Grenoble

Grenoble is the largest city of the Isère department of southeastern France. It was one of the nine cities Leonardo da Vinci selected to hide his research on the havens in 1519.

History

Just before his death in 1519, Leonardo da Vinci, afraid of possible interception, hid encoded information with trusted friends scattered around Europe under express instructions to destroy it should the Assassins not be able to contact them within a month of his death. After a first round of clues was uncovered by the Italian Brotherhood of Assassins in the cities of Florence, Venice and Rome, they then contacted the local Brotherhood chapter at Grenoble, passing along a letter from Leonardo. Leonardo's letter about Grenoble informed the Assassins that the ally holding the clue to the havens, Sir Pierre Taillard, chevalier de Bayard, was a cautious man and not easily approached. He then taked them with winning over his trust by reconstructing his coat of arms. Having received the quest, the local chapter sent agents to four landmarks to investigate.

At the Tour de l'Isle, an Assassin ovearheard someone yelling for help through a locked door and promptly picked the lock, releasing a man who had been in the dark cellar. Jean, an inspector, thanked his saviour and explained that he had entered the tower to investigate a fire on the roof and ended up locked, offering his services as an investigator to the Assassin. Climbing the tower up to the roof, the Assassin found a plaque detailing that a fire inspection had been recently undertaken there by Bayard himself. They also retrieved a piece of fabric with an embroidered red lion found near the plaque.

One Assassin went to the fortified mansion at Ferme de Vaulnaveys, infiltrating the location and blending in with the workers by disguising as a servant. Having followed a team of workers attending to a group of dignitaries on vacation and learning through subtle interrogation that these aristocrats were known friends and allies of da Vinci, the Assassin talked their way into being the one serving them tea. While alone with the three dignitaries, Clément Marot, Marguerite de Navarre and François Rabelais, the Assassin revealed themselves, though was met with some skepticism, leading to the trio testing them with a riddle each. Being able to answer correctly pleased the dignitaries, who collectively agreed to allow the Assassin to meet with Bayard, handing them a fragment of the coat of arms they would need to do so.

Seeking to gather information at the Place de la Granaterie, the Assassins investigated three leads. An old man at the square mentioned that Bayard's coat of arms featured a red lion, which he states represented Taillard completely. His feelings towards the town's protector was not shared by all, however, as a nearby wall seem to make fun of Bayard. His coat of arms was included in the inscribings at one point, to be used as a base for parodies, but had since been erased, probably by the authorities. A drunk soldier on a break also proved to be a good source of intel, with the Assassin directing the conversation to the right places. From him, they learned not only more about the coat of arms, receiving a fabric fragment similar to it, but also heard that Bayard had dislocated his right soldier while supressing a mutiny some days prior, but kept on fighting.

Having uncovered the complete picture of Bayard's coat of arms, the Assassins went to Église Saint-Laurent. There they located a secret mechanism inside a panel in a wall under a discreet niche. Reconstructing the coat of arms in the mechanism, they unlocked a door leading down into the Crypte Saint-Oyand, where Bayard awaited to test them. Before the Assassin could even speak, Bayard lunged into combat. Exploiting Bayard's injured soldier allowed the Assassin to keep up with the French military leader and he eventually stopped the fight, satisfied with the Assassin's performance. Bayard revealed that though Leonardo had mentioned the Assassin was a worthy opponent, he believed that words should be proven with actions. Finally convinced, he then handed them the translucid sheet with a line Leonardo had given him for safe keeping.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: The Last Quest of Leonardo da Vinci