Contracts (Italian Brotherhood)

Map of the contract locations

After the liberation of districts throughout Rome, the Italian Master Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze sent his Assassin apprentices on various contracts around Europe and Asia, to assist neighboring countries and to diminish Templar influence.

Contracts

BarcelonaCalicutCologneConstantinopleLisbonLondonMoscowParisVienna

Picking up the Pieces

After Luis de Santángel's death, we have no eyes within the Spanish royal circle. Queen Isabella's Templar influence has often concerned us, but without Luis to report on her activities, we are blind. Infiltrate the queen's court. Recover Santángel's journal.

Santángel's quarters had been stripped, all evidence of his work seemingly lost. Fortunately, we can see what the Templars cannot. We uncovered his journal. Though they believed him a willing colaborator, Santángel was slowly poisoning the queen. Likely retaliation for the Inquisition and the slaughter of his family, but perhaps there is more...

Peer Pressure

We must know the extent of the Templar influence over Queen Isabela and King Ferdinand. They are powerful, but unpredictable. Study her behaviour. Intercept any letters she sends out and study any she receives. We must know her intentions.

We now know that Queen Isabela is not a Templar, though she serves them. She receives ambassadors from Rome, carrying threats and orders. She has chosen to secretly serve the Borgia rather than rebel, and even now, her power over Manuel I of Portugal threatens to further spread her vile Inquisition.

Closure

Finish what Luis began. Poison Queen Isabela. Paired with her husband and under Borgia direction, she has too much power. Use Luis' poison, which cannot be traced. Double the dose. She will die within the month.

Queen Isabela is dying, unaware of her affliction. We left no evidence to imply treachery. We can only hope her death will weaken Ferdinand's resolve. Perhaps he will even lash out at the Borgia.

Hunted

Manuel I of Portugal has sent Pedro Álvares Cabral's fleet to Calicut, their spice trade a cover for their real purpose: we believe they seek to ferret out our guild contained within the city. Our Brothers have called on upon us to help them bite back. Locate their storehouses and their shops. Raze them. When Cabral responds, drive him from the port.

We drove Cabral from Calicut, eliminating his key commanders and sending him back to his king with only four of his thirteen ships. Through interrogation, our fears were confirmed: Cabral had no interest in trade, he even knew the location of our guild.

Vanishing Act

Our trouble with Portugal has not ended. Our spies learned of Manuel's disappointment with Cabral and his impending response to our defiance in Calicut. Vasco da Gama now sails for Calicut with a fleet 800 men strong. The implications should be obvious. You must board a merchant vessel and deliver a warning.

Vasco da Gama's assault on Calicut was relentless. He bombarded the city and slaughtered hundreds of men, women, and even children. The Brotherhood escaped the onslaught, but da Gama has left several of his cruel captains to control the city.

Insidious

Manuel struggles to keep his grip on Calicut, leaving several of da Gama's captains behind to crush any resistance. We allowed them to believe they had driven the Assassins out of the port, a deception we will maintain. Strike at these men, but wear the local garb. Kill them in plain sight. A few of them must survive to report a civilian uprising to their king.

We have crippled Manuel's efforts in Calicut, more specifically, his efforts to remove our presence. We were unable to trace the source of his information, but we do know his ties with Spain are growing. Our enemy has held the queen's ear in the past…

School Tax

Elector Friedrich der Weise intends to construct a University in Wittenberg, one dedicated to religious reform. His teachers intend to question the practices of Rodrigo and his circle. Even now, the Borgia prepare a bribe for Friedrich and his colleagues, to encourage them to back away from their "foolish" project. You will intercept that money and see that Friedrich receives a healthy donation to his cause.

We went to great lengths to ensure the Borgia will believe their bribe stolen by bandits. Meanwhile, the university has received a tremendous contribution from an anonymous donor.

Forget to Mention

The historian Conradus Celtis focuses his studies on the history of the world rather than a specific region. Though his goals are admirable, he has uncovered quite a few secrets that need to remain secret. Even now, he finishes a book that tracks our Order throughout history. A lot of it is speculation and fantasy, but he has uncovered some truth. We have tried information exchanges and bribery in the past to no avail. He has been warned; if necessary, kill him.

There was no need to kill Celtis. The confirmation of his theories about our weaponry was more than enough to dissuade him from further pursuing this subject. We may even have gained an ally.

My Enemy's Enemy

Rodrigo is wary of any peace between Venice and the Ottoman Empire, though it draws near. We can be sure Borgia mercenaries will attempt to disrupt this treaty, so you must be on guard. It is critical that our involvement remains secret. Work within the shadows. Success means we solidify Borgia's enemies.

As expected, Rodrigo sent a small band of mercenaries to remove key players from the negotiations. We killed them before they could leave the port. With our careful manipulation, the sultan of Constantinople and the doge of Venice were able to reach an agreement. Free trade has resumed, but more importantly, we have weakened the Borgia.

Age of Discovery

As powerful nations launch their expeditions into uncharted seas and claim pieces of the New World, we must ensure that our Brotherhood expands to keep our enemy in check. An exceptional Ottoman cartographer, Piri Reis, has begun to compile detailed maps of these territories. Find his workshop and steal what you can.

The Ottoman Empire has developed stunning maps of the world, and while we do not doubt their accuracy, we are a bit overwhelmed by the necessity to act quickly; some of these maps track our common enemy to the new colonies. We must infiltrate these voyages and ensure that we are equally represented in the New World.

Weeds and Seeds

Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II has offered refuge to the victims of the Inquisition, who now flee Spain and Portugal. Bayezid realizes these people will make his own empire stronger as Isabella, Ferdinand, and Manuel weaken theirs. However, Ferdinand has placed spies within the migrant population. We must expose these spies and replace them. This new community is flourishing with artists, scientists, and philosophers. It is perfect soil to plant a Brotherhood guild.

Ferdinand's men were difficult to spot. He chose agents who were already part of the migrant community; he must have paid them a small fortune to hold their loyalty after the Inquisition. Ultimately, we were able to remove a dozen spies and replace them with our own.

A Fleeting Chance

Our operations in India have raised great concern about King Manuel's ties to the Templars. Where does he get his information? What are his intentions? Find a weak link in his council and extract the information we need.

It took some bleeding, but Manuel's advisors revealed much. As feared, the Borgia have a steady hand in Portugal's affairs, as does Spain. Promised marriages. Land. The secret deals are astounding! We must make haste -- Manuel is building a massive fleet for his prize explorer, Vasco da Gama. He's planning retaliation at Calicut. Another favor for his Borgia masters. We must warn our Brothers!

Exodus

Under pressure from Spain, Manuel I has ordered the Jewish population out of his country. However, his men block the port, preventing any escape and forcing conversion to Christianity. Those who refuse are beaten, or worse, and many of our allies are still trapped. You will arrive by boat. We have delivered notes to our contacts in Portugal, so they will know where to meet you.

Some of the names on our list never arrived. Others arrived wounded, some pursued by Portuguese soldiers. We were able to defend and free them. Though we saved lives, the situation in Portugal remains grim.

A Fighting Chance

Travel back to Lisbon. We are supplying your ship with weapons, rations, and simple armor. Teach the oppressed how to use them. Give them tactics to strike back against Manuel's men from the shadows without raising alarm. We do not have the resources to fight their war but we can help them survive it.

Though we left our friends better armed, they are not fighters. They are merchants and craftsman, philosophers and inventors. They will strike back at Manuel and they will kill many of his guards, but victory feels impossible. Perhaps they will at least keep Manuel distracted while we deal with the Borgia.

Pretenders

Templars actively struggle to gain power over the English throne. King Henry VII spoiled their first two attempts, imprisoning Lambert Simnel and hanging Perkin Warbeck, both pretenders to the throne. Both of them had a co-conspirator: Margaret of York, but Henry cannot touch her due to her family ties to the Holy Roman Emperor. Henry does not know who we are, but he knows what we can do. Meet with him. Assure him you will see to it that Margaret dies "naturally."

Margaret of York has died a "peaceful" death. Outside the Brotherhood, King Henry alone knows of our involvement. We will let him believe our services were bought with royal coin, but, in truth, we dealt a major blow to the Templar scheme in England.

Dousing Fires

Margaret's death has sent her co-conspirators scrambling into the streets of small baronies throughout England. They urge the people to rise up against Henry's throne. While we have no interest in protecting Henry from his people, we must not allow Templars to lead the rebellion. Find the leaders of these rallies and kill them.

These men were underlings and played a small role in Margaret's plan. Perhaps even distractions to keep us from the real plot—the Templars have infiltrated the Star Chamber, England's secret court.

Star Chamber

King Henry uses the Star Chamber to try powerful public figures on without any public knowledge of the proceedings. Through it, he is able to castrate dangerous political enemies. Now that our enemy has worked its way into the court, they wield a very dangerous weapon. Identify the Templars and remove them.

Through threats and bribery, we exposed the Templars sitting on the Star Chamber council and handed them over to Henry's guards. In gratitude, the king has offered us one of the empty seats.

Gone Silent

Years ago, several of our Brothers were sent to Moscow. One of them was Pietro Antonio Solari, an architect invited by Ivan III to renovate his fortress of command, the Kremlin. We gained valuable information about Ivan's plans, but Pietro's apparent death has left us in the dark. Use whatever means necessary to find out what happened to Solari and whether or not we are compromised.

We worked our way into the Kremlin undetected and acquired several documents surrounding Pietro's death. He was murdered. Records show that the murderer is another Italian who uses only the name "Aristotele."

Chasing Ghosts

"Aristotele" is actually another Brotherhood spy sent to Moscow, Ridolfo "Aristotele" Fioravant. He once worked alongside Pietro on the Kremlin. We believed he had died over twenty years ago. Hunt him. We must know what happened.

Aristotele lives! We began our hunt at the Kremlin, offering small amounts of coin for even the wildest of rumors. Eventually, we were directed to a nearby church. The people living on the streets tried to protect him, but were no match for us. We have brought Aristotele back to Rome for questioning.

Scapegoats

Aristotele tells us that Solari was actually killed by Ivan's men, who blamed him, forcing him to fake his own death and flee. Ivan knew Solari and Aristotele were both spies, but hadn't figured out who they worked for. He now believes he is close to uncovering a major conspiracy, so we will give him one - the wrong one. Plant evidence linking the two architects to the Strigolniki Sect, a cult that disappeared last century. Kill the Kremlin's investigators and leave a message for Ivan. Perhaps a little religious heresy will throw them off our scent.

Consider Ivan's investigation into the Brotherhood finished. The deaths of two of his top investigators have been linked to the Strigolniki Sect and, with another cult quickly on the rise, they believe the two to be related. Our remaining spies in Moscow will lay low for the next year.

Destructive Criticism

Louis XII now quarrels with Ferdinand I over ownership of Naples, leaving his foreign ministers to command in his absence. These men are Borgia-bought and have targeted one of Rodrigo's opponents—the religious reformist, Desiderius Erasmus. Be swift. Travel to Paris and remove Erasmus before the Templars can find him.

The Templars had already captured Erasmus. We infiltrated their lodgings and killed them. The priest is safe, but he has provided us with disturbing news. He was held captive along with others, one of them a member of our Brotherhood. We were unable to discover where they are holding him or what information has been gained through torture.

On the Trail

Louis XII has left his kingdom in the hands of the Templars loyal to the Borgia. They have captured one of our Brothers and now subject him to torture in order to loosen his tongue. If they break him the impact could be staggering. Confront archbishop Georges d'Amboise, Louis' chief advisor. No doubt the Borgia have his ear.

We were surprised to find d'Amboise eager to talk. He was outraged, but not surprised, by our accusations that Louis' advisors are taking advantage of the king's absence to broker deals with Rome. He provided us with a list of ministers who he believed were involved. They were. We buried three of them and we now know where they are holding our Brother. He is well protected. We will need time to prepare.

Man Down

We have no more time to spare. Take a group to assault the manor where our Brother is held captive. If he lives, free him, then follow the trail of any information he has revealed and end it.

We were forced to eliminate a dozen guards before reaching the manor's interior. We found our Brother, but his legs had been crushed. He had remained strong, giving them more false trails than actual details. Before he died, he gave us a warning, something he overheard from his Templar torturers: we should be wary of the Orsini.

A Slap to the Face

Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I has faced the might of Swiss mercenaries before, taking a heavy beating during the Swabian War. He would be shocked to hear that the Borgia have hired several Swiss commanders as their papal guard, the same commanders that gave Maximilian so much trouble. Capture these men and deliver them to Maximilian as proof. You will need to go disguised as condotierri.

The Swiss mercenaries deserve their reputation; capturing them was not easy. We presented them to Maximilian, who was predictably outraged, but not surprised. He has temporarily cut funding to the Borgia while he investigates further.

Raising an Army

Maximilian has sent gratitude in the form of a generous bribe to further assist him. The Swiss captives we delivered are now in his employ as trainers. He has called in Georg von Frundsberg, his finest knight, to work with them and train an infantry stron enough to rival the Swiss. Since our "condotierri" bested the Swiss, they've asked for our input as well. Teach them how we fight. Once again, your wear the guise of condotierri.

With our assistance, Maximilian and von Frundsberg have formed the first of the Landsknechte, who will surely rival the Swiss mercenaries on the battlefield. He has offered us a regiment of his best Landsknechte, should we ever need them.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood