FLORENCE

ROMAGNA
.

TUSCANY
VENICE
VILLA AUDITORE

Assassin's Creed 2
Puzzle and Codex Contents and Analysis
Version 1.00
Author: Irvine Tomoe
Email: DarkerCompanion@gmail.com
Date of Submission: November 26, 2009

*******************************
Table of Contents
I. Disclaimer/Spoiler Alert
II. Introduction
III. Puzzle Information and Interpretation
IV. Codex Script and Interpretation - Incomplete
V. Auditore Tomb Script and Interpretation
VI. Speculation
VII. Personal Musings
VIII. Legal Somesuch
IX. Credits
*******************************

I. Disclaimer/Spoiler Alert

Before I say anything else, I have to warn that this file is intended to
provide post-game information. This is not a guide having anything to do with
how to beat the game, or the glyph puzzles. It is assumed that readers have
solved all the glyph puzzles, beaten the game, and in some respects, have
beaten Assassin's Creed 1 as well. I will discuss potentially every major plot
reveal post game, as that is what this entire guide concerns. So if you are
intending to find out the plot yourself, please, stop now. If you are reading
this, and you are about to play Assassin's Creed 2 and you have NOT played
Assassin's Creed 1, stop. Go buy AC1 for 20 bucks and play it first. Unless
you hate it (in which case you will likely dislike the second as well), it
will enrich the experience of the second.

Furthermore, there is a significant amount of speculation on my part in this

file. The first half is examining imagery, references to history, implied
connections and deciphered codes, so most of it is only one step (or less)
away from what is spelled out directly. However, there will be a few
connections I make that may not necessarily be true, so nothing can be taken
as absolute truth . . . I'm sure the Assassins would agree. The speculation
section will be the most distant from fact, as I will tie together a picture
of the state of things in a more linear, definitive fashion, but including
some of my interpretations of the more vague plot points. If you are still
reading, awesome. Moving on.

*******************************

II. Introduction

Assassin's Creed 1 is an interesting, fairly popular game about an assassin

during the crusades and the political strife and conspiracies he and his
order discover while fighting with their enemies, the Templar. That's all
fine and dandy . . . but it doesn't get really interesting until you beat
the game. At the end of the game, there is a tantalizing spoiler of Science
Fiction potential in a game that was fairly grounded in reality up until that
point. The game left you hanging, having just discovered what little was
provided to you, and it left you in the ultimate cliffhanger.

But, for those with an insatiable appetite for more, there were hints.
Drawings on the walls, that hinted at clues as to the direction of the next
game. Emails that hinted that certain well known events were not what they
seemed. Suddenly, a game about killing people in an awesome manner, on a
historical political backdrop became so much more . . . and said "See ya in
two years!" Well, that's just mean. Some of that information requires
knowledge of lots of minute details and mythological references, as well as
math and languages. And you know, not everyone gets that stuff. Nor is
everyone interested in spending days deciphering all the clues. So when I
played Assassin's Creed 2, and found that it had at least ten times more
subtle clues than the first, I decided I had to look into it. Rather than
have people dismiss this aspect and ignore what I consider to be the most
interesting part of the game, I aim to combine it all for the reader, so that
these aspects do not go ignored.

So here we are. I've written down the contents of the puzzles, and what they
seem to imply about the plot. When something vital is referenced, but not
spelled out, I have done my research and included the facts in the file. If
any of it calls to you, I recommend wikipedia. So much of this is there,
waiting to be read . . . would you believe that nearly every conspiracy in
this game is a REAL conspiracy theory? They may not be real conspiracies in
real life, but they are real conspiracy theories in real life. Assassin's
Creed 2 makes up very little. I have also deciphered all of the hidden
messages in the background of the pictures. It is possible that I have missed
one, and if that is the case, please, let me know.

In fact, while this file was written nearly entirely by me, I know I could not
have caught everything. There must be underlying references of extraordinary
value that slipped past me. Or perhaps I missed something obvious and inferred
something else (you wouldn't believe some of the bad ideas I had WRITTEN DOWN
in this file that I realized were wrong later). If you have anything you
think would work well here, or if you have a suggestion, or maybe wish to
contest that I have something so absurdly wrong it couldn't possibly be right,
let me know. My email is DarkerCompanion@gmail.com, and while I can't
guarantee a fast response, I know I am interested in hearing more tie-ins and
references. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have written this. You could say the
length of this document is how interested I am in hearing what you might have
to say.

With that explained, let me begin.

*******************************

III. Puzzle Information and Interpretation

Here, I will list each puzzle and the relevant images, facts, quotes, and the
like included. I did NOT record all of Subject 16's dialogue, however, when it
seemed important, I did. If you are here looking for solutions to the puzzles,
you likely won't find it, except for on a few that the answer is relevant to
the story.
-----------------------------------
-Puzzle #1: In The Beginning
-----------------------------------

This is an image matching puzzle. Its hint is "Five of These Mythic Scenes
Share A CORE Similarity. Pick them out and you'll begin to see."

The Fall
Hercules in the Garden of the Hesperides
Atalanta and Hippomenes
Judgement of Paris
Idun and the Apples

These five include apples in them in a prominent sense, many of which are tied
into biblical or mythological settings. Upon completion, the image of the
Piece of Eden (The Apple) is displayed.

Interpretation: This puzzle hints that the Apple/s have played a relevant role
in the mythological history of mankind. It also notes several situations in
which an apple was potentially more than just a fruit.

The Fall - This is a simple image of Adam and Eve by the Tree of Knowledge in
the Garden of Eden. Given the contents of Subject 16's video, this one is
fairly obvious.

Judgement of Paris - This moment from the life of the Greek mythological
figure Paris concerned a marriage celebration held by the Gods. Not invited,
Eris, the Goddess of Strife, sought to disrupt the party by offering a Golden
Apple of Discord to the most beautiful attendant of the party. This caused
bickering amongst the arrogant attendees, allowing Eris to manipulate the
attendees into doing what she wanted (ruining the party themselves, since she
wasn't invited). This use of the apple to control others behavior is
especially worth nothing. Eventually, it came down to Paris, a mortal, having
to choose which of the three goddesses, Hera, Athena (a.k.a. Minerva) and
Aphrodite. He choice and subsequent actions eventually led to the eruption of
the Trojan War, a war which concerned humans, super-humans (Achilles was the
son of a nymph and a human, who were supernatural beings, leaving him with
vaguely defined half-God status, see the Speculation section for more), and
Gods.

Hercules in the Garden of the Hesperides - Hercules, a half-God (see the

Speculation section for more on this subject) traveled to this location during
his journeys to steal a Golden Apple as a task. Within the myth, these Apples
had supernatural abilities, including immortality. Notably, in some variations
of the myth, after the theft, Athena (Minerva) returned the Apples to the
Garden.

Idun and the Apples - Idun is a Norse goddess who was known, amongst other
things, as a guardian of youth giving supernatural apples.

Atalanta and Hippomenes - In this particular myth, Atalanta was a athletic,

warriorlike woman who was far more capable than the average athletica male.
Uninterested in marriage, she finally agreed that she would marry a male who
could outrun her. Hippmenes was, according to the myth, granted 3 golden
apples by Aphrodite that he used to trick her into slowing down, and through
their use, was able to win. This myth is the only one of the five aside from
the Judgement of Paris myth in which someone uses a Golden Apple to manipulate
someone's behavior, but it is worth nothing.

In all five of the myths, the apples are highly desirable and capable of
what seems to be more than just being a simple fruit. Furthermore, except for
that of Idun, all of the apples are golden. In all five myths are the apples
related to the Gods in one way or another.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #2: Sixty-four Squares
-----------------------------------

This puzzle begins with a number of spinning circle puzzles.

The first: Queen Elizabeth of England,1559

In this image, Queen Elizabeth holds an orb in her hand. The implication is
that this is no simple orb. Upon completion, it is highlighted and identified
as: ID: Piece of Eden 2 - Apple

The second: Emperor Napoleon 1 of France, 1812

In this image, Napoleon's characteristic "hand in jacket" pose implies a Piece
of Eden. Given how well known this pose is, it may imply that the Apple had
begun to influence his behavior. Upon completion, it is highlighted and
identified as: ID: Piece of Eden 1 - Apple

The third: George Washington, United States, 1781

In this image, George Washington is shown in a similar pose to Napoleon, and
the completed puzzle reveals the same result. Upon completion, it is
highlighted and identified as: ID: Piece of Eden 3 - Apple

Interpretation: This puzzle is fairly simple in its implications. It shows

three incredibly influential world leaders and gives evidence that they each
were in possession of an Apple. Queen Elizabeth is considered to be the most
recognizable leader in English history, and her reign has been considered as
veritable golden age for the nation. Napoleon I was similarly one of the most
recognizable leaders of France, as well as being extremely competent in war.
George Washington is the first and the most recognizable of the presidents of
the United States, and he too was a reputable politician and general.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #3: Descendents
-----------------------------------

This puzzle starts with a relevant comment by Subject 16: "Power doesn't
die; its passed on."

A Where's Waldo style puzzle, this includes images of several famous

individuals.

The first: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Strategic Meeting, 1944

The image is labeled. "HE CARRIED IT WITH HIM. FIND HIS INHERITANCE"

There is a hidden message that goes horizontally across the board. It says:
THE MASONS BROUGHT IT ACROSS THE SEA.
GEORGE WASHINGTON PASSED IT ON.

The Apple one the table is IDed as the Piece of Eden #3.

The second: Houdini Beginning the Chinese Water Torture Cell Escape, 1913
A Morse code message says "They hit him in the stomach."
The Apple is on the water tank IDed as the Piece of Eden #1.

The third: Gandhi During The Salt March, 1930

A Morse code message says "The bullet hit him in the chest."
The Apple is on the end of his walking stick, seemingly invisible, IDed as
the Piece of Eden #2.

Interpretation: A second time, the puzzle reveals that influential world

leaders were in possession of Apples. However, in these pictures, the others
present in the picture seem ignorant of the presence of said apples. This
would imply that that had not just used the apple to gain their power, but to
blind their followers to the presence of the apple. This is particularly
relevant to Houdini, a master of escape and illusion. The power of the apple
would easily allow him trick audiences into believing he had performed his
famous stunts, several of which are still considered "impossible" today.
Also, this puzzle assigns an accusatory tone towards the Templar for the
deaths of Gandhi and Houdini.

The note above Roosevelt's picture is not present in the other pictures. When
considered in the context of the hidden message in his picture, it shows an
important link. Roosevelt was a member of the Freemasons, a fraternal
organization guarded by secrecy. Membership was earned, and one had to rise
through the ranks to attain higher levels of membership and access to greater
secrets. The Freemasons are several centuries old, going as far back as the
16th century. George Washington was also a member of the Freemasons, 150 years
before Roosevelt's time in office. Both Roosevelt's and Washington's apples
are IDed in the pictures as Piece of Eden #3, so it is clear that it was
passed along through the Freemason organization.

The most important clue here, however, is that for over two centuries,
speculation and conspiracy theories have existed claiming that the Freemasons
are a front for the Templar, who were forcefully disbanded. The theories claim
that the Templar, losing their official power, created a new order that they
could control from behind the scenes, and it is certainly a powerful group,
even today, with many important historical figures having been members. It is
worth noting that one conspiracy claims that the Freemasons were responsible
for faking the Apollo 11 moon landing (See Puzzle 11: Apollo). The hidden
message was also encrypted in Masonic code, a form of secret writing used by
the Freemasons to keep their communication from prying eyes.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #4: Infinite Knowledge
-----------------------------------

This puzzle is another Where's Waldo puzzle.

