La Volpe

"They call me many things: Murderer. Tagliagole (Cutthroat). Thief. But you may call me La Volpe."

Gilberto, or La Volpe (The Fox), as he preferred to be known, was the leader of the Florentine Thieves and a member of the Assassin Order. Very little information is known about La Volpe, and any that is seems mythical.

Myths
He was said to have robbed the Papal carriage without any guards noticing him, including the Pope who was obviously sitting inside. One night in Florence, during the year of 1467, he was seen on the rooftops of the Palazzo della Signoria, the Palazzo Medici, and the Basilica di Santa Croce, all at the same time. It is also said that he was an immortal and could see through buildings.

Helping Ezio Auditore
In 1477, he was informed that Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the son of the late Assassin Giovanni Auditore da Firenze, was coming to Florence to assassinate the Templar Francesco de' Pazzi. Ezio was told by his friend Leonardo da Vinci that La Volpe would be able to help him, so Ezio looked for La Volpe in the Mercato Vecchio. He stumbled upon a thief, who quickly stole his money. Ezio was able to catch up to him, though, and La Volpe appeared, saying he was willing to help him. La Volpe lead Ezio to the Santa Maria Novella, where the Pazzi conspirators were to have a meeting. He waited for Ezio near the sewers where he would emerge from and Ezio told him that they were planning to kill the Medici during High Mass. La Volpe informed him that it would be disastrous if they would lose Lorenzo de' Medici, but Ezio assured him that he would not die.

Acquisition of the Apple of Eden
In 1488, La Volpe and some of the other Assassins met in Venice to acquire the Apple of Eden from Rodrigo Borgia, the Grand Master of the Templar Order. When they arrived at Rodrigo's location, they saw him fighting with Ezio Auditore. The Assassins quickly rushed to aid him. Eventually, Rodrigo fled and left the Apple behind. Afterwards, they inducted Ezio into the Order.

Bonfire of the Vanities
In 1494, Florence was taken over by Girolamo Savonarola, who was in possession of the Apple.

In 1497, he and Paola, another Assassin and the leader of the Florentine courtesans, were contacted by Niccolò Machiavelli to help him liberate the citizens after Ezio would assassinate each of Girolamo Savonarola's lieutenants. After all the lieutenants were taken down, La Volpe, Paola, Machiavelli and Ezio gathered in front of the Palazzo Pitti to see the angry mob stand up to Savonarola. Savonarola, however, tried to control the crowd with the Apple, but it was quickly knocked out of his hand by a knife thrown by the Assassins.

They again gathered to witness Savonarola's execution, but Ezio thought no one should suffer the pain of being burned alive. Ezio assassinated him before the flames could reach him and gave a speech, saying that he was guided to his own path by "a few strangers": the other Assassins.

Finding the Vault
In 1499, La Volpe met with the same Assassins in the Villa Auditore in Monteriggioni to unveil the location of the Vault. They discovered the Vault was located in Rome and that this was the reason why Rodrigo Borgia had become Pope. They travelled to Rome, where they distracted the Borgia while Ezio infiltrated the Sistine Chapel.

Rome
After the Assassins returned from Rome, Monteriggioni was besieged by the Borgia. As a result, the Assassin Mario Auditore was killed and some members of the Assassin Order, including La Volpe, travelled to Rome to take care of the Borgia. When Ezio found him in Rome, he was the leader of a Theives Guild, but he refused to co-operate with Niccolo Machiavelli, calling him a traitor to the Assassin cause.

Trivia

 * The "La" in La Volpe's name refers only to the fact that "volpe," the Italian word for fox, is a feminine noun. Contrary to popular belief, this does not mean "vixen."


 * As there is no record of his actual name, the database files simply note that "La Volpe" is his pseudonym, one he gained since it was said that only a fox could match his cunning.


 * However, in the novel Assassin's Creed: Renaissance, he called himself "Gilberto," but still preferred to be known as "La Volpe."


 * He is shown using a butcher's knife as his primary weapon.


 * Like all other supporting Assassins in the game, La Volpe does not wear the trademark Hidden Blade.


 * La Volpe is the only other Assassin besides Ezio who has a hood in Assassin's Creed II, one of the most iconic features of the Assassins. The hood he wears, however, is neither white nor cut in the shape of an eagle's beak.


 * His ability to see through buildings likely allowed him to discover the location of Francesco de' Pazzi, which he later relayed to Ezio.


 * It should be noted that when Ezio travels with him to Santa Maria Novella, Ezio falls behind and runs out of breath, while La Volpe breathes normally. This seems to suggest that, even though he is older, he has a lot more stamina.


 * It should also be noted that La Volpe has accomplished a feat that Ezio cannot, in being seen atop Palazzo Medici (one of the few rooftops in the game that cannot be reached).


 * The Prowler's hood appears to be modeled after La Volpe's.
 * Tne Prowler's name is Il Lupo which means "the Wolf" which seems to be a counter to the Fox. It may also suggest that he is more savage in his killing than others.