Desmond Miles POV
I relived the life of my ancestor Ezio Auditore da Firenze in the Animus 2.0 at Abstergo Industries Philadelphia facility. In the year 1476, Ezio, his older brother Federico, and friends of the family fought with Vieri de' Pazzi and his gang. Just before the fight, Ezio received a gash down across his lip – caused by Vieri throwing a stone – which would scar, and remain for the rest of his life.
During the brawl, Ezio pummeled several members of the opposing gang, but Vieri managed to flee the scene before Ezio could do anything to him. After looting several people left unconscious by the fight, the two brothers ran across the rooftops to find Ezio some medical help for his injuries.
After the doctor tended to his wound, a church nearby caught the eye of the brothers, and Federico suggested a race. Ezio won, as he managed to reach the top quickest, and together the two looked out over the city. Despite Federico's disapproval, Ezio made his way to the home of Cristina Vespucci and spent the night with her.
Though caught by Cristina's father the morning after, Ezio fled from a group of pursuing guards before meeting with his father at the Palazzo Auditore. Giovanni scolded him but later softened, admitting that his son's actions reminded him of his own youth. He then asked Ezio for his assistance in an errand later in the day.
Once Ezio had returned home, Ezio's little brother Petruccio asked him if he could collect eagle feathers from the rooftops, with the promise to return to bed afterward, as he was ill. After a tiring search for feathers, Ezio returned them to his younger brother, though Petruccio was secretive about their purpose.
Later, Ezio found his sister Claudia in a distraught state, crying on a bench in their home after discovering her boyfriend, Duccio de Luca, had been unfaithful. After obtaining his whereabouts, Ezio tracked down and beat Duccio, before warning him to stay away from his sister.
Upon returning to the palazzo once more, Ezio's mother secured his services in picking up some paintings from a young artist that she patronized, Leonardo da Vinci. On the walk home, Leonardo struck up a conversation, beginning a friendship between the two young men that would last throughout their later finishing the errand for his mother, Ezio returned to Giovanni, who requested that he deliver two letters to contacts of his in the city, before retrieving the third letter from a pigeon coop not far from the agreed, and after two odd encounters with the people he'd delivered the letters to, Ezio retrieved the note from the pigeon coop only to witness guards running across Florence.
Ezio returned home to find his home ransacked, his father and brothers missing, and his mother and sister hiding. Learning that city guard had been ordered to arrest Giovanni and all of his sons, Ezio made his way to the Palazzo della Signoria, where his father and brothers were being held.
Climbing the building and speaking to his father through his cell window, Ezio was instructed to find a chest hidden in his office, take everything out of it, and deliver a sealed letter to Uberto Alberti, Gonfaloniere of Florence and a close friend of the Auditore family. Doing so, Ezio found his father's Assassin robes, a broken Hidden Blade, and a letter containing details of a plot against the city of Florence and the Auditore family.
Ezio brought the incriminating documents to Uberto and was assured that his family would be released the following day when the information was presented as evidence of their innocence. Ezio then traveled to the home of Cristina Vespucci, where he spent the night once again.
The next day, Ezio returned to the Piazza Della Signoria to find Uberto presiding over the execution of his family.
Giovanni declared their innocence, citing the information given to Uberto as evidence, but the Gonfaloniere denied any knowledge of such information. Ezio shouted that Uberto was lying, but his efforts to prevent the execution were ultimately in vain.
Ezio could only watch helplessly from the crowd as his father and brothers were hanged. When he attempted to charge the gallows to avenge his kin, Uberto ordered the city guards to kill him.
At the urging of one of Giovanni's friends, a thief, Ezio fled the Piazza Della Signoria and sought shelter in a brothel run by the sister of the Auditore housemaid, a courtesan named Paola.
Now the most wanted man in Florence, Ezio fled the city with his mother and sister in the hopes of making their way to Spain, stopping beforehand at the Auditore family's villa in Monteriggioni for shelter. As they neared the town, the three were accosted by Vieri de' Pazzi and his followers but were saved by the timely arrival of Ezio's uncle, Mario Auditore, and his mercenaries.
Mario informed Ezio of the existence of the Assassins, in an obvious attempt to induct him into the Order. He spent some time teaching Ezio swordplay and revealed that many of his ancestors, including Giovanni, were members of the Assassin Order.
However, Ezio refused his ancestry, wishing only to continue his journey to Spain for his mother's and sister's safety, with the help of the skills Mario had taught him.
Enraged, Mario left Monteriggioni for the city of San Gimignano, where Vieri had been located, in an attempt to relieve Monteriggioni of continual assaults by the Pazzi's minions. Guilt-ridden and knowing his presence was a primary reason for the ongoing attacks, Ezio traveled to San Gimignano to accept Mario's offer.
When Ezio arrived outside the city, he joined Mario and his mercenaries in their assault, and they waited until nightfall to storm the city. After witnessing a brief meeting between Rodrigo Borgia, Jacopo de' Pazzi, Francesco de' Pazzi, and Vieri, Ezio made for his target.
While Mario and his mercenaries kept Vieri's men distracted, Ezio challenged and fought Vieri for the last time, eventually overpowering and killing him after a brief duel.
Ezio tried to extract a confession from his old enemy, though Vieri chose to be snide to the very end. Infuriated by this, Ezio flew into a rage and insulted Vieri's corpse, continuing until his uncle calmed him down and reminded him of a tradition of the Assassins: showing respect to those they have killed.
Following Vieri's death, Ezio returned to Florence in 1478 to gather information on a conspiracy against the Medici, who had been family friends to the Auditore.
Ezio later had Leonardo construct him a second Hidden Blade, and with information provided by Leonardo, Ezio was able to find La Volpe, who aided him in discovering the Templar conspiracy against the Medici. La Volpe directed Ezio to an underground catacomb where a Templar meeting was being held.
Ezio was subsequently able to eavesdrop on the meeting, discovering that the Pazzi planned to kill the Medici at the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and place their own people in government under the orders of their master, Rodrigo Borgia.
The next day, Ezio arrived at the Duomo to try and prevent the public assassination, but he was unsuccessful. Francesco de' Pazzi and Bernardo Baroncelliwere able to kill Giuliano de' Medici and injure Lorenzo.
Ezio came to Lorenzo's aid and fended off Francesco. However, the Pazzi had already succeeded in their plan and brought the city into a state of civil war. After escorting Lorenzo to the safety of his palazzo, Ezio revealed his identity, prompting Lorenzo to remark that he knew Ezio's father.
Lorenzo's lieutenant, Poliziano, told Ezio that Francesco had been sighted at the Piazza Della Signoria. As Pazzi and Medici's troops battled in the streets below them, Ezio chased down and slew Francesco, although Jacopo de' Pazzi and several other conspirators were able to escape the city.
Shortly afterward, Ezio met up with Lorenzo at the Ponte Vecchio. Lorenzo reminisced that as a child he had fallen into the Arno and would have drowned, had he not been saved by Giovanni Auditore. This act of kindness kindled a close friendship between the Auditore and the Medici families.
When Ezio asked of the conspirators, Lorenzo explained that they had fled the city. With this, the Medici publicly cleared the name of the Auditore family and provided Ezio with the names of the conspirators who had escaped.
Learning that the Pazzi conspirators had fled to San Gimignano, after gaining information from Mario, Ezio tracked down and killed Antonio Maffei, Stefano da Bagnone, Bernardo Baroncelli, and Francesco Salviati, extracting from each man information on Jacopo de' Pazzi's whereabouts.
Using the information, Ezio located his quarry and tracked Jacopo to an ancient Roman theater. Once there, Ezio eavesdropped on a meeting between Jacopo, Rodrigo Borgia, and a Venetian merchant and Templar, Emilio Barbarigo.
After fatally wounding Jacopo for his failure to capture Florence, Rodrigo revealed that he was aware of Ezio's presence. While Rodrigo and Emilio fled, Ezio was apprehended by Templar guards, but he overpowered and killed them before swiftly putting the dying Jacopo out of his misery.
With the Pazzi conspiracy ended, Ezio returned to Lorenzo in 1480 and declared his success. Before leaving the city for Venice, Ezio was granted a gift; the Medici cape, that would keep the city guards' attention from him.
