Destruction of the Great Chain

"The Janissaries have raised the chain across the mouth of the Haliç (Golden Horn) and ordered a full blockade until you are caught."

―Yusuf Tazim advises fellow Assassin Ezio Auditore of the Janissaries' obstruction.

The destruction of the Great Chain was an event during the Renaissance that occurred in the year 1511 in which the Assassin, Ezio Auditore, decimated the Great Chain extending across Constantinople's Golden Horn.

The Great Chain was an infamous defensive measure anchored to two large towers and strung across the mouth of the Golden Horn. It functioned as a way to prevent enemy vessels from sailing up the waterway and assaulting the poorly defended city ports.

In 1453, Sultan Mehmet II lugged his warships over the hills of Galata and slid them on greased tracks into the Golden Horn, far upriver from the chain. Utilizing this strategy, the Sultan was able to circumvent the Byzantine fortifications.

Meeting with Yusuf Tazim

Yusuf: "Sayin (Mister) Auditore! Word around the city is you're leaving us."

Ezio: "Is nothing I do a secret?"

—Yusuf and Ezio discuss the latter's departure from the city.

Once the Assassin Ezio Auditore learned of Cappadocia's utilization as the garrison for the remaining Byzantine Templars, he headed for the primary waterway of the city, the Golden Horn. Arriving there, he was received by Yusuf Tazim, the Master Assassin of the Turkish Assassins.

Yusuf supplies Ezio with a potent explosive.

Hearing of Ezio's departure, Yusuf informed Ezio of the Great Chain being raised due to the recent murder of the Janissary Captain, Tarik Barleti. Yusuf went on to say that the Janissaries had ordered a full blockade, vowing not to lift the chain until Ezio was apprehended.

Providing Ezio with a potent bomb with fifty times the effect of an ordinary explosive, Ezio replied by telling Yusuf he understood how to utilize it. Before concluding their meeting, however, Ezio asked Yusuf to look after a close-friend and owner of a local book shop, Sofia Sartor.

Destruction and escape

Yusuf: "Careful. This has fifty times the kick of our usual bombs."

Ezio: "Good. (Bene.) I know what to do."

—Yusuf provides Ezio with a potent explosive to demolish the Great Chain.

Following his meeting with Yusuf, Ezio made his way to one of the towers the Great Chain was anchored to. Surreptitiously maneuvering past the circumspect Janissaries, Ezio placed the bomb on one of the tower's windows. Triggering the explosive, Ezio cautiously observed as the tower gave way, pulling the Great Chain along with it.

Ezio using the Greek Fire to destroy the fleet obstructing the waterway.

With the Great Chain lifted, Ezio scrambled across a zipline, reaching a ship docked in the Golden Horn. Once at the vessel, Ezio eliminated several guards and made his way to a Greek Fire situated at the bow of the ship.

Utilizing the Greek Fire, Ezio destroyed the fleet obstructing his voyage from the Golden Horn. With the entire waterway engulfed in flames, Ezio dislodged himself from the Greek Fire, and carefully navigated the ignited vessels.

After an arduous venture through the incinerated ships on the waterway, Ezio ultimately arrived at his vessel. Greeted sardonically by fellow Assassin and captain of the ship Piri Reis, Ezio apologized for the impediment. With their route to Cappadocia unobstructed, the vessel began navigating the waters of the Golden Horn.

Aftermath

Upon arriving at Cappadocia, Ezio made his way inside the city, meeting up with one of Tarik's Ottoman spies, Dilara. Following his meeting with Dilara, Ezio pursued Manuel Palaiologos, the primary Templar figure in the city. During his hunt for Manuel, Ezio assassinated Shahkulu, Manuel's personal guard. Ezio's pursuit of Manuel then culminated in a duel on Cappadocia's docks, with Ezio proving victorious and acquiring the fifth and final Masyaf Key in the process.

Source

• Assassin's Creed: Revelations