his wife, and he told Ezio that she was killed by Lia de Russo, a Templar agent. Lia Russo took contracts for Cesare Borgia near the antique baths, so Ezio set out to kill her.
Ezio traveled to the Terme di Caracalla, where he found her. She attempted to flee on the rooftops, and because she was fast, Ezio had one of his assassins shoot her with a crossbow. She died instantly, and Ezio closed her eyes.
While traveling near the Colisseum on the outskirts of the city of Rome, Ezio met a man who said that a man with an arquebus was firing indiscriminately and was targeting his family. The man told him that he would draw the man's fire as Ezio would take him out, but as he ran into the open, the man was shot. Ezio pursued Gaspar, who told him that he did not scare easily as he kept on running.
Ezio caught up with him at a small tower, where he slashed at him with a sword and cut him down by diagonally slashing his back, killing him. His death ended a major threat posed by the Templars not only in Cesare Borgia's campaigns in Romagna and Tuscany, but also in public safety, as de la Croix was known to be insane.
Ezio then went in search of the fifth Romulus scroll, located in the aqueduct at the Cloaca Maxima. It took him dozens of minutes trying to reach the entrance, involving falling from the aqueduct wall to a small grip, and he diagonally jumped into an encove where the sewer entrance was in the Baths of Diocletian. Now in the sewers, Ezio pursued a runaway member of the Followers of Romulus after hearing in on a conversation between three of them (one of them was a Borgia captain checking in on the group). He slew two of them and chased the last one down, and he chased him down to the main lair of the Followers. Ezio killed the leader and droves of his men, and opened the treasure room, taking the scroll and lots of loot. Ezio returned to the surface, where he resumed the hunt for the scrolls.
Soon, Ezio made his way to the last scroll's location at St. Peter's Basilica, entering the sewer (a drunk duo of men sitting nearby noticed but ignored it). He followed a corrupt cardinal to a meeting with two of the Followers of Romulus, where he overheard the cardinal's plan to give religious materials to the followers. The followers of Romulus gave him a key in exchange, so Ezio pursued the cardinal. He eventually faced him at the top of the cathedral, and when he pushed the cardinal off the edge, he caught him by the key necklace. The cardinal praised God, as he was saved, but Ezio yanked the key and the necklace snapped, letting the cardinal fall to his death and giving Ezio the last key to the treasure room.
Auditore wearing the Armor of Brutus
Ezio entered the treasure room and found the armor of Marcus Junius Brutus, and wore it in memory of the famous assassin of Julius Caesar. He also gained Brutus' dagger, and he stored his old outfit at his hideout. Ezio then dispatched five recruits to assault a priest in London and force him to confess his working with the Templar Order.
In the Campagna District, he took an assassination contract from Machiavelli: he targeted Cesare'es expert arquebusiers Liberato Polimeni, Muziano Palleschi, and Geronimo Tomassini. Ezio assassinated Polimeni by kicking him in the groin and slamming him onto the roof; he stabbed Palleschi in the chest with his hidden blades; and he stabbed Tomassini in the neck. With Cesare's three marksmen dead, Cesare would not be able to shoot unsavory rebel troops when they came out in the open.
Carmelo Chiodo is killed
Ezio returned to the pigeon coop, where he found out his next mission. Farmers had a hard enough time turning a profit in times of war (the Italian Wars were raging at the time), but Romans had to deal with the Borgia taking their hefty share. Ezio was ordered to put an end to the injustice by Machiavelli, so Ezio set out to kill the Borgia guards and Captain Carmelo Chiodo.
He threw Chiodo off his horse and stabbed him in the neck: he had to focus on killing the other five. Ezio killed all of the others by throwing them off their horses and stabbing them in the neck - except for the last one, which he killed by jumping down on him as he dismounted and stabbing him. With the assassinations of the Borgia captains, Ezio removed a large amount of injustice that was laid upon the farmers of Rome, who were grateful for his actions.
Shortly after, Ezio traveled to kill the Templar Overseer to recover a map showing the location of one of Leonardo's war machines. His target was Pardo D'Alesio, who oversaw the construction plans to build a "tank" that was designed by Da Vinci for Cesare Borgia's army. Ezio found the overseer and his man walking up the Spanish Steps, so Ezio stabbed the overseer in the chest with his poison blades. D'Alesio started to see illusions, hacking around him with his sword and killing an innocent man atop his horse. Ezio slew the bodyguards and watched as D'Alesio's insanity melted away until he died of his wounds.
Ezio found out that the tank that Da Vinci built was located in Monte Circeo on the southern shores of Central Italy (100 kilometers southwest of Rome), so he had to destroy the ambitious and devastating war machine. Ezio tailed the engineer as he talked with an elite Borgia soldier, taking out guards so as to avoid detection.
He entered the castle at Monte Circeo (now an abandoned fortress), and found out from the engineer the location of the tank and that it required three men to use - there were three prisoners that could make good allies. Ezio first burn the plans and then freed the prisoners, who found the entrance to the tank's location. He protected them from the Borgia guards, and they showed him the tunnel entrance. Once he reached the tunnel, he was told by the guards that Cesare Borgia intended a surprise assault on Sicily. Ezio responded to them that they would stop the attack, and they took control of the tank. Ezio and the two mercenaries piloted the war machine, which could destroy whole sandbag positions of the Papal army. He also destroyed another working tank using his tank's cannon, and he destroyed the gates to the castle. The tank then destroyed two Borgia tanks inside the castle, and Ezio and the mercenaries exited their tank, with Ezio using a cannon mounted on the walls to destroy the tank prototype. He crippled Cesare's army, and Cesare was unable to mount a surprise attack on Sicily. While heading to the location of another Templar Overseer, Ezio found Guido Tuccerini fighting against several Papal States troops. Ezio slew the soldiers and Tuccerini was initiated into the Assassin Order, and Ezio sent him to steal clothing for Assassin disguises in Venice.
Shortly after, Ezio headed to another Leonardo's war machines location, where he was to assassinate another overseer. Ezio headed to his location and jumped from a rooftop, stabbing him with his hidden blades. The overseer died and it was revealed that the Borgia constructed a Naval War Machine based on Leonardo Da Vinci's designs. The naval gun would give Cesare control of the seas and undoubtedly help the Papal war effort.
Ezio traveled to Napoli (Naples), where the naval gun was located. On the pier, he met the architect of the gun, Eduardo, who sympathized with the Assassins. Eduardo offered to show Ezio to the drydocks, and Ezio followed Eduardo - Eduardo boated by gondola as Ezio jumped on ledges above. Ezio followed Eduardo to the dry dock from above, and Ezio captured the boat with the gun on it. He shot the sails of many Borgia ships, sinking four of them. Ezio demonstrated the power of Da Vinci's war machine, but he was forced to aim the cannon at his own boat and destroy it. This was the last of Leonardo's war machines, and he met with Leonardo. Leonardo said that the disarray allowed Leonardo to craft something for Ezio: a parachute.
With Cesare Borgia's war machines destroyed and his army crippled, Ezio set out to finish off the Borgia towers, assassination contracts, and renovating banks, art shops, blacksmiths, stables, and medical shops. So far, Rome was 16% rebuilt, good progress since the start of the liberation of Rome.
In the town center of Rome (near a herald who was announcing Cesare's successes in Romagna), Ezio had a memory of his old life. He remembered a time in 1476 when he tried to follow Cristina Vespucci after failing to make a good first impression, and he followed her to the Casa de Vespucci. He found Vieri de Pazzi threatening to rape her, and Ezio intervened, beating Vieri de Pazzi. Vieri ran away, and told him that his family would have vengeance. Ezio remembered that she introduced herself and kissed him, giving him a second chance.
