Assassin’s Creed 2 Plot Analysis

Feb 19, 2010

Everyone knows at least one person who can be identified only as ‘The Book Snob’. That’s the type of person who prefers Harry Potter as J.K Rowling sees it and shuns its digital format. Even though Ron Weasely is a stud. When it comes to me, however, I’m someone how likes to draw the parallel of how realistic something is, especially when acts of fiction draw from our not-so-fictional lives.

Assassin’s Creed 2 is a massive work of art (and effort!), and it shows, as evidenced by the opening disclaimer that several different religious beliefs and cultures were influenced while making the game. The attention to detail, from the architecture and the fashion to the language, is realistic and well thought of. A lot of the characters are actual people, such as Leonardo Di Vinci and Niccolò Machiavelli, whereas some are a work of fiction, which can be arguable about the Auditore family. What I’m going to explain in this guide is the parallel between fiction and reality, and what was real or just extreme coincidence. I’ll also go indepth to some of the nagging questions about what Subject 16 was going on about, and the meaning of the glyphs. Prepare thyself!

The Auditore Family
To be someone important in 15th Century Florence, you had to be a banker. The Auditore family in Florence was very influential and the children born into a comfy lifestyle as nobles. This is where fantasy and reality is blended because, for all intents and purposes (and a cursory Google search, ahem), there were no famous Auditore family in history. This is a great plot device because although there’s little mention of this family, it’s a great vehicle for a secret lifestyle. Or it can be coincidental to their banking professions, as Auditore closely resembles the word Audit. Here’s a more indepth look into the different family members of the Auditore family.

Giovanni Auditore
Giovanni Auditore was one of the pivotal figures in 15th Century Florentine banking. In charge of overseeing the Medici bank branches across Italy, he kept the Medici machine running while Lorenzo was busy with the government. Extending his reach out into the international operation, it was Giovanni who first noticed the problems with the Lyon bank, causing him to alert Francesco Sassetti, which saved the branch.

Such great talent was well rewarded by Ill Magnifico (Lorenzo de’Medici). Giovanni developed a close friendship with Lorenzo de’Medici, becoming one of his closest advisors. Successful negotations to secure the Pope’s suport of the Medici bank in 1471 were carried out by Giovanni.
Relieved and graetful, Lorenzo paid for Giovanni’s palazzo, as a gift.

Events in AC
Giovanni Auditore is first seen in Assassin’s Creed II at Ezio’s birth sequence in the Animus (1.0), in which he holds Ezio in his arms and remarks that he is a born fighter. After Desmond enters the Animus 2.0, Giovanni is seen once again at the Auditore’s house, where he is proud that Ezio reminds him of himself when he was younger. Giovanni then gives Ezio two separate quests (Paperboy & Special Delivery). Soon after completing the quests, guards take Giovanni and his sons, Federico & Petruccio, to prison for being accused of treason. Ezio soon ventures to the prison window that they are being detained in for answers of their imprisonment, but Giovanni instead tasks his son to find the hidden room inside his office (which hides his Assassin gear) and take everything that he finds. Shortly after, Ezio arrives at where the execution takes place, Uberto declares Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio guilty of treason, therefore executed, becoming victims of a conspiracy. His execution has driven Ezio into the life of an Assassin and Maria into a catatonic silence.

Conclusions:
The Auditore family had worked for the bank of Medici, as was the case for most nobles in 15th Century Florence. While it is hard to document whether it was true that Giovanni had found a problem with the Lyon bank, which involved the manager there making huge profits and not documenting it properly, it is true that there existed a Francesco Sassetti, who would have been Giovanni’s boss.

Maria Auditore

“I grow tired of these walls that surround me and am bored with safety. Now, is the time to make a decision. I will go out there and see what my life may truly be.”

Maria wrote those words when she was 16, a week before she met Giovanni Auditore.
Born into the powerful banking family, the Mozzi, Maria is one of the most famous historical sources of the time period due to her multi-volume diary which has been translated by several notable scholars. And is on display in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

With funding from her parents, Maria opened up a bakery in the courtyard of her family Palazzo which she transformed into an artistic gathering place. It was there that she met “a man with such conviction I found myself rooted to the spot, unable to look anywhere else”. That man was Giovanni Auditore.
Maria and Giovanni were married in 1450. Maria’s diary entries continue for the next few decades, describing her patronage of several up-and-coming artists and her trials as a mother, at which point she abruptly abandons her writing, to the disappointment of historians everywhere.

Events in AC2
The day following Ezio’s fight with Vieri de’ Pazzi on the Florentine bridge, Maria had him walk with her to collect a number of comissioned paintings from the artist Leonardo da Vinci, introducing the two in the process. She then remained at home until the arrival of the city guards in the evening, who took away her husband and sons whilst assaulting Claudia and herself. When Ezio finally return home he discovered that his mother’s assault had shocked her into silence, but nonetheless directed the house maid to take Maria and Claudia to a safe location, where they waited for news.
The next day Ezio returned, wearing the robes of his father and bringing the fateful news of the execution she then followed Ezio and Claudia to the Villa Auditore in the town of Monteriggioni. Arriving in the city, Maria took up residence in the Villa, refusing to speak and constantly praying over the feathers her youngest son, Petruccio, used to collect.

Conclusions:
It’s a strong argument in the realism of the Auditore family’s claim if there is actual proof of Maria’s journal in the Uffizi. I checked the Wiki page for it and it only briefly detailed the paintings held there. I should convince Vikki that she should sponsor a trip to Tuscany so we can solve this matter once and for all. However, her biographical information does leave it open to what could have caused her sudden abrupt absence to journaling.

Claudia Auditore
The third child of Giovanni and Maria Auditore, and the first girl in the family, Claudia seems to have been a bit of a spoiled brat. It looks like her parents had to raise her dowry by 1000 florins after she scared away all her potential suitors.
A report from her school indicates she once attacked another girl for looking at her boyfriend… and knocked her out cold.

Events in AC2
After the tragic events that befell the Auditore family, Ezio vows to protect her, along with their mother, and escorts them both to the safety of the Villa Auditore. There, her uncle Mario puts her to work keeping a book of finances for the Villa; a task she finds positively scandalous, since it involves “work”.

Federico Auditore
Ezio’s older brother, and the eldest Auditore, Federico entered the Medici bank as a clerk when he was 19. However, the bank logs indicate he mostly dicked around rather than actually working.
One entry goes into detail. On September 17th, 1475, a bag of gold florins went missing: “After a panic struck the bank, the elder Auditore approached Francesco Sassetti, and with a smile revealed the location of the bag, which had been hidden on the rooftop! If he weren’t the son of Giovanni Auditore, I’d speak to Lorenzo de’ Medici and have him put in the stocks!”
Unsurprisingly, Federico was removed from the bank’s payroll shortly after his 20th birthday.

The events in AC2
Federico first appeared during his brother Ezio’s fight with another member of a noble family, Vieri de’ Pazzi. He is proven to be an excellent fighter and it can also be noted that he probably taught Ezio how to do Free Running. After Ezio and he win the fight, Federico teaches Ezio how to loot money from defeated enemies.
Federico is later beaten and captured by the city guards, along with his father Giovanni and little brother Petruccio. He is held prisoner overnight while Ezio frantically tries to secure the release of his family. The next morning, Federico is hanged with his father and brother, as the victims of a Templar conspiracy. Years later, Rodrigo Borgia would tell Ezio that there was no need to kill him and Petruccio too; he just wanted to make a point.

Petruccio Auditore
The youngest of the Auditore children, Petruccio was described as “having a weak constitution” by Giovanni Auditore in a letter to Lorenzo de’Medici soon after the boy’s birth.
Apparently, he didn’t improve with time. Petruccio was pulled from the school due to illness when he was 12 and, according to records from the family doctor, was confined to bed. No other data exists after that, so it is probable he eventually succumbed to his illness.

The events in AC2
Near the beginning of the game, Petruccio asks his brother, Ezio to retrieve some feathers for him. Ezio must return with the feathers quickly because Petruccio is not allowed outside due to his “illness”. When Ezio brings the feathers to him, he asks what are they for, Petruccio responds “It’s a secret” and will tell Ezio in time. The next morning, Petruccio is executed along with Frederico and Giovanni as part of a conspiracy. After Petruccio’s death, Ezio decides to collect more feathers in memory of his brother. These can be stored in a chest in the Villa Auditore in Monteriggioni. However, after that, he is no longer mentioned in the game.

Conclusion:
The feather’s are most likely a throw-back to the first Assassin’s Creed, where Altaïr would wipe a feather in his victim’s blood as proof of their demise. Not only that, but in the first game, the player had the option to find flags in different areas. This was really tedious work, but luckily AC2 just has 100 feathers that are often in easy to find places on the rooftops.

Ezio Auditore
In a diary from 1474, Maria Auditore, one of the great Florentine chronicles and Ezio’s mother, describes her son as “competitive, stubborn and loud mouthed, but so passionate that it is impossible to fault him for anything”. Complaints to the city guard by several noble patricians seem to suggest he was also something of a womanizer.
Tutored by the great banker Giovanni Tornabuoni, Ezio’s school records cease around age 17, at which point his name is connected with a terrible crime.
It is impossible to discern what it could be from the records, there’s very little, but afterward Ezio drops out of history entirely, as if he never existed.

Conclusion
The execution of Ezio’s family happened when he was 17yrs old, which can result in the sudden absence of his name being in the history books. Not to mention the whole ‘being an assassin’ thing.

Q: Was Rodrigo Borgia really all that bad?
A: Oh yes. He was an actual real person in our history, and he was named Pope Alexander VI in the Catholic church. Lorenzo de’Medici’s own son warned of how evil Rodrigo was in a famous quote.

Now we are in the power of a wolf, the most rapacious perhaps that this world has ever seen. And if we do not flee, he will inevitably devour us all.

