Villa Auditore

2010-04-26T03:20:37Z

207.177.65.125:

{{Revamp}}
{{Era|Good}}

The '''Auditore Family Villa''' was a stronghold in the city of [[Monteriggioni]] to provide aid and refuge for Ezio and his family after the Auditore execution in Florence. Perched atop a beautiful Tuscan valley, the villa and Monteriggioni had become run down and badly in need of repair.

== History ==
[[File:Monteriggioni map.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Monteriggioni Map]]

Constructed in 1290, the Villa Auditore was an important medieval predecessor to early Renaissance architecture. The Villa’s wonderful symmetry and ordered geometry were a revelation for its time.

Not only concerned with aesthetics, [[Domenico Auditore]] (Ezio Auditore’s great-great-grandfather) designed his home to double as a fortress and training ground, looking out both over the city that it protects and the Tuscan plains.

After a Florentine attack in 1320 left the façade damaged, the present façade was erected and a painting gallery was added to the interior.

Domenico was more than just an architect and a warrior: he was also a skilled engineer. Hidden compartments and rooms with mechanisms blocked entry are several unique features of the building that make it a technological marvel as well as an architectural one.

Under the villa, houses the [[Sanctuary]] Domenico built containing 7 statues of great assassins in history as well as [[Altaïr's Armor]]. In addition, the villa housed the [[Auditore Family Crypt]], a place similar to the six Assassin Tombs Ezio found throughout Italy. The Crypt holds information about Domenico, his history as an Auditore and an Assassin, and the buildings of Monteriggioni.

In 1476, Ezio and his family arrived to the villa after the execution of his father and brothers. Ezio trained with his uncle for two years in preperation to assassinate [[Vieri de' Pazzi]]. [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze|Claudia]] and [[Maria Auditore]] remained at the villa for the rest of Ezio's journey. Claudia kept records of Monteriggioni's income and Ezio's progress, while Maria prays in her room under constant grief of her husband and sons' deaths until Ezio gathered and stored eagle feathers as keepsakes to help her cope with the lost.

[[Mario Auditore da Firenze|Mario]] had an office that contains a wall-space where deciphered [[Codex]] Pages Giovanni and Ezio collected were placed and pieced together. During 1499, the members of the Assassin Order in Italy met in the office to discuss the iniciative of [[Rodrigo Borgia]]'s plan from the map shown by the Piece of Eden.

Monteriggioni's populace started out at 33 in 1476, and expanded to 3546 by 1499 with no people residing in the countryside.

==Gameplay==
[[File:Auditore family villa.jpg|thumb|300px|A view of the Auditore Family Villa from a viewpoint from across the city.]]

In the early stages of the game, Ezio is able to renovate both the town of Monteriggioni and the Auditore Villa.

'''Methods to increase the town and villa's values are listed below:'''

*Renovate the [[Merchants|shops]] and other buildings through the architect
*Buying [[armor]] and [[weapons]]
*Purchasing [[Art Merchants|paintings]]
*Collecting [[Codex|Codex pages]]
*Obtaining the [[Assassin's Seal|six assassin's seals]]
*Collecting [[feathers]]
*Unlocking the two models
*Obtaining [[Altaïr's armor]]
*Obtaining the portraits of all the conspirators (including conspirators from the [[Battle of Forli]] and [[Bonfire of the Vanities]])

When the Villa reaches 100%, it yields an income of 15,200 florins every 20 minutes, with a chest capacity of 60,800 florins . As Ezio invests in Monteriggioni, the Villa's outside appearance improves over time. Boards across windows are taken down, overgrown plants recede, and flags bearing the assassin symbol appear around the roof. While the city's appearance will improve, Monteriggioni's citizens always seem to be poorer (in clothing) than their counterparts from the cities. Also, with each guild renovated, there will be [[Courtesans]], [[Mercenaries]], and [[Thieves]] wandering around.

Beneath the Family's mansion was the Auditore Family Crypt. The Crypt is unlocked through Uplay and costs 40 points, and the first [[Assassin Tomb]] must have been accessed via the main storyline. There are 2,000 florins to be had at the end of the level, 500 florins more than any other Assassin Tomb.

{{ACII}}
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Locations]]
[[Category:Assassin's Order]]

Isu

2010-01-21T06:16:55Z

207.177.65.125: /* Domination of Humans */

{{spoilerhd}}
[[File:Zw-Minerva-3.png|thumb|250px|[[Minerva]] is the only known representative of "Those Who Came Before"]]

"Those Who Came Before" is the name of an ancient, and incredibly advanced race of beings who created the [[Piece of Eden|Pieces of Eden]], as well as humanity itself. Exactly who they were, how long ago, or how they came to die out is still largely unknown. It is believed that they were worshiped by ancient cultures, for example, in ancient Greece, they were revered as Gods. The woman known as [[Minerva]] said they were not gods, but a race more advanced in time who "simply came before".

