A Roll of the Dice was a virtual representation of one of Ezio Auditore's genetic memories, relived by Desmond Miles in 2012 through the Animus 2.01.
Description[]
Upon returning to Rome in 1506, Ezio Auditore visited his old friend Leonardo da Vinci at his workshop.
Dialogue[]
Ezio arrived at Leonardo's workshop, seeking his assistance in chartering a ship.
- Leonardo: Salaì? Is that you? Ezio! I must be getting lazy in my old age. I did not know you had returned to Roma.
- Ezio: Unfortunately, I cannot stay. I am here to charter a ship.
- Leonardo: Let me assist you! I know a captain, he is very discreet. Hang on, I have the name recorded somewhere.
Ezio looked over scrolls set upon a table in the workshop.
- Ezio: What are you working on?
- Leonardo: Oh this? A hobby of mine. Of course you are familiar with Pythagoras!
- Ezio: Remind me.
- Leonardo: The brilliant scholar from Grecia (Greece) who discovered many secrets about the heavenly spheres and our cosmos.
- Ezio: These symbols come from him?
- Leonardo: Ever since my exploration of that strange Apple, they have been stamped on my mind. I found symbols like them in the writings of the Pythagorean disciples.
Leonardo searched for the name of the captain to no success.
- Leonardo: I am afraid the captain's name escapes me.
- Ezio: The Apple has been put to rest. Perhaps it would do you good to focus on painting. You seem to be doing decent work on this one.
The pair gazed upon an unfinished Mona Lisa.
- Leonardo: Ha! You are kind, however even I can see that she is badly drawn. And that smile? Overdone. Meaningless. But forget painting, I made a breakthrough in my research several days ago. A huge discovery. Salaì! Can you bring the— Oh he is not back! I intended to accompany you to the docks, but we cannot leave my workshop without my assistant.
- Ezio: Bene. (Good.) An easy task.
- Leonardo: I am afraid you underestimate Salaì!
- Ezio: Hehe. Wait and see.
- Leonardo: Suit yourself. You will likely find him at La Volpe Addormentata (The Sleeping Fox).
Ezio arrived at the Thieves guild and found Leonardo's assistant gambling.
- Salaì: Di nuovo! (Again!)
- Hermeticist: I told you those dice were lucky.
- Salaì: Fortuna wishes she were as good as me.
- Ezio: Gian Giacomo?
- Salaì: I do not answer to that name.
- Ezio: Salaì.
- Salaì: Better. But not good enough. Yes! Di nuovo! (Again!)
- Ezio: Leonardo, your master, requests your presence.
- Salaì: Let him wait.
- Ezio: No.
Salaì paused and stood to face Ezio.
- Salaì: Nice hood. Are you one of Julius's monks?
- Ezio: My church is not of God.
- Salaì: Outside the kingdom of God is the realm of men. You worship there, Messere (Sir)?
- Ezio: Come with me and find out.
- Salaì: It has been fun, but I must go.
- Hermeticist: Please, do not depart. The game is not finished.
- Salaì: Sorry, but a better offer has arisen.
Salaì turned his attention to Ezio.
- Salaì: Lead on, Messere (Sir).
Ezio and Salaì left La Volpe Addormentata, but were followed by three Hermeticists.
- Ezio: The three men from the dice game follow us. Stay quiet—
- Salaì: Why?
Salaì turned to the Hermeticists following the pair.
- Salaì: Sentite! (Listen!) I am done playing.
- Hermeticist: So are we!
The three men drew arms to attack Ezio and Salaì, and were joined by a larger group of Hermeticists. Ezio killed the attackers.
- Salaì: There is only one man in Roma who can put on a show like that. You must be Ezio Auditore.
- Ezio: Come. We need to return to Leonardo right away.
- Salaì: You do not talk much, do you? Fine. I will run ahead. You catch up.
Ezio left to meet with Salaì and was attacked by multiple groups of Hermeticists along the way. He eventually met with Salaì in the Centro district.
- Salaì: These strangers do not quit.
- Ezio: Disciples wearing similar robes appeared once before. They sought an... object I had in my possession.
- Salaì: You mean, the Piece of Eden?
- Ezio: Leonardo told you?
- Salaì: He tells me everything.
- Ezio: I fear his indiscretion has cost us greatly. We must warn him.
- Salaì: Say no more. I know the best route home. I take it every morning after the taverns close. Follow me.
Ezio followed Salaì on his route to the workshop, where they saw a group of Hermeticists searching for them.
- Salaì: I am going around. How about some fun on the rooftops?
- Ezio: Leonardo told me that he had discovered something important.
- Salaì: He has been exploring a hidden catacomb for years now. I think he came to Roma to find it. You have no idea what he is like. He works on this all the time, he never takes me out. And he is so cheap! I have to beg him for money.
- Ezio: He actually gives coins to you?
- Salaì: More or less. What he does not know will not hurt him. Allora (So), you are from Firenze? Tell me more.
Ezio remained silent.
- Salaì: Fine, I will use my imagination.
The pair spotted another group of Hermeticists.
- Salaì: It is too early in the day for fighting. Follow me.
- Ezio: Leonardo discovered something in the catacombs?
- Salaì: He found the entrance to a temple, something he read about in his books. I have not seen him that excited in years.
- Ezio: Did he say anything else?
- Salaì: That the temple contains the perfect number, something discovered by some scholar from Grecia.
- Ezio: Pythagoras.
Ezio and Salaì were attacked once more on a rooftop.
- Salaì: Get them!
Attack!
Taste my blade!
Try this on for size!
You want to get back quickly? Avoid their swords.
The pair defeated their attackers.
- Ezio: Knowing Leonardo, I suppose he spoke of his discovery to whomever would listen. Did you notice any robed men around him?
- Salaì: Why would I spend my time at the workshop when I can go out and have fun? Ask the master himself when you get there.
Ezio and Salaì finally arrived at the workshop. Leonardo was nowhere to be found.
- Salaì: Maestro!
- Ezio: They took him.
- Salaì: No. He must be here.
- Ezio: The temple he discovered. Where is it?
- Salaì: Leonardo!
- Ezio: Salaì. If you want to save him, tell me where the temple is.
- Salaì: I do not know.
- Ezio: Cazzo. (Fuck.)
- Salaì: Ezio... something is written on the floor.
- Ezio: What does it say?
- Salaì: I cannot read. Leonardo promised to teach me. But now...
- Ezio: "Villa. Paintings." He wants us to examine art?
- Salaì: I remember when Leonardo lived at your villa, he was researching the location of the catacombs.
- Ezio: Several of his paintings hung in the gallery there. What do they have to do with the temple?
- Salaì: Perhaps the pages of his research are hidden in one of the frames?
- Ezio: The paintings are gone. They all burned in the attack.
- Salaì: No, they did not—only "Leda" and "St. John". The Borgia took the rest.
- Ezio: Six paintings.
- Salaì: Five. I told the art merchant that "Portrait of a Lady" was by Leonardo. I needed the money for a doublet. Of course, now it has gone out of fashion.
- Ezio: Who has the paintings now?
- Salaì: Lucrezia Borgia, in her husband's palazzo outside Ferrara.
- Ezio: Then it is time I took back what was stolen.
Outcome[]
Ezio and Salaì realized that Leonardo had been kidnapped, and that the villa paintings contained clues to finding him. Ezio left for Ferrara in search of the next clue.