The first: Burning Viet Cong Base Camp, My Tho, Vietnam, 1968
The image is labeled: Its open MOUTH delivers the kiss of death.
The picture shows a soldier in Vietnam with a rocket launcher on his back, set
against a backdrop of destruction. The MOUTH refers to the rocket launcher.

The second: Members of the 2D Infantry Division Advance Under Machine Gun
Fire into the Outskirts of Brest, France, 1944
The image is labeled: Leading the YOUNG to their end.
The picture shows soldiers in France. The YOUNG refers to a soldier in the
background.

There is a hidden message in this picture, encoded in Hexidecimal. Once

deciphered, it says "Antikythera Mechanism, much older than 150 B.C.E."

The third: Union Troops in Formation, Beaufort, South Carolina, 1862

The image is labeled: The Flames from its throat POKE out their eyes.
The picture shows a group of soldiers, many of which have bayonets. The poke
refers to these.

There is a hidden message in this picture, that once decoded says "Ancient
city, Rajasthan, India, irradiated by PoE"
The fourth: The First Pictorial Representation of a Gun, 900
The image is labeled: The MONSTER did not come from man.
An asian picture depicts a horde of demons assaulting a central figure. There
is what looks like a firearm/cannon in the picture, and a demon holds a
blazing golden sphere. This sphere ends the image, and it is IDed as "Piece
of Eden 4 - Apple"

There is a hidden binary message in this picture that translates to

"Sumerian. Me 23."

Ends on a picture of a demon, holding a flaming sphere (ID: Piece of Eden 4

- Apple)

Interpretation: Well, this one is a doozy. It has a lot to say, and makes a
lot of references. First, the overarching theme is of firearms. The labels
imply that guns are not a human creation. With the last picture in mind, it
seems evident that a human used the knowledge in one of the Pieces of Eden to
develop guns. As to their demonic appearance, that same Piece of Eden (being
wielded alongside the guns in the picture) could have been used to convince
the wielder's opponents that they were fighting not humans, but demons. Or
perhaps the presence of a newly invented gun could have brought such terror
that the event went down in history as being a demonic event.

The first hidden message refers to the Antikythera Mechanism, a real life
artifact found in a shipwreck. It is a surprisingly complex tool that seems
to have been used as an astronomical calculator. It was comprised of several
dozen mobile gear parts, and when its calibration is compared to reality, it
is exceedingly accurate. The mechanism's level of technology is considered
to be equivalent to that of somewhere between the 15th and 18th century
clockwork. However, it is estimated to be over 2000 years old, showing levels
of advanced computing technology not believed to have existing during that
period of time. The message implies that it is far older than estimates
predict, implying is ancient technology from "Those Who Came Before", though
not powerful in the sense of the Pieces of Eden.

The second hidden message refers to a combination of myths and scripture.

There is a seemingly difficult to trace study on the internet concerning soil
samples taken from the Indian state of Rajasthan. The study indicates that
they were contained dangerously irradiated dust from a depth indicating that a
radioactive event at least several thousand years ago in this area. This study
itself has been notoriously hard to back up, however, for the purpose of
this explanation, we will take it at face value. Where this ties in is that in
Indian scripture, like most scripture, there is a large amount of metaphoric
imagery, as well as supernatural beings. Unlike many instances of scripture,
however, taken in a science fiction context, the descriptions and powers of
the people and beings seem to resemble not saints and gods, but members of an
advanced civilization, complete with references to flying machines similar to
jets/spaceships, and weapons with the destructive power of an atom bomb. It
is the weapons themselves that tie into this, for in the scripture, there is
implication that there was a terrible war, and being that this is Indian
scripture, it took place in the general area of India.

Allow me to say this in another way: An ancient civilization of incredibly

advanced technology went to war, and phenomenal destruction ensued, including
weapons that match the description of nukes, in the general vicinity of India.
And according to this difficult to trace study, an Indian state have heavily
irradiated soil under several thousand years worth of sediment and dirt.
Suddenly, this seems incredibly relevant.

Finally comes the last hidden message, Sumerian Me 23. In Sumerian mythology,
the gods granted to humanity many dozen "Me" or aspects of humanity. These
are not rules, like commandments, but literal gifts of abilities. Furthermore,
these abilities are embodied within literal objects. Me #23 is "Weapons". A
physical embodiment of a weapon could refer to an object of vastly powerful
combat usefulness, which could match the description of a Piece of Eden.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #5: Instruments of Power
-----------------------------------

This is an image matching puzzle. Its hint is "The power they wielded CUT
down their enemies."

Perseus, Greece
Attila the Hun, Eurasia
Sigmund, Norse
King Arthur, Britannia
Joan of Arc, France

These five include powerful figures from the world's history, well known for
their warrior nature and combat prowess. Each, in turn wields a sword. When
completed, Piece of Eden 25 - The Sword is displayed.

In this puzzle, the hint is "In their hands, the wise LEAN on a great force."

John the Baptist, Jerusalem

Alexander the Great, Macedonia
Shabataka, Egypt
Peter, Jerusalem
Moses, Egypt
The five include important figures from history, with all of them being from
the bible or old world civilizations. In the images, each possesses a staff.
Once completed, Piece of Eden 34 - The Staff is displayed.

Interpretation: This puzzle reveals the first indication that not all Pieces
of Eden are Apples, although we now know that there are multiple apples. The
sword and the staff are both Pieces of Eden here, and one might infer from
the famous figures wielding them that they possess powers relevant to their
purpose.

Amongst the wielders of the sword, there is a mix of contemporary history

and myth.

Perseus, a Greek mythological hero, was in possession of an enchanted

adamantine sword that was granted to him by the Greek god Hermes.
Interestingly, he was granted a plethora of magical items, including winged
boots granting flight (also from Hermes), the shield of Athena (Minerva),
and a helmet of Invisibility from god of the dead, Hades

Sigmund was a hero in Norse mythology, who amongst other things, came to
possess a legendary sword. The Norse god Odin (the leader of their gods),
came to a party he was attending and embedded the sword in a tree, claiming
that only the person who could pull it from the tree could have it. Sigmund
was the only one able to remove it, leading to much jealousy and a fair bit
of murder.

Attila the Hun was a powerful conqueror from 430 A.D. to 450 A.D. He managed
to conquer a significant portion of the known world at the time, and was
well known for his skill in warfare and, in many accounts, his cruelty.
A legend has arisen around him regarding his sword, which was found in the
wilderness. He referred to it as "The Sword of Mars", the Roman god of war,
equivalent to Ares in Greek mythology. Amongst non-Roman accounts, it was
known as the "Sword of the War God".

King Arthur's tale is far too well known to bother explaining it here, but
his possession of the legendary sword Excalibur is evidence enough of its
place here. Its role as being a sword in the stone, only removable by a
specific individual closely parallels Sigmund's sword, indicating a potential
connection. Excalibur was mentioned to have the ability to blind its
opponents, and its scabbard was said to prevent the wielder from bleeding to
death.

The last, chronologically, in the line of individuals in this set is Joan of

Arc. She stands out from the other four in that there is no record of her
sword being in any way spectacular. However, her own life fills this role.
She was an uneducated, poor farm girl who claimed to have received divine
visions instructing her to lead France, her native country, to reclaim its
lost territory from the English. With a lot of convincing, she received
permission to fight with the troops, and her influence, through divine
knowledge, innate skill, or extreme luck, turned the tide time and time
again, resulting in a string of victories that had been preceded by decades
of failures. Nearly every tactical decision she made resulted in a victory
where others had failed, and she predicted enemy movements with an uncanny
degree of accuracy that even veteran military tacticians did not foresee.
She did this in the years when she was only 17 and 18. Ultimately, after
making great strides in France's name, a political conspiracy against her
resulted in her being burned at the stake. It was later officially found
that the trials were performed unlawfully, and that she was innocent of the
charges.

On the subject of the staff puzzle, the individuals depicted all were in a
position of power or leadership at one point.

The first is Moses, of Jewish and Christian scripture. Most relevant to this
topic, while doing God's bidding, he was told by God to perform certain acts
with his brother's staff. This often resulted in supernatural event, and it
soon became common for Moses to use his staff whenever invoking God's power.
Included in these acts are: turning the staff into a snake, invoking
numerous plagues upon Egypt, parting the Red Sea for passage, conjuring
water, and allowing the Israelites to win a battle so long as the staff
was raised high.

The second is Shabataka, an Egyptian king who ruled around the year 700 BC.
Aside from a brief campaign in Jerusalem, there is little linking him to
previous owners of the staff, nor is there significant record of events or a
particular staff in his possession.

Third is Alexander the Great. Like Shabataka, there is no particular

evidence of a staff in his career, however, he led a tremendously successful
campaign that created an empire reaching from Greece to India. He
accomplished this in about ten years, although his conquest eventually slowed
to a standstill. After his death, his empire fell apart within a few short
years, unable to maintain itself.

Fourth is John the Baptist. His role in birth of Christianity is paramount,

as he is arguably the second most important human in its creation, second
only to Jesus himself. He himself had a sufficiently large following
independent of Jesus, founded around baptism. He himself was the one to
baptize Jesus, at which point his followers slowly merged with those of
Jesus. He was soon killed by the regions local ruler, at a time which
historians believe was within a year before Jesus himself was killed. It
should be noted that his mother was a "Daughter of Aaron", or an individual
who's lineage could be traced to Aaron, the brother of Moses.

Last is St. Peter, apostle of Jesus, and often their leader when Jesus was
not present. He would later become the first Pope, and in some ways, could be
considered the founder of Christianity as an actual religion (In that Jesus
merely spread the belief, but it was more of a following at the time). As the
first Pope, it might be inferred that his possession of the staff allowed it
to be passed down through the years, eventually culminating in Rodrigo Borgia.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #6: Brothers
-----------------------------------

This puzzle contains 4 spinning circle puzzles, each depicting Cain and
Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve. The first image depicts the burning altar
sacrifice, and the remaining three depict the two struggling. Upon
completion, each shows that they were reaching for the Piece of Eden.

Each image has a line of text, forming a passage:

And Satan Said Unto Cain: Swear Unto Me By Thy Throat, And If Thou Tell It
Thou Shalt Die

And All These Things Were Done In Secret

And Cain Said: Truly I Am Mahan, the Master of This Great Secret.

Wherefore Cain Was Called Master Mahan, and He Glorified In His Wickedness

Upon completion, subject 16 says "Behold; the mark of Cain!" The red templar
cross appears upon all four images. A passage of morse code below says
"TEMPLAR TEXTS ADAPTED BY MR SMITH".

Interpretation: This one holds an impressive array of implications.

First: Cain and Able are the sons of Adam and Eve. In the context of
Assassin's Creed, this may mean that they would inherit the Piece of Eden
that Adam and Eve stole. However, it seems clear that Cain, the ever jealous
brother in scripture and culture, would attempt to take the Piece of Eden
for himself, and in doing so, commit the first murder in the name of
possessing the Apple. This, with the mark of the templar appearing, shows
that he was the first person willing to commit terrible acts upon other
humans in the name of acquiring the power of the Pieces of Eden for
himself. Whether his association with the Templar order is symbolic or real
is not clear, but it could be that he would later go on to found the order,
attempting to gain control of more of the pieces.
Second: "Templar Texts Adapted By Mr. Smith". What an incredibly useless
piece of information, what with Smith being so common a name. Fortunately,
it is inextricably linked to one important Smith in history. "Master Mahan"
is not a phrase present in most biblical accounts. It is, in fact, fairly
exclusive to Mormon texts. The founder of the Mormon Order (The Latter Day
Saint movement), who also "translated" the texts founding their scripture,
is a certain Joseph Smith, Jr. Joseph Smith, Jr., as well as several other
founding members of the Mormon Order were members of the Freemasons, and
some aspects of Mormon ritual are based upon the rituals of the Freemasons
(See Puzzle 3: Decendents). The take home message, however, is that the
Mormons are implied to be Templar.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #7: Keep on Seeking, And You Will Find It
-----------------------------------

Here, another image matching puzzle appears, with a lengthy hint:

First Plucked From A Tree Guarded By A Snake, Its Powers Perform Miracles.
Then, Worn Across The Ages, Torn Asunder, Hidden Under A Sea of RED,
Reconstruct the Timeline

Joseph, Egypt. C. 1700 B.C.E.

Jason, Greece, Prehistory
Jesus Christ, Jerusalem, c. 30
David and Goliath, Valley of Elah, c. 970 B.C.E.
Christ Disrobed, Jerusalem. c. 30

These images share a slightly more subtle similarity than previous ones. All
but one depict a figure from Christian/Jewish scripture wearing a bright red
cloak or shirt. The fifth of Jason of the Argonauts, battling the hydra to
take the Golden Fleece, a legendary article of clothing made from the fur of
a supernatural ram.

After matching the images, a new picture appears of Jesus crucified on the
cross. Using the scanner, one finds the message "They Took It" written across
the image. Scanning the note on the top of the cross reveals a Templar logo,
and in the bottom corner the scanner reveals Jesus' cloak. Selecting it
solves the puzzle, revealing the message: "Piece of Eden 66: The Shroud".

Interpretation: This puzzle shows that Christianity has two Pieces of Eden
resurfacing time and time again. Along with the Staff from Puzzle 6, the
Shroud shows that it played a part in the lives of several of them.
Furthermore, it implies it was more than a simple cloak by attaching it to
the Golden Fleece.
The quest of Jason is a lengthy one, concerning many aspects of Greek
mythology, however, only a few are relevant to this context. First, the
entire course of his quest is an attempt to get a golden fleece from a foreign
land, so that he may rightfully take his place as king in his own nation.
Later in the story, the fleece itself shows the power to heal the injured,
and protects its wearer from harm. Another relevant thread in the plot is
that Jason had a strong association with the Greek god Hera (Juno). It is
worth noting that one of Jason's companions was Heracles (Hercules in
Roman mythos).(See Puzzle 1: In The Beginning).

The tale of Joseph is an important part of Jewish scripture, as it marks one

of the many points at which Judaism began its spread in the world. However,
one important portion of the tale concerns the beginning, where Joseph's
father, Jacob, grants him alone out of his twelve brothers a beautiful,
colorful cloak. Out of jealousy, the brothers betrayed Joseph, and sold him
into slavery. The cloak is well known for being associated with Joseph's tale.

David and Goliath is another tale in Jewish scripture accounting a battle

between a young boy with little to no combat training and an immensely large
warrior. Despite all odds, David overcame Goliath without so much as a
scratch, and eventually went on to become king of the Hebrew nation, bringing
it into a brief golden age that it has never regained. In the picture, he is
depicted as wearing a bright red shirt. It is interesting to note that David's
King, Saul, offers him the use of his own armor, but David refused, using his
own cloth tunic instead.

The dual images of Jesus both depict him wearing a bright red cloak, defying
the conventional depiction of Jesus' cloak being a beautiful blue. However,
if the cloak were indeed to be the same as the Golden Fleece, it could be in
possession of the same healing powers. This would make sense, given that
several of Jesus' miracles include him healing the disabled, sick, dying, or
dead. The disrobing of Jesus is an important stage in the depiction of his
crucifixion, and if the message at the end of the puzzle is indeed correct,
then this may have been the ultimate purpose of Jesus' death. This might
also be the earliest depiction of the Templar in action.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #8: Martyrs
-----------------------------------

This puzzle is a simple Where's Waldo type puzzle, showing two images.

The first: Czar Nicholas II, Russia

There is binary code in the picture, which, when translated, says "17 July,
1918". This is Nicholas II date of death.
Searching the picture reveals his scepter is the Staff, Piece of Eden 34.
The second: Joan of Arc, France
There is binary in this picture as well. It says "30 May, 1431". This is also
her date of death.Searching the picture reveals her sword is the Piece of
Eden 25.

A pointer with the templar logo appears on a map.

Place Fire over Joan of Arc, and it shows her burning at the stake,
revealing the message "They took it".

Place a photo of Rasputin over Nicholas, and it shows the revolution, with a
red Templar cross overlaid, revealing the message "Rasputin took it to
Tunguska."

Subject 16 notes that without the staff, Nicholas could not control his
subjects, leading to the Russian revolution.

Interpretation: This ties the deaths of two historical figures into the mix.
Joan of Arc was mentioned before as having the sword, and the conspiracy to
have her executed seems that it may have been a Templar plot to get Piece of
Eden 25, the Sword. Whether this is the case or not, the Templar came into
possession of the Sword after her death.

The information on Czar Nicholas is a bit harder to discern. While it says

that Rasputin took it to Tunguska, it does not deliberately state that he
stole it from Nicholas. Rasputin was a close advisor and highly trusted by the
Czar. His status as a mystic, well versed in the ways of the spirits and
magic, might have led Nicholas to trust him with his "magic staff". Czar
Nicholas may not necessarily have been a good leader, but it seems he was
manipulated by the Templar as well.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #9: Hat-trick
-----------------------------------

A combination puzzle here, some Where's Waldo puzzles first, then a

deciphering puzzle.

First: They Made It Look Like An Accident

Houdini and Bess, 1915
Sliding templar symbol over Houdini's chest/abdomen reveals one of the apples,
with a heartbeat sound. It then shows Houdini's grave.

He Almost BEAT them.

Gandhi, 1946
The templar symbol over his chest reveals one of the apples.
It then shows Gandhi's funeral procession.
Dallas (Archive) file appears.

Subject 16 says: "The wolves are out hunting. Where, oh where, has Jack gone?"

When you solve the deciphering puzzle, a letter appears:

===================================
Operation: New Frontier

HQ has given the go-ahead to extract the resource. Negotiations are over. F is
planning to give the vote to everyone. Reason just doesn't work with someone
like that.

I'll send you the driver. We've trained him with PE2 in our labs, he shouldn't
be any trouble.

The motorcade route is marked below. Once the target has been downed, either
by Oswald or Z, use PE1 to stage a distraction. Make some kind of phantom
appear around this slope I've marked with an X. Freak people out. The driver
will grab PE3 in the confusion.
===================================

The bottom of the letter displays a later Templar logo, that looks similar to
a corporate logo, with the letters IHSV written on it.

Interpretation: The first half of this puzzle reinforces what Puzzle 3:

Descendents showed, which is that Houdini and Gandhi were in possession of
Apples and that the Templar engineered their deaths, likely to take the
Apples.

The second part indicates that the Templar were behind the assassination of
John F. Kennedy. It also sounds like JFK was in possession of Piece of Eden 3
at the time of the assassination. Lee Harvey Oswald and an unnamed "Z" sound
both to be Templar operatives, and were both gunmen present at the scene. The
grassy knoll, famous for having somehow been involved, seems merely to be a
red herring created by generating hallucinations with Piece of Eden 1. It also
sounds as if, by the end of the assassination, the Templar would be in control
of Pieces of Eden 1-3. One of the only relevant Z individuals tied to the
assassination is Abraham Zapruder, the famed individual who filmed the
assassination. (Pointed out Failbaddon)

The wording of the second sentence of the letter could mean two things. It
says "We've trained him with PE2". This could mean either than they have
trained him in the use of Piece of Eden 2, or that they have used Piece of
Eden 2 to "train" him to be effective and/or obedient. The latter would
indicate a new possibility; that the Templar can use a Piece of Eden to not
just make an obedient, mindless follower (think of the Masyaf populace at the
end of Assassin's Creed 1), but a functional, talented operative who will
mindlessly follow instructions.

The logo at the end, with the letters IHSV likely stands for "In Hoc Signa,
Vinces." This is Latin for By This Sign, Conquer, and the original Latin
phrase was a Templar motto.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #10: Apollo
-----------------------------------

An image of the moon appears in this Where's Waldo scanner puzzle. It is

labeled "FIND THE EAGLE".

A hidden code is on the moon in the Masonic script from Puzzle 3: Descendents.
It says:

JOHNSON WAS ONE OF THEM

THE BEES DRONE TOO
FOLLOW THE MONEY

The scanner detects the Apollo landing craft, which then zooms in and begins
a spinning puzzle.

Below the puzzle, a quote is written: With these formidable weapons, the
adversaries of freedom plan to consolidate their territory, the exploit, to
control, and finally to destroy. - JFK

After solving puzzle, a photo appears: Apollo 11 photograph released to the

public.

Scanning it reveals the image in negative, and the message at the top says,
when scanned "Original Unreleased Negative"

Scanning the American flag reveals the Abstergo logo.

Scanning the banner on the moon reveals a Templar standard banner.

Finally, scanning the ground in front of the astronaut reveals a Piece of

Eden. When scanned, it is IDed as "Piece of Eden 5, Apple". Subject 16
comments "With Jack deep underground, it was easy."

Interpretation: This one indicates that, for some reason, a Piece of Eden was
on the moon, and the mission to the moon was created to get it. JFK had been
a serious proponent for going to the moon, however, this decision was based
upon the recommendation of his Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson
would become president after JFK's assassination, and the moon landing
occurred soon after the end of his tenure as president. The hidden message,
along with two other cryptic lines, indicates that President Johnson was a
Templar. Subject 16's comment indicates that JFK was not a Templar, or might
have even been opposed to them. With him out of the way, and Johnson in
power, they engineered the retrieval of Piece of Eden 5 without opposition.

The images revealed by the scanner show that the entire mission wasn't even a
hidden Templar mission under the guise of an American mission. It WAS a
Templar mission, and the photos were doctored later to make it look like an
American mission. It is interesting to note that there is conspiracy theory
accusing the Freemasons of faking the moon landing. Given the information
revealed in Puzzle 3: Descendents, the theory is only half true. It is clear
that they were involved, but rather than fake the moon landing, they just
concealed its true purpose.

One interesting suggestion made to me by contributor Tyler Martin was that

"the bees drone" might refer to the name of Apollo astronaut "Buzz" Aldrin.
While a subtle and debatable reference, the possibility that "the droning
noise of a bee" or a "buzz" is a play on words indicating the astronaut on
the moon. However, what of Armstrong? Was he also a Templar, or was the
entire secret meaning of the mission hidden from him. If so, how was that
possible? It is important to point out, however, the "the bees drone" might
not refer to the sound, but a drone bee, though this indicates little as to
the meaning of the sentence.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #11: The Inventor
-----------------------------------

A letter appears instantly upon starting this puzzle.

===================================
The economic transmission of power without wires is of all-surpassing
importance to man.

By its mean he will gain complete mastery of the air, the sea and the desert.
It will enable him to dispense with the necessity of mining, pumping,
transporting and burning fuel and so do away with innumerable causes of sinful
waste. It will make the living glorious sun his obedient, toiling slave.

It will bring peace and harmony on Earth.

- Nikola Tesla
===================================

After a small pointer game, an image appears:

Nikola Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower, Under Construction. c. 1902

A number of quotes are hidden throughout the picture:

"Fights between individuals, as well as governments and nations, invariably

result from misunderstandings in the broadest interpretation of this term. -
Nikola Tesla"

"Money does not represent such a value as men have placed upon it. All my
money has been invested into experiments with which I have made new
discoveries enabling mankind to have a little easier life. - Nikola Tesla"

"Misunderstanding are always cause by the inability of appreciating one

another's point of view. The best way to dispel ignorance of the doings of
others is by a systematic spread of general knowledge. With this object in
view, it is most important to aid exchange of thoughts intercourse." -
Nikola Tesla

Scanning one of the upper windows leads to the next picture, one of arcing
lightning coursing through a room.

The image is labeled Nikola Tesla, c. 1900

A hidden image appears in the lightning. When deciphered, it says "HE USED
IT TO DEVELOP A BOTTOMLESS SOURCE OF ENERGY TELEFUNKEN
WIRELESS STATION".

Scanning Nikola Tesla's lap reveals an artifact, IDed as "Piece of Eden 4,

Apple".

Subject 16 says "He found it in Croatia. They would find it in his lab."

Interpretation: This one introduces a string of puzzles concerning Nikola

Tesla. The first two thirds of the puzzle demonstrate that Nikola Tesla
greatly valued technology and its advances, especially those of energy
transmission and the sharing of information for the purposes of education.
His philosophy on life seems to be that lack of communication, understanding,
or knowledge seems to be at the core of all major disputes, and that one can
reduce the risk of these disputes by improving these things.

The second image shows Nikola Tesla in a room with arcing electricity. In his
lap is an Apple, Piece of Eden 4. Subject 16 says he found it in Croatia,
where Tesla was born. The hidden message indicates he used the inherent
knowledge in the Apple to develop limitless energy, or the Apple itself
provided the energy. It also references Telefunken Wireless Station, the first
trans-Atlantic wireless station, which Tesla helped create. Subject 16s
comment that "They would find it in his lab" foreshadows what would be
revealed in the later puzzles, that the Templar took the Apple from him.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #12: Titans of Industry
-----------------------------------

A file called Edison appears. Opening it reveals a letter:

===================================
Dear Mr. Morgan:

A serious matter has come to my attention. Nikola Tesla plans to use PE4 to
create an information network across the entire world. And if that weren't bad
enough, he intends to allow access to it for free! Imagine the masses
spreading knowledge amongst themselves instantaneously. That would make
everything we intend to do much more difficult.

You must cut all funds for his experiments at once! In case you get cold feet,
I'll have you know he wants to make electricity free as well, thereby putting
us out of business.

I've already begun slandering Tesla in the press. Just reallocate his funding,
and I'll take care of PE4 myself.

Sincerely yours, Thomas A. Edison

===================================

A point and click game occurs, and as you complete it, it shows various
actions Edison took to slander Tesla, culminating in a real video of an
elephant being electrocuted to show that Tesla's energy was dangerous.

An image of Edison holding a glowing light appears.

Subject 16 says "He wanted everyone to know the secret. To set us all free.
They used it to drive him insane."

A hidden string of Morse code in the picture says "THEY USED IT TO MAKE TESLA
GO INSANE THE ORGANIZATION TOOK HIS RESEARCH ALIEN PROPERTY
CUSTODIAN OFFICE".

Scanning the glowing orb reveals a file labeled Ford. Opening it reveals a
letter:

===================================
Dear Mr. Edison,

I wanted to thank you for letting me make use of PE4 all these years. Among
several things, I was able to convince the workers I was raising their pay to
$5 a day, when in fact, I gave them a pay cut. But, I had to let PE4 go. As
per instructions, I've shipped it to Europe.

H. has it, so I assume the war will begin as soon as he can take over. We'll
let him have his fun (Lord knows, that kind of purge will be good for Europe)
and then end it with a bang, as planned. Out of the chaos of war a new order
will emerge! I've enclosed a picture from Florida of you, me and Firestone. We
should attempt to spend more time on the golf course this summer.

Yours, Henry Ford

===================================

Interpretation: At this point, it becomes clear that the slander of Tesla by

Edison fueled by a Templar initiative, of which J.P. Morgan, Thomas Edison and
Henry Ford are all members of. In addition to their regular drive to attain
any Pieces of Eden they can get their hands on, Tesla represents a triple-
pronged assault on their belief of what the world should be like. He intends
to allow limitless and instantaneous transmission of information, he intends
to offer it for free, and he intends to make electricity free as well, thereby
undercutting the Templar's control of information and one of their sources
of income.

They instituted a dual assault on Tesla; Morgan cutting off his finances and
urging other investors to avoid Tesla, and Edison publicly ruining Tesla's
image. Without money and without people backing him, his finances fell apart.
Further troubling this was that he had a number of mental issues including
depression and eccentric behavior. The puzzle implies that this was a third
method of reducing the threat of Tesla, by using the Piece of Eden to unsettle
his mind.

The second letter reveals an even more catastrophic turn of events. Henry
Ford used the Piece of Eden 4 to manipulate his employees into happily
accepting pay cuts. After he was done with it, he sent it to Europe to H.
(Definitely revealed to be Hitler in Puzzle 17: The Bunker), knowing full
well that Hitler intended to begin a purge and takeover of Europe. This means
not only that Hitler was a Templar, but that the Templar order supported
World War II's existence, and engineered the entire thing. The Piece of Eden,
as often used in other situations, would be used to manipulate people,
allowing his takeover of Germany and the creation of his army. The icing on
the cake is that in the same paragraph as talking about deliberately causing
the largest loss of human life in the world's history, they talk about
playing golf. This provides very good insight into how far the Templar are
willing to go to accomplish their means, and how little they care for the
loss of life in the process.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #13: I am become death, the destroy of worlds.
-----------------------------------

A file labeled Trinity appears, unlocking it reveals the following letter:

===================================
Abstergo Corporation

Subject: Test Authorization

There comes a time in the life of every experiment when we must test our
results outside, in the world. I do not relish a successful outcome, but one
is essential if we are to begin the foundations of a new world order.

Global security and prosperity depend on a steady hand guiding the populace,
a hand that will not falter under the weight of conscience. Give O. the
authorization.

I believe that history will vindicate us in the end.

Signed with the Templar logo.

===================================

Pressing a button after the letter shows an atomic bomb go off.

Interpretation: This one is not particularly full of hidden meaning, however,

it shows very soundly that the Templar were responsible for the development
of the atomic bomb. It may be likely that O (Oppenheimer, the most significant
creator of the atomic bomb) is a Templar, or at least a pawn of the Templar.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #14: Bloodlines
-----------------------------------

A matching image puzzle appears, with the following clue: The Seeds Were
Planted As Two Worlds Became One. Behold, the Assassins, the Children of Two
Worlds!

Danae Visited By Zeus

Jupiter and Io
Leda and the Swan
Cupid and Psyche
Rape of Europa

Upon selecting these five, depicting a human and a god mating, an Assassin
Symbol is shown.

Interpretation: A very brief puzzle, but exceptionally full of hidden clues.

In Assassin's Creed 1, the implication was made that Eagle Vision was merely
a talent, taught by the Assassin Order. However, it is clear further in
history, that this is a gift that only a few possess. The only individuals
we know of who possess it are Desmond, Ezio, and Altair, and they share a
common bloodline. Altair and Ezio are also far more skilled than other
assassins in their respective era, putting some level of significance in
them that cannot just be coincidence.

This puzzle indicates that Assassins are, if possible, some sort of cross-
breed between the Ones Who Came Before and humans. This grants them a few
advanced abilities, but not the longevity or other unknown powers possessed
by the Ones Who Came Before. It is also possible that this is what grants
Altair his immunity to the mind control of the Piece of Eden. While purely
physical effects such as immobilization or temporary duplication still come
into effect, the neural pathways transmitting the mind control
neurotransmitter are not present. Perhaps it is possible that they are just
less effective, as Altair still was susceptible to illusions, and it took him
decades to try and destroy the Piece of Eden (inability to destroy the
controlling Piece of Eden would be an intelligent inclusion when controlling
hordes of enslaved humans). Either way, this puts a whole new spin on the
many myths mentioned earlier in the puzzles concerning half-god individuals.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #15: Guardians
-----------------------------------

The Death Of All Tyrants Will Set The People Free (Shows Assassin Symbol)

Image of the world shows the following names:

Joseph Stalin
Rasputin
Mary I of England
Tomas De Torquemada
Cleopatra
Francois Duvalier
Francisco Pizarro
John Wilkes Booth
Many of these individuals were cruel leaders in their respective countries.
Some of them merely commit gross atrocities, including genocide or
persecution. Cleopatra herself was one of the targets of one of the six
Assassins in the Assassin's tomb, Iltani.

Interestingly, one individual does not fit with the rest. John Wilkes Booth,
while certainly responsible for what many would consider an "atrocious" act
in assassinating Abraham Lincoln, was the only of these individuals who does
not fit the description of tyrant. Despite being a popular actor, Wilkes Booth
was effectively little more than an opponent of a political change with no
financial backing, and little more than a few accomplices for support. In
other words, aside from one act, he did not have a reputation, and no history
book would ever describe him as a tyrant, or even a shadow ruler (like
Rasputin may have been).

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #16: The Cavalry
-----------------------------------

The puzzle begins with a letter:

====================
Nikola,

We know what they have done to your lab, to your career. It may be too late
to set things right, but you can help prevent something far worse. They have
taken an object from the Czar, and are conducting experiments in Tunguska to
figure out how to use it. Before they do, we must take it from them, or the
world will be in danger. We do not ask you to risk your life, just that, when
the time comes, you use your electricity to destroy the object.

Regardless of your decision, know that we admire your work greatly and will
bear you no ill will.

We respect your freedom above all else.

=====================

A map appears. When you put the Assassin symbol over the word Tunguska, a
picture of the Staff over the Abstergo logo appears. When touched with the
logo and a picture, it shows an immense explosion.

Interpretation: Whether Tesla and the Assassins were involved with each
other regularly cannot be seen, but at the very least, they contacted him
and asked him to help them in their endeavor against the Templar. The letter
echoes that expressed in Puzzle 8: Martyrs, that the Staff, Piece of Eden 34,
ended up in Tunguska under the control of the Templar. It is worth noting
that the Assassins show a great deal of respect for Tesla, and even more
respect for his right not to help them, if he were to choose not to.

However, the Tunguska event did happen. For those not familiar with this
event, it was a phenomenal explosion that occurred in northern Russia in
1908. It was far larger than the explosions caused by the atomic bombs
dropped on Japan in World War II, however, it was non-nuclear, and did not
cause radioactive fallout. It was also in such a secluded area that no one is
known to have been killed by it, but it was seen by many, for thousands of
miles around. It is unknown how it was caused, and many theories have arisen.
One of the less commonly believed theories is that Nikola Tesla test-fired a
weapon he had been developing, and that it caused Tunguska. Nikola Tesla
had spent many years developing wireless energy, and theorized that by the
same means wireless energy could be accomplished, the same energy could be
used as a long range weapon, theoretically striking anywhere on Earth.
He supposedly test-fired the weapon at the same time as the Tunguska event,
but because the event was kept under wraps by the Russian government, little
information got out for several years, and the test-firing was a "failure".
This letter would imply it was not a failure at all, or a test-fire. That
the Assassins asked him to use "his electricity", it is even more evident
that this is the case.

Theoretically, if the explosion was successful, the Staff should be destroyed.

It is not shown in the ownership of any individuals after this point in time,
nor does Abstergo reference its existence post 1908. However, in Assassin's
Creed 1, an email did say that the destruction of an artifact by an Assassin
agent cause the Tunguska event, and that a survivor was being sought so that
they could use the Animus to examine the situation.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #17: The Bunker
-----------------------------------

A file labeled WWII appears. When opened, a letter appears.

===================================
Abstergo Corporation, May 02, 1945

The war is over, and we are in control, as planned. But a slight concern has
arisen. I received word from our agents in Berlin. H. was supposed to execute
his double inside the bunker and meet C. at the rendezvous point with the
Piece of Eden.

It's been three days and he still hasn't appeared. Something must have gone
awry. Please send instructions.
===================================

An image of Hitler's bunker appears. A message above it says: "We watched

the exit from above. He didn't see us coming."

Subject 16 angrily comments on the picture "They engineered the war, they
engineered the peace. But they weren't going to get away with it. Find our
mark."

A hidden message exists in the picture that says: The Double Was Killed In
the Bunker

A hidden Assassin's logo is on the building. The building is later showed

destroyed, the same logo still visible.

Interpretation: This puzzle indicates that the Templar succeeded in their

goal of gaining control over more of the world than prior to the war. As
Subject 16 says, they started the war, and they ended it. The sole purpose
of the war was to shift the power, and allow them to gain a better foothold
in the world's governments. It had nothing to do with any of the other
factors of the war. However, the Assassins seem to resurface once again in
an attempt to hinder them. Hitler has not appeared to me with C (possibly
Churchill), and this is of some concern to the Templar, as he also had Piece
of Eden 4. Based on the letter, the label on the picture, and the hidden
message, two possibilities occur.

Scenario A) The double was killed in the bunker, Hitler left the bunker, and
was killed from above by the Assassins. The Assassins claimed Piece of Eden
4.

Scenario B) The double was killed in the bunker by the Assassins mistaking
him for Hitler, striking from above as he left the door. Somehow, they did
not realize that had Hitler escaped. However, if he does not return to the
Templar, this means he likely went rogue, possibly with Piece of Eden 4 in
tow.

In Scenario A, the Assassins now have two successful victories against the
Templar; The destruction of the Staff at Tunguska, and the killing of a high
ranking Templar official and procuring Piece of Eden 4, putting the Templar
down 2 Pieces of Eden. Either way, despite their success with the war, the
Templar did not come out unscathed, as either way, they are missing an
Apple.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #18: Synapses
-----------------------------------
A Medical file appears, with the following letter inside:

===================================
Biological Frontier

Issue 1, January 2012

The scientific community is abuzz as the results of a new neurological study

were made public today. What seemed to be big news in itself - that Dr. Yije
We and Dr. P. J. Traunero had discovered a new neurotransmitter - turned out
to be just the tip of the iceberg.

To quote Dr. Wu "Using a prototype Dmri machine, we've been able to examine
the contents of an actual neuron using living tissue. We've found a
substance that appears to be an undiscovered neurotransmitter."

"Here's where it gets crazy. To test our findings, we subjected the neuron
to all kinds of stimuli, but we couldn't get it to release the transmitter.
So, we've discovered an entire mechanism: there are vesicles filled with
neurotransmitter lying dormant and corresponding ion channels, all for no
discernable purpose."

Expressing bafflement that natural selection would create an unnecessary

neurotransmitter, Wu and Traunero searched for a predecessor in other
species, with no luck.

"Whatever this bugger is used for, it evolved in humans." Traunero told the
press.
===================================

A minigame has you highlight neuron synapses (the space between one neuron
and another, where information is relayed) with an icon. Upon highlighting
the last, the icon turns into a PoE apple.

Interpretation: Knowing what we would know from beating the game (That the
Ones Who Came Before created humans, and that we were created to be
obedient), this puzzle reveals information that is not particularly
surprising. The Pieces of Eden function within the laws of logic, physics,
and reality. Their function of mind control merely works on a level that
only modern technology can comprehend: Humans, engineered down to every
detail by the Ones Who Came Before, were designed with a genetic control
collar. An otherwise inactive neural pathway is designed to respond ONLY
to a signal emitted by the Pieces of Eden. The Pieces of Eden use this
neural pathway to control, manipulate, or cause hallucinations in humans.
This, of course, cannot be resisted, because it is a physical manipulation
of the function of the brain. However, Al Mualim of Assassin's Creed 1
expresses interest in how Altair resists the Apple's influence. This may
be due to a few possibilities. (See Speculation).

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #19: The Fourth Day
-----------------------------------

At the beginning of this puzzle, Subject 16 says "The End. Almost the End.
It happened before. The pieces were once part of a whole."

Once worshipped, now ignored, from a distance it watched and waits.

Nazca Textile
Book of the Dead (portraying Ra)
Sistine Chapel Fresco
Aztec Calender Stone
The Eastern Gate

Five images are amongst the ten, each of which depict an image of the sun.
Matching them reveals an image of the sun. An extremely small dot against
the sun is revealed by the scanner to be the Earth.

Four messages are displayed against the sun:

1. They died in the fire from the heavens.

2. Toba, 75ka was not a volcano

3. Near the day of purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth
in the sky. - Hopi

4. A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could
burn the land and boil the oceans. - Hopi

Interpretation: If the explanation of Minerva and Lucy at the end of the

game weren't enough to indicate that the sun was the culprit behind the first
"end of the world", then this one is. Subject 16 starts by saying the end had
nearly happened before. Afterwards, he says that the pieces were part of a
whole. This may indicate that the Pieces of Eden are paramount to preventing
or alleviating the catastrophe should it occur a second time.

The portion about the sun being worshipped as a God is interesting. It is

personified, given traits such as being able to watch and wait. However, it
is unlikely that the sun itself is sentient in this manner, although it was
indeed worshipped as a God by many cultures, several of which are displayed
amongst the five pictures. Most important is the inclusion of the word
"waits", indicating that something will happen in the future with the sun.
The part where it shows how small the Earth is compared to the sun is
important, demonstrating how miniscule the Earth really is. If something
extreme were to happen with the sun, it would not be at all unreasonable
to think it could utterly devastate Earth.

The four messages on the sun contain cryptic information. Two of them are
quotes from a Hopi prophecy, describing catastrophic events involving the
sky, and what sounds like smoke/clouds/ash. One of them, "They died in the
fire from the heavens" seems to resonate with what we know of the Ones Who
Came Before. The fourth has, potentially, the most hidden meaning. Toba, 75ka
stands for a gigantic eruption that occurred 75,000 years ago. This eruption
has been detected by examining the layers of dirt under the earth. At this
time, there is a thick layer of ash, found in many parts of the world, with
a layer 15 centimeters thick covering the entirety of India. All evidence
indicates that it was what is called a "mega-colossal" volcanic eruption.
The passage in this puzzle indicates otherwise.

-----------------------------------
Puzzle #20: The Origin of the Species
-----------------------------------

An image of God holding a sphere appears, labeled "It Has Been Hidden,
Altered."

Open Your Eyes.

In the image, Jesus wields a sword and wears a red cloak, which glow under
the scan. A staff leans against a sheep, which also glows. As does a sphere
that is in God's hand. When scanning the eye above, Leonardo's Virtruvian Man
appears. This ends the image.

A file called Missing Link appears. The following letter is inside:

===================================
Abstergo Corporation

January 3, 1997

I'm writing in response to your concerns about the rising alarm in the press
and the scientific community. The lack of a transitional ancestor from
archaic hominids to modern mankind (Homo Sapiens) is no longer safe. As you
wrote, we have to act.

We can't let the truth get out, they'll find out about the artifacts. It will
cause too much disruption, too much chaos. Bury our constructed skeletons near
Tim White's expedition in Ethiopia. We'll give them their missing link.

The birth of humanity. The truth makes me sick.

Signed with the Templar logo.

===================================

A cursor with the Apple allows you to shift an ape skeleton into a human
skeleton.

Interpretation: This letter seems to confirm that what Minerva said is true;
humans were created. However, it seems as if we were not created from
scratch, rather, we went through vastly accelerated evolution at the hands
of the Ones Who Came Before, possibly, with the use of an Apple Piece of
Eden. An interesting note is that the image you have to find to progress is
that of Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man sketch. The concept behind this
image is that the proportions of the human body are very structured and
organized, that the length of X body part will be equal to Y body part. In
other words, the human body seems designed by an intelligent mind with a
respect for symmetry and mathematics.

This letter also shows that the Templar, at least the ones in the present,
are not entirely unaware of what has happened in the past, and the reality
of the Ones Who Came Before and our origins. To keep this truth (and the
artifacts) safe from prying eyes, they created fake skeletons and planted
them, leading to a scientific discovery of "proof" of human evolution from
apes. The same knowledge seems, at least, to disgust the Templar writing
the letter.

-----------------------------------
The Truth (video):
-----------------------------------

The video, as important as it is, is relatively brief in its scope, but its
implications are tremendous. A brief summary is in order:

Two humans, one male and one female, garbed in suits that are shiny,
skintight, flesh colored and adorned with a few markings, run quickly through
a smooth stone structure, surrounded by trees and foliage. They run to a
door, which slides open of its own volition. The interior is full of metal
scaffolding, and the two make a variety of extremely agile and acrobatic
maneuvers to climb to the top. The male bashes out a thick window with an
elbow. The climb up the outside of the building, stopping briefly to look
inside: there are workers, hammering and hauling boxes, as a conveyor belt
runs in the background, flames roaring behind them. Standing closest to the
window is a dark figure, facing away towards the workers, holding a Piece
of Eden Apple in his/her hand. Once they reach the top, the camera pans out,
displaying a strangely shaped skyscraper, which they are on top of. The
female turns to the male and holds out her hand: in it is a Piece of Eden
Apple. She says "Adam, I have it!" The male, Adam, turns to look towards
the camera, and panicked, says "Eve!" The screen fades to black, displaying
a patch of binary code. Eve yells "LOOK OUT!" and the video ends.
The binary says "EDEN"

The video shows, that like many things in Assassin's Creed, myths are not
necessarily fabricated, but merely a fragment of the truth. Adam and Eve do
not seem to be the first humans, merely a pair of humans who seem to have
done something very brave or very stupid: steal a powerful artifact from their
creators. Those Who Came Before seemed to have ingrained in humans a neural
pathway for servitude in the presence of Pieces of Eden. How these two
resisted could be a few things. First, it could be that once they had the
Piece of Eden, they were not susceptible to its suppression. Second, based on
the agile movements and jumps, similar to Altair and Ezio's, they could be
more than human; they could be Assassins . . . or at least, the genetic
offshoot of half-human, half-TWCB (Those Who Came Before). This may have
granted them sufficient resistance to steal the artifact and escape, although
it seems that they are not out of trouble yet, given their speech at the end.

*******************************

IV. Codex Script and Interpretation - Incomplete

The following are the text scripts of the 30 codex pages in the game.
Cryptic clues left by Altair hint at his actions after the first game, and
some tie in strongly with the implications of the puzzles and the plot. Some
of them are merely pictures, so I have attempted to briefly describe the
pictures in text, but that is all I can do for them.

-----------------------------------
Page 1
-----------------------------------

I have spent days with the artifact now. Or has it been weeks? Months? I can
no longer be certain . . .

The others come from time to time - offering food or distraction. They say I
should separate myself from these studies . . . Malik has even suggested I
abandon them entirely. But I am not yet ready to turn away. This Apple of
Eden will be understood. It must be . . .

Is it a weapon? Is it a catalogue? Is it somehow both? "He who increaseth

knowledge, increaseth sorrow . . ." The philosophy of such a statement I can
understand . . . But for it to be true - literally true? A society that
waged wars with ideas and information in place of steel and swords . . .

Its function is simple. Elementary, even. Dominion. Control. But the process
. . . the methods and means it employs . . . THESE are fascinating. Those
subjected to its glow are promised all that they desire. It asks only one
thing in return: complete and total obedience. And who can truly refuse? It
is temptation incarnate.

I remember my own moment of weakness when confronted by Al Mualim, my

confidence shaken by his words. He, who had been like a father, was revealed
to be my greatest enemy. Just the briefest flicker of doubt was all he
needed to creep into my mind. But I vanquished his phantoms - restored my
self confidence - and sent him from this world. I freed myself. But now I
wonder . . . Did I really? For here I sit - desperate to understand that
which I swore to destroy.

