Assassin apprentice

"The liberation of Roma has begun. If you choose to flee, do so now, but if you choose to fight, stand with me against the Borgia."

- Ezio Auditore to one of the rescued civilians, after saving him from corrupted Borgia guards.

The apprentices are Assassins who were saved by Ezio Auditore from the rough streets of Rome during the war against the Templars and had subsequently devoted themselves to learning the ways of the Assassins, motivated by their lust for revenge against the Borgia for corrupting the beautiful city of Rome.

Operating out of the Tiber Island headquarters, the apprentices were sent on missions across Europe, in order to improve their skill and combat experience beyond their traditional training. However, the apprentices did not always survive these missions. When not on missions outside Rome, the apprentices would support the efforts of Ezio Auditore and his allies, providing support and reinforcement during missions.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
In-game, Ezio has the ability to train up to twelve apprentices at a time, and is able to have at least five support him during his own missions. After recruiting someone for his cause, Ezio sends them to Niccolò Machiavelli to become an Assassin. On the field, Ezio signals these Assassins by raising his arm and clenching his fist, indicating that they should strike. During the game, players have the opportunity to send the apprentices to different cities across Europe to complete tasks and assassinations. If they finish the mission, the apprentices earn experience points, but if they die, they will be lost forever. The chances of the assassins completing the mission depend on how hard the mission is, what experience the assassins have and how many you send.

Players can also customize the apprentices' armor, weaponry, and the color of their robes. Each one also has a different personality. Later on, players can use the experience points they've gained to upgrade their apprentices' fighting and free running abilities. Apprentices can ride horses like Ezio, and will engage in horse chases if Ezio instructs them to.

Trivia

 * While all apprentices wear uniforms similar to Ezio's, not one of them has a cape on their left shoulder, and not all of their hoods possess the iconic eagle's beak.
 * All of the apprentices' uniforms are similar to the Assassin Guards from Masyaf in Assassin's Creed.
 * The apprentices are equipped with only one hidden blade, unlike Ezio, who has two. This can be explained through Altaïr's Codex page, which states that the metals to make more than one hidden blade are rare, and to choose carefully to whom should receive a second blade.
 * There are female and male assassin apprentices, something fans have wanted for some time.
 * It is said you can bring a "personal assassin" with you on missions. No further information on this has been given.
 * In the Brotherhood storyline trailer, another assassin, likely an apprentice, wears the exact same outfit as Ezio.
 * The Assassins who cover their faces are denoted to a lower rank, as stated by Francesco Vecellio in Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy.