Assassin apprentice

The apprentices are assassins from Rome who were saved by Ezio Auditore da Firenze from the rough streets of Rome during the war against the Knights Templar, and had subsequently devoted themselves to learning the ways of the Assassins.

Operating out of the Tiber Island headquarters, the apprentices were sent on mission across Europe in order to improve their skill and combat experience, beyond their traditional training; though the apprentices did not always survive their missions. Also, when not on missions outside of Rome, the apprentices would support the efforts of Ezio Auditore and his fellow assassins, providing support and, if necessary, reinforcement during missions.

At some point in 1503, at least four apprentices supported Ezio Auditore during his attack on Rodrigo and Cesare Borgia outside of the Pantheon, removing several Borgia guards before they could engage Ezio, and then supporting him during his battle against Cesare himself.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
In-game, Ezio will have the ability to train up to twelve apprentices at a time, and will be able to have at least five support him during his own missions. During the game, players will have the opportunity to send the apprentices to different cities across Europe to complete tasks and assassinations. If they complete the mission, the apprentices will earn experience points. If they die during the mission, they will be lost forever.

Players can also customize the Assassins' armor and weaponry, and each one has a different personality. Later on, players can use the experience points they've gained to upgrade their apprentices` fighting, and free running abilities.

Trivia

 * While all apprentices wear uniforms similar to Ezio's, not one of them have the 'eagle beak' on their hood.
 * Screenshots have revealed at least one female assassin will be possible to recruit, a first for the series, and also something that several have asked for.
 * So far it seems the apprentices only have one hidden blade, where as Ezio has two.