- "I say we work here. In Roma. Erode the Borgia’s influence while restoring our own. And in fact, I want to begin right now."
- ―Ezio revealing his plans to fight against the Borgia.[src]
Added by Within a year, Ezio had turned a number of Rome's citizens into Assassin apprentices, as well as adopting several existing members of the Order into his guild, such as Francesco Vecellio, whose former master had betrayed the Order to save his infant son.[11] The apprentices fought and trained alongside Ezio, as well as undertaking missions to aid their fellow assassins in cities across Europe, and as far a field as Calicut, India. He also had his apprentices aid him in removing a number of Templar agents, such as Malfatto and Silvestro Sabbatini.[5]
Eventually, Ezio received a surprise visit from his old friend Leonardo da Vinci, who informed him that he had been pressed into providing the Borgia with various forms of advanced weaponry and war machines. Leonardo promised to provide Ezio with the tools necessary to destroy his weapons, albeit at a small monetary cost. Ezio agreed, and, in his war against the Borgia, managed to destroy all of Leonardo's machines.[5]
Finding the Banker
Edit
- "If we cut off his funds, Cesare will lose his army and return without his men. So, I ask you, where does he get his money?"
- ―Ezio, asking the other Assassins about the Banker.[src]
Ezio met with Machiavelli, La Volpe, Claudia and Caterina in the Assassin hideout, discussing their plans to attack the Borgia. Ezio asked them where Cesare got his funds from, to which La Volpe replied that Cesare had his own personal banker, whose identity was unknown and was only referred to as "the Banker". Additionally, Ezio revealed that he intended to kill the French general, so that Cesare would lose a large part of his protection. La Volpe revealed that there was a side entrance into the Castel Sant'Angelo that Ezio could use, and that Lucrezia's lover Pietro had a key to enter it.[5]
Upon leaving the hideout, Ezio noticed Caterina about to leave on horseback, saying that she was of no good to anyone without Forlì in her possession, and that she wanted to be with her children in Florence. Despite Ezio's request for her to stay, Caterina left Rome.[5]
Ezio met with Claudia in the Rosa in Fiore, who told him that senator Egidio Troche frequently came into the brothel to complain about the Banker, and that he could find Egidio at the Campidoglio. Hearing several men on the Campidoglio talking about Egidio making failed attempts to get finances, he eventually found him under attack of Borgia guards and rescued him. Together, they went through the district looking for a safe place for Egidio to hide out in, until Egidio found shelter in the home of his brother Francesco, who was angry at Egidio for warning the ambassador of Venice of Cesare's plans for Romagna. Egidio was willing to aid Ezio, telling him that the Borgia guards usually lead him to the Banker and that he needed money to meet with them. Ezio brought him the required amount of florins, and Egidio met with the guards, while Ezio followed them via the rooftops.[5]
Eventually they arrived at the Pantheon, where the money was given to the Borgia captain Luigi Torcelli. Ezio infiltrated the Pantheon via the roof and killed Luigi, taking his clothes and pretending to be him. Together with two Borgia guards, Ezio was able to carry the money to the right location - a feast Cesare was throwing in celebration of his conquests - and passed the chest of money on to the next guard. Ezio was given entry to the party, but the guards soon found out that Luigi was killed in the Pantheon and they went out looking for Ezio.[5]
With the aid of Claudia's courtesans, Ezio was able to remain undetected while following the chest carrier to the party. Once there, he overheard the Banker introduce himself asJuan Borgia to a courtesan, and took her with him. Ezio followed them both while remaining undetected, to where Cesare was giving a speech. Ezio avoided the patrolling guards and took a seat on a bench, and killed Juan Borgia after he came passing by.[5]
Ezio escaped and returned to the Rosa in Fiore, where a group of courtesans who stole the chest of money cried out that the Borgia guards followed them to the brothel, and that they went after Claudia and Maria. Ezio rushed inside, only to find out that Claudia killed all the Borgia guards by herself using a knife.[5]
Battle with the FrenchEdit
Added by Following the Banker's death, Ezio traveled to Bartolomeo d'Alviano's barracks, where he soon discovered that Bartolomeo's wife, Pantasilea Baglioni, had been kidnapped by the Baron de Valois, commander of Cesare's French allies in Rome. Despite putting up a valiant defense of his barracks, Bartolomeo saw no feasible way he could secure his wife's safety short of surrendering; Ezio however, had another idea. Eliminating a large number of French soldiers, Bartolomeo's mercenaries took on the guise of a French patrol escorting a defeated Bartolomeo d'Alviano to the Castra Praetoria, the base of operations for Octavian de Valois' forces.[5]
Infiltrating the fortress, Bartolomeo and Ezio came face to face with the Baron, who very nearly killed Bartolomeo were it not for a timely interruption from Ezio. Battle soon broke out, and with Bartolomeo's mercenaries engaging the French forces Ezio was free to pursue the Baron and Pantasilea, eventually freeing her and killing him.[5]
Securing the keys to the CastelEdit
