Paola

2011-06-23T06:52:23Z

76.22.11.123: /* Becoming a courtesan */

{{Era|AC2|Assassins}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Paola
|image = Zw-paola.png
|imgdesc = Paola in the Animus Database
|faction = [[Courtesans]], [[Assassins]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
|period = [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]] (15th century)
|voice = [[Claudia Ferri]]
}}
{{quote|I'm going to teach you how to survive.|Paola, to Ezio}}
'''Paola''' (born 1438) was the leader of the [[Florence|Florentine]] [[courtesans]], owner of [[Brothels#La Rosa Colta|La Rosa Colta]] and a member of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]].

==Biography==
===Early life===
Paola was born in 1438, the daughter of two members of the Assassin Order. When she was eight years old, her parents were killed at sea<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref> and she and her sister [[Annetta]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Renaissance">''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]''</ref> were left without care. Giving the choice to join either a nunnery or a brothel, Paola chose to live on the streets instead.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Becoming a courtesan===
At age 20, she was arrested for murdering a city guard. Fortunately for her, [[Giovanni Auditore]], another Assassin, represented her in court and won the case on a self defense plea. Becoming an Assassin herself afterwards, Paola founded the brothel La Rosa Colta to help other women living on the streets. Annetta became the Auditore family's live-in servant.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Assisting Ezio Auditore===
In 1476, Giovanni Auditore and two of his sons were executed by the [[Templars]], for treason against [[Florence]]. Giovanni's wife [[Maria Auditore da Firenze|Maria]] and daughter [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze|Claudia]] were taken to Paola to seek refuge, and they were followed by Giovanni's remaining son [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio]]. Paola taught Ezio how to remain undetected by the city guards, as Ezio aspired to take revenge on [[Uberto Alberti]] - the man who ordered his family's execution. She forwarded him to [[Leonardo da Vinci]], who would be able to repair Giovanni's broken [[hidden blade]]. After Ezio had his blade repaired and used it to kill Alberti, he returned to Paola, who informed him of ways to draw the city guard's suspicion away from him. After having done so, Ezio took his mother and sister to [[Monteriggioni]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Acquiring the Apple of Eden===
In 1488, Paola and some of the other Assassins gathered in [[Venice]] to acquire the [[Sixth Apple|Apple of Eden]], an ancient artifact which was to be brought to Venice by the Templars the same day. They went to the location where [[Rodrigo Borgia]], the [[Grand Master of the Templar Order]], would retrieve the Apple from his henchmen. Arriving there, the Assassins stumbled upon Ezio fighting off Rodrigo and his guards. While Paola, [[Teodora Contanto]] and [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] remained on the sidelines, the other Assassins assisted Ezio in the fight. When the fight was over, Rodrigo fled and Ezio took the Apple, followed by Machiavelli revealing that all of them were secretly Assassins - to Ezio's surprise. The same night, Ezio was initiated into the Order by Paola and others, afterwards they all performed a [[Leap of Faith]] from a tower.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Bonfire of the Vanities===
[[Girolamo Savonarola]] took control of Florence after the death of [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] in 1494 with the help of the Apple that he had obtained from Ezio six years earlier. In 1497, he started the Bonfire of the Vanities, where he forced all of the Florentines to destroy any form of progression into the [[Renaissance]]. Machiavelli met with Paola, and informed him that Ezio was going to take down all of Savonarola's lieutenants and that they would need to lead the citizens into a revolt. After all nine lieutenants were taking down, she, Ezio, [[La Volpe]] and Machiavelli witnessed a mob gather in front of the [[Palazzo Pitti]] and take Savonarola captive. Shortly afterwards, they were also present at Savonarola's burning, though Ezio killed him before the fire reached him and gave a speech about the Assassins guiding him and that men have the privilege of free will.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Later life===
In 1499, Paola travelled to the [[Villa Auditore]] to help formulate the plan to assassinate Rodrigo Borgia. She and the others distracted the city guard in [[Rome]] while Ezio infiltrated the [[Capella Sistina|Sistine Chapel]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

==Trivia==
*According to the Animus database created by [[Shaun Hastings]], Paola supposedly lost her parents in 1446 or 1447, though Annetta was born in 1457. One of these facts must be false because in this way, Annetta would've been born after her parents were killed.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{ACII}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters]]
[[Category:Assassins]]

Assassin's Creed Wiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Paola