==Domination of Humans==

Minerva revealed that at some point; her kind created humanity, possibly as some sort of slave race as shown in [[The Truth]] video. In the recorded [[The Truth|memory]], [[Those Who Came Before]] appear to have enslaved humans into doing their bidding through the hypnotic power of the [[Piece of Eden|Pieces of Eden]]. Despite their attempts at mind control, [[The Truth]] video shows how [[Adam and Eve]] stole one of the mythical fruits of the tree of knowledge described in the Bible. It is possible that this was an attempt to free mankind from the oppression of their masters. Adam and Eve were most likely naturally immune to the Pieces of Eden, much like Altair and several other Assassins where, as seen in the first [[Assassins Creed]] when Al Mualim attempted to use it on Altair.

According to [[Minerva]], humans and her species had lived peacefully for some time, however, humans were not treated equally. Mankind is likely to have to been regarded as cattle or slaves, prompting some humans to rebel against their masters. Somehow [[Adam and Eve]] had a resistance to the [[Piece of Eden]], which most likely controlled them.

==Past Events==

[[File:Zw-eden-slave.png|thumb|350px|A frame from [[The Truth]] video, showing "Those Who Came Before" using a [[Piece of Eden]] to control humans]]

While the ancient race was more technologically advanced and powerful, humanity had the advantage of numbers. Minerva stated that both sides craved war, but they were so preoccupied with their fighting; an impending danger was approaching from the "heavens". [[Shaun Hastings]] and [[Lucy Stillman]] hypothesize that this "danger" could have been a massive solar flare which would have had a catastrophic impact on the Earth's weakening magnetic field, reversing the polarity, and making the planet geologically unstable. The geomagnetic reversal of Earth's poles is a possible cause of the destruction, however, it is a natural phenomenon which has occurred multiple times over Earth's history, the last of which was 780,000 years ago.

Despite the unknown cause of destruction, humanity and the ancient race survived. As Minerva said, "We built you in our image, we built you to survive", she confirms that Those Who Came Before altered the skeletal structure of the hominid form they found on Earth to match their own, as seen in one of the [[Glyph|glyph puzzles]]. While both races still existed, they suffered dwindling numbers, and had to rebuild their lives. As the Earth and mankind worked to recover, the race "endeavored to ensure that this tragedy would not be repeated". This lead to the creation of the temples, such as [[The Vault]] in [[Rome]], which were built by "those who learned to turn away from war".

==Characteristics==

Those Who Came Before appear to be all the Gods that have ever existed. As seen with the [[Monteriggioni]] statues, Minerva has connections with the Roman gods. Her kind is very similar to Sumerian' gods, who share a comparable theory of creation. Furthermore, Minerva also showed an ancient Egyptian picture of the people rebelling against the Egyptian gods, but still labels the Egyptian gods as "us". It can at least be established that by Ezio's time, the race was effectively extinct - [[Minerva]] states that she is the last of her kind.

"Those Who Came Before" seem to posses some form of precognition, or ability to predict future events. This is shown when [[Minerva]] told a confused [[Ezio]] within the [[The Vault]] that he was simply a conduit, and she spoke directly to the invisible [[Desmond]], showing she knew that he would receive the message nearly 600 years into the future by viewing it through [[Ezio]] in the [[Animus]].

Interestingly, [[Minerva]] is one of the 8 statuettes you can collect in [[Monteriggioni]]. As Minerva is one of "Those Who Came Before', the other statuettes could be as well. The figures depicted by the statuettes are Neptune and Pluto, Jupiter and Minerva, Dianna and Apollo, and Mars and Venus. It is also worth noting that they are all Roman mythological Gods - perhaps this means that they are remnants of "Those Who Came Before" and survivors of the cataclysmic event described by Minerva, or that they were the ones that helped humans build the temples that she mentioned.

Of further interest, is that Minverva mentions her former name and those of her compatriots. Mera, Uni and Tinia. (Minerva, Juno and Jupiter respectively) The former names mentioned by Minerva correspond to the Etruscan supreme Triad of Dieties, who were later modelled by the Roman Dieties, in the Capitoline Triad. (Jupiter, his daughter Minerva and wife Juno). From the ACII perspective this may explain why and how understandings of Those who Came Before bled into one another across different cultures. Most pantheons tend to have strong analogues in different cultural lores. I.e. Zeus, Jupitor, Thor, Etc.

==Genetic History==

Also in [[the Truth]] file, "Bloodlines", the player must highlight all of the painting of Gods who have had children with Humans, with the heading, "Behold the Assassins, the children of two worlds!'. This could mean that at some point in time, the "Gods" (Those Who Came Before) had children with humans. The Assassins who posses special abilities (such as [[Eagle Vision]]) are evidence of this relationship - this would explain why [[Subject 16]] says: "Why do we have these gifts? Because it's in our blood!". Yet, Eagle vision might not be the only "power". So it could be hypothosized that mythical heroes and semigods, such as Heracles and Odysseus, were the offspring of a mortal and Those Who Came Before, and were possibly assassins as well.  

Since Desmond and Subject 16 are both born assassins and that Altaïr, Ezio and Desmond have [[Eagle Vision]] this may prove that they are related to Those Who Came Before, and that the Eagle vision was passed on through their bloodline. This heritage could also explain the resistance to [[Piece of Eden|Pieces of Eden]], and how [[The Vault|the Vault]] recognized [[Ezio]] as the prophet, and not [[Rodrigo Borgia]].

{{ACII}}
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Villa Auditore

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