Not long after his victory over the Baron de Valois, Ezio traveled once more to La Volpe Addormentata, where he and La Volpe discussed the latter's suspicion that Machiavelli had in fact betrayed the Assassins by guiding the Papal Army to Monteriggioni, and by informing Rodrigo and Cesare to stay away from the Castel during Ezio's infiltration. Ezio disagreed, but promised to look into their being a traitor. La Volpe later informed him that Pietro Rossi, an actor and Lucrezia Borgia's lover, had the key to the Castel and that Cesare intended to kill Pietro over his feelings for Lucrezia. Locating Cesare at one of the city gates, Ezio witnessed the assassination of Francesco Troche, brother of Egidio, by Cesare's personal assassin Micheletto Corella. Ezio then tailed Micheletto, who was to infiltrate a play that Pietro would appear in, and kill him. As he followed him, Ezio had his apprentices discreetly replace those guards Micheletto tasked with partaking in the murder.[5]
Eventually, Micheletto arrived at il Colosseo, the site of the play. Climbing up the outside of the building, Ezio made his way down from the roof to the backstage area below, picking off Micheletto's marksmen as he went. Ezio soon struck Micheletto, but spared his life hen he learned that Pietro had been poisoned previously, as a means of insurance. He hurried from the Colosseum, Pietro in his arms, whilst his apprentices covered the retreat. After handing Pietro over to a doctor and receiving the key to the Castel from him, Ezio spotted Paganino, a member of the Venetian thieves guild who had been present at the siege of Monteriggioni. When approached, Paganino ran and Ezio gave chase. Ezio quickly caught him and reasoned that he was in fact the traitor, not Machiavelli; Paganino pressed Ezio's hidden blade into his own throat. Ezio raced back to Tiber Island to stop La Volpe from killing Machiavelli, as he had promised to do so previously.[5]
Added by Meeting with La Volpe inside the Tiber Island hideout, he ordered him to gather the Assassins, and bring Claudia as well. They gathered in the ceremony hall, and there Ezio offered Claudia to join their Order just like their family had. She agreed and received the Assassin burnmark from Machiavelli. Additionally, Machiavelli decided to step down from leading the Order and to promote Ezio to the position of Mentor, realizing that Ezio was the better leader and was "exactly what the Order needed." Claudia proceeded to do a Leap of Faith off the hideout’s tower, and Ezio appointed Machiavelli to be his trusted advisor. Machiavelli advised' Ezio to go kill the Borgia, and Ezio left for the Castel Sant'Angelo.
Fall of the BorgiaEdit
- Ezio: "You'd better not stop telling me what you think. Why else would I seek the opinion of my most trusted advisor?"
- Niccolò: "Go kill them, Mentore. Finish what you started."
- Ezio: "Good advice."
- —Ezio and Niccolò discussing the Borgia.[src]
With Cesare's supporters in Rome dead, the Brotherhood and its allies were in command of the city. Ezio was informed that Cesare had returned to Rome, and was meeting with his father in the Castel Sant'Angelo. Once again infiltrating the Castel, Ezio witnessed Rodrigo's attempt to poison his son, only to be murdered in response. As Cesare hurried from the Castel to obtain the Apple of Eden that his father had hidden away, Ezio entered the Castel and gave Rodrigo's body his blessing. He then learned from Lucrezia where Rodrigo had hidden the Apple and raced out of the fortress.[5]
Ezio arrived at St. Peter's Basilica and obtained the Apple with just moments to spare, as he was soon joined by Cesare and a sizable contingent of Papal soldiers. Using the Apple, Ezio drove mad those pursuers he did not kill; then in tandem with his fellow assassins worked over the next few months to completely destroy what little support in Rome Cesare still had. Eventually, the Assassins caught up with Cesare himself, who was awaiting reinforcements from Micheletto Corella and his army. Cesare's forces were defeated, although their leader had retreated behind the city gate; he was not safe however, and was quickly arrested by Fabio Orsini on the orders of Pope Julius II. As he was dragged away, Cesare screamed that "chains [would] not hold [him]" and that no man could murder him.[5]
Despite their victory, Ezio was troubled by Cesare's comments, and meeting with Leonardo da Vinci, he confessed his concerns to him. At Leonardo's suggestion, Ezio decided to look into the Apple in order to see if Cesare's threats were true. He quickly let go of the Apple, commenting that he had to leave immediately. Before he departed, however, Ezio left Leonardo a parting gift: a chest full of gold, in recompense for losing his patron.[5]
Chasing CesareEdit
Running from the Tiber Island headquarters, Ezio made his way to the Castel Sant'Angelo and was greeted by a scene of mass confusion. Questioning a guard, Ezio learned that Cesare had escaped, likely with the aid of an inside-man, but that Lucrezia had been left behind. Concluding that the best way for Cesare to escape the city was by boat, Ezio ran to the docks nearest the Castel.[9]
The docks were extremely busy when he arrived, and as such Ezio was forced to use the Apple of Eden to prise a location for Cesare; pointed to the red-sailed caravel on pier six, Ezio made his way there only to find it had already set sail. Heading to the nearest boat, Ezio offered to pay the boat-master handsomely if he pursued him. Ezio was surprised to see that it was Claudio who captained the boat, having been given money to do so by La Volpe previously.[9]
The ships were already nearing Ostia by the time Claudio's scoop had caught up. Locking sails, Claudio gave Ezio the order to jump aboard, and together Ezio and Claudio quickly overpowered the ship's crew, whilst Cesare watched helplessly from the secure wooden crate he had been hidden in. Upon docking in Ostia, Cesare was securely sent back to Rome.[9]
Councilor to the PopeEdit
- Julius II: "Cesare Borgia has been safely delivered into one of their strongest and most secure rocca!"
