Hermeticists

The Cult of Hermes was an underground group based in Rome and led by Ercole Massimo, who dedicated themselves to "transforming mankind". In 1506, after the fall of the Borgia in Rome, the hermeticists captured Leonardo da Vinci, a famed polymath. Later, a group of Hermeticists attacked two of Leonardo's friends, Ezio Auditore da Firenze and his assistant Salaì in a tavern, though the two presumably fought them off. Ezio traversed Italy to find five of Leonardo's lost paintings to get him back. Once free, Leonardo and Ezio explored the Pythagorian Temple discovered by Leonardo before he was captured. The fate of the Hermeticists following this is unknown.