This is why: The Apple has a tale to tell. I sense the flickers of something
- great and dangerous . . . We are all at risk. It is my duty to do something
about it. I must not - cannot - turn away until I've found the truth.

Interpretation: If one thinks of this in a direct timeline including the end

of Assassin's Creed 1, Altair's treatment of the the Apple reminds me of one
thing: the corrupting influence of The One Ring of Lord of the Rings. Not
implying there is a connection, but it seems a good template to understand
the Apple by. Altair, having sword to destroy the Apple, finds himself
confronted by it and unable to carry out its destruction, seemingly to his
own horror, as if it literally had some sort of influence upon him.
Immediately after, Altair enters into a period of intense study,
uninterrupted by food or anything else, pouring his life into understanding
the Apple and its method of function. Altair himself muses upon how he
seems unable to resist the temptation of that which he sought to destroy.
The influence the Apple may have upon its users may very well be similar
to what The One Ring had upon its users, and this gives strong insight to
what "possessing" an Piece of Eden is like.

While we know from Puzzle 18 that the Piece of Eden functionally controls
humans through a specialized neural pathway, there was no discussion of the
experience of the victim. If Altair's words are to be taken at face value,
the Piece of Eden functions, emotionally, in this manner: The target becomes
convinced that by giving in to the Piece of Eden, all of their desires and
wishes would come true, as long as they are completely subservient to the
Piece of Eden. Of course, none of these desires and wishes will ever come
to fruition through this, but the Piece of Eden can convince them of such.
It is possible that, aside from rare flukes such as Altair and Ezio,
"resisting" a Piece of Eden is impossible. There is willpower and there is
strength of mind, but neurotransmitters and neurons are the bread and butter
of brain function. There is only so much that can be done to resist if one's
own brain betrays you.

-----------------------------------
Page 2
-----------------------------------

The second page is an image of Templars and Assassins on a battlefield. It

is difficult to tell by the image, but the Assassins seem to be either in
combat or dead.

Interpretation: I can see little significance in this image, aside from

Altair merely depicting recent events on paper.

-----------------------------------
Page 3
-----------------------------------

The third page is an image showing the construction blueprints for a hidden
blade.

Interpretation: Of course, blueprints are certainly something worth

recording, but I can find no hidden meaning in this picture.

-----------------------------------
Page 4
-----------------------------------

What follows are the three great ironies of the Assassin Order: (1) Here we
seek to promote peace, but murder is our means. (2) Here we seek to open the
minds of men, but require obedience to a master and a set of rules. (3) Here
we seek to reveal the danger of blind faith, yet we are practitioners
ourselves.

I have no satisfactory answer to these charges, only possibilities . . . Do

we bend the rules in service to a greater good? And if we do, what does it
say of us? That we are liars? That we are frauds? That we are weak? Every
moment is spent wrestling with these contradictions and in spite of all the
years I've had to reflect, still I can find no suitable answer . . . And I
fear that one may not exist.

Nothing is true. Everything is permitted. Does out creed provide the answer,
then? That one may be two things - opposite in every way - simultaneously?
And why not? Am I not proof? We of noble intentions, possessed of barbaric
means? We who celebrate the sanctity of life and then promptly take it from
those we deem our enemies?

Interpretation: It is at this point that Altair realizes that flaws and

sacrifices that must be made in the existance of the Assassin order. At the
end of the entry, he can provide no satisfactory explanation, but based on
his later entries, I believe he makes an effort to address some of them,
as he reduces certain traditions and rules that serve little logical
purpose, freeing the Assassins from some of the oppressing set in place by
Al Mualim.

-----------------------------------
Page 5
-----------------------------------

Who were The Ones That Came Before? What brought them here? How long ago?
Centuries? Millenia? Longer still? So little remains of them . . . What
drove them out? What of these artifacts? Messages in a bottle? Tools left
behind to aid and guide us? Or do we fight for control over their refuse,
giving divine purpose and meaning to little more than discarded toys?

Interpretation: At this point in the game, The Ones That Came Before are
still unknown to us. It seems at this point that Altair knows no more about
them than we (the players) do. He suggests several valid points, however.
The idea of the Artifacts as a symbol of their intention (not to mention
the stored knowledge) may very well be a message for humanity. Tools left
over to aid and guide us follows a similar reasonability, as Those Who Came
Before did seem willing to allow us to inherit their legacy. Yet at the
same time, his final theory carries significance as well; as powerful as
the Pieces of Eden are, they may have been of somewhat everyday use for
Those Who Came Before, rather than objects of power.

-----------------------------------
Page 6
-----------------------------------

Robert de Sable may be dead, but his brotherhood survives. Though less
conspicuous in appearance, I fear they remain a threat. Where once they
proudly walked the streets - making for easier targets - now they retreat
into the shadows. It grows difficult to track them. What wicked things will
they weave in the darkness? Our work will be all the more complicated for it.
Already there are rumors of a movement on Cyprus. I will have to investigate.

It's made me realize that our tactics, too, must change. It means an end to
our fortresses. To our penchant for spectacular displays of public
assassinations. We must weave our webs quietly. And we must do so
differently than we have in the past.

Though I ask my brothers now to abandon their rituals, I do not ask that
they abandon the creed. THIS is what makes us assassins. Not the removal of a
finger. Not a false promise of paradise. Not the prohibition of poison. Our
duty is to the people, not to custom. If we must sneak, we shall sneak. If we
must use poison, we shall use poison. If our blades can be used without
removing fingers, we shall not demand they be taken. And we shall not
manipulate our initiates with lies and parlor tricks. We shall speak plainly
and honestly. We shall be made anew.

Interpretation: Altair realizes now that the Templar were unable to compete
with the Assassins in face to face combat, forcing the Templar to break with
tradition and go underground. Altair, a man who now follows logic rather
than arrogant pride (as he did at the beginning of Assassin's Creed 1)
recognizes that the only way to combat this is to follow suit. To this end,
he changes the behaviors of the Assassins, but also realizes that it is the
Creed that binds them, not the customs. He then lists a number of rituals of
the Assassins, and gives insight into a few aspects of the Assassin order
not mentioned in the game.

The Assassins are based upon the real world counterpart, the Hashshashin, an
organization in many ways similar to the Assassins. Rumors were just as
common as the facts, but one aspect of their society concerned their
initiation. While highly speculative and based in myth, it is worth
mentioning. According to the rumors, the Hashshashin, when recruiting,
would drug their initiates in a way that would cause them to think they
were dying. Upon awakening, they would find themselves in a beautiful
garden in the Hashshashin fortress, still drugged and delirious, but fed
delicious food and wine by beautiful women (virgins, apparently, and you
know how our earlier civilizations were about virgins). Convinced by the
people there that this was, in fact, heaven, they would come to enjoy their
new found paradise (keep in mind, this garden was a bit out of the ordinary,
as this was the in the desert.)

While in this state, the leader, Hassan-i Sabbah (a real life counterpart of
Al Mualim) would convince the initiate that he was God or a representative of
God, and that the new assassin needed to follow his every command, so that
they could return and live in paradise forever in this mock up of heaven.
This would add a religious slant to the mission of the assassins, increasing
their devotion and zealousness to the cause.

This was not spelled out in the original Assassin's Creed. However, in the
back of Masayf, there was a large garden, more lush than any other in the
Assassin's Creed 1 world, filled with somewhat scantily clad dancing women.
This seems to fit the bill here.
Now, consider Altair's two lines: "Not a false promise of paradise." as well
as "And we shall not manipulate our initiates with lies and parlor tricks."
Altair seems to acknowledge these real world rumors as being true in the in
game Assassin order, and simultaneously dismisses them as unnecessary and
deceptive, showing Altair's leadership style to be very different from Al
Mualim (Al Mualim, a Templar at heart, kept with him his beliefs in
controlling his people through deception and lies). This gives more insight
into the real world and in game Assassin's Orders.

-----------------------------------
Page 7
-----------------------------------

I had thought Adha would be the one to lead me to rest, that I might lay
down my blade and live as a normal man. But now I know such dreams are best
left to sleep . . .

Her face. I try to banish it from my mind as I remember the days and nights
during which I chased her Templar captors across the sea. I almost got to
them in time. Almost. If I had only been faster. Instead, I held her lifeless
body in my arms - saw the terror reflected in her fixed, unblinking eyes . . .

I hunted each man - one by one - until all responsible were gone from this
world. But there was no joy in this. No satisfaction or release. Their deaths
did not bring her back. Did not heal my wounds. After that, I was certain I
would never again feel for a woman as I had for her.

I am fortunate to have been wrong.

Interpretation: This gives us insight into the ultimate fate of Adha. Adha
is an individual many Assassin's Creed players may not know. She was
mentioned one time, and only once, in Assassin's Creed 1 by an informant
who knew Altair well, saying something along the lines of "Have you heard
word of Adha? No, well, I'm sure you will find her one day". Adha was
revealed in the Nintendo DS version of Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles
to be a human with powers similar in some ways to the Pieces of Eden. While
not explicitly said, it may even be possible she was somehow a human
embodiment of one. While Altair's original mission was to retrieve this
artifact, known to him initially as "The Chalice", he realized it was a
person and actually fell for her. At the end of the game, the Templar
escaped with her, and he swore to track her down, and we never found out
what happened.

Well, now we know it did not quite end well. Altair, an otherwise emotionless
and cold man, seems to be quite traumatized by the loss of this woman, and
it opens up more ability to sympathize with him emotionally.

-----------------------------------
Page 8
-----------------------------------

Why do our instincts insist on violence? I have studied the interactions

between different species. The innate desire to survive seems to demand the
death of the other. Why can they not stand hand in hand? So many believe the
world was created by the hand of a divine power - but I only see the designs
of a madman, bent on celebrating destruction and desperation. Our origins
seem chaotic. Unintended. Purpose and being instilled solely by the passage
of time. Imposed first by nature - and later men . . .

Interpretation: Altair thinks philosophically on the nature of violence and

the violence of nature (I didn't even do that intentionally). While what he
says is not particularly relevant, it does tie into one fact; Minerva states
that humans, built in the image of Those Who Came Before, shared at least one
major trait with their masters: A desire for war. While it is a bit of
circular reasoning, the answer to Altair's question is thus: Our instincts
for violence exist because we were created in the image of a species with
the same instinct for violence. We were designed that way.

Altair then dismisses such designed as insane, but it is worth noting that
following the apocalypse, Minerva stated that the two races were able to put
aside their differences and work together in peace. So while Altair is
correct, that humanity's creators were no more enlightened than humanity in
this regard, both species were able to rise above it in a time of need. I
am sure this would have been of some comfort to him.

-----------------------------------
Page 9
-----------------------------------

Over time, and sentence uttered long and loud enough becomes fixed. Becomes
a truth. Provided, of course, you can outlast the dissent and silence your
opponents. But should you succeed - and remove all challengers - then what
remains is, by default, now true.

Is it truth in some objective sense? No. But how does one ever achieve an
objective point of view? The answer is you don't. It is literally,
physically impossible. There are too many variables. Too many fields and
formulae to consider. We can try, of course. We can inch closer and closer
to a revelation. But we'll never reach it. Not ever . . .

And so I have realized, that so long as The Templar exist, they will attempt
to bend reality to their will. They recognize there is no such thing as an
absolutely truth - or if there is - we are hopelessly underequipped to
recognize it. And so in its place, they seek to create their own explanation.
It is the guiding principle of their so-named "New World Order"; To reshape
existence in their own image. It is not about artifacts. Not about men. These
are merely tools. It's about concepts. Clever of them. For how does one wage
war against a concept?

