Lair of Romulus

Ezio entering the shrine inside a Lair of Romulus

The Lairs of Romulus were secret locations scattered throughout Rome, most of which housed the Followers of Romulus. Each lair possessed a shrine dedicated to Romulus containing a variety of treasures.

Each of the six lairs also contained a key and a scroll, which each held portions of a letter written by Marcus Junius Brutus. Obtaining all six keys allowed the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze to unlock the armor and the corresponding dagger of Brutus, the coveted treasures of the Followers.

Entrances

Terme di Traiano

Main article: Baths of Trajan

Memory: The Halls of Nero

The Terme di Traiano lair entrance

Ezio found this entrance soon after first encountering the Followers, who had ambushed him in the Terme di Traiano. Although the entrance was located there, the lair itself was found in Nero's Golden Palace. It was the first one visited by Ezio, and its entrance was located at a low point of the Terme, down a flight of stairs.

Having navigated the ruins of the palace, Ezio acquired one of the Scrolls of Romulus with an adjacent key to unlocking the treasure of the Followers hidden in Rome.

Piramide Cestia

Main article: Pyramid of Cestius

Memory: Wolves Among the Dead

The Piramide Cestia lair entrance

The entrance, though located next to the Piramide Cestia, led into the Catacombe di Roma.

To reach the shrine, Ezio first traversed the catacombs, until he arrived at a large hall, where he encountered two Followers of Romulus. He attempted to converse with them, asking them for their leader.

Ignoring Ezio's request, the men hurriedly left the hall through an exit at the upper level of the room, severing the rope they had used to escape. Ezio scaled the giant hall and followed the path they had taken, before arriving at another room. Here, he was surrounded by a group of Followers with weapons drawn.

The Followers attacked Ezio, and after dealing with the first wave of attackers, he scaled the multi-leveled room, defeating Followers on each of the floors. Upon reaching the top, Ezio left through an archway, and arrived at the shrine.

Il Colosseo

Main article: Colosseum

Memory: Thrown to the Wolves

The Colosseo lair entrance

This entrance was located at the ground level of the Colosseum, between the inner and outer walls, and just behind the stage of the Colosseum play.

After entering the lair, Ezio made his way through the decrepit corridor once used to house the gladiators of old, and soon encountered an individual sitting motionless on a chair.

As Ezio reached out to the man, he was revealed to be a Follower of Romulus, who swiped his dagger at Ezio and smashed the chair against the wall. A voice bellowed down from a raised platform further down the corridor, where a leader dressed in a jubilee costume ordered a group of Followers to kill Ezio.

After defeating the attackers, Ezio shouted a question up to the leader, who only denied his demands and fled. The chase continued until Ezio arrived at a crowded Jubilee. Upon discovering the leader hidden among the crowd, Ezio chased him to another large corridor.

Jumping on a horse, the leader made another attempt at an escape, but was soon followed by Ezio, who had commandeered a horse of his own. After a short chase, the pair eventually arrived at another room filled with Followers of Romulus. Ezio defeated his attackers and assassinated the leader.

Performing a Leap of Faith, Ezio arrived at Juno's Temple and entered the shrine to Romulus.

Palazzo Laterano

Main article: Lateran Palace

Memory: The Sixth Day

The Palazzo Laterano lair entrance

The entrance to the lair was located inside one of the gardens.

Ezio entered the decrepit, maze-like ruins of the Palazzo Laterano, the former residence of the Pope. Making his way through the Palazzo, Ezio reached a basilica, which was also the location of a shrine to Romulus. Realizing the chamber was inaccessible due to a large steel gate, Ezio scanned the room for a different means to enter.

To do so, Ezio sought out and destroyed the sand bag weights holding a large chandelier in place; resulting in the chandelier breaking free of its supports, swinging across the room, and knocking over a large cross. The cross fell, destroying the gate, and allowing Ezio to enter the shrine.

Terme di Diocleziano

Main article: Cloaca Maxima

Memory: Leader Of The Pack

The Terme di Diocleziano lair entrance

After Ezio had funded the renovation of all the damaged aqueducts, he discovered an entrance to a lair located over one of the pools, in the Cloaca Maxima.

Upon entering Rome's sewage system, Ezio soon discovered three Borgia leaders disguised as Followers of Romulus. The men were crouched together, discussing their plans and mocking the blind faith that helped them to control the true Followers. Ezio stepped forward, provoking the men to make an escape attempt, and to mobilize their own groups of Followers.

Ezio chased one of the men through a sewer tunnel, eventually falling victim to an ambush. Defeating or outrunning each of the attackers, Ezio eventually cornered the leader in a large room. Expecting aid from his Captain, the Borgia leader was betrayed and left for dead as his Captain fled. Ezio defeated another group of Followers before chasing the Captain.

After Ezio had located the Captain in a room at the end of a tunnel, the man ordered a large group of Followers to kill Ezio. After their failure to do so, the frustrated Captain attacked Ezio himself, though was killed in the process. With the Captain dead, Ezio gained access to the shrine.

Basilica di San Pietro

Main article: St. Peter's Basilica

Memory: A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

The Basilica di San Pietro lair entrance

The entrance at the Basilica di San Pietro could be found outside, to the right of the staircase that led to the inner sanctum.

Upon entering the Basilica basement through the Followers' entrance, Ezio climbed the stairs up to the church to watch the conclusion of the Mass. As soon as the prayers had ended, the populace of the Basilica began to disperse, and the Assassin used his sixth sense to locate a corrupt Cardinal among them.

Weaving between the crowds, Ezio tailed his target, overhearing conversations of his actions in the city. Following the man to a corridor alongside the main hall, Ezio witnessed a meeting between false Followers of Romulus and the corrupt Cardinal.

The Followers left, after having handed the Cardinal a key to the shrine. Ezio slipped into the corridor and confronted the man, resulting in a chase across the entirety of the Basilica.

The chase concluded as Ezio cornered the Cardinal in a room atop San Pietro. A fight ensued, resulting in the death of the Cardinal at the hands of the Assassin. Having obtained the key, Ezio performed a Leap of Faith from the tower, entering the shrine to Romulus below.

Trivia

• The Palazzo Laterano was the only lair which did not feature Followers of Romulus.
• It was possible to enter the Terme di Diocleziano without renovating all of the aqueduct pieces, and required the use of the Climb Leap Glove.
• The Basilica di San Pietro was the only place where civilians noticed Ezio entering and leaving the lair.
• Three Borgia flags were located in each lair.
• On the Animus map of Rome, lairs were marked by a black wolf symbol. A seventh, gold version of the symbol marked the location of the Romulus treasury which contained the Armor of Brutus.

Reference

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood