House of Auditore

"We are the Auditore da Firenze. We are Assassins."

―Giovanni Auditore da Firenze.

The House of Auditore was a noble family of the Italian city of Florence. Its prominence in history was relatively short, lasting approximately one to two hundred years.

History

Foundation

"To the Auditore that reads this, remember that you are not a nobleman. You are not one of the deceivers, you are one of the people. Avenge us!"

―Domenico Auditore's final message in the Auditore family crypt.

During the late 13th century, the family that would become known as the Auditore lived in the outskirts of Venice. Either around or after 1296, Domenico was inducted into the Assassin Order, under the tutelage of Dante Alighieri.

Following Dante's death, Domenico was tasked by his own father, also an Assassin, with the duty of hiding Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex in Spain. Domenico’s vessel was ambushed at sea by pirates, under the employ of the Templars, who ransacked the ship and slaughtered the crew, including Domenico’s wife,Isabetta. With only Domenico and his son remaining, he used the bank account details given by Marco Polo, who had recently been murdered by the Templars, to impersonate a nobleman in Florence. There, he took vocal lessons, studied architecture and the classics, and adopted the name "Auditore", after a local minor noble. The family continued to pose as a noble house to conceal their true Assassin identities.

Under Domenico’s guidance, the family constructed the Villa Auditore in the nearby town of Monteriggioni, while Domenico trained his son in how to fight as an Assassin. Together, the Auditore hunted the Templars, and looked to reclaim the Codex pages. Before his death, Domenico detailed his story on a series of engraved stone plates, and had them placed in the Auditore Family Crypt, beneath Monteriggioni.

In 1355, Renato hid, beneath the Villa, the original Shroud of Eden took from the Templars Geoffroy de Charny.

Auditore brothers

A century later, the two grandsons of Renato, Mario and Giovanni decided to take different paths. Mario stayed in Monteriggioni to protect the city and leading a group of mercenaries and the Assassins, Giovanni moved to Florence to became a banker and investigate on Templar conspiracies. The two stayed in contact as they searching the codex pages.

In 1454, Mario discovered in Monteriggioni a Florentine spy Luciano Pezzati. When he arrested him, he revealed that the condottiero Federico da Montefeltro would asiege the city for the Florentine to reclaim an artefact beneath the city. Mario prepared the defenses of the city and broke the florentine army. After the battle, Mario decided to recover the mysterious object. With a group of mercenaries, Mario explored the city's catacombs and faced mortal traps which killed some of his men and he even lost his left eye. Afterwards, Mario discovered the Shroud hid by his grandfather a century before. A voice from the artifact convinces the mercenaries they could be heal by the Shroud but Mario refused to use it. His men turned against him and he was forced to kill them. Mario asked to his brother to give the artifact to another group of Assassins to protect the city.

In Florence, Giovanni entered in relation with Maria de' Mozzi and in 1452 they were married. They had four children, Federico, Ezio, Claudia and Petruccio. Maria learned about Giovanni's allegiance and she helped him to keep his secret from his own children.She also became an Assassin. In 1456, Giovanni represented in court Paola, a woman who was charged for the murder of a city guard. Giovanni plead the self defense and won the case. In fact Paola was also the daughter of a couple Assassins who died in sea. Giovanni inducted her in the brotherhood and hired her sister Annetta as a servant. Paola became the Madam of the Rosa Colta which gave informations for the Assassins in the city. Years later, he  inducted his elder son, Federico, but decided to delay the induction of Ezio, who was more a troublemaker and a womanizer during his youth.

Auditore execution

After saved from drowning a young Lorenzo de' Medici, Giovanni becoming a close ally of the Medici dynasty, the rulers of Florence. In December 1476, Giovanni uncoverd a Templar plot to weakened the Medici power by Assassinating Lorenzo's ally, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, the duke of Milan. Giovanni tried to foil this plan but he failed. He continued his investigation in Venice where he followed a messenger send by the Templar Marco Barbarigo but before he could learn anything, the courrier commited suicide with Giovanni's blade. Giovanni recovered the letter and asked to his friend Uberto Alberti and his associate Antonio Maffei to decipher it. But the two were in fact Templar allies and decided to say they couldn't decipher the letterand obliged Giovanni to deliver the letter himself in Rome. There Giovanni met the Grand Master of Templar Order Rodrigo Borgia who proposed him to join his side. Giovanni refused and fight Rodrigo's men but was wounded by a knife threw by the Grand master and also broke his hidden blade. Giovanni returned in Florence knowing he must be on his guard and began to make a list of the Templar conspirators.