Ezio later returned to the Rosa in Fiore, where he found out from his mother that the former madam, Solari, worked with the Templars and that many of the courtesans at the brothel worked with the enemy. Ezio gained the ability to have courtesan assignments, which would further undermine Borgia influence in Rome. He spoke with a courtesan and found out that Santino Solari, the brother of Madame Solari, was trying to take over the brothel. Ezio stopped Santino from beating up a courtesan and beat him up; he carried his limp body to the fountain in front of the Pantheon and dumped him there. He publicly called him a liar and said that the courtesans of Rome would never answer to him, before leaving.
Ezio then met up with another Rosa in Fiore courtesan on a bench not too far from the Pantheon, who told her that Giulietta would lead him to a high-ranking Borgia man. He was Gionata Lama, a powerful Papal States politician who was in league with Rodrigo Borgia. Ezio tailed Giulietta to Lama, climbing over rooftops without letting Giulietta know that he was following her to his next target.
Ezio reached the target's location, where he hid in a well behind Lama. Lama was talking with the prostitute, and Ezio stabbed Gionata Lama in the back and pulled him into the well, hiding his corpse. Ezio then climbed out of the well and told Giulietta that she was no longer welcome at the Rosa in Fiore, despite her explaining that she did not know that Gionata Lama was affiliated with the Borgias.
With no courtesan missions in clear sight, Ezio headed to complete more liberation activities, taking an assassination mission. He found out that the Borgia hired two notoriously cruel guards to beat up anyone they saw in an attempt to scare the citizens of Rome. Ezio's targets were Pasquale Giangiulio and Bertolfo Sorrenti. He stabbed Giangiulio in the back and stabbed Sorrenti in the chest, killing them both and removing a major Borgia threat to the people of Rome. Later, Ezio assassinated captains Letterio Scolaro, Emiliano Caporale, and Alcide Lo Tito in a brawl in the streets after he pickpocketed some people.
Ezio then reduced his notoriety by killing Oscar Cianciolo, a corrupt official loyal to the Borgia. He also beat up Papal herald Isidoro Flocco, who was spreading anti-Assassin propaganda to the people of Rome. Ezio slashed him with a sword and pursued him, beating him down. He also beat up herald Araldo Corelli, stopping him from spreading his propaganda as well.
Ezio proceeded to head to the Borgia tower of Pietro da Siena three times, the first time calling Valeria Viozzi to help him. However, she was cut down by the guards after Pietro fled, and Ezio was wounded. The second time, Ezio attempted it alone, but Pietro escaped again. The third time, Nino Nastagio and Ortensia Orlandi were both killed by the Borgias, and Ezio lost his favorite assassins. He succeeded in killing a few Borgias in the Vaticano District on the bridge, and he looted Borgia messenger Socrate Reo after he was killed by a guard. Ezio returned for a fourth time, and this time he killed Siena and all of the guards with an arrow storm before heading to the tower and blowing it up, liberating the area. He renovated a blacksmith's shop before helping Fedele Fabiani survive an attack by Papal guards, and Fabiani was recruited as an Assassin. He sent him and others to kill a Templar historian in Barcelona, a job that succeeded.
Later, he arrived at the Isola Tiberina, where Machiavelli told him of a way to send his men on missions. La Volpe told him that Bartolomeo needed double the focus against the French, so Ezio formulated his plan. He decided that he needed to attack both Cesare's men and his funds, and he heard that he got money from a man called "The Banker". Claudia told Ezio that a man named Egidio Troche was associated with the banker, and might be a good first target. He was also told that a French general (Baron Octavian de Valois) guarded the bridge to Rome and the Papal Guards controlled the inside of Rome. As he left the hideout, he saw Caterina riding home to her lands, as without Forli she was of no use to the Assassins.
The Banker[]
Ezio returned to the Rosa in Fiore brothel to find his sister, attempting to gather information on "The Banker" and kill him. Ezio headed to the Campidoglio, where he found Egidio being beaten up by Papal Guards. Ezio saved Egidio and escorted him to the home of his brother Francesco Troche, and they hid out there. Egidio told him that he needed to give the Banker money, so Ezio gave him 3,000 ƒ to pay off his debt. Ezio followed Egidio to the Banker's location, as Egidio was going to pay off his debt. Egidio gave the chest to a guard, and Ezio followed the man to the Banker without being detected. He followed the guards to the Pantheon, where Captain Luigi Torcelli took the chest of 3,000 ƒ from Troche and counted it.
Ezio infiltrated the Pantheon from the roof, and sent one of his apprentices to assassinate Torcelli. He dressed in Luigi's armor, and was ordered to kill Egidio, but Ezio refused to have him killed and told him that he was spared. He led the guards to the Banker's location without being detected, listening to their reactions to determine the correct route. He gave a guard the chest, and he was let into the party that the Banker was holding. However, other guards found out that Luigi Torcelli was killed, and a heavy guard informed the soldiers that they just let Luigi in.
The Banker[]
Ezio entered the party, and got out of his armor. He told a group of courtesans to inform Claudia that The Banker was indeed here, and he tailed the guard carrying the chest into the party. He used courtesans as cover and assassinated guards from hay stacks, and he followed the guards to Juan Borgia. Borgia took the chest and a courtesan, and Juan was alerted that Cesare was about to speak in the next room, so he left the chest to a guard. The guard was distracted by a courtesan, and another one stole the 3,000 florins.
Ezio followed Juan Borgia and the courtesan to the speech, making sure that nobody detected him. Ezio followed him to the Chapel, where he saw Juan, Cesare, and the Pope. Cesare made a speech, saying that when he unified Italy, the feast would last 40 days and 40 nights. However, he heard his father whisper that he did not agree with Cesare to conquer Italy. Cesare said that he had the army, so he was making the decisions.
Afterwards, Juan walked around the people sitting and drinking in a large crowd, and Ezio snuck into the crowd without gaining attention from the guards. He sat on a bench and called on one of his apprentices to kill one of the guards watching the party. When Juan passed by, he wrapped his arms around his back and stabbed him there, killing him.
Ezio returned to his brothel, fleeing the scene. Claudia's girls stole the Banker's money, but there was trouble at the Rosa in Fiore. He found out that the guards followed the two prostitutes home, and found three guards dead on the floor, with Claudia wielding a knife. He said that she was a true Auditore, and Maria appeared, telling the two that they had finally come to their senses.
The Baron de Valois[]
Baron Octavian de Valois
Ezio entered the Caserma de Alviano, where he found Bartolomeo d'Alviano, who was expecting his wife. He found out that Cesare convinced King Louis XII of France to send an army under Baron Octavian de Valois to help him out, and as they talked, the French attacked the barracks. A seemingly limitless amount of French troops poured in through the three gates, so Ezio closed the gates and they finished off the French troops. After they finished off the French in the castle, he found Octavian, who had captured Pantasilea and had demanded that he surrender before dawn. He told Bartolomeo to practice French, because soon all of Italy would be speaking it.
Bartolomeo rode to the French camp, and he said that if the French would cower behind their defenses, they had nothing between their legs. However, Ezio came up with an idea when he heard Bartolomeo say that he should bring gifts to the coward and hope that he let Pantasilea live.
Ezio met Bartolomeo back at the Caserma, where he told him that if they liberated several suits of French armor, they could walk right into the French encampment. They agreed to kill the French troops without a fight so that the armor stayed clean, and they would dress as Frenchmen. Ezio killed twenty French soldiers in the Roman Ruins, allowing Bartolomeo's men to steal their armor.
When he returned to camp, he told Bartolomeo that he would not wear a uniform, and he would pretend to hand himself in. The other mercenaries would wear French uniforms and bring him into Valois' camp. They ambushed an wiped out a small unit before marching down the patrol route to the French encampment. Ezio took out the guards at the roadblocks before they could detect the ruse, and the mercenaries moved on virtually unimpeded. When the watch guard at the camp asked what his business was, Ezio used the French he spoke to French girls in Florence to reply that he wanted to take the prisoner to the Baron. When the guard asked what part of France he was from, he replied "Montreal", and was let in.
Valois' death
He met De Valois, who confronted him. Bartolomeo said that nobility came from fighting alongside soldiers, not kidnapping women to prevent a battle. When De Valois aimed his pistol at Pantasilea's head, Ezio fired his hidden gun and battle began. Bartolomeo told Ezio to take the rooftops and free his wife, so he killed four French guards and headed to assassinate Valois without being seen so that he would not shoot Pantasilea. Ezio jumped on top of the headquarters roof, and jumped down into the courtyard. He stabbed Valois in the back while covering his mouth. He told Valois that respect was not inherited nor purchased, and Valois admitted his wrongs. Ezio freed Pantasilea, and gave her to Bartolomeo.
The Key to the Castello[]
Ezio headed back to the Rome Thieves' Guild, where he met with La Volpe, who told him that the man holding the key to the Castello was a stage performer named Pietro Rossi, who was also a lover of Lucrezia Borgia. However, he also heard that Machiavelli had warned Pietro to leave the Castello when Ezio spotted him and Lucrezia in the courtyard the day he rescued Caterina. Just then, a thief reported that guards were attacking the inn. Ezio, La Volpe, and the thieves held off the mercenaries before riding off to rescue other thieves. He found out that Cesare Borgia was going to send Micheletto Corella, the best killer in all of Rome, to kill Pietro, from one of the thieves he rescued. He also heard from another thief that they were going to perform the play "Pieta", about Jesus' death, that night, and he heard from another thief that Pietro was to be suspended, so Ezio made plans to stop the attempt.
However, Ezio needed to use his Assassins. He sent Primo Penna, Vittorio Veneto, Mino Recoveri, and Paolo Simoni to assassinate a Templar thief who had been stealing from his allies in Lisbon, Portugal, and they came back successfully. Now that he knew the success of his men, he tailed Micheletto to the play's location. While following him, he discovered a way for the Assassin Recruits to infiltrate the play by having them dress as dead Papal Guards.
Troche dies
En route to the Baths of Trajan eastern gate, he found Francesco Troche blindfolded and Cesare near him. Cesare said that he betrayed him, and he said that if the Church did not fall in line, he would eliminate it entirely, thinking that Troche worked for the Pope. Micheletto garroted him to death, and the guards gave Micheletto the costumes for the play. He also dumped Francesco's body in the Tevere (Tiber) river.
Climbing up the walls of the Colosseum to watch over the play and make sure that Pietro was not killed. He killed the four gunmen with help from apprentices and dressed in the Roman costumes backstage with his allies, and assumed the correct positions without arousing suspicion. However, when he found Micheletto in the black suit, he walked up to him and stabbed him. Micheletto told Ezio that the wine that Pietro drank was poisoned, but he let Micheletto live, as killing him would cause his own destruction. He lifted Pietro from the cross, like Michelangelo's sculpture of Pieta (Virgin Mary holding a dying Jesus), and he saved him from the poison coursing through his veins by carrying him out of the Colosseum to the nearest doctor. He got the key after telling Micheletto that Cesare knew of their affair, but found a man who was at the Villa attack nearby. The thief ran away, so Ezio ran after him and tackled him. He found out that he was the traitor, so Ezio stabbed him in the neck. He ran to La Volpe, hoping to stop him from killing Machiavelli. He gave him the letter that the traitor carried, and he prevented La Volpe from killing Machiavelli, and Machiavelli and La Volpe walked away, talking like friends (Machiavelli was unaware of La Volpe's suspicions).
Afterwards, he headed to the Tiber Island hideout and met La Volpe, who told him that the French and Papal forces were in disarray. He told him to call the Assassins together, and he also told him to bring Claudia. Machiavelli branded Claudia, who was inducted into the Assassins Order, and Machiavelli made Ezio the head of the Assassins as "Il Mentore" (The Mentor), the guardian of the order and its secrets.
Ezio found out from one of Niccolo's scouts that Cesare rode for the Castello alone, and as Ezio left, Machiavelli said that he intended to write a book about him one day. Ezio replied "then make it short," and he jumped off the hideout and into the Tiber River. Ezio prepared to finish what he had started and kill the Borgia.
The Pope is killed by his son Cesare Borgia
On 18 August 1503, Ezio infiltrated the Castello Sant'Angelo and entered the Papal Apartments after using the Castello key. He made his way to the dining room, where he overheard Cesare yelling at the Pope for cutting off his troops and money. The Pope told him that the Baron de Valois was killed, and that Cesare was traitorous. He told him that it was high time for Cesare to take responsibility for his actions, and Rodrigo said that Cesare was not going anywhere, for he had the Piece of Eden. When Lucrezia burst into the room, saying that the Pope intended to poison him, Cesare shoved a poison apple that he had eaten, and shoved it in his father's mouth. Lucrezia told Cesare to get off of the Pope's dead body, telling him that she knew where the Apple was, but he choked her and said that he did not love her, and Ezio walked into the room where the Pope died after Cesare fled. Lucrezia told Ezio that the apple was in Basilica Papale de San Pietro in the pavilion in the courtyard, and he raced Cesare to the location.
He found the apple there, but found Cesare Borgia and two guards. However, he cringed from the poison and called for guards, so he escaped from the Vatican with the Apple of Eden. He dove into the Tiber River to avoid detection, having used the power to kill many guards and replenish his health. Ezio returned to the Tiber Island Hideout, where he informed the others that Rodrigo Borgia was dead and Cesare was poisoned, but still alive. Ezio planned to destroy Cesare's Roman army, leaving him with little support to wage a counterattack.
He headed back to the Basilica Papale de San Pietro, where he overheard Cesare saying that Micheletto was arriving with an army, and he showed up in front of Cesare. He sent his captains to attack Ezio as he fled, but Ezio used the power of the Apple against them. Ezio killed all five of the captains and all of Cesare's men, eliminating Cesare's army.
In September 1503 Ezio was informed by Claudia that an interrogated Cardinal revealed a meeting between Cesare and other Cardinals in the countryside, so he planned to break up Cesare's meeting with the Cardinals to ensure that he did not successfully petition for aid.
He followed Cardinal Georges d'Amboise to a meeting at the Colosseum, where they met Cesare. He overheard that they elected Giuliano Della Rovere as Pope Julius II, saying that Cesare's money was tainted. Just then, Ezio showed up, and Cesare called the guards and fled. Ezio called in Mino Ricoveri, Vittorio Vitale, Paolo Simoni, and Primo Penna to help him, and although they were all killed, Ezio managed to kill the remaining Borgia soldiers without them.
In December 1503 he was told by Bartolomeo that Cesare gathered his best troops in front of Rome's gates, and Ezio joined the other Assassins to confront Cesare and his last remaining followers at the Piazza del Popolo. He met the Borgia, and Cesare said that soon Micheletto's army would arrive. All of the Borgia were killed or wounded, but Cesare found that troops behind him were Michelettos. They were really the soldiers of Fabio Orsini, who had him jailed on the orders of Pope Julius II for treachery, murder, betrayal, and incest. He bade farewell to Leonardo da Vinci, giving him his money, and he headed to hunt down the last of the Borgia.
The Fall[]
Ezio headed to Spain in 1507 to follow Cesare, who had become a general in the army of John III of Navarre. He rushed onto the battlefield of the Siege of Viana in northern Spain (Navarre), where Cesare and his soldiers were fighting with Louis II de Beaumont's Castilian soldiers. Ezio nearly killed Cesare but was found by guards, and dueled them. A cannon barrage knocked him out, but he got onto a horse and rode to an olive field for munitions. Another cannon blast unhorsed him, and he ran to the castle of Viana. He came up the walls, and told Cesare that he had nowhere to run.
Cesare told him that the crown was his, but Ezio told him that a true leader empowered the poeple that he led. Ezio said that he would leave him in the hands of fate when Cesare said that no man would murder him, dropping him off the walls of the castle to his death. His death was a great blow to the Templars, and Ezio was able to return to Rome. He placed the Apple back where it belonged, in The Vault under the Vatican. The Apple of Eden stayed in the Vault until 2012, when his descendant, the "Desmond" that Minerva mentioned, and his Assassin allies entered the Vault and found the Apple, using it to aid in the search for the Temples that Ezio was told to hunt down years before.
Soulcalibur[]
Ezio as he appeared in 1507
While he was traveling to Navarre to finally end Cesare in 1506, Ezio discovered a strange artifact. The artifact in question was held by a group of Templars planning to overthrow Queen Catalina, off the Spanish coast. During the night, Ezio boarded the ship, overcame the Templars, and set the vessel ablaze. He then stole the chest holding the artifact and, once in a safe place, opened it. Ezio was jumped in time to the year 1607, when several powerful warriors were in search of the legendary pieces of Eden - Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, two strong weapons that were destined to give immense power in exchange for soul (Soul Edge) or immortal life and a cure to all weakness (Soul Calibur).
Ezio went on a search for the weapons, starting by heading to northwestern Bavaria, where he encountered a young warrior named Pyrrha Alexandra in the Old District. Ezio proceeded to assassinate her with his hidden gun during the battle, and he proceeded to Prague, to a manor given by Emperor Rudolf II of Germany to the Valentine family. Ezio faced Ivy Valentine, an older woman who was still skilled in the art of killing. Ezio defeated her in a duel, slashing her across the chest, killing. Ezio proceeded along the trail to the Black Forest, where he killed mystic Viola by hitting her across the face after wounding her grievously. At Denever Castle, he killed Hildegard von Krone with an attack across her head that broke her helmet; Ezio also killed Z.W.E.I. with his hidden gun.
Ezio found out that Soul Edge lay in the hands of a pirate named Cervantes de Leon, and he infiltrated his ship, the "Adrian". Ezio confronted Cervantes and they dueled, resulting in Cervantes dying after being impaled through the chest and also being hit across the head. Ezio then took Soul Edge from him and then hid it. With Soul Edge captured, Ezio finally destroyed the sword - the strange artifact that he captured brought him back to 1506 on the ship to Navarre. Having experienced and ended a 1607 event, he prevented the dangerous Piece of Eden from falling into the wrong hands, and erased its future possibility.
Revelations[]
A Narrow Escape[]
Leandros attempting to hang Ezio
Having deposited the Apple safely, eliminated the Templar Order in Italy, and found out the legend about two legendary swords, Ezio planned a joruney to the ruins of Masyaf in present-day Syria, the home of the Assassins 300 years before. He read a letter that his father wrote a year before his birth, revealing a library beneath the stones of Masyaf.
Ezio left Ostia, Italy in 1510 on a boat, bidding farewell to Bartolomeo d'Alviano before leaving for Syria, never to see him again. His freighter, Anaan, stopped at Corfu, Athens, Crete, and Cyprus, where he explored the Templar archives that were explored by assassin Altair Ibn-La'Ahad in 1191. However, Venetian authorities on the island prevented his movement, and he acquired a ship of his own. Ezio's ship was attacked by pirates, and he fought off the watch as well as the pirates, but later fought alongside the pirate leader. After being stabbed in the side, he fell unconscious but when he woke, he was on the pirate's ship to Acre.
He arrived in Acre after ten months (in March 1511), and was treated well there by the men and women. After a week, he wrote to Claudia, telling him that Masyaf was overrun by mercenaries. When he headed to Masyaf, he was found there by Byzantine Templar Captain Leandros, who had used Niccolo Polo's Journal "The Secret Crusade" to locate the keys to the fortress. The Templars ambushed him, shooting him in the right arm with an arrow, and he was captured after a long battle with dozens of Byzantine guards. Leandros had him taken to a balcony near the top of the tower of Masyaf, where he attempted to put a rope around his neck to hang him. However, Ezio fought back the guards and slid down the rope to a platform.
Because the guards could not spot him due to a blizzard, Ezio was able to climb back up the fortress and collect his weapons and munitions. Ezio proceeded to slay six guards (four on one platform and killing two through ledge assassinations) and toppled a statue of an eagle onto the courtyard below, revealing the sewer system. Ezio took a leap of faith through a layer of ice and reached into icy water, avoiding the guards' notice. He headed into the sewers, where he found out from a worker there that an ugly captain carried a journal with him and that was how the Templars found out about the doors. He also learned that there was another door underneath the Ottoman Sultan's palace in Constantinople (Istanbul). Ezio gave the worker a bag of coins, and told him to get an honest job. The worker told him that the men would kill him if he left, so Ezio told him to pack his tools and decided to find the Templar captain and recover the mysterious journal.
Ezio found Leandros stealing a carriage from a local villager, and attempted to leave. Ezio caught onto a rope on the back of the wagon and climbed up, and Leandros hopped onto another wagon, and Ezio used the other wagon to chase Leandros. After a long chase, grenadiers threw a bomb and Ezio's wagon was destroyed. Ezio fell to the side of a cliff, nearly falling off. Ezio then headed to confront Leandros in te villiage.
Leandros dies
Leandros sent his men to kill Ezio, telling them to bring his head or throw themselves into the canyon, but Ezio fought them off. Next, he headed to the Atlas Village and found Leandros on a rooftop, ordering his men to attack. Men came near the gate to prevent Ezio from escaping, but Ezio cut the rope to the gates, causing them to close and block the Byzantines from entering. Leandros ordered his men inside the fortress to attack Ezio, but Ezio killed all sent to oppose him. He then climbed the tower, where he encountered Leandros in a duel on the rooftop. Leandros wrestled with Ezio, and Ezio stabbed him in the chest with a hidden blade. Leandros gave Ezio the journal of Niccolo Polo, and told him that he could have Altair's books from the library, and Leandros told him that he only wanted the location of the Grand Temple.
Arrival in Constantinople[]
Ezio wrote to Claudia, telling him that Masyaf was occupied by the Templars and that he knew their motives. Ezio wrote her that five keys sent to Constantinople with Niccolo Polo were the ones that could locate the temple, and that he knew that the Templars already had one. Knowing that without all five keys Masyaf could not be accessed, he headed to Constantinople/Istanbul in May 1511. Aboard the ship, he spoke with Prince Suleiman of the Ottoman Empire, who came off as a young scholar instead of a nobleman to Ezio. They had a brief exchange of words before Ezio was distracted by a woman passing by. Afterwards, he bid farewell and disembarked from the ship onto the Golden Horn section of the city. On his arrival, he was greeted by Yusuf Tazim, who recognized that he must be the and mentor of the Assassins. Tazim told Ezio that he would show him around the city as a gesture of friendship.
