Ezio Auditore da Firenze

"Nulla é reale, tutto é lecito."

- Ezio Auditore, Rome, 1499

Ezio Auditore da Firenze (born 1459) was a Florentine noble during the Italian Renaissance, and unbeknownst to most historians and philosophers, an influential member of the Assassin's Order. A descendant of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and the ancestor to both Desmond Miles and Subject 16, Ezio was unaware of his Assassin heritage until he was 17-years-old, when, following the murder of his father and two brothers; Federico and Petruccio, Ezio fled from the Italian province of Florence - his hometown - and took refuge in the town of Monteriggioni in the Tuscan region at the Auditore Family Villa.

After being mentored and trained by his uncle, Mario Auditore, Ezio proceeded on his quest of revenge against the Grandmaster of the Knights Templar, Rodrigo Borgia, who had ordered the executions of his father and two brothers. During his quest for revenge, Ezio managed to not only unite pages of Altaïr's Codex for the first time since Domenico Auditore, but also to save the cities of Florence and Venice from the Templars' wrath, ensure the future travels of Christoffa Corombo to the "New World" and bring the Renaissance ideals and Assassin Order to the city of Rome.

Early life
Ezio Auditore da Firenze was born in Florence in 1459 AD, the second son of Giovanni and Maria Auditore. Until the age of 17, Ezio lived a life of luxury as a member of the Florentine noble class, unaware of his father's allegiance to the Assassin Order. As a youth he was an apprentice to his father, a Florentine banker, presumably to learn the ropes of banking, so that he could become the leader of the Auditore bank.

In the year 1476, Ezio, his older brother Federico and friends of the family got into a fight with Vieri de' Pazzi and his gang. Ezio single-handedly defeated several members of the opposing gang, but Vieri managed to escaped the scene before Ezio could do anything to him. During the fight, Ezio gained a cut on his lip, so Frederico suggested that they visit the local doctor. After looting several people left unconscious from the fight, the two brothers ran across the rooftops to the Doctor.

After the doctor had tended to his wound, a church nearby caught the eye of the brothers and Federico suggested a race. Ezio won and together the two looked out over the city. Realizing that they were nearby, Ezio travelled to the house of Cristina Vespucci and spent the night with her. 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 softens, and admits that he is reminded of his own youth) and assigned him the task of delivering several letters to his contacts.

After returning home, Ezio found his distraught sister crying after discovering her boyfriend had been unfaithful. After obtaining his whereabouts, Ezio beat the man and warned him to stay away from his sister. Upon returning to the palazzo again, his little brother Petruccio asked Ezio to collect eagle feathers from the rooftops, as he was ill and couldn't leave the house or get out of bed. After a tiring search for feathers, 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 adult lives.

Arrest and execution of his family
"I'll kill you for what you've done!"

- Ezio Auditore to Uberto Alberti after watching his family's execution, 1476

After completing his errands, Ezio returned home to find the house ransacked, his father and brothers missing and his mother and sister hiding. Learning that city guards 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, to take everything out of it and to deliver a sealed letter to Uberto Alberti, Lorenzo de' Medici's personal assistant and a close friend of the Auditore family. Doing so, Ezio found the Assassin robes that he would wear for the next 23 years and the letter containing details of a plot against the city of Florence and the Auditore family. Ezio brought the incriminating documents to Alberti and was assured that his family would be released the following day when the information was presented as evidence of their innocence.

The next day, Ezio returned to the Piazza della Signoria to find Alberti presiding over the execution of the Auditores (watched over all the while by a mysterious stranger who had been present with Alberti the previous night). Giovanni claimed his innocence, citing the information given to Alberti as evidence. But Alberti denied any knowledge of such information. Ezio's efforts to prevent the execution were ultimately in vain, and he could only watch helplessly as his father and brothers were hung. When he attempted to charge the scaffold to avenge his kinsmen, Alberti ordered the city guards to murder 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.

Paola, who unbeknownst to Ezio was an Assassin herself, agreed to assist Ezio in his quest for vengeance, teaching him how to survive in the city as an outlaw through pickpocketing and blending in crowds. She further directed Ezio to Leonardo da Vinci to repair the Hidden Blade of the late Giovanni Auditore, but did not notice that Ezio was being watched. At Leonardo's workshop, a guard banged on the door, ordered Leonardo outside, and tried to beat Ezio's location from him. Ezio realized something was wrong and crept up behind the guard, stabbing him from behind. After Leonardo had thanked him, Ezio sought out and assassinated Alberti in the courtyard of the Basilica of Santa Croce, stabbing him multiple times in the chest before proudly shouting his name to everyone present, marking Alberti as his first assassination.

Start as an Assassin
"The Auditore are not dead! I'm still here! Me! Ezio, Ezio Auditore!"

- Ezio Auditore, 1476

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 the town of Monteriggioni for shelter. During their travel to Monteriggioni, the three were accosted by Vieri de' Pazzi and his followers, but were saved by the timely arrival of Ezio's uncle, Mario, and his Mercenaries. Mario informed Ezio of the existence of the Assassins, in an obvious attempt to induct him into the Order, revealing that many of his ancestors, including Giovanni, were part of it. However, Ezio refused his ancestry, wishing only to continue his journey to Spain to ensure his mother and sister's safety. Enraged, Mario left Monteriggioni for the city of San Gimignano, where Vieri de' Pazzi had been located, in the attempt to relieve Monteriggioni of continual assaults by his 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, waiting until nightfall to make their way to Vieri de' Pazzi by killing guards patrolling near the city gates. After witnessing a brief meeting between Rodrigo Borgia, Jacopo de' Pazzi, Francesco de' Pazzi and Vieri, Ezio encountered 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, but to no avail as Vieri chose to be snide even 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.

Killing the Pazzi
"The Pazzi were a venerable and potent family, reduced to rubble by one young assassin."

- Rodrigo Borgia, reflecting on the collapse of the Pazzi family

Following Vieri's death, Ezio returned to Florence in 1478 to gather information from La Volpe and prevent the planned Pazzi takeover, as well as the deaths of Lorenzo de' Medici and Guilani de' Medici. Arriving too late to save Guilani, Ezio managed to prevent the death of Lorenzo, the ruler of Florence, and restored his family's good name. However, the Pazzi had already succeeded in their plan and brought the city into a state of civil war. After learning the location of Francesco de' Pazzi at the Piazza della Signoria, Ezio chased him down and slew him, although Jacopo de' Pazzi and several other conspirators were able to escape the city. Shortly afterwards, 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, Ezio tracked down and killed Antonio Maffei, Stefano da Bagnone, Bernardo di Bandino Baroncelli and Francesco Salviati, extracting from each man information on Jacopo de' Pazzi's hiding place. Using the information, Ezio located his quarry and tracked Jacopo to an ancient Roman theatre. Once there, Ezio eavesdropped on a meeting between Jacopo, Rodrigo Borgia and a Venetian merchant, Emilio Barbarigo. After fatally wounding Jacopo for his failure to capture Florence, Borgia revealed that he was aware of Ezio's presence. While Borgia and Emilio fled, Ezio was apprehended by Borgia's bodyguards, but he overpowered and killed them, before swiftly putting the dying Jacopo out of his misery.

Venice
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; a Medici cape, that would keep the city guards' attention from him. Ezio then made his way to Leonardo's workshop, only to find that he had just left for Venice himself. Meeting with Leonardo in the Appennine Mountains, Ezio accompanied him to the city of Forlì, narrowly avoiding the Templar soldiers sent after them by Rodrigo Borgia.

Eventually arriving in Forlì, one year later, the two made their way to the city docks, where Ezio was refused passage without a pass. It was at this moment that the two heard the screams of a noble lady stranded in the city's wetlands. Ezio swiftly hastened to her rescue and was able to row the woman ashore. The lady introduced herself as Caterina Sforza and coerced the dockman into granting Ezio passage to Venice. Once in Venice, Ezio and Leonardo were given a brief tour of the city by Alvise before Ezio began to seek a way into the Palazzo of Emilio Barbarigo, although this effort 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 subsequently 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, and together, they concocted a new plot to kill Emilio Barbarigo and liberate the merchant district.

The plot, taking place during 4 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 Borgia and Carlo, Ezio uncovered a plot to poison the Doge and replace him with Marco Barbarigo. Returning to Antonio, he sought to find a way into the Palazzo Ducale, the Doge's Palace, searching the front gates, the rear walls and even passing over the Basilica di San Marco; but they were hampered at every turn. Returning to the piazza below, an enraged Antonio remarked that only birds might 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 Ezio the lift Leonardo's flying machine needed to make it to the Palazzo Ducale. The plan worked, and Ezio breached the Palazzo Ducale, although he was too late to save the Doge. Carlo fled the scene, crying out that Ezio had assassinated the Doge, but met 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 intimidated and bribed the judges into denying him his prize. However, Ezio was successful in regaining the mask and managed to assassinate Marco, leaving the door open for Agostino, a Barbarigo not involved with the Templars, and an ally of Antonio's, to legitimately become Doge.

With his quest nearly at an end, Ezio tracked down Silvio Barbarigo and Dante Moro, liberating the mercenary leader, Bartolomeo d'Alviano, and his soldiers in the process. Having tracked the Templars down to the city's Arsenal, Ezio managed to storm the building with the help of Bartolomeo and his men, and kill Dante Moro and Silvio Barbarigo. 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 were unknown to Ezio.

Induction into the Order
"It's been ten years since I watched my father and brothers die. Ten years hunting the men responsible. I'm close to the end now, but no closer to knowing what any of it was for!"

- Ezio discusses his life as an Assassin

Two more years passed before word of the Templar 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. Sneaking into the Arsenal, Ezio watched as a Templar soldier carrying a Piece of Eden disembarked from the ship and made his way to a Templar base in the city. Following the soldier, Ezio assassinated and impersonated the guard, 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" detailed in the Codex prophecy. Borgia responded, proudly naming himself the prophet before engaging Ezio in battle. The battle was short, and Ezio easily bested the Templar. On the backfoot, Borgia called upon the city guards and taunted the Assassin, saying that "his people" had failed to show up.

At this very moment Mario Auditore, Antonio, Paola, Teodora, La Volpe and Bartolomeo d'Alviano appeared, driving off Borgia and revealing themselves to Ezio as Assassins. With the arrival of Niccolò Machiavelli, it was revealed to Ezio that he was in fact the supposed "prophet", and that for the past decade they had all worked together to induct Ezio into the Assassins Order. That night, they all met again and Ezio was formally inducted into the Order.

The Battle of Forlì
"Muori col tuo orgoglio, per quanto vale&hellip; Requiescat in Pace. (Die with your pride, for what it's worth&hellip; Rest in Peace."

- Ezio Auditore to Ludovico Orsi

Shortly after his induction, Ezio met with Mario and Niccolò, and traveled to Leonardo da Vinci's studio, hoping he could shed some light upon the strange artifact Borgia had dubbed "the Apple". 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. Briefly touching the Apple, Ezio accidentally activated the device, which started to glow and show strange holographic images. De-activating the device, Niccolò announced that he had arranged for the Piece of Eden to be held in the Rocca di Ravaldino, protected by an ally of the Assassin's, 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 opened the the gates, 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 begun attacking the Citadel. Repelling the attack, Ezio 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 the 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 the brothers to steal the Apple. Ezio swiftly tracked down and killed Checco Orsi and his remaining men. Retrieving the Apple, Ezio failed to notice that Checco had stabbed him in the abdomen. Injured, Ezio collapsed to the floor, 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 warnings against doing so.

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, now bearded, hurridly explained to Caterina that the Apple had been stolen from him by a man in black. She recognized him for a monk and told Ezio to search for the monk at the church outside the city walls. There was no sign of the monk, but 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 Stefano de Bagnone's killer and ran away, but was intercepted, and, once convinced he was not about to die, gave Ezio the name of the four fingered monk: Girolamo Savonarola.

The Spanish Inquisition
"My name is Ezio Auditore da Firenze... It has been fifteen years since the Spaniard, Rodrigo Borgia, murdered my family and drove me into exile... Since that time I have suffered greatly but learned a great deal more- I am an Assassin, as my father and grandfathers were before me. Compelled by duty to my order, I have set aside my search for the Spaniard to recover an ancient artifact recently stolen from us. My thirst for vengeance is strong, but my responsibillity to the Assassins is stronger still."

- Ezio Auditore, 1494

While trying to locate Savonarola, Ezio was told by a Thief to meet Antonio at the Thieves' Guild in Venice. Upon arriving there, Ezio found Antonio accompanied by another man, Luis Santangel. Luis was looking for a good "killer" who could oversee a meeting involving Luis' friend Christoffa Corombo, but Ezio expressed no interest. However, when he heard that Rodrigo Borgia was also involved in the meeting, he rushed to Christoffa's location, finding out that it was a trap. However, he managed to save Christoffa, who explained that Rodrigo was interested in his plans to sail west. Soon afterwards, Ezio met with Antonio again, who told him to go see both Luis and Christoffa in the gardens district.

They then told him that the Templars were in possession of Christoffa's atlas, which featured the journey's route. Ezio quickly recovered the atlas and brought it back to Christoffa and Luis. Luis informed Ezio of the presence of Spanish Assassins, who were held captive by the Spanish Inquisitor General, Tomas Torquemada. Thinking it his mission to rescue them, Ezio temporarily diverged from his goal to reobtain the Apple of Eden and set out to Spain, but not before Antonio gave him the names of two of his contacts.

After arriving in Spain and briefly losing his sword to a thief, Ezio went on to look for one of the contacts. When he arrived at the location, he met a man who called himself Raphael Sanchez and soon after revealed himself to be an Assassin. He informed Ezio of the location of the first captured Assassin, and Ezio rushed to save him. Right before the Assassin could be burned by the Inquisitors, Ezio killed all the guards and freed him. After Ezio's return, Raphael revealed that it was Gaspard Martinez who was ordered to capture the Assassins by Torquemada. Ezio located Gaspard and found him, Torquemada and a guard surrounding a captured Assassin.

Torquemada revealed to the captured Assassin, and indirectly to Ezio, that Rodrigo Borgia had ordered him to capture Assassins in Spain, because they were "non-believers" (in the Catholic religion). After the guard killed the Assassin, the group disbanded and Gaspard was left unguarded. Ezio then met with him and asked him what he knew of the Templars, but Gaspard feigned ignorance and said that they "went away two centuries ago". He fell silently to Ezio's blade, and Ezio acquired a list of six other Assassins' names.

After freeing the first man on the list, Ezio took him back to Raphael, informing the latter of the existence of the list. However, all the remaining Assassins were located in Zaragoza.

Once in Zaragoza, Raphael told Ezio to find the Inquisition's Calficador, Pedro Llorente, whose tribunal met at the far side of town. Arriving there, Ezio found that Torquemada was also present. One of the Assassins was being tried, and after he refused to convert and confess, was killed. Ezio eavesdropped on the ensuing conversation and found out that Torquemada was under orders from Rodrigo Borgia to arrest the Assassins. He hurried to locate the remaining five Assassins. Four of them where held captive inside some catacombs. The last was held inside a church. After securing their safety, Ezio killed Pedro Llorente. Returning to Raphael, he requested to return to Italy. However, Raphael still needed some help against the Inquisitors in Granada. Ezio complied, helping to assassinate a Templar spy in the city and discovering along the way that Luis Santangel was also an Assassin.

Once again he excused himself to return to Italy, but distubed again by the Templars. He is forced again to fight off the Templars to defend Luis, and informed that Raphael has been captured. Ezio fight to rescue Raphael, then finally infiltrate Torquemada's fortress. Torquemada escapes, but Ezio still have duties for the piece of eden and decide not to pursue him, Ezio excuses to finally return to Italy and Telling Luis and Raphael to tell him when Christoffa returns from his journey to find the "New World".

The Bonfire of the Vanities
"There is no book or teacher to give you the answers, to show you the way. Choose your own way! Do not follow me, or anyone else."

- Ezio after Savanarola's defeat

After Lorenzo de’ Medici's death, Savonarola was able to easily take control over Florence with the Apple of Eden at his command. He taught the population of Florence that personal property and knowledge made the difference between the rich and the poor. Therefore, he burned everything related to the Renaissance in the Bonfire of the Vanities.

Ezio and Niccolò Machiavelli wanted to put a stop to Savonarola's rule with the aid of their two comrades in the city, Paola and Volpe. Ezio began eliminating the monk's brainwashed followers while Niccolò, Paola, and Volpe organized a riot in the city. Soon after Ezio killed Savonarola's followers, the rioters formed an angry mob and went to the Palazzo Pitti, where Savonarola resided, demanding an end to the bonfires. Savanarola tried to use the Apple to quell the riot, but before he could, one of the assassins 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 (the Templars had also been trying, without success, 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 leapt onto the execution platform and put Savonarola out of his misery. He then looked at the stunned mob and gave a speech to them, urging them to follow their own path and rely on their own thoughts, not what they were told by the ones in power. He then left with Mario, Niccolò, Paola and La Volpe, ready to uncover the answers hidden within the Apple.

Infiltrating the Sistine Chapel
"I thought... I thought I was beyond this. But I'm not. I've waited too long, lost too much. Requiescat in pace, you bastard!"

- Ezio to Rodrigo Borgia during his first assassination attempt

The following year, in 1499, the Assassins came 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 Pope in 1492, although Mario believed he had only done so to gain access to the Papal Staff, another of the Pieces of Eden. Undeterred, Ezio made way to assassinate Rodrigo Borgia.

Fighting his way along the entire length of the Passetto di Borgo, Ezio snuck into the Sistine Chapel and struck at Borgia from above. As he was about to deal the killing blow, Borgia surprised him by using the Staff 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 repeated history by using the same technique Al Mualim utilized in his duel against Altaïr in 1191, by creating multiple illusions of himself with the Apple. Ezio seemingly bested Borgia, but the Pope counterattacked and overcame him. Borgia took the Apple, stabbed Ezio in the abdomen and left him to die before fleeing into the Vault. However, Ezio's wounds were not mortal, and he was able to give pursuit. Outside the Vault, Ezio watched as Borgia tried in vain to open it. Laying down his arms, Ezio challenged and defeated Borgia in a fist fight, obtaining possession of both the Staff and the Apple, but refusing to take Borgia’s life, having realised the futility of revenge.

"Killing you won't bring my family back. I am done."

- Ezio spared Borgia's life after defeating him.

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 sought to speak to an unseen figure named Desmond, before disappearing abruptly, leaving Ezio with many questions.

Siege of Monteriggioni
Following his experience in the Vault, Ezio returned to Monteriggioni. However he soon learned that the Templar threat had diminished little when Cesare Borgia, the son of Rodrigo and a high ranked Templar, laid siege to Monteriggioni. His army of soldiers, towers and cannons breached the city's gates and destroyed much of the city and Villa. Ezio, who was sleeping with Caterina Sforza at the time of the attack, woke up, got dressed and met with Mario to discuss their options. Mario tasked Ezio with keeping the Templars from the city walls, whilst Mario himself led the evacuation of the city.

Ezio made his way to the city walls, and using the cannons, destroyed several of Cesare’s siege engines. Eventually however, the Templars breached the city gates, and entered, bringing a mortally wounded Mario Auditore and a captured Caterina Sforza with them. Standing at the city gates, the Apple of Eden in his hand, Cesare 'invited' Ezio to come to Rome with a shot of his firearm; the shot killed Mario. The Apple in hand, Cesare returned to Rome whilst Ezio, who had been shot by a Borgia riflemen atop the city walls blacked out.

Upon regaining conciousness, Ezio travelled to Rome.

Journey to Rome
Arriving in Rome, Ezio found the city in disrepair and under the iron fist of Cesare Borgia – son of the Pope. Basing himself on Tiber Island, in the centre of the city, Ezio rebuilt the complex into his new headquarters and begun his renewed war against the Knights Templar. In 1503, Cesare and his father paraded through Rome when they were ambushed by Ezio Auditore and his apprenticed Assassins.

Personality and characteristics


"Nulla è reale, tutto è lecito. Requiescat in Pace."

- Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Rest in Peace

Initially, Ezio was a young Florentine nobleman, who lived during the 15th and 16th Century. Unlike his ancestor Altaïr, he was brought up without knowing of the Assassins' existence, or of his heritage. A seducer of women and a playful man, Ezio possessed acrobatic skills beyond his peers, save for his brother and father. He came from an affluent background and had many friends until the deaths of his father and brothers drove him out of Florence. Forced to protect his mother and sister, Ezio became an Assassin, exacting revenge on the conspirators who had betrayed his family and plotted to seize both Florence and Venice.

Quick to anger, Ezio often allowed his emotions to overcome him, going so far as to disrespect the corpse of Vieri de' Pazzi just after his death. However, Ezio did manage to gain control of his anger, and by the time he had become a Master Assassin, could control it almost completely.

Equipment and skills
"Despite its age, its construction is rather advanced"

- Leonardo da Vinci, on Ezio's hidden blade

Ezio Auditore da Firenze was a highly skilled Assassin and a leader amongst the Order. A master of multiple skills, including theft, blending, armed and unarmed combat, stealth assassination techniques, free-running and long-distance combat, he was able to use a variety of weapons including two hidden blades, the longsword, throwing knives and more. Born with the ability to use Eagle Vision, Ezio could instinctively differentiate friend from foe.

An explorer, throughout his quests, Ezio scoured the cities he visited in search of Codex pages and seals from the six assassins tombs spread across northern Italy. The Codex pages allowed Leonardo di Vinci to upgrade his weaponry, including the addition of a wheel lock firearm and poison needle concealed beneath his left hidden blade.

By collecting the six tomb seals, Ezio gained access to the armor created by his ancestor, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad which was later destroyed during the Siege of Monteriggioni. He also collected capes that helped him stay incognito. The only exception to this was the cape bearing the Auditore family crest, which made him easily recognizable, due to his family's history.

Romantic life
Ezio was known for his good looks, flirtatious nature and predisposition for womanizing. Throughout the course of his war against Rodrigo Borgia, Ezio shared romantic relationships of varying degrees with women throughout Italy.

In 1476, Ezio had a relationship with Cristina Vespucci, a beautiful young Florentine woman. Ignoring Federico's plea to let Cristina rest, Ezio entered the young woman's room via the window and made love to her, he was chased out by her father the next morning. Two years later, when Ezio returned to Florence, Cristina was married to one of her suitors, Manfredo d'Arzenta, even though she still loved Ezio.

In 1486, Cristina and Manfredo travelled to Venice for the carnival. Posing as her husband, Ezio wrote her a letter asking her to come to the Rio Terra degli Ogniscanti. Cristina complied. As both wore carnevale masks, she did not recognise him until he kissed her. She then took off his mask and asked him how he dared kiss her like that, telling him she never wanted to see him again. When Ezio tried to understand, she explained that if he really loved her, he wouldn't simply have let Manfredo marry her. Several years later, Girolamo Savonarola's men killed Cristina, deeply wounding Ezio.

While trying to find a way to Venice, Ezio first made a stop in Forlì. He could not initially board the ship to sail to Venice with Leonardo, but his fortunes changed after encountering Caterina Sforza. Caterina was stranded on a small island with no means of escape. Ezio rescued her, and she repaid the favor by granting him passage to Venice. She also told him that the next time he returned to Forli, it would "be her pleasure" to invite him. Afterwards, while sailing for Venice, Ezio told Leonardo that she was his future conquest and his type of woman. Leonardo then revealed Caterina's identity as the Countess of Forlì and said that seducing her would not be such a good idea, as she was a married woman.

At some point during his time in Forlì, Ezio encountered a girl named Amelia. During this encounter, Amelia and two of her friends were discussing whether anyone could beat their record in a horseback riding race. Ezio took on the challenge, in return for an intimate encounter with Amelia, should he prove successful.

When Ezio arrived in Venice for the first time, an unknown young woman unsuccessfully attempted to pickpocket him. Later the same day, Ezio witnessed the woman and a group of thieves attempting to scale the Palazzo della Seta. The attempt ended in failure, and the girl was shot in the leg by an archer. Ezio intervened, defending her from Emilio Barbarigo's thugs and helping her to get to safety, learning in the process that her name was Rosa, and that she was a member of the city's Thieves Guild. At first, Rosa's attitude towards Ezio was very aggressive and unfriendly, but after he saved her, she became much more amenable.

While trying to acquire the Golden Mask, Ezio was seen flirting with many of Sister Teodora's Courtesans. After the CTF challenge, when Ezio goes up to accept the Golden Mask as his prize for victory, he is accompanied by a Courtesan, though it was not uncommon for an unwed man to take courtesans on "dates" during the Renaissance period. After assassinating Marco Barbarigo and seeking sanctuary in the brothel, Ezio was known to have flirted with Sister Teodora, who invited several of her girls to "comfort" Ezio.

It is clear that Ezio had many encounters with various unnamed Florentine girls and courtesans before the execution of his family; insulting Vieri de' Pazzi by suggesting that his sister seemed "quite satisfied with the handling he gave her earlier."

In 1499, Ezio is seen sleeping with Caterina Sforza in his Monteriggioni villa before getting attacked by the Borgia family.

Trivia

 * The Italian name "Ezio" derives from the Greek word aetos, which means "eagle", similar to Altaïr, whose name means "The Flying One".
 * Ezio is 40 years old in 1499 (15 years older than Altaïr's age in 1191); the same age as his father upon his death in 1476.
 * Ezio is the character whose physical appearance changes the most over the 23-year period of the game, others look mostly the same.
 * If you move the camera to a certain angle, Ezio's face has barely aged, except for the beard, despite the fact that you played through 23 years of his life. His voice does deepen and mature over time, though, making him sound calmer and talk slower. He also appears to lose his tan over time probably due to the fact that he is in hiding through most of his life.
 * Just like Altaïr and Desmond, Ezio has a scar on his mouth, acquired after the mission "Boys Will Be Boys" during Sequence 1, when Vieri de' Pazzi throws a rock at his face.
 * According to the Database, Ezio was expelled from his school at the age of 17 due to a link to some terrible crime, after which he "disappeared from history". This is likely referring to the supposed plot by the Auditore to overthrow the Medici. Anything after that wouldn't be public knowledge, so as far as recorded history is concerned, Ezio simply disappeared after the death of his father and brothers.
 * Ezio has been seriously injured in battle three times. The first two injuries were stab wounds to his lower abdomen. He was stabbed in the right side by Checco Orsi after retrieving the Apple of Eden from him, and in the left side by Rodrigo Borgia during their battle in the Sistine Chapel. The third injury was at the Seige of Monteriggioni by Cesare Borgia. The latter executed Mario before a Borgia rifleman shot Ezio in his left shoulder.