Giovanni Borgia

Giovanni Borgia (March 1498 – 1548) was the son of Perotto Calderon and Lucrezia Borgia, and a member of the Assassin Order.

Biography

Early life

"Lucrezia is pregnant! This is a complication we did not need!"

―Perotto, upon discovering Giovanni's conception.

Giovanni was secretly born in Rome to Lucrezia Borgia, the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI, and a courier by the name of Perotto Calderon, who was an undercover Assassin. Upon his birth, however, he was malformed, and was expected to die within a few days.

Giovanni as a baby, wrapped in the Shroud.

In a drastic attempt to save his son's life, Perotto broke out of prison (in which he was being held due to the discovery of his affair with Lucrezia) and escaped to Agnadello. There, he knew the Assassins were guarding the Piece of Eden known as "the Shroud", which Perotto thought would be able to heal his son.

Upon arriving there, having slain both brother Assassins and Borgia soldiers along the way, Perotto asked the Shroud to heal his son, which it did, despite its initial protests. The child would live, but be forever mentally unstable.

Giovanni being trained at swordplay by Cesare.

Since Perotto was executed by his Brothers for having broken all three tenents of their Creed, Giovanni wound up in the hands of his uncle, Cesare Borgia, who he was told was his father.

Giovanni was trained to be cruel by both Cesare, and the latter's friend Micheletto Corella, though he rejected many of their teachings and only grew to fear and hate them. Since his "father" was often away, Giovanni was allowed to spend time with his "aunt" Lucrezia, who enjoyed their bonding, but was often saddened by seeing her son raised in such a harsh environment.

Apple of Eden

Giovanni holding the Apple.

"Nonno is going to let me play with the Apple today! He says it is not a toy, but I think it is a toy. It glows. It makes noises. Sometimes it talks to me like Consus does."

―Giovanni, regarding the Apple.

At times, Giovanni's grandfather would allow him to "play" with the Apple of Eden, and would take notes when he discovered that Giovanni had the ability to turn his thoughts into reality with the power of the Apple. Simply by willing it, he was able to create the image of an eagle out of thin air.

Giovanni using the Apple's power.

Giovanni made use of this skill as a means of defending himself once, when he was five. Upon being taken out for a "lesson" with Micheletto, he witnessed Micheletto kill an old man, simply to teach Giovanni the cruelties of the world. Afraid, Giovanni used the Apple (which he had taken from his grandfather in secret) to create an illusion of Cesare to scare Micheletto. However, when Cesare discovered this, Giovanni was punished.

Giovanni also made use of another of the Apple's power, albeit accidentally, when he stumbled upon Fiora Cavazza sneaking around his home, seeking to steal the Piece of Eden for the Assassins. Thinking she had come to play, Giovanni snatched the Apple and gleefully ran with it, calling for Fiora to catch him. Fearing that he would alert the guards of her presence, Fiora told him to stop and attempted to take the Apple from him. However, she was frozen in place by its power, and was ultimately caught by Cesare, who had been woken by the commotion. Giovanni fearfully asked his father what he would do with her, but he simply sent the boy from the room and told him he would hurt her.

Becoming an Assassin

Giovanni using Eagle Vision.

"I hate Papà. Nonno only cares about the Apple. Zia is always sad. I want to run away from them! I want to live somewhere else."

―Giovanni, contemplating on running away from home.

Eventually, Giovanni planned to leave his life of fear behind. After he received a letter from a courier pigeon, sent by an unknown individual, he was even more encouraged to do so. Making sure that he wasn't seen, he went to the meeting place by a fountain, and (as instructed) used his "other eyes" to recognize the individual from the crowd.

Giovanni followed the man as he ran across the rooftops, until he finally reached an alleyway, where he was abruptly halted by two dirty men, who attempted to rob him. The individual leapt down from above and plunged his hidden blades into both men, rescuing the boy. The individual then introduced himself as Francesco Vecellio, who turned out to be the former understudy of Giovanni's biological father, Perotto.

Giovanni happily agreed to Francesco's offer to bring him "to live with his Brothers", and was thus taken in and trained into the Assassin Order.

Journey to Mexico

Giovanni on Cortés' ship.

"My hunt continues. We must find these relics of a previous world."

―Giovanni, regarding the Pieces of Eden.

In 1519, Giovanni was secured a position aboard Hernán Cortés ship, which was to sail towards the New World. Though posing as a chronicler and astrologer, Giovanni had been tasked by the Brotherhood to recover a Piece of Eden from the city of Tenochtitlan.

After a lengthy search examining multiple idols and artifacts, Giovanni discovered that the Piece of Eden was a Crystal Skull in the possession of an Aztec priest, who used it as part of a human sacrificial ritual. During the uproar that followed the Spaniards' witnessing of such a brutal sacrifice, Giovanni killed the priest and took the relic for himself.

The Skull's Purpose

Bombastus and Giovanni examining the Crystal Skull.

"Maria protests how much time I spend with the skull. At least an hour each day. Gazing into it, listening. The hum has grown louder over the years. It feels as if something is coming."

―Giovanni, regarding his study of the Skull.

Upon returning to Europe, Giovanni brought the Crystal Skull to Bombastus, a member of the Assassin Order, to define its purpose. Bombastus was confident that they would successfully uncover its secrets, referring to Giovanni as "the one who talks to these things." Despite much examination, however, they were unable to discover how to use the Skull. After this, the other members of the Order began to doubt Giovanni's abilities, and merely dismissed the Skull as little more than an ornate treasure.

Nevertheless, Giovanni persisted in studying the Skull for about twenty years, and in 1542, received some answers. Upon discovering the Skull glowing with a faint light, he shook it and began to hear words in a foreign language, as well as see visions of a man dressed in Chinese garb. Though he could not understand the speech, he realized the man's intent, and hurried to alert the Brotherhood.

Consus

Giovanni and Consus, spying on Fiora and Cesare.

"Consus is standing next to me. He is watching. He does not speak much. Papà tells me he is not real, but I see him."

―Giovanni, regarding Consus.

From an early age, Giovanni suffered several bleeding effect-like symptoms, likely as a result of being healed by the Shroud. He would often dream of the memories of Assassins past, including those of his father, and Marcus Junius Brutus. Because of these hallucinations, he once almost stabbed Cesare while sleepwalking, thinking himself to be Brutus, and his father to be Gaius Julius Caesar. However, he was caught and subsequently punished by Micheletto.

Throughout his childhood, Giovanni would also have delusions of seeing a nonexistent being, whom he befriended and called Consus. This being often spoke into his head and gave him advice, even once allowing Giovanni to read a letter given to him, though the boy himself did not know how to at the time.

Though of questionable origin, Consus seemed to be in favor of the Assassins, or simply against the Templars. Giovanni's grandfather would ask him about this being, and if he could speak with him, but Giovanni would simply answer that Consus wasn't there, as he "does not play when Nonno is around." Additionally, Consus advised Giovanni to go with Francesco to join the Brotherhood, and also attempted to convince him to give the Apple to Fiora when she had come to retrieve it for the Assassins.

Though he did not appear to continue these hallucinations later in life, Giovanni did not forget. Upon bringing the Crystal Skull to Bombastus, he met a madman who, upon seeing him, called out to Consus; causing Giovanni to demand him for an explanation of using the name, though he received none.

Giovanni's face altered.

Years later, Giovanni sets in search of a mysterious temple in Rome, an ancient Pythagorean temple found by one of his Order years before. In the final room, like others before him, the room illuminated showing eerie patterns, numbers, and glyphs. At this moment, Giovanni drops unconscious and when he regains conscious his face alters and from his mouth comes a voice that it is not his, but from an entity that seems far older, "I am Consus, the Erudite God.".

Trivia

• Giovanni has come in contact with at least three Pieces of Eden; the Shroud, the Apple of Eden, and the Crystal Skull. This is the most amount of Pieces of Eden that any one character has been known to encounter.
• Giovanni is one of the few members of the Borgia family to not be associated with the Templars, and the only known Assassin.