Ercole Massimo
|
He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning recent or upcoming releases from the Assassin's Creed series. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all. |
- "These lost people... warring kingdoms... I would have ended their suffering."
- ―Ercole, and his deluded beliefs.
Ercole Massimo (1474 - 1506) was a Roman noble, and a member of one of Rome's wealthiest and most ancient families, the Massimo family. He was also the secret leader of the Cult of Hermes until his death.
History
Search for the Entrance
In 1506, Ercole ordered a team of his Hermeticists to distract Salaì, Leonardo da Vinci's assistant, in order to allow a second group to kidnap the artist, as he knew the location of the entrance to the Temple of Pythagoras.
Upon discovering that the map to the temple was hidden in several of Leonardo's paintings, Ercole sent his disciples out to retrieve them, some of them causing paranoia in Lucrezia Borgia, making her place her mansion under full alert. He himself later met up with Patrizio in the Vaticano district of Rome to negotiate the sale of one such painting. However, Patrizio changed his mind in the middle of discussing the purchase, and declared that (since the painting had been given to him by his former lover, Lucrezia Borgia, who had later abandoned him) it should not be possessed by anyone. As he prepared to destroy the painting, Ercole ordered one of his Hermeticists to stab him in the back. As the man died, Ercole handed the painting to the Hermeticist, telling him to handle it with care, in order to respect the mind who had made it.
The Temple of Pythagoras
After losing all five of the paintings, Ercole returned to the catacombs under Rome to interrogate Leonardo himself. Despite much pressure, Leonardo refused to cooperate, and shortly afterwards, his old friend, Ezio Auditore da Firenze - the Grand Master of the Assassin Order - arrived.
Ercole halted his Hermeticists from attacking the Assassin, and greeted Ezio as an ally. Speaking approvingly of how Ezio had stopped the ignorance Cesare Borgia had been spreading across Rome, he requested him to help persuade Leonardo to talk. However, Ezio only sarcastically asked if Ercole would rather he used his fists or his knife.
Ercole replied that he only wished for a civil solution, and attempted to convince Ezio to join him so that they could "remake humanity together." The Assassin refused, prompting Ercole to send several of his disciples to kill him, but none were able to touch him. Realizing the danger to his life, Ercole threw another Hermeticist towards Ezio, but only succeeded in knocking a chunk of rubble off the ledge he had been standing on, allowing Ezio to climb up.
Faced with his inevitable end, Ercole desperately pleaded with Ezio, saying that they were alike, but Ezio ignored him, stabbing him with his hidden blade. As he lay dying in Ezio's arms, Ercole voiced his shock that an Assassin like Ezio was an "enemy of knowledge." Ezio retorted that one must be free to find the truth for themselves, rather than be forced into it. Ercole reasoned that he had only wanted to free and protect the people from dictation and war, through knowledge. As Ercole closed his eyes, Ezio simply said that he wished Ercole would realize the truth in death.
Final words
- Ercole: You... an Assassin... the enemy of knowledge?
- Ezio: One must choose to search for truth. Forcing it on others accomplishes little.
- Ercole: These lost people... warring kingdoms... I would have ended their suffering.
- Ezio: Che tu possa conoscere la verita nella morte. (May you know the truth in death.) Requiescat in pace. (Rest in peace.)
Source
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||