Ezio was told that the Galata District was home to orphans from Europe and Asia alike and that it was so filled with integrity that the Assassins made it their base. He was told that in 1506 that a group of people attempting to restore the Byzantine throne had started to disturb the calm and grew day by day as Sultan Bayezid was on his way out of the world. He also found out that there were two angry sons that could succeed the Sultan - Ahmed and Selim, who drew a sword when the Sultan coughed. As they walked, they were ambushed by Templars, but they were helped by Janissaries, who had no liking for the Byzantine thugs. Ezio and Yusuf Tazim made their way to the Assassins Bureau in Constantinople, and Ezio greeted four other Assassins at a table, greeting his long-lost family. Yusuf told them to make a sweep of the area, and he told Ezio that his equipment was not in good equipment and that he should upgrade his equipment. Ezio explored the Galata District and stole money from people, gaining his first attention of the law. He killed four Janissaries who wanted to arrest him for pickpocketing, and he beat down many people who were upset that he stole from them. He headed to the blacksmith and used his money to buy spaulders.
When he returned, he was taught by Yusuf about the origins of the Byzantine Assassins, as they were followers of the last emperor Constantine XI of Byzantium, but he did not know the leader. Yusuf also told him about the hookblade, which was something that Yusuf had used ever since he was young. He was told all of the techniques, and he was also told that he could use the hook and the blade, and one or the other. He was also given a new challenge: he needed to climb the Tower of Galata in under 60 seconds. He was told of an attack on two fronts: Galata and the Grand Bazaar, with the Templars attacking the two Assassin Dens at those locations. They climbed the roofs and used the ziplines for transportation, and killed two Templar scouts. Yusuf told him that he would head to the Bazaar, but Ezio would stay where he was at the Galata Den.
He was informed that the Assassins beat back the vanguard, but the Templars were sure to send in more troops. Ezio led his fellow Assassins in its defense, using Assassin Leaders, Crossbowmen, Riflemen, and Barricades to defend the den from Templar attack. Eventually, the Templars brought up a battering ram, but using both cannon salvos and concentrated rifle fire, the Assassins destroyed it. Only one out of 25 Assassins called was killed, while all of the Byzantines were killed. After the attack was repelled, Ezio took a ferry from Galata to the Imperial North District in order to find Yusuf at the Bazaar.
When Ezio was ferried across the river, he saved Yusuf from four guards, and he found out that the Bazaar den fell. The two headed to recapture the den, and Ezio was given a cherry bomb to distract the guards as they walked. Afterwards, they looke from on top of a building to scout out a Templar captain; Ezio told Yusuf to create a distraction while he killed the captain. Ezio skewered the captain and another man in an aerial assassination, and he lit a retreat fire on the tower, forcing the Templars to pack up and go.
Lost and Found[]
Ezio wrote his sister, saying that the people of Istanbul offered him friendship. But it was a troubled city too, as a rebellious faction of Byzantine Templars' recent attacks delayed Ezio's search of the Masyaf keys. He decided to head to Niccolo Polo's trading post to get a step closer to the keys.
Ezio spoke with Yusuf Tazim, and told him that he needed more recruits to bolster the cause. He told Ezio to speak with one of his men in Galata, so he could help him begin their training. At the docks, Ezio brought a key to a gate so that he could free a man arrested for stealing food from a cage. He killed a heavy guard and stole a key from him, and he told the man that after he was done clearing his conscience then he could have an honest man's work as a member of the Assassins.
After recruiting the man, Ezio returned to the Galata District via the ferry. After beating up several people from whom he had pickpocketed money and killing two guards and a corrupt official, decreasing Templar awareness. He headed to his den in Galatia, where he met up with recruit Akilas Romanos, whom he saved from the cage. He was told to go to the park on the outskirts of the city to the west of the den, and he cleared the area of Templars before meeting up with his apprentice. Using eagle vision, he noticed two clues of dead Assassins, and he found a man they called "The Sentinel" show up and try to flee. Ezio tried to give chase to him, but he used cherry bombs and escaped, and Akilas failed to air assassinate him. Ezio and Akilas killed the Byzantine guards that remained behind to fight, and he found out that he was called Vali cel Tradat, a former Assassin. Ezio told Akilas that he would focus on training him and honing his skills before he headed to kill Vali.
He sent Akilas to rescue Shehzade Korkut from Knights Templar thugs' captivity in Bursa, and he headed to the Imperial District Den, where he met with Yusuf. Yusuf told him about Bomb Crafting, so that he could have an asset in taking over Templar districts. He built a bomb of a fuse bomb, Arabic gunpowder, and shrapnel. When he was done crafting the bomb, he asked Yusuf if he had heard of the journal of Niccolo Polo, "The Secret Crusade". Yusuf said no, and he asked him if he knew where the keys to Masyaf were; Ezio said that there was one under the Topkapi. Yusuf told him to meet with Piri Reis, who could help him out with both finding the Polo trading post and in crafting bombs. Ezio visited Piri Reis' shop, and he found out that the location of the trading post was near Ayasofya. He also learned that Piri had learned to have an interest in artillery and explosives while soldiering, and he told him that everything he saw in the shop was for sale.
Albrecht Durer's painting of Sofia Sartor
Ezio made his way to the former Polo trading post, which turned out to be a book store owned by Venetian woman Sofia Sartor, whom Ezio had caught a glimpse of on the boat from Rhodes to Constantinople on his arrival. He was given permission to investigate the former trading post, hoping to investigate the area for any secrets. He located a hidden switch using Eagle Vision, and opened a tunnel. Ezio decided to investigate where the tunnel led, and he overheard two Byzantine guards discussing how long they had been in the Yerebatan Cistern, trying to search for something. He killed them all and found the Cistern key on the corpse of a Byzantine captain. He unlocked the gate, and killed another Captain and unlocked the next gate. Ezio continually explored and killed another Captain and opened the last gate, and used a hidden door to move onwards. When he pushed past the door, he took a Masyaf key from a statue holding it, achieving his goal.
He returned to Sofia, telling her that he found something that may interest her. He opened up a map and showed her the margins, and she noticed that they had the titles of rare books. Niccolo Polo hid books around the city, and the maps told them where the books were hidden. Ezio said that he had to find three books first in order to get clues to find more of the keys. He asked her to decipher the map and find the books, and he told her that they would work something out in exchange.
When he left, he found Yusuf waiting. He said that the Romanies in the Constantine District and the mercenaries and Assassins were assembled. Yusuf revealed that there were hidden tunnels that Ezio could use to travel quickly throughout the city. He headed out to a Romani area, where he spoke to a Gypsy woman. She told him that a group of Byzantine Templars stole a chest of Romani gold. Ezio set out to poison all those who dared touch the chest to creat the illusion that it was cursed. Ezio found a group of Romanies dancing, and hired the quartet to join him. He blended with them, following them to the chest. He killed all of the guards with poison darts, and when the next one picked it up (and the next one), he also shot them with poison darts. He then took the chest back to the Romani sector, and was rewarded with the ability to borrow money from the Romanies.