Giovanni had proof that the Templar Francesco de' Pazzi had commited a murder. He decided to charge him knowing his implication in the plot against the Medici. To stop the trial, Uberto, under the command of the Templar, charged Giovanni and his family for treason against the Republic. Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio were arrested and send to the Palazzo della Signoria. Maria was so traumatized by the arrestation of his younger son she became mute. Ezio decided to send his mother and sister in a safe location. Annetta took them to the Rosa Colta and Ezio climb the Palazzo della Signoria to speak with his father. There Giovanni informed his son to collected what he left in his secret bureau and to deliver any proof of his innocence to Uberto. Ezio returned to his home and recovered his father's assassin robe, his sword, his broken hidden blade, a codex page and the list of Templar conspirators. Ezio gaave it to Uberto who pretended to help the young man. The Gonfaloniere proposed to shelter Ezio, but he refused and prefered see him for the liberation of his kind. The next day, Ezio went to the Piazza della Signoria and saw the truth: Uberto didn't liberate his family but comdemned them, omitting the proof of their innocence he had. Giovanni and his sons were hanged and Ezio tried to kill Uberto but the massive presence of guards obliged him to run.

Ezio's vendetta

Following the deaths of Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio at the hand of the Templar conspiracy, Ezio decided to assassinate Uberto. He received the help of Paola, who learned him to be stealth and to hide in the crowd. She also indicated that Leonardo da Vinci could repaire his father hidden blade. On the route, Ezio reclaimed the corpses of his father and brothers and gave them proper last rites. Once the hidden blade fixed, Ezio returned to Paola who informed him that Uberto would be at the Basilica of Santa Croce for an art exhibition of Andrea del Verrocchio. Ezio infiltrated the building, killed Uberto before claimed that the Auditore were not dead and he fled.

After the death of the gonfaloniere, the remaining members of the Auditore da Firenze fled the city. Claudia, Maria and Ezio sought refuge in Monteriggioni, under the protection of Mario and his army of mercenaries. On the road the Auditore were attacked by a group of men led Vieri de' Pazzi, Ezio's rival and also a Templar. But Mario and his mercenaries saved his brother family and Vieri fled. Mario welcomed his nephew who didn't recognize him and informed him that he knew what happened in Florence. After Mario guided them in the city, Maria, Claudia and Ezio settled in the Villa Auditore. Discuting with is nephew, Mario discovered that Ezio was not informed about his Assassin's heritage and the war with the Templar Order. Ezio only wanted to stay few days in the villa before leaving with his family for another city, but Mario conviced him to stay to be train in sword fight to protect his family. During a year, Mario trained Ezio and revealed him his father work, the Assassins' goals and their fight with the Templars. Ezio remained on his position to go to Spain to protect his family. Mario, angry, left his considuring he ashamed his father death. With his mercenaries, Mario decided to attacked Vieri and his men in San Gimignano. Ezio, feeling guilty for the repeating attacks of Vieri, helped his uncle to infiltrate the city. After stealth approach, Mario and his men fell in an ambush. During this fight, Mario tasked Ezio to find Vieri. On a roof, Ezio saw Vieri with his father Francesco, his Great-uncle Jacopo de' Pazzi and Rodrigo Borgia. He discovered that they planned an attack with soldiers in Florence and they would have a reunion in the city. After the three others fled the city Ezio fought Vieri and killed him.

Returned in Monteriggioni, Ezio informed his uncle of his new information. Mario revealed that Rodrigo Borgia was the Grand Master of the Templar and was responsible for his family death. As Giovanni's only remaining son, Ezio took on his work to find all the codex pages and sought vengeance against Rodrigo and his men who were on his father list. He also began to contribute in restoring the villa and in financing the rebuilding of large parts of Monteriggioni, Claudia helped him becoming the accountant of the city. To unlocked the Armor of Altaïr, Ezio must search seals in Assassins' tombs through Italy. To help his mother found peace, Ezio collected feathers in memory of Petruccio. On his side, Mario decided to continu Ezio's training on the Assassins' way with the help of others Assassins who would hide their true allegiance to Ezio. Ezio began his revenge in Florence where he stopped the Pazzi conspiracy, which reunited the House of Pazzi and fellows Templars. The conspirators wanted to assassinate Lorenzo de' Medici and his brother Giuliano to take the city. The Templars only killed Giuliano and later Ezio assassinated Francesco de' Pazzi. The Pazzi conspirators fled the city and Ezio tracked them through the Tuscany during two years. He finally found Jacopo de' Pazzi who was betrayed by Rodrigo and wounded to death. During this meeting, Ezio discovered that the venetian merchant Emilio Barbarigo was implicated in the conspiracy. After the two Templars fled the scene, Ezio finished Jacopo's suffering.

In 1481, Ezio arrived in Venice were he planned to kill Emilio, but his palazzo was two heavely guarded. At the same moment a group of thieves tried to infiltrate the palazzo but one of them Rosa received a arrow in the leg. Ezio protected her to the thieves' guild where he met their leader Antonio who was secretly an Assassin. Together, they allied to stop Emilio to unify all the merchants of Venice under his banner. In 1485, Ezio killed Emilio and the thieves took the control of his palazzo. Ezio discovered another Templar ally, Carlo Grimaldi who had a meeting with others Templars, Silvio Barbarigo, Marco Barbarigo and Rodrigo Borgia. The Templars wanted to kill the Doge of Venice Giovanni Mocenigo and replace him by Marco to take control of the venetian fleet. Ezio infiltrated the Palazzo Ducale with the Flying Machine of Da Vinci but he arrived too late. Carlo already poisonned the Doge and framed Ezio for the murder. Ezio killed Carlo and fled the city. Few months later, Ezio returned in Venice during the Carnevale and killed Marco Barbarigo who was the new doge. Afterwards, Ezio, with the help of the condottiero Bartolomeo d'Alviano, attacked the Arsenale di Venezia and killed Silvio Barbarigo and Dante Moro. The last revealed that the Templar send a ship to Cypus to find something.

In July 1488, at Ezio twenty-ninth's birthday, Rosa informed him that the ship returned to Venice the next day. Leonardo also revealed that he deciphered a strange prophecy on the codex pages including a Vault, two Pieces of Eden and a prophet who will be reveal in Venice. Ezio understand that what the Templar searched all this years and what his family was killed. The next days, Ezio followed the guards with the artifact and discovered that Rodrigo would come to take the Apple of Eden. Ezio impersonated a guard to approach Rodrigo. Mario also learned that the Apple was in Venice and decided with others Assassins to see who will be the Prophet. When the group of guard met Rodrigo, Ezio killed his men and confronted the Grand Master saying no Prophet appeared. The Templar claimed that he was the Prophet and began to fight Ezio with others guards. Mario and the others Assassins joined Ezio in the fight. At the moment when Ezio would deliver the killing blow, Rodrigo managed to escape. When Ezio wanted to pursue him, the Assassins restrained him explaining he had important things to do. Ezio didn't understand, the Assassins revealed their true allegiance and said that Ezio was the Prophet. Afterwards Ezio officialy joined the Brotherhood.

Searching the Vault

After his induction, Ezio was send by Mario to Forlì to protect the Apple from the Templar. With the Assassin Niccolò Machiavelli, Ezio met the Assassin ally Caterina Sforza, the new lord of Forlì. But when they arrived to the city, the brothers Orsi, two mercenaries hired by the Templars, attacked Forlì to reclaim a map created by Girolamo Riario, last husband of Caterina, which indicated the location of codex pages. After a battle, Ezio succeded to kill the brothers but was wounded and lost the Apple. Before fainting, Ezio only saw a monk in a black robe with only four fingers at the left hand took the Apple. When he regained consciousness, he decided to track this monk and Caterina gave him the map of her last husband. Later Ezio discovered the identity of the mysterious man, Girolamo Savonarola, an monk from Florence.