- Ezio: "Where?"
- Julius II: "Ah, that's classified information, even to you. I can't take any chances with Cesare."
- —Pope Julius II and Ezio Auditore[src]
By 1504 Ezio had become councilor to Pope Julius II, and was with him when the Pope received word that Cesare Borgia had been successfully handed over to King Ferdinand II of Aragon and his wife Queen Isabella I of Castile. When Ezio inquired as to where he was being held, Julius politely refused to answer, perhaps cautious of any attempts Ezio might make on the Templar leader's life. Later in the conversation, a tired Ezio nonchalantly suggested the name "Swiss Guard" for the contingent of Swiss mercenaries Julius II was thinking of hiring as his personal bodyguards.[9]
The following day, Ezio called a meeting with La Volpe, Bartolomeo, Machiavelli and Claudia to discuss rooting out those Borgia diehards who still pocketed Italy. Together they formulated a plan that would keep control of the Borgia loyalists until the time to strike presented itself.[9]
Following the meeting, Ezio and Machiavelli met with a number of Rodrigo's former lovers and associates, including Vannozza dei Cattanei and Giulia Farnese, as well as Cesare's wife: Charlotte d'Albret. On their way to meet Giulia, Ezio and Machiavelli noticed they were being followed by someone, and had been since leaving Vanozza's palazzo. After making their way onto the rooftops, the Assassins were eventually able to lose their pursuer, although it took a lot of effort on their part.[9]
During this mission, Machiavelli repeatedly asked Ezio to use the Apple to locate Cesare, though Ezio consistently refused, not wishing to become dependent on its power and lose his own skills.[9]
Dealing with the Borgia diehardsEdit
After leaving d'Albret's palazzo, Ezio and Machiavelli were approached by Bruno, one of Machiavelli's spies, who informed the two that the Borgia had had them followed, so as to ensure they were not present when they kidnapped Claudia Auditore. Upon learning her location, the two quickly made their way to liberate her from her captors only to discover they had been led into a trap; Bruno had been working for the Borgia for at least a year.[9]
Making their way Borgia diehards' facility, Ezio saw Claudia tied to a chair, half-dressed and bruised. The leader of the diehards held a knife to Claudia's throat and threatened to kill her if Ezio did not leave Rome once and for all; Ezio refused and, together with Machiavelli, quickly overpowered and eliminated the diehards.[9]
After rescuing Claudia, Ezio learned that Micheletto had holed up in the Ludus Magnus in Zagarolo, east of Rome. Bringing together a force of one-hundred apprentices and thieves, Ezio's forces quickly surrounded and overpowered the two-hundred and fifty strong force commanded by Micheletto. Taking Micheletto to Florence, he was incarcerated in the cell atop the Palazzo della Signoria, the same cell that had held Ezio's father twenty-eight years earlier, and tortured by Machiavelli, Amerigo Vespucci and Piero Soderini, the Gonfaloniere of Florence and Machiavelli's "master". Despite learning nothing from Micheletto, Machiavelli promised to continue in his attempts to prise any information from him, and parted ways with Ezio warmly when the latter was forced to return to Rome.[9]
Locking away the AppleEdit
Days later, Ezio was awoken in the early hours of the morning by Machiavelli, who informed him that Micheletto had managed to escape from the Palazzo della Signoria with the aid of a Borgia-friendly priest and the diehards. Ezio quickly realised that this could work to their advantage; if they could track Micheletto down, they could follow him to Cesare. Convening an emergency meeting, Ezio organized a manhunt for Micheletto that focused on the area surrounding Rome and Ostia. Later, Ezio was effectively ordered by Machiavelli to use the Apple to locate Micheletto, but was once again provided with the same vague image of a Spanish castle, with nothing about Micheletto Corella.[9]
Ezio was confused by this, and expressed his confusion to Machiavelli who recommended he ask the Apple why it wasn't showing him what he wanted. The Piece of Eden told Ezio that the time had come for him to relinquish it, so that future generations might make use of it; it also indicated where it should be hidden. As a parting gift, the Apple informed the Assassin that Micheletto Corella was making his way to Spain via the port in Naples.[9]
Before making their way to Naples, Ezio and Machiavelli decided to relinquish the Apple just at it had requested. Entering the Colosseum, the two Assassins made their way through the old lair of Romulus, marking the way as they went, until they reached the entrance to the Vault. Entering the Vault, Ezio placed the Apple on the central pedestal, and then exited. As the door closed behind him, both Ezio and Niccolò noticed that the door seemed to vanish, instead taking the appearance of the surrounding wall.[9]
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