After he was done helping the Romanies, he returned to the Galatia Den. He found out that the material on the Masyaf key was like the Apple of Eden, with the markings of the first Civilization. Ezio noticed that in the keys were encased memories, and he revisited the memory of his ancestor Altair Ibn-La'Ahad, set in 1189 at the Siege of Masyaf, in which he assassinated traitor Haras and saved Mentor Rashid ad-Din Sinan. After finishing the memory, he met Akilas Romanos at the docks, as he learned more information about The Sentinel, enough to take him down.
Vali dies
He heard that Akilas said that two Assassins were held hostage, and that Vali demanded the possessions of the Assassins in return for them. Ezio said that there would be no diplomacy, and that he would hunt the Templars down. He and Akilas parted so that they could search Galata separately, and Ezio freed the two prisoners from their Byzantine guards. However, the second Assassin said that the hostage taking was a ruse, and that it was meant to draw Ezio away from the headquarters so that he could attack it. He found Vali on the rooftops, and he chased Vali through the streets until Akilas Romanos jumped from a rooftop and (this time) successfully performed an air assassination. Vali explained that the Creed was as vital to him as air and water until the Turks marched into Wallachia and the Assassins did nothing. Vali said that if a man could not protect his family, his people, or his lands, that he did not have a place on earth. Shortly after, Ezio wrote Claudia, telling him that he had a Masyaf key and found a map to the remaining keys. However, he also said that the Templars had another key, and that he would need a friend in the Ottoman government if he was to defeat the Templars.
The Uncivil War[]
Ezio plays his lute as Yusuf kills a conspirator
Ezio met with Yusuf on a castle wall in Galata, and he heard that the Byzantines planned to infiltrate Topkapi Palace now that Prince Suleiman the Magnificent returned from his hajj. Yusuf told him that the Assassins planned to dress as entertainers and walk right in to the banquet that the prince was holding that night/ Ezio decided to join Yusuf, protect the Ottoman royal family, and gain their trust. He knocked out nine Italian ministrels in order to get their costumes and guitars, throwing the unconscious bodies in hay wagons. They dressed up in the ministrel outfits, and Ezio had to put away his blades because they were conspicuous. He sung songs of his experience from 1476 to 1507, and distracted the two conspirators as Yusuf Tazim struck his targets down with his hidden blades.
Prince Suleiman the Magnificent
After clearing the courtyard, Ezio and the others searched for Prince Suleiman in the next courtyard. He was pointed out to Suleiman, the 17 year-old Governor of Kefe and Bayezid's grandson, and Ezio told Yusuf that he saw him on the ship, although he thought that he was a student. He also saw Shehzade Ahmet, who was grooming himself for the sultanate as they spoke. After having the introduction to the House of Osman, he proceeded to mark four more conspirators for death. However, a guard noticed Yusuf, who killed the guards. Ezio lent his hand in killing the last of the Templar assassins, and he heard Suleiman tell one of his men to summon Tarik Barleti, who was a captain in the Janissaries. Suleiman told Ezio to meet him later when he was ready, so Ezio headed to him in the palace. However, he had to kill several Janissaries, since it was a restricted area. He used splinter bombs on them, killing a whole drove of them, and finished the rest off with the help of Akilas Romanos.
Ezio met up with Suleiman, who told him that he was going to meet with Barleti, captian of the Janissaries; the Sultan's loyal elite guard who were angry over his choice over the next Sultan. They wanted Suleiman's father Selim to rule rather than Shehzade Ahmet, who usurped the throne. With Suleiman investigating the attempt on his life, he told Ezio to eavesdrop on his conversation with Tarik Barleti from the top of Topkapi's Tower of Justice. He heard Tarik say that he would conduct an investigation, but Suleiman told him that he would control the investigation. Tarik Bey was kept behind, and he overheard Ahmet say that if Tarik had a hand in his mess, he would kill him. Ahmet aske fdhim why the Janissaries had contempt for him, so Tarik said that he was pensive in war and restless in peace, and that he would make a good philosopher but not a good Sultan. Ahmet told Tarik to leave the room, and Ezio talked with Suleiman after the eavesdrop. Prince Suleiman told him to stay around Tarik Barleti at the Grand Bazaar and see what he was up to.
En route, he killed two Templar captains and lit the signal fire above their den, forcing a Templar retreat. Afterwards, he killed an official. When he headed to the docks, he found Duccio de Luca flirting with Sofia, and when he told Duccio to go away, Duccio fled in fear of him. Sofia told Ezio that her parcel that she wanted delivered was on an impounded ship, so Ezio snuck aboard and brought it back to her. It was a map of the new world, and in exchange, Sofia gave him the location of the first book.
While he was looking, he recruited a civilian named Nicolae Dragomir into his cause after saving him from a group of guards. He sent his assassins off to help Piri Reis survey Tripoli as he used the Polo symbols to reveal the clues to a Masyaf Key near Hagia Sophia. After using Eagle Vision to find a clue at the tip of Hagia Sophia, he made a leap of faith and headed to a nearby mosque and picked up the "Mission to Constantinople" by Liutprand of Cremona. Afterwards, he traveled to the Galata District on a boat, and used the Galata Tower key to unlock the door there. He entered the secret doorway at the top of the tower, as a clue left behind by the Polos led him to investigate. He slid all the way to the sewer when the platform he jumped on was weighed down and crashed. After navigating through the caves, caverns, and waterfalls of the areas below Galata, Ezio found the next Masyaf Key, with 2/5 in his hands.
Ezio returned to the Galata Den, where he deciphered the next Key of Masyaf. He revisited Altair in 1192 after he killed Al Mualim, saving Abbas from the Apple, which tried to suck the energy out of him. He wrote Claudia, telling her that he made the acquaintance of the young Prince Suleiman the Magnificent, of unique fortitude. He would also investigate wayward Janissaries that may be affiliated with the Templars. He also brought up Sofia Sartor, telling Claudia that he enjoyed her company and that she helped him find the Masyaf keys.
Heir to the Empire[]
Ezio talked with a merchant, who said that most of his rugs were confiscated by Janissaries just because they were imported. He asked him if he knew Tarik Barleti, and he said that he was an arrogant sort, and Ezio told him that he would find out about Tarik and also get the merchant his rugs.
Ezio tailed Tarik Barleti to the Grand Bazaar marketplace, and he heard him tell his guards that he had an important meeting and for them to make sure that he was not being followed. After trailing him, he heard that Manuel Palaiologos was waiting for him near the Arsenal gate. He oversaw a meeting between Manuel, Tarik, and Shahkulu, and overheard a discussion about a delivery arriving. He met with Yusuf near the meeting, and Ezio decided to incite a riot to distract the guards and gain access to the Arsenal.
Ezio bribed three heralds to provoke the crowds to riot against the Janissaries, with the heralds saying that the people broke no laws and thus should not be abused. After getting the heralds to stir up riots, he met with Yusuf and the rioters at the gate. The 60 rioters were attacked by many guards, and 8 were killed before the second wave. Eventually, they broke down the gates with only 36 men left in the riot, and Ezio infiltrated the arsenal. He heard Shahkulu tell Manuel that when he restored the Palaiologos, he should not forget who helped him. They left, and Manuel said that if a single weapon was damaged, he would not pay for them. When they left, Ezio opened a crate and found arquebuses, but was noticed by Janissaries and had to flee the area.