Ezio then made his way to Leonardo's workshop, only to find that the artist had just left for Venice himself. Meeting with Leonardo in the Apennine Mountains and helping him repair his carriage, Ezio caught his first glimpse of Leonardo's Flying Machine.
Accompanying him to the city of Forlì, Ezio narrowly avoided the attacking Templar horsemen and archers Rodrigo Borgia had sent after them. Drawing closer to their destination, Ezio left Leonardo to proceed on his own, while he took care of the remaining Templars. Ezio made his way into the region of Romagna and met Leonardo just outside the city of Forlì.
Eventually, the two made their way to the city docks, where Ezio was refused permission to board, as he lacked a pass. Behind them, the two heard the screams of a noble lady stranded in the city's wetlands. Ezio hastened to her rescue in a boat and was able to row the woman back to shore. The lady introduced herself as Caterina Sforza and coerced the dockman into granting Ezio passage to Venice as a sign of thanks.
Once in Venice, Ezio and Leonardo were given a brief tour of the city by Alvise da Vilandino, before Ezio began to seek a way into the Palazzo Della Seta of Emilio Barbarigo, although this effort initially proved to be in vain.
Suddenly pushed aside, Ezio watched as a gang of thieves attempted and failed to breach the Palazzo, leading Ezio to aid the thief Rosa, who had been shot through the leg with an arrow.
After successfully escaping the city guards, Ezio was introduced to the leader of the Venetian Thieves' Guild, Antonio de Magianis, and together they concocted a new plot to kill Emilio Barbarigo and liberate the merchant district.
The plot, perfected over four years, was successful and gave Ezio the name of another Templar conspirator – Carlo Grimaldi. A government official and member of the Council of Ten, Carlo was close to Giovanni Mocenigo, the Doge of Venice, and hoped to turn him to the Templar cause.
Overhearing another meeting between Rodrigo and Carlo, Ezio uncovered a plot to poison the Doge and replace him with Marco Barbarigo. Realizing the urgency, Ezio and Antonio sought a way into the Palazzo Ducale, examining the front gates, the rear walls and even passing over the Basilica di San Marco; but they were hampered at every turn.
As they returned to the piazza below, an enraged Antonio remarked that only birds could get into the Doge's palace, reminding Ezio of Leonardo's flying machine, which he had seen on the way to Forlì. After a somewhat unsuccessful test flight, Leonardo came up with a way to ensure that Ezio reached his destination.
After removing the city guards at four separate locations, Antonio's thieves proceeded to light massive bonfires throughout the city, giving Leonardo's flying machine enough lift for Ezio to make it to the Palazzo Ducale. The plan worked, and Ezio breached the Palazzo Ducale, although too late to save the Doge.
Carlo quickly fled the scene, crying out that Ezio had assassinated the Doge, only to meet his own end at Ezio's hands moments later. However, Ezio was now the most wanted man in Venice and was forced to flee the city guards.
Returning to Leonardo's workshop for help in 1486, Ezio was directed to Sister Teodora's brothel, where Antonio was hiding. Under the cover of Carnevale, Ezio made his way to the brothel and began planning the death of Marco Barbarigo, competing in the four games of the Carnevale to win the Golden Mask that would gain him entrance to Marco's private party.
Ezio was successful but found that Marco's cousin, Silvio Barbarigo, and Marco's personal slave-bodyguard, Dante Moro, had intimidated and bribed the judges into denying him his prize.
However, Ezio was successful in stealing the mask from Dante and managed to infiltrate the Doge's personal party and assassinate Marco with an ingenious new weapon. This left the way open for Agostino, a Barbarigo not involved with the Templars, and an ally of Antonio's, to legitimately become Doge.
With his quest for the nine nearly at an end, Ezio tracked down Silvio Barbarigo and Dante Moro, who had occupied the Venetian Arsenal with an army of mercenaries.
Needing a force of his own, Ezio was directed to the mercenary leader, Bartolomeo d'Alviano, only to find Silvio's thugs had attacked Bartolomeo's headquarters, capturing him and a number of his soldiers in the process.
Ezio swiftly liberated Bartolomeo and his soldiers, and once Bartolomeo learned of Ezio's purpose, he was more than willing to assist in Silvio's destruction.
Having tracked the Templars down to the Arsenal, Ezio managed to storm the building with the help of Bartolomeo and his men, and kill Dante Moro and Silvio Barbarigo in the ensuing battle.
However, he was astonished to learn that the plot to remove the Doge was merely a distraction, so that the Templars could move their vessel to Cyprus, although the reasons for this would remain unknown to Ezio for some more years passed before word of the Templar's vessel reached Ezio once again on his twenty-ninth birthday when Rosa brought him a shipping manifest detailing the return of the ship that very day. Leonardo approached Ezio, explaining that he had discovered that all the Codex pages put together a message, saying "The Prophet will appear when the second piece is brought to the floating city." Ezio recalled the prophecy his uncle recited to him, about the prophet being able to open the fabled Vault that is said to contain great power. He then realized that the entire Templar conspiracy was just a distraction for Rodrigo Borgia to find them into the Arsenal, Ezio watched as a Templar guard carrying a Piece of Eden disembarked from the ship, and made his way to a Templar base in the city.
Ezio assassinated the guard, impersonating him and carrying the Piece of Eden to a meeting with Rodrigo Borgia himself. Finally able to confront the man ultimately responsible for the deaths of his father and brothers, Ezio criticized the Templar Grand Master for the non-appearance of the supposed "prophet".
Rodrigo responded, proudly naming himself the prophet before engaging Ezio in battle. The duel was short, and Ezio easily bested the Templar. Rodrigo called upon the city guards and taunted the Assassin, saying that "his people" had failed to show up.
At that very moment, Mario Auditore, along with Antonio, Paola, Teodora, La Volpe, and Bartolomeo appeared, driving off Rodrigo and revealing themselves to Ezio as Assassins.
With the arrival of Niccolò Machiavelli, it was revealed to Ezio that he was, in fact, the Prophet and that all present had worked together the past decade to induct Ezio into the Assassin Order.
That night, they all met again and Ezio was formally inducted into the Order. He received a brand on his left hand's ring finger and performed the ceremonial Leap of Faith.
Shortly after his induction, Ezio met with Mario and Niccolò, and traveled to Leonardo da Vinci's workshop in Venice, hoping that the artist could shed some light upon the strange artifact Rodrigo had dubbed "the Apple".
In Acre. During the memory, Altaïr makes love to Maria Thorpe, an ex-Templar, and to find that after Altaïr leaves, the memory stays behind with Maria.
Leonardo examined the unique device, commenting that the metal it was made of should not exist and that its design was highly advanced despite its age.
Upon briefly touching the Apple, Ezio accidentally activated the device, which started to glow and show strange holographic images, though he quickly deactivated it. Niccolò later announced that he had arranged for the Piece of Eden to be held in the Rocca di Ravaldino, where it would be protected by an ally of the Assassins, Caterina Sforza.
Niccolò and Ezio met with Caterina in Romagna, just outside the city of Forlì. After briefly discussing the Apple, the three made their way back to the city, only to find that it had been invaded by the Orsi brothers, Checco and Ludovico.
As the group fought its way to the city's locked gates, Ezio managed to find another way inside and open the gates from within, allowing them to continue their way to the Citadel.
Reaching the Rocca di Ravaldino, they found out that two of Caterina's children, Ottaviano and Bianca, were in the hands of the Orsi brothers, who had recently arrived and were attacking the Citadel. Ezio repelled the attack, and left the Apple in Caterina's hands, before going to rescue her two children.
Making his way into Romagna, Ezio overpowered the guard detail assigned to imprison Bianca, who directed Ezio to her brother Ottaviano. As Bianca fled back to the city, Ezio made his way to the lighthouse upon which Ottaviano was being held by Ludovico himself. Climbing the tower, Ezio dispatched Ludovico and freed Ottaviano, though not before learning that the kidnapping was a distraction, which had allowed Checco to steal the Apple.
Ezio swiftly tracked down and killed Checco and his remaining men. As he bent to retrieve the Apple, Ezio failed to notice Checco stabbing him in the abdomen before it was too late. Injured, Ezio collapsed to the ground, with the Apple rolling from his hand. Before losing consciousness, Ezio saw a monk with a missing finger pick up the Apple and walk away, despite Ezio's pleads to not open the satchel holding the Piece of Eden.
Caterina's guards later found Ezio next to Checco's corpse and returned him to Forlì, where Caterina nursed him back to health. Returned to his senses, Ezio hurriedly explained to Caterina that a man in black had stolen the Apple.
She recognized him to be dressed similarly to the monks residing outside the city walls, and Ezio left to search the church. Though there was no sign of the monk, Ezio met with Brother O'Callahan, who told him to continue his search at San Vincenzo, in central Forlì.
An abbot there identified Ezio as the monk Stefano da Bagnone's killer and fled. He was intercepted and, once convinced that he was not about to die, the monk gave Ezio the name of the nine-fingered monk: Girolamo Savonarola.
.Ezio returned to Florence in 1497, and made his way to the Oltrarno District, hearing stories about Savonarola's dictatorship, and the desire for the Assassin's return. Eventually, he met with Niccolò Machiavelli on a bridge, and the two made their way to Savonarola's residence, the Palazzo Pitti.
Ezio devised a plan to overthrow Savonarola's rule: he would kill the men who suppressed the people in Savonarola's name, while Niccolò, Paola and La Volpe would rally the citizens to stand up to Savonarola's rule. Ezio then set off to finish off each of Savonarola's nine lieutenants.
Soon after Ezio killed Savonarola's followers, the rioters formed an angry mob and stormed the Palazzo Pitti, demanding an end to the bonfires. Savonarola tried to use the Apple to quell the riot, but before he could, Ezio threw a knife at him, knocking the Apple out of his hand.
In the ensuing chaos, the Apple was picked up by a guard in service to the Borgia, who had also been trying to recover the Apple from Savonarola. Ezio followed him, killed him, and recovered the Apple. Savonarola was then sentenced to be executed in the same way he had dealt with the city's knowledge: burned at the stake on the Piazza Della Signoria.
However, Ezio decided that no one should have to die in such agony. The Assassin leaped onto the execution platform and put Savonarola out of his misery.
Ezio then looked at the stunned mob and delivered a speech, urging them to follow their own path and rely on their own thoughts, not what they were told by the ones in power. Ezio then left with Mario, Niccolò, Paola and La Volpe, ready to uncover the answers hidden within the Apple.
The following year saw the Assassins come together once more at the Villa Auditore, with the Piece of Eden and the completed Codex in hand. Using the two objects, they discovered the location of the Vault to be in Rome - specifically, beneath the Vatican.
Unfortunately, Rodrigo Borgia had become the Pope in 1492, although Mario believed he had only done so to gain access to the Papal Staff, another Piece of Eden. Undeterred, Ezio went to assassinate Rodrigo.
Fighting his way along the entire length of the Passetto di Borgo, Ezio snuck into the Cappella Sistina and struck at Rodrigo from above.
As he was about to deal the killing blow, Rodrigo surprised Ezio by using the Staff of Eden to blast him away and drain the energy of those in the room. Since Ezio held the Apple, he was immune to the Staff's effects, and the two engaged in a duel.
Ezio created multiple illusional copies of himself with the Apple. For a while, it seemed that Ezio had bested Rodrigo, but the Pope overcame him. Rodrigo then took the Apple and stabbed Ezio in the abdomen, leaving him to die before fleeing towards the Vault.
However Ezio soon regained consciousness and, following his nemesis to the outside of the Vault, Ezio watched as Rodrigo tried in vain to open it. Laying down his arms, Ezio challenged and defeated Rodrigo in a final brawl, obtaining possession of both the Apple and the Staff. However, he refused to take Rodrigo's life, having realized the futility of revenge.
Entering the Vault, Ezio stood in shock as he was confronted by a hologram of an individual naming herself Minerva, and claiming to be one of "Those Who Came Before".
Ezio was further confounded when the hologram spoke to an unseen figure me and started showing holograms of an event that would befall the world hundreds of years from then. Minerva then disappeared abruptly, leaving Ezio with many unanswered questions.