Changes: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)

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I will lead mankind into a new world!

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Ezio, my friend! How may I be of service?

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Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a novel based on the game of the same name, written by Oliver Bowden. It is a direct sequel to Assassin's Creed: Renaissance, the novelization of Assassin's Creed II, and was released on 25 November 2010.

Description

"I will journey to the black heart of a corrupt Empire to root out my foes. But Rome wasn't built in a day and it won't be restored by a lone assassin. I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. This is my brotherhood."

―Ezio Auditore.

Rome, once mighty, lies in ruins. The city swarms with suffering and degradation, her citizens living in the shadow of the ruthless Borgia family. Only one man can free the people from the Borgia tyranny - Ezio Auditore, the Master Assassin. Ezio's quest will test him to his limits. Cesare Borgia, a man more villainous and dangerous than his father the Pope, will not rest until he has conquered Italy. And in such treacherous times, conspiracy is everywhere, even within the ranks of the brotherhood itself...

Plot summary

Prologue

Ezio was reminded of the event of what had occurred in the Vault of the Sistine Chapel. He remembered touching the lid of a granite-like sarcophagus, and its welcoming glow, before a woman appeared, spreading word of a disaster that occurred many years ago and said that it was likely to happen once more. Ezio experienced the planets and heavens surrounding him, and the woman tried to spread hope that the humans would not repeat the mistake from years ago, before she faded into darkness. Afterwards, Ezio left and found that Rodrigo had supposedly taken poison, before he left the Sistine Chapel and met up with the other Assassins.

Part 1

1- Ezio was still delusional and Mario tried to snap some sense into him. He thought he had defeated the Pope, the leader of the Templars, and Ezio had the Piece of Eden which was bestowed upon him. He doubted that Rodrigo was dead, and then contemplated on whether or not he should have killed the Pope, before Ezio wished that he could return to his old home in Florence and settle down.

Ezio returned to where he had left Rodrigo to die, only to find that the Templar leader was gone. Mario questioned Ezio about what was inside the Vault, but Ezio only replied in short answers, and when he tried to pry the Staff of Eden from the ground, it disappeared into the earth. With this, Ezio and Mario left the area and ventured into the city of Rome.

2- Being told the others had left to go home, Ezio expressed on how he should have killed Rodrigo, while being taunted as a "demon" by priests, before the two left the Vatican.

3- Ezio and Mario were chased by guards throughout the streets of Rome, and were lured towards the Tiber. Ezio contemplated throwing the Apple of Eden into the river, but Mario took the artifact from him and kept it until Ezio could make a decision. They then left Rome and rode into the mountains, where they would then return to Monteriggioni.

4- Ezio and Mario arrived in Monteriggioni, for Ezio to find the arsenal upgraded, before he was greeted cheerfully by his sister, Claudia. Ezio helped around the town with some tasks, which included helping a woman carry a box of flowers to the Villa, assisting a man on returning Mario's horse, which he had lost, as well as helping some mercenaries in getting the Monteriggioni cannons and defenses working.

5- Ezio entered the Villa Auditore and was greeted by Caterina Sforza, who informed the Assassin that she wanted to form an allegiance with the troops of Monteriggioni to help her own at Forlì. In response, Ezio told Caterina that the chances of giving her the troops to help the battle at Forlì were high.

6- Ezio met up with Niccolò Machiavelli and Maria Auditore da Firenze, as well as Mario, Claudia and Caterina to discuss recent events. Ezio told them of the extraordinary wonders he saw inside the Vault and admitted that he was wrong about Rodrigo poisoning himself. Machiavelli told Ezio and the others of a newer threat and then left for Rome. The night was then silent and feelings were revealed.

7- Leaving the dinner and going to his room, Ezio got some rest and was eventually joined by Caterina. They made love for a night and eventually went to sleep, though they were interrupted by cannon-fire, which eventually led to the destruction of the Villa, and from there, the siege of Monteriggioni began.

8- Ezio jumped down from his room and met up with Mario, who reassured him that the Apple was safe with him. Caterina tried to flank the attackers while Mario attempted a frontal assault and take the Borgia forces head-on. Ezio lost his armor bestowed to him by his father before his execution due to a cannonball striking it, and he rode through the town of Monteriggioni and tried to lure back the attackers, though it ended in failure.

9- Mario was captured by Cesare Borgia, along with his helpers and Leonardo da Vinci, who was forced to be there. After a short speech, Mario was shot with a wheel-lock firearm and was killed. Shortly after, Ezio was shot twice, before being awoken by two mercenaries.

