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The Mission to Aragon? was a mission undertaken in 1491 by the Italian Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze to rescue the Assassins of Spain after receiving news of their arrests by the Spanish Inquisition. Though the Inquisition was unaware of the Spanish Assassins' affiliation, they had been supplied their names by Rodrigo Borgia, Grand Master of the Templars. Rodrigo, playing on their religious fanaticism, merely informed them that they were atheists, and that was enough for the Inquisition to arrest them for heresy.
The purge of the Assassins throughout Spain drove Luis de Santángel to seek the Assassins of Italy to protect his friend Christopher Columbus. It was here that Ezio Auditore heard of the plight of his allies in Spain after aiding Luis and Christopher. Feeling obligated to save them as a fellow Assassin, Ezio put aside his quest for to recovery the Apple of Eden from Rodrigo and journeyed to Spain.
Arriving at Barcelona in the Crown of Aragon, Ezio assassinated the prosecutor Gaspar Martínez and saved an Assassin from execution with the help of the Spanish Assassin Raphael Sánchez. They then proceeded to Zaragoza, where Ezio repeated his success by rescuing the majority of the Assassins and killing the calificador Pedro Llorente, thereby disrupting the Inquisition's operations in Aragon.
Background
In 1478, the Catholic Monarchs Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, driven by religious zeal, established the Spanish Inquisition as a means to enforce religious conformity. Under the first Grand Inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada, the Inquisition cracked down on heterodox faiths throughout the country. A great majority of the arrests and prosecutions were conducted against Jews and crypto-Jews, those who were thought to be insincere in their conversion to Christianity.
Sensing the opportunity, the Grand Master of the Templars, Rodrigo Borgia, sought to exploit these persecutions to eliminate his Assassin enemies in Spain by proxy. He released the names of Assassins throughout the country to the Inquisition, condemning them as atheists while withholding that they were Assassins. Though an atheist himself, he had a long history of service to the Catholic Church as a cardinal-bishop and was therefore highly trusted by Torquemada.
By 1491, the Inquisition had targeted Assassin Guilds throughout the Crown of Aragon, a systematic purge that left the Assassin Luis de Santángel without much allies with an expertise in combat. That same year, his friend Christopher Columbus, seeking financial backing for a voyage west across the Atlantic Ocean, was contacted by a man known as the Spaniard—actually Rodrigo Borgia—offering his sponsorship, and the two scheduled a meeting in Venice.
Luis, however, suspected that the meeting would be a trap, and urged Christopher against it, but the desperate explorer refused to heed his warnings. The Assassin's intuition had not been wrong. The Templars had become privy to the existence of an entire landmass across the Atlantic unknown to the Europeans. Hoping to claim the continent for themselves before the other powers—or the Assassins for that matter—they sought to prevent Christopher's voyage by murdering him.
Without Assassin agents left in Spain to rely upon, Luis and Christopher arrived in Venice lacking protection from the Templars. Since Christopher continued to insist on meeting with the Spaniard, Luis contacted the thieves' guild of the city, run by the Assassin Antonio de Magianis. In response to his request for aid, Antonio recommended Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Because Luis did not initially disclose to Ezio that he, himself, was an Assassin, Ezio considered his request to be mercenary work and was reluctant.
Nevertheless, the Florentine Assassin hurried to find Christopher, saving him from a Templar ambush. Luis then issued one final request: for Ezio to recover Christopher's atlas from their lodgings, which had been raided by the Templars. Once this had been accomplished, the grateful pair prepared to return to Spain, but not before Ezio advised them to bring their own protection the next time they were in Italy.
It was this point that Luis, still concealing that he too was an Assassin, explained that the Inquisition was cracking down on the Brotherhood in Spain. Troubled by this news, Ezio returned to Antonio to inform him that he had resolved to travel to Spain to rescue their allies there, feeling that this was his duty as an Assassin.
Barcelona
Finding the Assassins' Guild of Barcelona
Ezio's first destination was the major city of Barcelona, capital of the Principality of Catalonia of the Crown of Aragon.
When Ezio arrived in Barcelona, he sought to contact the local thieves' guild to learn the extent of the Inquisition's purge. After meeting with two of Antonio's contacts in the city, the Assassin located the guild within the tallest building at the center of the city. As instructed, he entered through a secret hatch on the roof, only to find that—much as he expected—the entire guild had been raided with not an Assassin in sight. His arrival immediately alerted the Spanish soldiers who had occupied the premises and declared it a restricted area.
After killing the surrounding soldiers, Ezio quickly rolled past the guard captain charging at him and out the exit, with more soldiers behind in rapid pursuit. Faced with such an overwhelming force as he raced through the rooftops, Ezio slipped into the underground sewers hoping that this would allow him to escape them only to find that it was already crawling with troops.
Through his expert freerunning, he at last managed to lose the guards only to run headlong into a stranger who introduced himself as the Assassin Raphael Sánchez upon recognizing Ezio's Assassin outfit. Like Ezio, Raphael was conducting a mission to rescue his fellow Assassins, arriving in Barcelona just that morning. While Raphael did not know who betrayed them to the Inquisition, he did learn the name of the prosecutor responsible for their arrests: Gaspar Martínez.