Rodrigo Borgia was a blood-thirsty man. He cut down and poisoned all that opposed him. In the game, his pursuit to become Pope was all in act to get closer to the Apple of Eden, an artifact that influenced and allowed the mind control of other human beings. There are actually five Apples altogether, along with several different artifacts of historical and mythical note. Such as the Shroud of Turin, Ark of the Covenant, Excalibur, the Holy Grail, The Crystal Skull, a Golden Fleece, The Spear of Destiny, and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Q: What are the Codex pages? Who made them?
A: The Codex pages were a personal journal from none other than Altaïr of the first Assassin’s Creed. His thoughts are actually rather deep, and intimate, as he talks about his search for Pieces of Eden, his wife, and the journal even has his own artistic forays, showcasing the design for a firearm and an updated hidden blade.
This is interesting because firearms weren’t even invented yet, but because Altaïr possessed a Piece of Eden, his knowledge began to expand past the centuries, even if he didn’t know how to necessarily make it just yet.

In AC2, the Codex pages told of a “prophet” (Ezio) who would bring together two Pieces of Eden (the staff and apple), and then open the vault which was below the Sistine Chapel. This was ultimately Borgio’s plan and the reason he became Pope.

If you read the Codex pages, Altaïr starts out very confused and conflicted about possessing the Apple and furthermore with humanity and the Creed. With time, however, he starts to speak about his own mortality and the futility of what he’s doing. The last Codex page is kind of ominous, because Altaïr knows he’s dying and wonders about the powers of the Apple and whether he should use it to live longer.

Q: What was going on in The Truth video?
A: The two figures running and scaling the complex are the fabled Adam and Eve. In religious history, they were created by God and kept in ignorance until they ate from the apple of truth, and there they learned of death and sickness and all other unpleasant things that plague humans now.
AC2 has a theory that a race of people, The Ones Who Came Before, created humans from apes and sculpted them into ‘their’ image, which is what humans look like today. This advanced race enslaved the humans with the help of a Piece of Eden, which was the Apple, because the Apple can be used for mind control. Adam and Eve were unaffected, and so too are the Assassins.

Here’s some important notes about the Truth video:
Altaïrr had a vision of this video but refused to believe it because he hated to regard the Old Testament, possibly due to his distaste for the Templars. Although the Templars themselves weren’t followers of Catholicism.

The complex they escape from clearly shows humans affected by the influence of the apple, and they’re working as slaves.

The image of the mountain in the background is almost identical to Mount Kilimanjaro, which is located in Africa. This makes sense because it’s believed that the origins of humans began in Africa.

Although Desmond and Subject 16 share a descendant in Ezio, that is the closest one they have together. When you review Subject 16s files, he describes different assassinations, and incidents, that Desmond has not relived. It’s possible that Adam and Eve are Subject 16′s descendants, and the reason why he can piece together this video and Desmond cannot.

The video clearly comes before the war that nearly killed The Ones Who Came Before, and expanded the human race. It is likely the dawn of their freedom, and a pre-cursor of what is to come.

Contrary to what I’ve read on forums, Adam and Eve are not naked nor are they some kind of cyborg. They’re wearing metallic bodysuits.

Q: Who were The Ones Who Came Before? Were they gods?
A: I don’t believe that they were gods. When Ezio finds the hidden vault and speaks with Minerva, she admits that they were just a more advanced race that came before humans. A war between them and the humans occurred, and Those Who Came Before were all but destroyed. When you speak with Minerva, she’s a hologram, her body presumably dead.
The myths and legends surrounding The Ones Who Came Before have bled into our own history, as they are regarded as Roman deities. In fact, a glyph that you must reveal hints that Assassins are born with a dual-nature from the ‘gods’.

Behold the Assassins, the children of two worlds!

Q: Who is the Father of Understanding?
A: In our real history, there’s been evidence of Templars declaring the name of Baphomet as the Father of Understanding. While under the influence of torture (ahem). This can be wrong, though. If you read this explaination made by Idries Shah, he tends to disprove the idea of a pagan deity being used.

In his book “The Sufis”, he theorized that Baphomet was really a corruption of the Arabic term “Abufihamat” meaning “Father of Understanding.” If this is the case, and the Templars had adopted Sufism into their rituals this possible etymology of Baphomet could simply imply God.

Additionally, Shah suggests the Sufi terminology “ras el-fahmat” which translates to “head of knowledge.” This provides an interesting thought connecting the concept of wisdom with the head. Could this be the head allegedly worshipped by the Templars? It is unlikely as the term speaks in figurative terms rather than literal ones.

“Probably relying on contemporary Eastern sources, Western scholars have recently supposed that ‘Bafomet’ has no connection with Mohammed, but could well be a corruption of the Arabic “Abufihamat” (pronounced in the Moorish Spanish similar to bufihamat). The word means ‘father of understanding’. In Arabic, ‘father’ is taken to mean ‘source, chief seat of,’ and so on. In Sufi terminology, ras el-fahmat (head of knowledge) means the mentation of man after undergoing refinement- the transmuted consciousness.”

So, the Father of Understanding is just one big metaphor to going with your own personal reason. Or all of this will be explained in AC3 :)

Image source: The-nextlevel.com
Biographical source: Assassinscreed.wikia.com