Ezio returned to Sofia, finding that there were two books: one in the Bayezid district and the Topkapi district. Sofia told him that a thief stole a painting from the store when Ezio asked what happened, and Ezio told her that he would find him. He reasoned that if someone broke in for money and instead found a painting, he would be nearby trying to sell it. He beat the thief into telling him that he sold it to a merchant in the bazaar to feed himself, and Ezio headed to the merchant. He beat him up and took the painting, and headed to Sofia, who was running errands at the aqueduct. She told him that it was a gift for her 28th birthday from her father, with Albrecht Durer painting her over the course of one week. Sofia curiously asked him what his purpose was, and he told her that he was a teacher of some kind, and one day he would tell her the whole story. Sofia gave him the location of another book, so he left and headed to find it.
He climbed the Column of Marcian, as Niccolo Polo hid a book containing clues to a key location near to the nearby Valens Aqueduct. He found a book using Eagle Vision, and found out that it was "The Flute Girl" by Menander. He opened a secret door at the Forum of the Ox using his hookblade, and explored the sewer. He heard a group of Byzantine Templars in the sewer say that they could blow upp a door using barrels of gunpowder, and Ezio shot one. The rest got into a boat and tried to flee, so Ezio chased them down the river by hopping on ledges. Eventually, while ziplining he jumped onto the boat as it headed off a waterfall and killed a few men before the boat collapsed and blew up; Ezio jumped off before it did and landed in the water. He got up on the stone floor and killed the rest of the Templars and located a treasure trove. He acquired sulfur, money, resin, and British Gunpowder, and located the secret door. He opened it and took the next Masyaf key, with 3/5 in his possession.
Ezio returned to the Galata District Den, where he used the key to revisit Altair's memories. Ezio saw Altair's memory of when his lieutenant Abbas Sofian betrayed the Order and killed his son and took over Masyaf, and the memory ended with Altair and his son Darim Ibn-La'Ahad fleeing Masyaf, warned by Abbas.
Ezio wrote Claudia, telling him that he had a name: Manuel Palaiologos, nephew of the deposed Byzantine Emperor Constantine. He told her that he was going to investigate a treacherous Janissary named Tarik Barleti, and he also told Claudia of his love for Sofia.
Fortune's Disfavor[]
Ezio saw Suleiman and his uncle Ahmet playing chess, and he saw Suleiman playing with European moves. Ahmet told him that it must be hard for him seeing him fighting his father for the throne, and Suleiman told him that if the Sultan favored him, it was law. Ahmet left the chess game to meet with the viziers, and Ezio arrived, telling Suleiman that Manuel Palaiologos was equipping a militia. Suleiman told Ezio that to get to the Janissary barracks to find the weapons, he would have to become a Janissary himself. Suleiman told Ezio to kill Tarik for naked treason against his grandfather, even though Tarik was friends with Selim. Since Ezio wanted to interrogate Tarik Barleti for the location of the Templar army, he needed to acquire a Janissary disguise. He headed to a Janissary barracks and killed an isolated soldier and threw his body in a haystack, taking his uniform.
Tarik dies
Disguised as a Janissary, Ezio followed the Janissaries to their compound and located Tarik Barleti to learn where he had sent the weapons purchased by Manuel, while being careful - his disguise was not perfect. In order to fit with his cover, he beat up a harassing civilian, and followed the Janissaries to the camp. Because elites were suspicious, he hid in tents to make sure that he was undetected. He made his way to Tarik, and he heard him receiving a message. Ezio overheard that the rifles arrived in Cappadocia, where Manuel and his army were encamped, and he heard that they would meet the Byzantines at Bursa. After hearing this, Ezio moved in to kill Tarik.
Tarik was circling around a training fight between his Janissaries, and Ezio decided that it was time to strike. He entered the fighting circle and shot Barleti three times with his hidden guns. Barleti revealed that he was actually working against the Templars and planned to ambush them at Bursa, and gave him a map of where the Templars were located. Ezio apologized, but Barleti died, telling him to finish what he had started in the name of God. Ezio escaped the area, after fighting his way through some Janissaries.
Having killed an innocent man in the process, Ezio decided to speak with Suleiman about the tragedy. He told Suleiman that he was too tracking the Byzantines, and Suleiman told Ezio that he should have not been so quick to judge. Ezio told him that Suleiman was loyal to his grandfather to the end, and he had the means to fight off the Byzantines. Suleiman arranged a ship to take him to Cappadocia, when Ahmet appeared. He called him Marcello, one of his European advisors from Kefe. As he left, Ezio saved a man named Emmanouil Kantakouzinos from Byzantine guards in the market and he later saved a man at the docks called Gergely Budai. He sent these two men, as well as the other Assassins, to liberate Alexandria from Templar Order, killing Governor Ridwaan Usman and pushing the Templars out of the city.
As they liberated Alexandria, Ezio headed back to Sofia's book store. She told him that he was going to Adrianople in a few weeks to visit the new printing press, but Ezio told her that his time was running short. Ezio offered to run her errand to collect white tulips so that she would decode the book while he was gone. He would trade the flowers for information in front of the Hagia Sofia, so he could find the final Polo book. He headed to the market, where he asked for white tulips from a merchant, but he told that he could tell him where he could get tulips in an hour. Ezio tailed the florist so that he could find out where he got his flowers, and when he brought some back to Sofia, he enjoyed a picnic with her. Sofia told him that she solved the code many hours ago and that he would get it soon enough. Shortly after, he was informed that Alexandria was now under Assassin control.
He climbed to the top of Little Hagia Sophia and searched for a clue to the book using Polo symbols, and found it on a rooftop. When he looked at it, he found out that it was "Aesop's Fables" by Socrates. The book gave him a clue that a key was in the Maiden's Tower. Ezio opened the sewer grate and entered the lower chambers of the tower. He solved the puzzle of The Maiden's Tower, and he was able to retrieve the fourth Masyaf key.
Ezio later returned to the Galata Den, where he revisited the memory of Altair in 1247, where he killed Abbas and reclaimed Masyaf. He lamented on the life of Altair, praising that he was an Assassin from his young to old years, and that he had known no other life. Having relived Altair's life, he decided to take the ship to Cappadocia. When he was leaving, he found Yusuf Tazim waiting for him. However, he was told that the Janissaries raised the Halic (Golden Horn) Great Chain because of Tarik's death, and they did not want anyone to escape.
Ezio climbed aboard a ship after fighting his was through Janissaries, and he used a Greek fire flamethrower cannon to roast all of the seven Ottoman boats blocking the harbor. He jumped over the burning ships to reach Piri Reis' ship, which left for Cappadocia.
Ezio wrote to Claudia, telling her that he left Constantinople for Cappadocia, and was eager to find Ottoman spies there. He also told her that he admired Sofia with more affection than he thought possible, but he told Claudia that he did not want to drag her into his life for the fear of hurting her or dragging her away.
Underworld[]
In March 1512, Ezio arrived in Cappadocia. Pursuing Manuel Palaiologos, Ezio set out to locate the missing Ottoman spies and work with them to find the Templars. He entered a cave, where he found the Byzantine Templar fortress, which was teeming with rifle-armed guards. He found a female Ottoman spy named Dilara, and he heard from her that the rest of the spies had been captured by Byzantine Templars a week ago. She told him that when he was ready to fight he should meet her.
However, he overheard two guards saying that they had captured a woman spy, and they said that they put her in the prisons. The spy, Dilara, was imprisoned by the Byzantines, who were led by Turkish renegade Şahkulu, so with her fate uncertain, Ezio decided to find and rescue Dilara before it was too late. He heard that the key to her cell was with a guard named Nikolos in the market, so he headed there and killed dozens of guards and took the key from Nikolos' body.
Şahkulu dies
He freed Dilara from her cell and met up with her near an execution platform where Şahkulu was going to execute a spy named Janos. He killed four Byzantine riflemen on nearby scaffolding, before jumping from a cross and attacking Şahkulu from aboive. He jumped down and stabbed Şahkulu in the chest, but Şahkulu did not die. He stabbed Ezio, and Ezio killed the rest of the guards. Şahkulu was the last survivor, and Ezio stabbed him twice in the chest with hidden blades.
After killing Şahkulu, he told Dilara that he was going to ignite gunpowder in the armory to create living hell and confusion among the people, and he would kill Palaiologos in the commotion. Ezio sabotaged the gunpowder with an incendiary device, and Manuel Palaiologos attempted to inspire his people, saying that they were the lords of Constantinople and Byzantines. However, his speech ended when he saw Ezio approaching, and he sent his men to cut him down. Ezio chased him down to a pier, where he confronted Ezio, saying that he fought to restore peace to the troubled lands. He dueled with him and shot him in the neck with a hidden gun, and a dying Manuel gave him a Masyaf key, but told him that he would die before getting 100 leagues to the library.
However, he saw Prince Ahmet on a boat, and Ahmet told Ezio that he was there for the Masyaf keys. The Templars, now led by Prince Ahmet, threatened to kill Sofia if Ezio did not hand over the Keys, and as Ahmet and the boat left the cavern river, Ezio fought his way through many of the Byzantine guards, and avoided coughing crowds of people en route to the exit. On the way back to Constantinople, he re-visited Altair's memories.
He wrote Claudia, telling him that he was going back to Constantinople, and that Prince Ahmet was the mastermind behind Leandros' Masyaf Expedition. He also told her that Sofia was sucked into a war that she did not know existed, and that if harm came to her, that it was his burden to bear.
The End of an Era[]
When he returned, he heard that new restrictions applied to all those who left or returned to the city. He also heard a herald say that there was a 10,000 H bounty on Ezio Auditore, so he thought to be careful. Ezio returned to Sofia's book store and found a body, and found out that it was Yusuf. He shut his eyes, and swore revenge. He rallied the Assassins, telling them that the whole city rose against them while Yusuf's murderer waited and watched from the arsenal, laughing.
After killing several guards, he found Ahmet at the arsenal. Ahmet did not tell him where Sofia was, so Ezio decided not to kill him. He was told to bring the keys to Galata Tower, and when he did, he would be given Sofia. He found Suleiman, who tailed Ahmet when he returned. Suleiman told him to spare his uncle if he could, but he told him that his father would not.
He headed back to the Galata Den and collected the five Masyaf keys and brought them to the tower, where the exchange was to happen. He met up with the Assassins at the graveyard, where he made Akilas Romanos the new Mentor of the Ottoman Assassins. He met Ahmet on the ramparts, and he found out that Ahmet did not have Sofia with him. He called in his Assassins, and he ordered his men to give Sofia to Ezio. He found out that the woman was not Sofia, and he parachuted down to the courtyard, where he found Sofia hanging. He rescued her, and the two got onto a carriage and sped off.
They attempted to catch Ahmet before he escaped the city with the Masyaf keys, destroying two carriages in the process. Eventually their carriage hit rocks and Sofia held onto the side, and Ezio held onto a rope, skidding along with Sofia's carriage. He deployed his parachute so he could fly over the wagon, still holding onto the rope, and he killed many pursuing Byzantine horsemen. Eventually, the wheels of Sofia's wagon were broken and Ezio jumped onto Ahmet's wagon, which veered off a cliff. As they fell, they fought, and Ezio parachuted down, with Ahmet clinging to Ezio's legs.
When they hit the ground, they spotted Selim's army marching, and Ahmet told the Janissaries that they were loyal to the Sultan. Selim then choked Ahmet and threw him off a cliff, and Selim said that were it not for Suleiman's endorsement, Ezio would have been killed by Selim. He told Ezio to leave and not to come back, so Sofia told him that it was not his fight, and they left for Masyaf, never to return to Constantinople.
He wrote Claudia, telling her that they were in Acre with the five Masyaf keys. He said that when he made it to Masyaf, he would fulfill his father's forgotten dream by opening the library of Altair. He said that hopefully, the next words he said to her would be in person.
A Homecoming[]
Ezio and Sofia visited Masyaf, which was abandoned. They climbed to the downstairs area of the castle, and Ezio used the Masyaf keys to open the doors of the vault. By solving a puzzle, he opened the door, and found the skeleton of Altair in his robes. He found something in his hand, something that looked like one of the keys to the door.
He revisited the memory, in which he found Altair telling Darim to leave. Darim understood that it was not a library, but a vault, and it had a secret. Altair told him to live with his family and live well, and they embraced for one last time before Darim left. Altair closed the door, and he hid the Apple in a vault behind him. Altair sat down in the armchair nearby, and died, succumbing to old age at 92 years. Just then, the memory ended, and Ezio found the artifact. Altair spoke to the Apple, talking at whomever "Desmond" was, speaking to the future. He said that he was only a conduit for a message, and he said that maybe he would answer all of the questions that he had asked and bring the suffering of the people to an end.
Final years[]
Ezio Auditore returned to Florence and married Sofia, and had two children with her. They had a nice estate and a garden, and lived there with their children, whom they raised affectionately. In 1524, Ezio missed Machiavelli's play by three weeks, as he was growing old. While Sofia took his son Marcello into Florence to see Claudia, Ezio stayed with his daughter Flavia. While tending to his fields, he saw Flavia with a cloaked figure, so he charged at the figure and restrained it; he found out that it was a female Chinese assassin. He met inside with her and found out that her name was Shao Jun, but he refused to teach her on how to rebuild her order. Since she had come a long way, Sofia gave Shao Jun a spare bedroom and let her eat supper with the family. The next morning, he found her reading his letters, and told her to leave. However, Shao Jun recited a poem that she made about Ezio's life, about how he only started his family phase in his twilight years. He decided to take her into Florence and showed her the plaza where his family died 48 years before, and lamented on how an Assassin's life was taking, inflicting, and watching pain.
As they walked down an alley, they encountered a hooded man, and he drew a sword. Shao Jun dueled him and slew him, and while Ezio and Shao Jun rode back to the villa in a wagon, she explained that her Mentor sent her to meet with Ezio. They both escaped in secret, but her mentor was caught in Venezia. The men sent to chase her were the Emperor Jiajing's men; she was formerly a concubine until her mentor freed her. She told Ezio that the Emperor was a cruel man who preferred lin chi (thousands of cuts across the wrists) to beheading.
When they arrived at the villa, Ezio told Sofia to start packing bags so that they could stay at Machiavelli's that night; Ezio explained that a misunderstanding happened. That night, he explained to Shao Jun that killing Rodrigo and Cesare Borgia would do nothing without fraternity. He explained that love of people, culture, and the world binded his brotherhoods (first in Rome, then in Constantinopli), and that which inspired hope would help Shao Jun win back her people.
Later that night, Ezio awoke to find out that Templars assaulted his home. Shao Jun and Ezio fought off the attackers, and killed all of Jiajing's men. The next morning, Ezio's family returned home to the villa. Ezio went to the market that afternoon and sat on a bench as his wife and daughter purchased food. A man sat next to him and criticized Florence, saying that he would rather be in Rome. Ezio told him that Florence was not his problem, before coughing. The man left soon after, and Ezio finally succumbed to his heart attack. Sofia and Flavia dropped their basket and ran to Ezio, but he had already passed away, looking at his family.