In 1491, Ezio was contacted by Antonio who wanted him to help Luis de Santángel and Christoffa Corombo who were in Venice to prepare an expedition to India by the west. The problem was that Corombo was contact by the Templars and wanted to kill him. Ezio saved him, reclaimed his map and asked the two to flee Italy. Santangel informed Ezio that some Assassins in Spain was captured in by the Spanish Inquisition to be judge and executed. Ezio traveled in Barcelona and met the Assassin Raphael Sánchez who help him to saved many Assassins. Ezio discovered that the Templars used the Inquisition to arrest the Assassins and branded them as heretics. Ezio also killed some Templars who led the Inquisition. With the help of Sánchez and Santángel, who was also an Assassin, Ezio stopped an spanish attack on Granada which made an end to the Reconquista. Ezio saved another time Corombo from the Templars and decided to kill Tomás de Torquemada, the first Inquisitor General of Spain, but his target fled. Ezio understood that Torquemada was only a Templar puppet decided to not kill him and returned to Italy.

Once Ezio collected the six seals of the Assassins' tombs, he unlocked the Armor of Altaïr and also a hidden exit via the Sanctuary. He succeded to heal his mother from her mutism by collecting hundred feather.

In 1497, Ezio returned in Florence where Savonarola installed a theocracy with the Apple of Eden. Ezio with the others Assassins started a rebellion and killed Savonarola's lieutenants corrupted by the Apple. In 1498, a mob arrested Savonarola and Ezio reclaimed the artifact. Before leaving the city, Ezio assisted to the execution of Savonarola and he killed him before the fire took his life.

At the end of the year 1499, the Assassins met in Monteriggioni to uncover the truth behind the codex pages. With the Apple, Ezio discovered a map indicating that the Vault was in Rome. Mario understood that the second artifact was a Staff of Eden and that Rodrigo became pope to take it and to be near the Vault. The Auditore with the others Assassins planned to distract the guard of Rome and Ezio would infiltrate the Sistine Chapel to take the Staff.

Later history

It is unknown how many individuals bore the name of Auditore after the births of Ezio’s two children – Flavia and Marcello most of the information about the Auditore family was erased from history by the Templar conspiracy, and the name itself, lost over the centuries. The Auditore lineage extended to at least two known descendants of Ezio Auditore in the 21st century; Desmond Miles and Clay Kaczmarek.

Members

• Domenico Auditore
• Isabetta Auditore
• Renato Auditore
• Mario Auditore
• Giovanni Auditore da Firenze
• Maria Auditore da Firenze
• Federico Auditore da Firenze
• Ezio Auditore da Firenze
• Claudia Auditore da Firenze
• Petruccio Auditore da Firenze
• Marcello Auditore
• Flavia Auditore
• Sofia Sartor

Family tree

Domenico Auditore

Isabetta Auditore

Renato Auditore

One generation

Giovanni Auditore

Maria de' Mozzi

Mario Auditore

Federico Auditore

Sofia Sartor

Ezio Auditore

Unknown woman

Claudia Auditore

Petruccio Auditore

Flavia Auditore

Marcello Auditore

Unknown generations

Unknown generations

Desmond Miles

Clay Kaczmarek

Trivia

• "Auditore" is an Italian word meaning "auditor". An auditor is a person who maintains financial accounts of a business, which was likely a reference to the family's work in banking.
• The Auditore identified themselves as Roman Catholic, but certain members of the family were also atheist. Mario stated that he was "never much of a believer" during his mention of the villa chapel to Ezio, while Maria could be seen praying in her room.
  • Additionally, in the novelization, Maria and Claudia spent their time in a convent instead of Monteriggioni, with Claudia almost becoming a nun.
• As soon as Ezio was born, his father told him that he was an Auditore and he was a fighter, hinting at the family's Assassin background.
• If the Palazzo Auditore was visited during the Bonfire of the Vanities downloadable content, Ezio could see his family as a loving memory.

Gallery

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  An Auditore crest featuring the Assassin insignia