10- Ezio went to his sister's aid and escorted her inside the Villa whilst fending off any attackers. Once inside, he met with his mother and began to escort the citizens out of Monteriggioni through a secret passage in the Sanctuary.

11- Ezio escorted the citizens through the catacombs underneath the city, and once he explained to everyone about Mario's murder, but all was put to a close as Cesare's men circled around the walls. Ezio saw Cesare in the distance, waving Mario's head while chanting "You're next!"

12- On safely transporting the civilians though Monteriggioni's catacombs to a passageway behind the town, Ezio ordered his family to go back to Florence while he rode for Rome.

13- Passing out from his wounds while on horseback, Ezio was brought to Rome by Machiavelli and was cared by Margherita dei Campi, who gave the Assassin his new robes, to replace the ones he had lost during the siege. Ezio then wandered the streets of Rome and got some medical help from a doctor, after he performed a Leap of Faith from a nearby church. Following this, Ezio stayed at a small inn.

14- After leaving the inn, Ezio met up with Machiavelli and discussed his plan to rid Rome of the menace known as Cesare Borgia and his allies that gave him power. A thief attempted to steal money from Ezio, but he was easily overpowered and the money was returned to Ezio. Ezio once again met up with Machiavelli and talked about his plans further, and they made their way to a contact whose job was to intercept a letter, though they found that he had been caught. Machiavelli and Ezio aided the thief and defeated his attackers, and then Ezio chased after and swiped the letter from the original courier.

Ezio then went to meet with Machiavelli, but he was attacked by a sect of wolf-men, and then investigated from where they came. After emerging from the underground, Ezio departed to find Machiavelli once more.

15- Letting his horse return to the stables, Ezio tried the tunnels founded by his father. They led him to the Tiber Island headquarters where he met with Fabio Orsini, the cousin of Bartolomeo d'Alviano. From the headquarters, Ezio took leave to help and recruit the thieves, mercenaries and courtesans to the Assassins' cause.

16- Ezio arrived at the La Volpe Addormentata and requested aid from La Volpe, a thief and fellow Assassin. Turning Ezio down hastily, La Volpe accused Machiavelli of betraying the Order, and in an attempt to prove his betrayal, La Volpe led Ezio to a meeting which involved Machiavelli and a guard. Once Machiavelli had left, a fight broke out with some thieves and some Borgia guards, and as he was requested to keep a thief's son from being killed, Ezio dispatched many of the Borgia guards to save Claudio.

Subsequently, Ezio escorted the young thief and directed him to La Volpe and his father. After the rescue, Ezio went back to La Volpe Addormentata and recruited La Volpe's aid, though the thief mentioned that he was still suspicious of Machiavelli. After this, the Thieves Guild was renovated into an inn, and Ezio assigned the thieves with the task of locating the Apple of Eden.

17- Arriving at the Barracks where Bartolomeo was stationed, Ezio was greeted kindly by his old friend and introduced to Bartolomeo's wife, Pantasilea Baglioni. However, Bartolomeo was alerted to an attack by Borgia guards, and rushed to the battle to protect his fortification.

18- Accompanying Bartolomeo, Ezio and many mercenaries fought back and sent the soldiers fleeing. After this, the Barracks were revamped and Ezio discussed about the forces that he needed. He assigned Bartolomeo and his mercenaries to keep an eye on Cesare's men, making sure to notify the Assassin if anything surfaced. After this, Bartolomeo left for the fighting ring downstairs, claiming that he had bet money on the match. Following this, Ezio took his leave.

19- After his arrival at the Rosa in Fiore, Ezio tried to locate the owner of the place, Madonna Solari, but soon found out that she had been taken hostage by slave traders. After this, Ezio went from the brothel to locate the boat where she was being held, and once there, he gave the slave traders the thousand ducats ransom, in exchange for Madonna Solari's life. However, without hesitation, the slave traders slit Solari's throat. Forced into action, Ezio killed all the bandits present on the boat, before whispering one last word in the head slave trader's ear and leaving.

20- Ezio returned to the Rose in Fiore and discovered that his mother and sister never left for Florence, but traveled to Rome instead. Without a leader, the courtesans were in distress, but Claudia offered to take the position. After adopting the role as the brothel's Madame, the Rosa in Fiore was renovated and Ezio assigned Claudia's girls to locate Caterina Sforza.

21- Following this, Ezio began to question Claudia on the location of Caterina, who claimed that her girls were working on it. Afterwards, Claudia attempted to make amends, but she stopped before she could say anything. Ezio, after he finished the conversation, left the brothel.

22- Reuniting with Machiavelli and the others, Ezio discovered the location of Caterina Sforza from Claudia. With this, he claimed he would go to the Castel Sant'Angelo, not only to rescue Caterina, but also to take the lives of Rodrigo and Cesare Borgia.

23- On arriving at the Castel, Ezio witnessed Cesare's sister, Lucrezia Borgia, step out of a carriage with a prisoner, who soon turned out to be Caterina. On this, Ezio tried to convince Machiavelli to let him rescue her, claiming that they were going to torture her; Machiavelli replied that Rodrigo and Cesare's deaths were the top priority. Scaling the walls of the Castel, Ezio eventually located Cesare, and witnessed as he greeted Lucrezia, eavesdropping on their conversation. Eventually Cesare left, leaving Ezio to wonder where he was departing to and for what reason.

24- Lucrezia entered the cell in which Caterina was being held, before roughly beating her, which Ezio oversaw through the window. Once Lucrezia had left, taking the key along with her, the Assassin soon made his way inside the Castel, and upon locating Caterina, Ezio made plans to rescue her.

25- Ezio discovered Lucrezia flirting with her lover, Pietro Rossi, and once he had left, Ezio confronted Lucrezia and took out the guards who tried to stop him. Restraining her, Ezio carried Lucrezia to Caterina's cell, and once there, the Assassin freed Caterina and put Lucrezia in her cell, before the Borgia woman was knocked out on the cell's bars. Leaving the Castel, an explosion was heard, distracting the guards and giving both Ezio and Caterina the time to escape.

26- Ezio reunited with Machiavelli and explained to him about how Cesare and Rodrigo left before he could strike, though La Volpe was not convinced that it was a coincidence. Caterina had arrived and was being tended to by a doctor, and Ezio was made the Mentor of the Italian Assassins, though he was told to keep it a secret so that a "formal" vote could happen. From there, Ezio talked to Machiavelli about his plan to rebuild the Brotherhood back to its former glory.

27- Ezio recruited many oppressed civilians for the cause that day, and after following a strange voice that had been calling him, Ezio found out that it was his old friend, Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo claimed that he was one step ahead of them and once had possession of the Apple, though it had been taken from him by Rodrigo. He then told Ezio about some of the contraptions he was obligated to make for the Borgia, stating that they consisted of the Tank, among others. During this time, Ezio requested Leonardo to remake his Codex weapons, and soon enough, after he had funded the inventor, Leonardo left. On his departure, Leonardo told Ezio that the first thing he would do when he left was to "go shopping for supplies."

28- Soon after he returned to the Hideout, Ezio planned his assassination of Octavian de Valois. Accompanying this, Machiavelli told Caterina of the danger she was in, and explained to her that she must leave the city, though her kids were already safe in Florence. From then, Caterina made her preparations to leave.

29- Confronting Caterina, Ezio argued with her about the night they spent at the Villa, claiming that she used him, and admitted that he did not rescue her because of the cause, with the room falling to silence. Soon enough, Caterina left, leaving Ezio in wonder.

30- Locating a senator who went by the name of Egidio Troche, Ezio managed to dispatch some guards who were harassing the senator for money. Traversing through the streets to escape from guards, Ezio escorted Egidio to his home, and from there, they discussed Cesare's banker, Juan Borgia. Offering to pay the senator's debts to Juan, Ezio gave the man the money he needed and waited for the time when Egidio would be forced to give the money to the Borgia.

31- Ezio tailed Egidio, and soon watched as the senator passed the money over to the Banker's guards. From there, the guards escorted Egidio to the Pantheon, where they came across a Borgia captain named Luigi Torcelli. With this, Egidio handed over the money to the captain, who entered the landmark to count it, and Ezio scaled the Pantheon's walls and infiltrated it from above, giving him enough time to kill Luigi, take his armor and disguise himself in his place. Afterwards, on managing to call off the guards from killing Egidio, Ezio navigated around Rome and managed to gain entrance to the Banker's party.

32- Luigi's body was found and the guards were on the lookout for Ezio, though he managed to blend and navigate through the crowd, following the money until it changed hands to the Banker himself. While he left the money where Claudia's courtesans could manage to steal it, Ezio followed the Banker into the celebration. There, Cesare made a speech and soon left the area, before Ezio watched as the Banker flirted with a courtesan.

33- The night went on, and soon Ezio was discovered, but he managed to get the final kill on the Banker and exchanged words before he passed. Once back at the Rosa in Fiore, Ezio found the same woman who the Banker had been with, injured. It turned out that the Banker molested her and left her for dead, but she was saved by possible recruits. Claudia then forced Ezio out so her girls could get everything sorted.

34- Ezio refreshed himself at the Hideout and quickly made haste for the Rosa in Fiore, to which he saw the sign of a struggle, though he was greeted by the same girl who had been molested by Juan Borgia. Ezio had a short discussion with Claudia once he knew his mother and she were safe, and he was paid interest on his investment of renovating the brothel before he left.

35- Leonardo was at La Volpe Addormentata, which Ezio soon found out when he was pulled into a dark room. From there, Leonardo briefly talked with Ezio, saying that his friend Salaì knew he was here, but wouldn't betray his trust. They exchanged in pleasantries, and Ezio was soon given back his Codex weapons that he lost, as well as a new item named poison darts. With this, Ezio then saw La Volpe and told him of his intentions to track Pietro, Lucrezia's lover. The two learned from thieves about the location of Micheletto Corella, an associate of Cesare, to which La Volpe then expressed to Ezio about how he believed Machiavelli was a traitor, and told him to do something about it before he did. Ezio then gathered a horse from La Volpe and visited his sister, and was given backup Codex weapons, before he decided to put his apprentices to good use.

36- Ezio overlooked on a meeting involving Cesare himself, Micheletto and Francesco Troche, where they discussed about Egidio's actions of warning the Venetians about Cesare's war plans. While Francesco pleaded for forgiveness, Cesare no longer wanted to hear excuses, and ordered Micheletto to strangle him, before the Templar requested his guards to dump Francesco's body in the Tiber. After Cesare departed, Ezio followed Micheletto once he had found out that Pietro was in a passion play at the Colosseum. With this, Ezio infiltrated it and ordered his recruits to put on the armor that he had stolen from the men who were meant to be in the play. Soon enough, as the play progressed, Ezio attempted to assassinate Micheletto, though in the end, he spared him and saved Pietro. After Ezio carried Lucrezia's lover to a doctor, as he had drank poisoned wine, the Assassin received a key to the Castel Sant'Angelo from Pietro. After this, Ezio came across a thief who was present at the Villa attack, but as he tried to talk to him, the thief sprinted away. Confused, Ezio chased after the man and tackled him to the ground, though to his surprise, Ezio learned that the thief was, in fact, the traitor, and not Machiavelli who La Volpe suspected.

37- Attempting to find La Volpe, Ezio was urgently requested by his mother to hunt down some traitors of the courtesans, though Ezio quickly left to find Machiavelli once more.

38- Ezio rode towards La Volpe Addormentata and found La Volpe with his dagger, ready to take Machiavelli's life. However, he was stopped as Ezio cut him off and revealed the letter to La Volpe, as well as the betrayal of one of his own men. To this, Machiavelli was relieved and claimed he would substitute the letter to keep them off track, and La Volpe then told Ezio of a new bunch of thieves in the city, known as the Cento Occhi. In response, however, Ezio explained that they would not be a problem.

39- Making his way to the barracks, Ezio immediately sensed that something was wrong and rushed to meet his friend. Once there, he discovered that the French had once again put pressure on Bartolomeo's men, and after an assault on the Barracks, Ezio managed to close all the entrances and keep the French soldiers out. Subsequently, the Baron de Valois approached the Barracks, though he kept a safe distance, and revealed to Bartolomeo that he had kidnapped his wife Pantasilea. He claimed that if Bartolomeo wanted her back alive, he would have to surrender by dawn, and in a desperate attempt to rescue her, Bartolomeo charged out once, followed by Ezio and a group of mercenaries.

40- Ezio had a plan and put it into action after he manages to steal 20 Frenchman armor, they soon marched down to where the Baron was stationed and brought the Captain General to him. Before trying to kill her, Ezio used his gun as a distraction but the Baron got away. Ezio followed him but had to sneak around or else the Baron would have killed Pantasilea. Ezio quietly navigated around and soon, Ezio struck, killing Valois. Bartolomeo entered and comforted his wife, soon they walked off and she quietly thanked Ezio.

