On the 29th of December, 1476, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze and two of his sons, Federico and
Petruccio were publicly hanged on the streets of Florence.
Through their deaths, the last surviving son of the House of Auditore would uncover the
hidden nature of his family and set into motion a chain of events that would ripple across
the world and through the centuries.
While his name has scarcely been recorded in any history book and his life’s work
kept a closely guarded secret, to those who have uncovered the true nature of the world
and the endless conflict fought amongst the shadows, it is impossible to deny the influence
of Ezio Auditore da Firenze.
Ezio was born into a life of luxury amidst the high society of the Florentine nobility.
Something of a playboy in his youth, he pursued a carefree existence centered around women
and wine.
This was shattered by the death of his father and brothers and together with his mother
and sister, fled to their decrepit family Villa in Monteriggioni.
Here Ezio learned the truth about his father, that he was a member of the Assassin’s Brotherhood,
a secret society which, through the centuries, had dedicated themselves to preserving and
protecting human liberty and the exercise of free will.
Trained in the arts of this order by his Uncle, the leader of the Italian Brotherhood of Assassins,
Ezio dedicated himself to twin pursuits, to find and kill Rodrigo Borgia, the man most
responsible for the death of his father and brothers, and to strengthen the Italian Assassin
Brotherhood.
Over the next two decades, Ezio hunted down Borgia, revealed to be a Grand Master in the
Templar Order, ancient enemies of the Assassins.
Through his war against the Templars, Ezio was formally inducted into the Assassins and
quickly rose through their ranks.
His travels also brought him into contact with some of the most important figures of
the era, including Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolò Machiavelli, Christopher Columbus, Muhammad
XII of Granada and Queen Isabella of Castile.
With the help of his allies and other members of the Assassins, Ezio discovered that Rodrigo
Borgia, now appointed as Pope Alexander VI intended to unlock an ancient vault beneath
the Vatican, supposedly one that led to God himself.
While Ezio’s thirst for vengeance had defined much of his life, his journey had revealed
to him the futility of revenge and after confronting and besting Borgia at the entrance to the
vault, left him defeated and humiliated, but spared.
Instead, Ezio entered the vault himself and whether he met God or something else, the
experience left him with a message he didn’t quite understand, but also a sense of his
importance and place in history.
In the aftermath of this encounter, he continued his campaign against the Templars, including
Borgia’s own son, but Ezio was also dedicated to rediscovering the lost history of the Assassins.
Beneath the fortress of Masyaf, Ezio now gained entrance to the hidden library of Altaïr
Ibn-La'Ahad one of the most legendary Assassins in the Order.
Within the library, Ezio found no books or wisdom, but the skeleton of Altaïr and an
ancient device of tremendous power.
It was here that Ezio decided he had seen enough for one life, and he abandoned his
sword and hidden blades within the library.
Ezio became a Master and Mentor within the order, enjoying as much peace in retirement
as an Assassin like him could expect.
He married and spent his final years at his countryside villa, tending to his garden and
raising his children.
He died in Florence in 1524.
His life as an Assassin transformed Ezio from a headstrong, competitive and rakish youth
who frequently let his emotions rule his actions, into a man completely dedicated to his role.
He overcame the need for vengeance that had defined him and spared the lives of targets
he concluded had no need to die.
He remained passionately loyal to his family, the father and brothers and uncle he lost,
the mother and sister he protected and the wife and children that granted him peace.
In retirement, he grew more quiet and distant, reluctant to share the details of his life
except to those he came to know and care for.
In his apprentices he instilled a sense of fraternity and a deep love and respect for
the cultures they would defend from the Templars.
At his peak, he was a man of remarkable skill, a master of armed and unarmed combat who could
blend into a crowd and gain access to even the most guarded locations.
Most unusual was his almost supernatural ability to distinguish friend from foe and react to
danger with a kind of extrasensory perception.
Assassins by their very nature can have a profound effect on the world, but even amongst
his past and future compatriots, Ezio was a man of particular achievement.
Through his actions, Italy, Spain and the Ottoman Empire came under Assassin control
or influence, ushering in a Golden Age across that part of the world.
His descendants would remain a leading influence within his Order for almost 500 years and
even as the actions of the Templars attempted to distort his legacy, for those who knew
the truth, the name of Ezio Auditore da Firenze would never be forgotten.
In Dossier, the Templin Institute investigates the legendary figures from alternate worlds.
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