When Ezio questioned Raphael about the person who betrayed them to the Inquisitors, Raphael replied that he did not know anything, save for the name of the prosecutor responsible for their arrests: Gaspar Martínez.
The Assassination of Gaspar Martinez
- Ezio: "What do you know of the Assassins?"
- Raphael: "Only that I am one of them, sir. My name is Raphael Sánchez. I arrived here in Barcelona this morning, bound to the same errand as you."
- Ezio: "Do you know who betrayed us to the Inquisitors?"
- Raphael: "Not yet, but we know the name of the Inquisitor Prosecutor responsible for their arrests. Gaspar Martinez."
- —Raphael sharing crucial information with Ezio Auditore[src]
Ezio, now on the Barcelona rooftops, began his hunt for Gaspar Martinez, whom he found standing on a balcony looking out over Barcelona. Ezio scaled up the building and onto the balcony, surprising Gaspar and causing him to retreat nervously back against the wall.
Ezio approached Gaspar and asked him who had given him the names of the imprisoned Assassins, to which Gaspar simply responded, "What do you mean, 'Assassins'? My dungeons are for heretics."
Ezio sighed, but Gaspar stated that whoever those men were, it would not matter for much longer as they would soon be executed one by one.
He then told Ezio that an execution was being prepared for one of the heretics right at that moment. Gaspar laughed, but he was soon silenced as Ezio angrily told him that, if the man died, he would keep the stake fire burning until the whole city was a cinder, before plunging his blade into the Templar and killing him.
Ezio searched Gaspar's body and found a list of names, those of the captured Assassins. Ezio set out to save the current Assassin at risk, as well as find Raphael to show him the list.
Ezio ran swiftly through the city streets in an effort to stop the Assassin from being burned at the stake, dodging guards who had been alerted to his presence and had given chase. Upon reaching the still unharmed Assassin, Ezio leapt down from a nearby rooftop and engaged in combat with the guards surrounding him.
Ezio finally helped the captured Assassin to his feet, and they proceeded to Raphael, who had been watching on a nearby rooftop. Raphael thanked Ezio for his help, but Ezio simply gave him the list of names.
Raphael stated that he knew the listed men and told Ezio that they were being held in Zaragoza, in the kingdom of Aragon. Ezio told Raphael that Zaragoza would thus be his next destination, and asked if Raphael would join him. Raphael responded that, though his fighting skills were dwindling, he would provide aid as a guide, as well as find shelter for the freed Assassins.
Ezio and Raphael then began their long journey to Zaragoza.
Zaragoza
Finding the Assassins
Upon arrival in Zaragoza, Ezio and Raphael parted ways. Before leaving, Raphael told Ezio to seek out the Inquisition's Calificador, Pedro Llorente, saying that he might be "persuaded" to reveal where the six Assassins were being imprisoned. Ezio was then left to his own devices, as Raphael said that his face was known to the Inquisitors, and that he would need an alibi if Llorente was to suffer an untimely fate.
Ezio then began to prowl the city looking for his target, but finding Llorente turned out to be easier than Ezio thought. Not long into his search, he came across Llorente speaking to none other than Spain's Inquisitor General, Tomás de Torquemada himself. Llorente humbly welcomed his superior, who had arrived unexpectedly, but Torquemada rebuffed his pleasantries.
The two men turned their attention to an Assassin that had been recently captured, with Pedro stating that the prisoner had refused to "convert or confess." Incensed, Torquemada had the Assassin executed by a Brute, telling him before he died that other prisoners before him had been terrified, even though they felt God was on their side. Torquemada went on, saying that it was unbelievable that the Assassin was not afraid at all, considering that, like all his people, he refused the concept of God completely.
After the Assassin's execution, Torquemada was heard to say, "Rodrigo Borgia was right to have me arrest you and your cohorts... Your lack of faith is a disease." The Inquisitor General then left, remarking coldly, "Let the heretic bleed." For Ezio, this confirmed that Rodrigo was ordering the Spanish Inquisitors to destroy the Assassins in Spain to keep them from interrupting his plans. With his worst fears confirmed, Ezio raced to save the remaining five Assassins from sharing their brother's fate.
Ezio made his way through the sewers of Zaragoza to find and save the other Assassins. Unfortunately, guards were everywhere, but Ezio was able to dispatch them with ease. As he made his way through the tunnels, Ezio found the Assassins imprisoned at different points, stopping to save them one by one; though he was only able to free four of them.
News of Ezio's efforts spread quickly, and when Pedro caught word of the Assassins' escape, he was enraged. He then ordered his guard to keep watch over the last remaining prisoner, or else "Torquemada himself will personally supervise your disemboweling." However, the extra security proved useless, as Ezio was easily able to rescue the fifth and final Assassin. Ezio then made his escape via a Leap of Faith.
The Assassination of Pedro Llorente
Upon escaping the Inquisitor guards, Ezio met up again with Raphael Sánchez, who expressed gratitude on seeing that "the shadows of [his] city are moving again." Ezio shared what he had learned from his eavesdropping, and Raphael informed him of Torquemada's position.
Ezio mentioned that Rodrigo Borgia had ordered the imprisonment and execution of the Spanish Assassins' Guild, and at this, Raphael cursed their bad luck, stating that he and his fellows had suspected contact between the Templars and Inquisitors all along.
Raphael went on to say that Llorente would be easy to track in Zaragoza, but looking for Torquemada would be another story, to which Ezio replied, "I'm a patient man, Sánchez." Then he left to deal with Llorente.After sneaking past and killing numerous guards, Ezio confronted Pedro in the city square.
After being rebuked by the Inquisitor, Ezio demanded of Pedro how he had been contacted by the Templars. Pedro scoffed at Ezio's claims, insisting that the Templars had been disgraced and disbanded in 1312, quipping, "Rumors of their activities are as reliable as fairy tales." Ezio responded that, if that were the case, they couldn't be around to save Pedro. He then struck down the Inquisitor on the spot and retreated back to Raphael.
Report to Raphael
When the two met, Ezio reported his murder of Pedro, but also that he had not seen nor heard from Torquemada. Raphael replied that he had expected as much, adding that Queen Isabella hadn't told him that the Inquisitor General would be in town.
Surprised and stunned, Ezio asked how Raphael was able to speak to the Queen of Spain, to which Raphael answered that he served her court as Royal Treasurer. Ezio expressed amazement that an Assassin was able to infiltrate the highest ranks of the Spanish Royal Court, as the Templars were more proficient at gaining favor and working their way into positions of power in Europe.
Raphael assured him that Isabella and her husband, King Ferdinand, knew nothing of him being an Assassin, but also warned him that, though they held one of the Queen's ears, the Templars held the other. Raphael offered to explain more, but Ezio politely declined, saying it would be best that he returned home to Italy.
Raphael, however, was adamant, insisting that the Templars had a horrible scheme in the works to assume control of Spain. Thus, putting his priorities aside and surrendering once more to his sense of duty, Ezio followed his brother Assassin south to the Moorish stronghold of Granada.
Granada
Weakening of Granada's finest
Raphael and Ezio Auditore advanced towards the entrance of Granada, according to Raphael Granada (at the time) was unstable and minor battles and wars took place frequently. One side, the Moors, continued to fight; Raphael suggested that the Moors would soon have victory due to their nearly developed siege equipment.
Ezio shrugged and asked Raphael of the plan, to which he replied that "it was nothing serious, but a mere sweep of the area." Their goal was to penetrate the guard forces and weaken their command, as well as scout a potential path in order to get closer to Ezio's target.
Being marked on his map, Ezio's prey, the captain guards, were easy to find. Stationed on rooftops, Ezio impaled, stabbed and pulled guards off ledges. He was soon approached by Raphael; who said that the job was soon to be done. He explained that almost all guard captains were dead; though some still remained, and that they were bashing civilians in an effort to interrogate them concerning the deaths of their fellow soldiers.
Ezio sought justice and Raphael sought peace and a better future for Granada. They both set out to save the civilians. Raphael told Ezio that they would meet in a chapel to the east when their work was done.
Hours had passed as Ezio finished the job; the majority of the civilians were saved. Soon before his arrival at the chapel, Ezio was ambushed by over a dozen soldiers. Ezio slew them all, but was almost bested. He walked into the outskirts of Granada, retaining some major injuries that would later be healed by Raphael Sánchez.
Upon his arrival at the chapel, Ezio was told by Raphael that a spy was in Granada, fetching information about his King for the Templars (who were to aid the Moors in their siege of Granada).
Ezio traveled through the city of Granada to search for the spy, who escaped to the underground catacombs. Ezio then traversed the same catacombs to find Juan de Marillo, the spy, and kill him. He stealthily came across Torquemada talking to him, saying that he was surprised that the Queen let the Moor King live. He ordered Juan to expel anyone who denied allegiance to the Pope and kill anyone who refused to leave. He left with Juan's guard captain, leaving the spy alone. Ezio ran up behind the spy and assassinated him before he could do any more harm.
He returned to Luis, only to find that Corombo had left for Paris to finance his journey. Ezio found him before he could be harmed and killed his attacker. With the Queen's change of heart, Corombo was financed to travel to the New World safely.
The unexpected events
Ezio was about to leave for Italy to find the Apple, but before he could, Luis was alerted that Torquemada had sent Inquisitors to arrest him. Ezio went around the palace and sealed off all the doors to stop any further attacks. He saved Luis and then left the palace to rescue Raphael. Both told him to bring Torquemada to justice. He infiltrated Torquemada's palace and eventually found him, but before he could kill him some gates barred and blocked him from Torquemada. He then returned to Luis and Raphael with the news, and set off back to Italy.
Reference
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