41- Ezio was finally made official Mentor and his sister, Claudia, was inducted into the Assassin order. They went to the rooftop of their hideout and Claudia performed her first Leap of Faith. Machiavelli then claimed he would write a book about Ezio one day but Ezio responded that if he did, he should have made it short and then leapt from the rooftop.

42- Ezio infiltrated the Castel and overheard Lucrezia being told by a Servant that Cesare was back from his journey. Lucrezia then left to ponder why Rodrigo hadn't told her.

43- Ezio managed to locate a window through which he could oversee Cesare arguing with Rodrigo. Cesare was in denial, believing that his father had the Baron and Banker killed. Rodrigo admitted the Assassins performed these tasks. Cesare then bit an apple, and Lucrezia rushed in to say that it was poisoned. Cesare then spat it out and killed Rodrigo with it. Lucrezia acknowledged that she had known Rodrigo had taken the Apple and Cesare revealed that he never loved Lucrezia and started choking her, demanding the Apple. Eventually she gave in and Cesare tried to escape and then Ezio managed to climb through a window and got inside. From there, he closed the eyes of the dead Pope and was told the location of the Apple; with this information, Ezio took his leave.

44- Escaping the Castel, Ezio made it to the Apple's location before Cesare despite Cesare being more likely to have ridden by horse. Ezio used the power of the Apple to aid in his escape from the basilica and blended with the crowd wondering how long until news of Rodrigo Borgia's death would spread and when a new Pope would take his place.

45- Ezio returned to the Hideout and informed Machiavelli that although Rodrigo was dead, Cesare still lived. Machiavelli explained to Ezio that without Rodrigo to hold him back, Cesare could still gain back what the Assassins had taken from him. Ezio then went to confront Cesare who was trying to regain his title. But Ezio intercepted it and killed those who Cesare had tried to persuade. Cesare got away before Ezio could take his life.

46- Ezio tracked Cesare down to the Colosseum and found him trying to use the next Pope who's in charge. Ezio's arrival scared off the Cardinals who Cesare was trying to convince to change the Pope they'd selected for the position. Cesare's guards then surrounded Ezio and tried to fight him but they all fell; during the battle itself Ezio was truly injured and Cesare got away.

47- Finding Cesare at the very gates that led into Rome, many of Cesare's followers gathered, mostly guards. Ezio and the other Assassins gathered at the gate and attempted to fight off the Borgia guards. Once finished, Cesare believed that Micheletto's army had massed behind him but instead, under the instruction of Fabio Orsini, they arrested Cesare instead of aiding him as he had thought. Screaming that no chains or man could defeat him or hold him.

48- Ezio was reunited with Leonardo once more and was not convinced Cesare would be held by chains. Ezio embarked on a journey with Claudio, the young thief he had once rescued, to locate Cesare once he broke out of prison and soon, hijacked Cesare's ship and made his way back to Ostia.

Part 2

49- Ezio discusses with his ally, the new Pope, Julius II. Not expecting resources to be provided to him, he was told to locate somebody who was close to Micheletto and who might know something of their whereabouts.

50- Pondering why the Apple would not show Ezio where Cesare was, Ezio calls a meeting of the Brotherhood where Machiavelli states that a victory is not a victory unless absolute and then explains that Cesare is, in fact, alive and so is his former henchman, Micheletto. Ezio and Machiavelli journey to find Micheletto but soon, Claudia is kidnapped and held hostage. But is soon saved by Ezio who shows no mercy at first but in the end, ends the suffering of the kidnapper. They soon know for sure that Micheletto is alive.

51- Ezio tracks Micheletto and scramble through his forces, from there, they imprisoned him in the same place Ezio's father spent his last days, in a cell inside the Palazzo della Signoria. Inside, he was tortured and interrogated him, the days of Micheletto as a killer were done. Ezio would not be so sure that they could break Micheletto considering he was very strong willed.

52- Pope Julius knows of the Apple, Ezio finds this out because the Pope himself asks about its power. Ezio immediately knows who told the Pope, Leonardo's friend Salaì. Ezio explained its powers and what the Borgia intended to do with it which the Pope understood.

53- Ezio locates Cesare's old physician, Gaspar Torella and gains some ideas of where Cesare might be. Spain is the first thing Gaspar would guess, considering Cesare's Spanish heritage.

54- Ezio finds out from Machiavelli that Micheletto has escaped and realizes that they must track him with the Apple before it's too late.

55- Ezio uses the Apple to locate Micheletto who appears to be in Navarre, then through the Apple, Ezio sees a final picture of a massive, wealthy seaport, with ships drawn up on a sea and an army which was gathering. But Ezio had no clue about any of these places.

56- Rosa, a woman whom Ezio had met in Venice, takes control of the Rosa in Fiore and is left in charge along with La Volpe to watch over Rome while Ezio and Machiavelli leave to hunt down Micheletto.

57- Ezio brings the Apple to Leonardo and tries to use it, from there Ezio hears a noise which Machiavelli and Leonardo cannot seem to hear. It seems to be the Apple communicating with him, telling him to take the Apple to a Vault under the Capitoline and leave it there. Afterwards, it tells him to go to Naples where Micheletto was trying to reach Valencia. Ezio then tells them that the next destination is Naples. They arrive in Naples on Ezio's 46th birthday, they learn much of Micheletto's destination from a lady who appeared to know much about him and soon enough they go further to hunt down Micheletto on ship.

58- One of three survivors who Ezio had not killed, is found and killed by Ezio, who showed no mercy, but as he was dying the man spoke of Micheletto who was rushing to Castillo de la Mota where Cesare was being held. From there, Ezio left and continued on with the hunt.

59- Praying that they were in time to thwart Micheletto's plan, they picked up their things from the Lone Wolf Inn and took off.

60- Micheletto makes it to the Castillo and frees his former master, Cesare Borgia who was already contemplating the slowest death possible to the Assassin.

61- Delayed because Leonardo was ill, Ezio discovers that Cesare escapes, Ezio wanted to abandon Leonardo but Machiavelli restrained. But events were to prove him right and Leonardo invaluable.

62- Killed by Cesare, Micheletto's body is discovered and knowing where to go, Ezio and his 2 companions went their separate ways.

Part 3

63- Ezio travels across Spain and arrives at his destination and finds it under siege. While there, he needed to restock on weapons which he was kindly greeted by a man who gave him what he needs.

64- Riding his horse through the Battle, Ezio eventually lost his steed. Ezio still traverses on and witnesses a harsh action by Cesare in which he orders guards to slit a woman's throat just for showing consideration and concern for her son.

65- Ezio soon finds Cesare on the Castle walls in which Ezio scales and then battles Ezio ferociously. Ezio eventually overpowers Cesare who tries to explain how supposedly no man could murder him. Ezio then seized Cesare and threw him off the walls, leaving him to fate.

66- It's Ezio's 48th birthday in which they discuss their plans for the future. Machiavelli explaining about a book known as The Prince in which he was writing and Leonardo explains how he will journey to France. Ezio and Machiavelli offer Leonardo a place at the Brotherhood but Leonardo declines and with this, they all say Farewell and go their separate ways.

Differences in the novel

Characters

The novel referenced to how Cesare's face had been mutilated by the "New Disease" which related to the recent outbreak of syphilis at the time - an affliction that plagued Cesare Borgia in reality - leading him to wear a mask. In the game, however, his face was always fully shown without any signs of such deformities.
According to the novel, Cesare excelled at bullfighting. Machiavelli believed he showed such an interest in the sport due to his aggressive nature and partly being Spanish, from where the sport originated.
It was stated by Machiavelli that Paola taught Ezio his skills in Venice, though in Assassin's Creed II, he was taught in Florence.
In the novel, Machiavelli did not become the leader of the Italian Assassins after the death of Mario Auditore, even though his in-game database suggested so. In the novel, no new leader was elected, however, Ezio and Machiavelli both acted as chiefs. When Ezio began recruiting Assassins, La Volpe suggested that Ezio be their new leader, but he was not officially elected until the initiation of Claudia, as seen in the game.
In the book, Ezio was a Christian, while in the game it was never alluded to.
In the novel, Leonardo was offered a place in the Brotherhood, though he declined.
The traitorous thief from Monteriggioni was said to be named Paganino and had once served Antonio in Venice, before being recruited by the Borgia.
Some of Ezio's recruits were said to have wanted to go back to the normal life they once had, after the defeat of the Borgia.
Maria Auditore passed away due to a long-time illness sometime between 1504 and 1505.
The engineer who reinforced the Caserma d'Alviano was named Michelangelo.

Relationships

The novel went into more detail regarding Ezio's relationship and feelings for Caterina Sforza, including his distaste at being used by her.
At the start of the novel, Mario Auditore made reference to Claudia being married and then widowed, whereas in the game, this was not mentioned.
Pope Julius II was said to have been allied with the Assassins upon Ezio's arrival in Rome and after the fall of the Borgia. It is also mentioned that Ezio became his counselor.

Equipment

Ezio was said to have lost all of his Codex inventions at the siege of Monteriggioni, and in Rome, Leonardo rebuilt them for Ezio, as well as some additional inventions. In the game, Ezio claimed that he had lost all of the Codex inventions Leonardo had once fashioned for him, while only having lost his second Hidden Blade.
Guns were used much more frequently by enemies in the novel; in the game they were only used by arquebusiers, Papal Guards and Cesare Borgia.
The poison darts given to Ezio by Leonardo were not fired from Ezio's Hidden Gun like in the game, but instead they were tossed as ordinary darts.
In the novel, it was Leonardo who constructed Ezio's crossbow for him, and Ezio only used it in one mission - while escorting Bartolomeo to "surrender" to the French army.
Leonardo revealed that he used the Apple to locate Ezio in Rome, similarly to how Ezio discovered where Cesare was headed after his escape from prison.
Ezio did not use the Apple as a weapon against Cesare.

Assassinations

Il Carnefice, Malfatto and Silvestro Sabbatini were not mentioned at all, and Ezio did not use his recruits to assassinate any targets.
Juan Borgia's party was not held outdoors in the Trastevere, but instead it was carried out at his own palazzo in the Vatican. Ezio did not assassinate him from a bench though, cornering him and a guard in a small room before finishing them both off instead.
In the game, Ezio could either air assassinate the Baron de Valois or shoot him from above, though in the novel, Ezio cornered him and killed him with his sword.
The fight between Ezio and Cesare differed slightly in the novel than in the game. They began the battle with only their fists, however, after Cesare punched Ezio, they both resorted to using swords. After disarming Cesare, Ezio parried an attack from his dagger by cutting Cesare's hand, almost severing it. Realizing his defeat, Cesare desperately shouted that he could not die by the hands of man, to which Ezio replied "then I leave you in the hands of fate!", before seizing Cesare and pushing him from the edge of the Viana castle wall, without looking down.

Other events

Ezio and Mario both rode horses while escaping the Vatican, and they did not jump into the Tiber like what was shown in the game.
After waking up in Rome, Ezio decided to go to a doctor after performing a Leap of Faith from the church. In the game, however, Ezio met the doctor first.
Mario Auditore was both shot and beheaded during the defense of Monteriggioni. Afterwards, Cesare waved Mario's head at Ezio when he caught up to their escape under the tunnels, shouting "You're next!" after him.
During the siege of Monteriggioni, Ezio was shot by Octavian de Valois, as opposed to an arquebusier in the game.
Leonardo da Vinci was present and stood with Cesare at the siege of Monteriggioni, against his will.
Ezio used his Apprentices to destroy Leonardo's war machines, and to guard the inventor from the Borgia. In the game, Ezio himself destroyed the constructs, and it was never mentioned that he left Leonardo with any protection.
In the novel, the passion play and the events concerning the distrust La Volpe had for Machiavelli occurred before the assassination of Baron de Valois. In the game, the order was reversed.
In the novel, the Thief and Courtesan missions were executed by Assassin recruits.
The fall of the Borgia loyalists was covered in more detail in the novel.
In 1504, Claudia Auditore da Firenze stepped down as the Madame of the Rosa in Fiore, after she was kidnapped by Borgia loyalists, while Rosa took over her position while she was absent. After Claudia was rescued, however, she returned to her role.
Machiavelli was present when Ezio hides the Apple under the Colosseo. In the game, it is assumed Ezio is alone.
None of the events of The Da Vinci Disappearance were mentioned.
A more in-depth account of Ezio's hunt for Cesare was given, after the latter escaped from prison. It detailed Micheletto Corella being killed, and described Ezio's journey to Spain with Leonardo and Machiavelli, in their attempts to locate Cesare.
In the game, all of the events, from Ezio emerging from the Vault to Cesare's arrest, took place in four years. However, due to the final scene in Assassin's Creed: Renaissance being said to have taken place in 1503 instead of 1499, these events only spanned a few months.
None of the modern-day events were mentioned in the novel.
In addition to the war machine designs seen in-game, a design for a kind of scythed chariot was also discussed in the novel.

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 - Ezio met up with [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] and [[Maria Auditore da Firenze]], as well as Mario, Claudia and Caterina to discuss recent events. Ezio told them of the extraordinary wonders he saw inside the Vault and admitted that he was wrong about Rodrigo poisoning himself. Machiavelli told Ezio and the others of a newer threat and then left for Rome. The night was then silent and feelings were revealed.
-- Leaving the dinner and going to his room, Ezio got some rest and was eventually joined by Caterina. They made love for a night and eventually went to sleep, though they were interrupted by cannon-fire, which eventually led to the destruction of the Villa, and from there, the [[Fall of Monteriggioni|siege of Monteriggioni]] began.
+- Leaving the dinner and going to his room, Ezio got some rest and was eventually joined by Caterina. They made love for a night and eventually went to sleep, though they were interrupted by cannon-fire, which eventually led to the destruction of the Villa, and from there, the [[siege of Monteriggioni]] began.
 - Ezio jumped down from his room and met up with Mario, who reassured him that the Apple was safe with him. Caterina tried to flank the attackers while Mario attempted a frontal assault and take the Borgia forces head-on. Ezio lost his armor bestowed to him by his [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|father]] before his execution due to a cannonball striking it, and he rode through the town of Monteriggioni and tried to lure back the attackers, though it ended in failure.
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 - Ezio reunited with Machiavelli and explained to him about how Cesare and Rodrigo left before he could strike, though La Volpe was not convinced that it was a coincidence. Caterina had arrived and was being tended to by a doctor, and Ezio was made the [[Mentor]] of the [[Italian Assassins]], though he was told to keep it a secret so that a "formal" vote could happen. From there, Ezio talked to Machiavelli about his plan to rebuild the Brotherhood back to its former glory.
-- Ezio recruited many oppressed civilians for the cause that day, and after following a strange voice that had been calling him, Ezio found out that it was his old friend, Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo claimed that he was one step ahead of them and once had possession of the Apple, though it had been taken from him by Rodrigo. He then told Ezio about some of the contraptions he was obligated to make for the Borgia, stating that they consisted of the [[Tank]], among others. During this time, Ezio requested Leonardo to remake his [[Codex]] weapons, and soon enough, after he had funded the inventor, Leonardo left. On his departure, Leonardo told Ezio that the first thing he would do when he left was to "go shopping for supplies."
+- Ezio recruited many oppressed civilians for the cause that day, and after following a strange voice that had been calling him, Ezio found out that it was his old friend, Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo claimed that he was one step ahead of them and once had possession of the Apple, though it had been taken from him by Rodrigo. He then told Ezio about some of the contraptions he was obligated to make for the Borgia, stating that they consisted of the [[Tank]], among others. During this time, Ezio requested Leonardo to remake his [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex|Codex]] weapons, and soon enough, after he had funded the inventor, Leonardo left. On his departure, Leonardo told Ezio that the first thing he would do when he left was to "go shopping for supplies."
 - Soon after he returned to the Hideout, Ezio planned his assassination of [[Octavian de Valois]]. Accompanying this, Machiavelli told Caterina of the danger she was in, and explained to her that she must leave the city, though her kids were already safe in Florence. From then, Caterina made her preparations to leave.
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 *[[Il Carnefice]], [[Malfatto]] and [[Silvestro Sabbatini]] were not mentioned at all, and Ezio did not use his recruits to assassinate any targets.
 *Juan Borgia's party was not held outdoors in the Trastevere, but instead it was carried out at his own palazzo in the Vatican. Ezio did not assassinate him from a bench though, cornering him and a guard in a small room before finishing them both off instead.
-*In the game, Ezio could either air assassinate the Baron de Valois or shoot him from above, though in the novel, Ezio cornered him and killed him with his [[Swords and Maces|sword]].
+*In the game, Ezio could either air assassinate the Baron de Valois or shoot him from above, though in the novel, Ezio cornered him and killed him with his [[swords and maces|sword]].
 *The fight between Ezio and Cesare differed slightly in the novel than in the game. They began the battle with only their fists, however, after Cesare punched Ezio, they both resorted to using swords. After disarming Cesare, Ezio parried an attack from his dagger by cutting Cesare's hand, almost severing it. Realizing his defeat, Cesare desperately shouted that he could not die by the hands of man, to which Ezio replied ''"then I leave you in the hands of fate!"'', before seizing Cesare and pushing him from the edge of the Viana castle wall, without looking down.