It is the perfect weapon. It lacks a physical form yet can alter the world
around us in numerous, often violent ways. You cannot kill a creed. Even if
you kill all of its adherents, destroy all of its writings - these are a
reprieve at best. Some one, some day, will rediscover it. Reinvent it. I
believe that even we, the Assassins, have simple re-discovered an Order that
predates the Old Man himself . . .

Interpretation: Altair's description of concepts, objectivity, truth and the

like is very interesting to be sure, but potentially the most important
sentence in this entry his is suggestion that the Assassin Order itself is
an idea that has existed long before Al Mualim founded it. Given the presence
of Assassins in the Assassin Sanctuary from before Altair's time, this is
likely, even more likely in consideration of the fact that the Assassin Order
may have drawn its origins from the Assassin Bloodline (See Speculation on
Assassins for more)

-----------------------------------
Page 10
-----------------------------------

The tenth page is an image of a man in priestly clothing, with a glowing

halo, preaching and reaching out to the masses. Above, three images exist;
on the left, an apple (the fruit) and on the right, a mechanical device.
In between them is an apple (the fruit) with the mechanical lines overlaying
it, symbolizing the Apple (the Piece of Eden)

Interpretation: This image seems to depict the control granted to a human by

a Piece of Eden, with an interesting artistic depiction of the Piece of Eden
as a combination of fruit and machine (though the true Piece of Eden Apple is
nothing like a fruit). However, given the presence of actual Golden Apples
of Power in mythology, this implies the connection may be more literal.

-----------------------------------
Page 11
-----------------------------------

Attis. Dionysus. Horus. Krishna. Mithra. Jesus. Simlilar stories color their
lives. Too similar, I think. Divine birthright. Persecution. Disciples.
Miraculous acts. Resurrection . . .

How is it possible?

Perhaps it isn't . . . merely a single story told over the ages? Borrowed
then changed to fit the times? Evolving as our tools and language do? Is this
tale borne of fact or fiction? A bit of both? Could these figures be the same
person - their life extended and transformed by a Piece of Eden?

Al Mualim spoke of Jesus as a real person - a mortal who had mastered the
arts of manipulation. But what if he was wrong? If these men are real - and
if they have walked amongst us many times before - does it means they'll come
again? Perhaps they are here now? So many questions, and every day, even
more . . .

Interpretation: Altair discusses a myriad of possibilities regarding several

ancient mythological figures. With our knowledge shown in the Puzzles,
implying the presence of a Piece of Eden at play in many myths, the reality
of these stores may be far more simpler than Altair can imagine (especially
since it seems Jesus possessed the Shroud, Piece of Eden 66).

However, in the last paragraph, Altair considers the possibility that these
individuals, at some level, were still more than human. He almost seems to
indicate that they may have been related to Those Who Came Before, as
superhuman beings walking the Earth in the form of man. Another possibility
to consider, certainly.

-----------------------------------
Page 12
-----------------------------------

The twelvth page seems to be a depiction of the solar system.

Interpretation: Altair draws the solar system in a fairly advanced manner,

seemingly unrelated to his other pages. Is this an image granted to him by
the Piece of Eden? Its certainly possible.

-----------------------------------
Page 13
-----------------------------------

The Hidden Blade has been a constant companion of ours over the years. Some
would even say it defines us - and they would not be entirely wrong. Many of
our successes would not have been possible without it. Still, the device has
begun to show its age - and so I have been researching improvements beyond
ending the need to remove one's finger to weild it.
The first is the addition of a metal plate that can be used to deflect
incoming blows. The other Assassins believe it is forged of a new metal -
and credit me with the discovery of the formulae (included on this page).
It is better that they not know the truth.

I have also worked with Malik to describe new methods of assassination: from
on high, from ledges, and from hiding places. Basic movements, but critical
nonetheless.

The third and final improvement is the most simple - the provision of a
second blade - identical in every way to the first. Should an Assassin ever
find himself tasked with dispatching two targets, he need only time his
strike in such a way that he might reach both at the same time. These blades
will be limited in number since the metals with which we forge them remain
difficult to obtain. I will need to think carefully about who shall be
allowed to carry two . . .

(This page includes an image of a dual-wielding assassin, dispatching

enemies from a variety of complex directions, as well as the construction
of the new blade cover)

Interpretation: Altair finally seems to have taken time away from his self-
absorbed research into the Piece of Eden to further the goals and technology
of the Assassins, starting with enhancements to the Hidden Blade. It is
revealed he has already changed the law dictating the removal of a finger
for the sake of the hidden blade, so he is true to his intentions to grant
greater freedom to the Assassins.

It is also revealed at this time (possibly years after the original

Assassin's Creed) that Malik, who once hated him, now possibly his closest
confidant, is still with the order, alive and contributing. The entry also
shows that he has developed enhanced technology, and is secretive about the
source of the knowledge (based on his later entries, it is likely he found
the knowledge by using the Piece of Eden.)

-----------------------------------
Page 14
-----------------------------------

Man seeks dominion over all that he encounters. I suppose it is a natural

tendency for us to aspire towards mastery of our surroundings. But this
should not include other human beings. Every day more and more are pressed
into service - by deception or by force. Others, though not so firmly
imprisoned, are made to feel as if their lives are worthless. I have seen
the ways in which men persecute women. Heard the cruel words hurled at those
who come from other lands. Watched as those who believe or act differently
are made to suffer . . .

We discuss such things often - watching as we do from the spires of Masyaf.

What can be done to stop this? To encourage tolerance and equality? Some
days we speak of education, believing that knowledge will free us from
immorality. But as I walk to streets and see slaves sent off to auction -
my heart grows cold. When I see the husband hurl abuses and stones at his
wife, insisting she exists only to serve him - my fists clench. And when I
see children torn from their parents so that another man might profit - sent
off to suffer beneath the desert sun and die . . .

. . . On these days, I do not think that dialogue will make a difference. On

these days, I can think only of how the perpetrators need to die.

Interpretation: Altair examines the cruel realities of his era, specifically,

the terrible treatment humans give to one another. He specifically mentions
slavery, sexism, and discrimination against minorities. It is clear he wishes
to help abolish such terrible behavior, but he seems unsure if it is possible.
He also implies that he is tempted to ignore the path of enlightening the
ignorant, almost giving into the simplicity of just murdering those who
disagree with you.

Whether he acted on these temptations is unknown. Given Altair's consistant

morality and loyalty to freedom and knowledge, it is unlikely he gave in, but
is gives another chance to see that even the good can be tempted by the same
behaviors that the Templars have embraced. Why spend time and effort to show
someone why they should change, when you can just remove threats to your
belief system by force? Two sides of the same coin, and showing how easy
it would be to just flip to the other.

-----------------------------------
Page 15
-----------------------------------

The fifteenth page shows an image of an island, Cyprus.

Interpretation: Cyprus is visited in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, and an

Assassin base is established there. The Piece of Eden may have been stored
there, eventually.

-----------------------------------
Page 16
-----------------------------------

The Apple is more than a catalog of that which precedes us. Within its
twisting, sparkling innards I've caught glimpses of what will be. Such a
thing should not be possible. Perhaps it isn't. Maybe it is simple a
suggestion. How to know? How to be sure?

I contemplate the consequences of these visions: are they images of things to

come - or simple the potential for what might be. Can we influence the
outcome? Dare we try? And in so doing, do we merely ensure that which we've
seen?

I am torn - as always - between action and inaction - unclear as to which -

if either - will make a difference. Am I even meant to make a difference?
Still, I keep this journal. Is that not an attempt to change - or perhaps
guarantee - what I have seen?

Interpretation: Altair reinforces the notion that the Piece of Eden is a

database of some sorts, though he still seems unable to fully use it (this
may be due to a hesitance on his part to use it too much). He has also
discovered it possesses some form of prescient ability as well, but he is
unsure what it means.

Following this, he muses on consistant time travel/future seeing themes,

such as the future being either THE future, or one of many futures, the idea
that the future is changeable (or do your efforts to change the future CAUSE
the future) and other such things.

The fact that through the Piece of Eden Altair is able to see the future
gives credence to the idea that it may have been the Pieces of Eden which
granted prescience to Those Who Came Before in the first place. It seems
as if such prescience was not necessarily an easy activity, and it may be
that Altair would need advanced training and experience to make full use of
it. Considering that he sees more specific images of the future, he may be
getting more experience as time goes on.

-----------------------------------
Page 17
-----------------------------------

Of all the things I've seen, none troubles me more than the image of the
flames . . . Pillars so tall they seem to pierce the heavens. The ground
rumbled and shuddered. Mountains split and crack. Great metal towers
splintered, their innards strewn about the ground . . . And everywhere there
was screaming. A chorus so terrible that even now I feel its echoes still.

What is this madness I have seen? Is it them, I wonder? Those who came
before . . . Is this where they went? Into the fire? Into the dust? Perhaps
this destructive power is what the Templars seek. That they might hold it
over us and command devotion. What hope would we have, then, if they held
such darkness in their hands - that they could murder the world . . .

Interpretation: Altair has seen something in the Piece of Eden, but it could
be two different things. First, he could be seeing the effects of atomic
weaponry. Vast pillars of flame, widespread destruction, and the idea of
"murdering the world" match atomic weaponry. Especially the idea that
Templars might seek to control this weaponry (which they eventually do,
if you recall the Puzzle about the atomic bomb), this codex could be
referring to nuclear weaponry.

It could also be speaking of the apocalypse which brought about the end of
Those Who Came Before. It would also make sense, widespread fiery death
in pillars of immense fire. He also specifically mentions that perhaps
Those Who Came Before may have been lost to this destruction. Either of
these possibilities could be the case.

-----------------------------------
Page 18
-----------------------------------

We are obligated to hide. To be silent. To shape the course of history in

secret. But some of my brothers and sisters disagree. They grow angry,
insisting it is a mistake to shroud outselves. They say it slows our work.
But they do not understand the risks. To expose ourselves now would be too
dangerous. I fear we would be branded madmen and attacked. So it goes. So it
always has. If there is one think I know for certain, it is that men to not
learn by being told. Instead they must be shown. They must make the
connections themselves. If I say unto a man, be kind, be tolerant, be of an
open mind - these words will wither and die long before they've affected
change. It would be a waste. And so we must maintain our course.

Interpretation: Altair's comments on the concept of educating draw

dangerously subtle differences between variations of the Creed and the
Templar's intentions. He specifies that you cannot spread wisdom by merely
sharing knowledge, but that active learning must take place. To this end,
the Templar would likely agree; you cannot just tell people things to make
them believe what you want. But rather than find more creative ways to
educate, the Templar would rather just force knowledge (truth or falsehood)
on people instead.

-----------------------------------
Page 19
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Legend speaks of a Golden Fleece. Could the two be related?

. . . I have further refined the metallurgic process, allowing for the
production of a suit of armor the likes of which the world has never
seen . . .

. . . It is possessed of great strength, yet so light as to allow complete

freedom . . .

. . . I alternate between wonder and fear. Here we have crafted something

that will surely change the face of warfare, making those who wear it nigh
invincible . . .

Perhaps it was a mistake to create these pieces. I think it best to erase

the formulae. What if it were to fall into the hands of our enemies?
The risk is too great . . .

(An image is shown of a suit of armor, likely the Armor of Altair)

Interpretation: This is the second mention of the Golden Fleece in the game.
Likely through the use of the Piece of Eden, Altair has developed a
supermetal, exceedingly strong and resilent, maybe even invulnerable, yet
light, possibly lighter than aluminum. This would imply that he created a
metal more advanced than anything developed in modern day. This sort of
technology could be only one thing; a crude recreation of technology
developed by Those Who Came Before. Given this, his thoughts about the
similarity between his armor and the Golden Fleece (Piece of Eden 66)
are shown to be closer to reality than he might think.

-----------------------------------
Page 20
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I have studied the ancient pagan faiths that came before this more recent
obsession with a single, divine creator. They seem to have focused more on
the fundamental forces at play in the world around us and less on arbitrary
moral rules . . .

The sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening. The tides ebb and
flow. Grass grows, withers, dies and then in time, emerges from the ground
once more. The air turns warm then cools and back again. Some hidden energy
keeps us fitted to the ground and pulls us back when we attempt to leave it.

Each of these movements was represented before by a god or goddess. Each

force given face, but recognized as something distinct and powerful. Which
is not to say there were not connections between these forces - a pantheon
of individual spirits - of rules. Invisible hands guiding to progress of
the world around us.

And so here there was an attempt to categorize, study, explain, and understand
the way things work - even if it was flawed. But no more. Now we are asked to
succumb to a far more simplified explanation. How naive to believe there might
be a single answer to every question. Every mystery. That there exists a lone
divine light which rules over all. They say it is a light that brings truth
and love. I say it is a light that blinds us - and forces us to stumble about
in ignorance.

I long for the day when men will turn away from invisible monsters and once
more embrace a more rational view of the world. But these new religions are so
convenient - and promise such terrible punishment should one reject them - I
worry that fear shall keep us stuck to what is surely the greatest lie ever
told.

Interpretation: Another philosophical discourse is created by Altair, this

time on the concept of religion. While interesting, it is not particularly
full of higher implications. One of them is his reinforcement of the idea
that the Judeo/Christian/Islamic faith is based on a lie. However, he does
discuss the concept of multiple Gods associated with various phenomenon, as
well as pantheons of Gods. This may mirror the actual existance of Those
Who Came Before, but I can find little else to be taken from this.

-----------------------------------
Page 21
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One may cultivate extracts from various plants found throughout the region.
More exotic species can sometimes be obtained from traders and travelers,
but their properties are less documented and required further examination.

Traditional alchemical implements can be used to distill the poison. Care

should be used as certain poisons can be absorbed through exposed skin. Many
are those who have lost their lives to carelessness.

One's blade should be hollowed according to the specifications listed

herein. Deviation may create fractures within the metal, causing the blade
to weaken and possibly break.

(An image is included of metalwork hollowing a hidden blade and various

plants being processed)

Interpretation: A very logical, straightforward recording of new methods of

intruding poison into the Assassin repertoire. Little hidden meaning, but it
does show Altair staying true to his word to eliminate the rule against
poison.

-----------------------------------
Page 22
-----------------------------------

What to make of this map? It appears to contain the entire world. Not flat
as they claim, either, but round - like a ball. Like the Apple. But how is
such a thing even possible? Stranger still are the lands it shows - great
patches of the unknown. The unexplored. So many places yet to be
discovered . . . Are there men there? Are they like us? And if not -
different how? I should like to know the answers. Perhaps - in time - I'll
have the chance to travel. To chart a course and make my way to these
distant lands . . .

(An image is included of a mostly accurate image of the world, focusing on

the Euro-Asian side of the planet.)

Interpretation: This may be one of the few instances (and they are few, rare
and low in number) of Ubisoft not having their facts entirely straight.
Research has shown that the idea of the Earth being flat was not nearly
as prevalent, recent, or widespread as popular media portrays it. While
the misconception of a flat Earth certainly existed, an educated man in
the Middle East (a center of knowledge and advanced technology during the
crusades) would likely have known the Earth to be round.

That being said, under the pretense that Altair and peers were of the
impression that the Earth was flat, it seems Altair came into possession of
the knowledge that it was not, and seems amazed by the idea. Like other
such information in these pages, he likely recieved the knowledge from the
Piece of Eden, possibly the hologram displayed at the end of Assassin's
Creed 1.

-----------------------------------
Page 23
-----------------------------------

The twenty-third page shows an image demonstrating a variety of climbing and

movement techniques used by the Assassins.

Interpretation: Why Altair would record images that detailed what amounts to
novice Assassin maneuvers in his personal journal, I cannot say. Perhaps he
wished to record them for later use in education, but I do not see anything
to interpret on this page.

-----------------------------------
Page 24
-----------------------------------

Some days I miss my family . . . Or at least the thought of them. I never

knew my parents well, despite them having lived within these walls. It was
our way. Perhaps they were sad, though they showed no sign - it was not
allowed.

For my part, so much of my youth was spent in training, they was little time
left to reflect upon the separation. And so when they were finally lost to
me, it seemed no different than the passing of two strangers. Al Mualim had
been as my father, and his was a weak and dishonest love, though at the time
it seemed enough - better, even. Or so I thought.

Some day I will have a child - such is the way of our Order. And I will not
make the same mistake. Nor any who call themselves an Assassin. We shall be
allowed to love our children - and, in turn, to be loved. Al Mualim believed
such attachments would weaken us - cause us to falter when our lives were on
the line. But if we truly fight for what is just, does love not make such
sacrifice simpler - knowing that we do so for their gain?

Interpretation: The Altair of Assassin's Creed 1 may have been one of the
coldest, most emotionally detached (except for his arrogance) protagonists I
have ever encountered. The man cared for nothing but his mission. You could
tell him the funniest joke in the world and he would probably hate you that
much more for it.

Yet here we have him, discussing the empowering nature of love for one's
family. Certainly, in his time in study over the many years, he has come to
realize that cutting oneself off emotionally, while having its benefits, may
not necessarily be optimal. To this end, he seeks again to overturn an
Assassin tradition, allowing families to keep their children, and for these
children to know the true love of parents.

As is clearly his way at this point, he seeks once again to allow freedom
within the Assassin Order, removing that which blinds us from reality, and
allowing his peers to experience the powerful emotions that make us human,
rather than removing them to make an even more efficient killing machine.

-----------------------------------
Page 25
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The twenty-fifth page shows a drawing of a templar, fairly feminine in

appearance, potentially depicting Maria.
Interpretation: Again, another page that may have just been Altair's drawing
for his own enjoyment. The Templar depicted looked fairly female, and if he
and Maria were together at this point in time, it is a reasonable thing for
him to draw.

-----------------------------------
Page 26
-----------------------------------

I have the answer now. I know the truth. I shall not touch that wretched
thing again. Best that no one do, now or ever. I have tried - at least - to
destroy it, but it will neither bend nor break nor melt. Oh the irony - I
am certain if I asked, the Apple would tell me what need be done. But even
this promise is insufficient. Always it holds one more gift to give. I must
refrain. So it shall be sealed. We will take it to the island - once theirs,
now ours. There is a treasury there - hidden well - and it shall have to
suffice. Risky to separate myself from the artifact that others may discover
it. Riskier still to keep it close. In time I will be tempted. I am weak. We
all are. Who wouldn't be? Oh the things I have seen . . . The tale is here
- inside the text. Not between the lines but beneath them. Where only our
eyes might peer.

Go and see it for yourself. That you might succeed where I and the others
have failed. Time marches on - bringing with it new discoveries and
developments. And so at least one day the doorway might be opened and the
message delivered. They will have their prophet.

Interpretation: It seems that Altair finally found the truth of the Pieces
of Eden, the Apocalypse, and Those Who Came Before. How much he found out is
not clear, but he knows enough that he feels that his search for "the truth"
is fulfilled, but he does not seem happy now that he knows the truth.

While it is unclear how many years have passed since Assassin's Creed 1 and
this entry, it is more than a few and it took him this long to get up the
nerve to destroy the Piece of Eden, even if he failed. This shows just how
much of a hold it had on him, a hold I believe to be more than just Altair's
own curiousity. Even now he speaks of being tempted by it, but he does not
seem certain whether he should distance himself from it. While he knows what
others do not, and he would be best suited for guarding it, he also fears
he may be just as much of a threat, if not more, with it in his possession.

This codex page contains a lot of information that would be relevant to

someone who had not already completed the game, foreshadowing the hidden
vault under the Vatican, the Prophet, and reveals the clue to seeing the
hidden map under the codex.
-----------------------------------
Page 27
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We are growing larger. More make their way to our fortresses every day. Men
and woman. Young and old. From different lands. Of different faiths. Each
tells a similar story - of having discovered the first part of our creed:
that nothing is true.

Too often, though, the revelation undoes them. They lose their morality,
certainty, security. Many are driven mad. We must guide them. Help them to
heal. Their minds must not be filled with more fairy tales, but with
knowledge instead. Let them have answers - and let those answers be
difficult and complex. Such is life.

Interpretation: Altair mentioned a variant of the saying that "Ignorance is

bliss" earlier in his codex. While he seems to believe that this is a true
statement, he feels that despite ignorance bringing happiness, knowledge
must be sought after nonetheless. He reinforces the idea that full
disclosure towards initiates is necessary, mentioning fairy tales (he may
be referencing the Hashshashin initiation rites). He ends with a final
instruction: let those answers be difficult and complex. This is a powerful
statement, showing his devotion to knowledge and education.

-----------------------------------
Page 28
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Success! We have found a way to alter the structure of the hidden blade so
that it can be used to launch small projectiles. It is capable of grievous
damage - even from great distance. I confess, the means by which I came
about the discovery was . . . risky to say the least. But I have found that
in small doses, and with a focused mind, the Apple can be used without ill
effect. Or so I hope.

The knowledge of projectile combat is not new to us, having been observed
amongst our Eastern neighbors. But their weapons were much larger - and
insufficient for our needs. I have now found a way to miniaturize their
designs, embedding their fiery weapon into a form that can be worn on the
wrist.

We have also refined the formula for combustible powder, such that common
ingredients might be used. This is a dangerous bit of knowledge and it is
best shared with only our closest allies . . .

Interpretation: Again, Altair develops advanced technology through

disciplined use of the Piece of Eden. He finally mentions that use of the
Piece of Eden may have negative side effects on the user; this is not
clarified indepth, but it may be that use of the Pieces of Eden by humans
is not intended, and results in potentially disasterous results (likely of
the mental kind). He seems to be taking his possession of the Piece of
Eden very seriously, using it as responsibly as he can, though he fears
that it might still be too dangerous, even with his precautions.

-----------------------------------
Page 29
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A dark tide rises to the east - an army of such size and power that all the
land is made quick with worry. Their leader is a man named Temujin, who has
adopted the title Ghengis Khan. He sweeps across the lands, conquering and
subsuming all who stand in his way. Whatever his motives, he must be
stopped. Were I younger, I might attempt to undertake this work in secret
- as I suspect to presence of a Piece of Eden. But those days are years
gone, now. The mantle must be passed. It is time she and I spoke with our
sons. We will travel there together, that they may be tested and that this
threat might be stopped.

Interpretation: This entry provides a vital link into the timeline of the
codex. If Altair went to combat Ghengis Khan, then this could explain why
the Codex was in the possession of Kublai Khan, brought back to Italy by
Marco Polo. Ultimately, through Marco Polo, the Codex found its way into
the hands of Ezio's great-great grandfather, who spread it across the
nation, though most seems to have come under possession of the Templar.

This is also a sign that Altair still seeks to eliminate the threat of the
Pieces of Eden in the hands of those who would abuse their powers. Even in
his later years, he still stands by his mission to protect humanity from
those who would oppress it.

Finally, this codex confirms that Altair bore at least two children, and
that their mother was still with him in the later years (likely Maria,
given Desmond's dream sequence). While Altair must have had children for
Desmond to be his descendent, this is the first definitive proof that it
happened, and in that sense, it is important.

-----------------------------------
Page 30
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Soon I shall pass from this world. It is my time. All the hours of the day
are now colored by the thoughts and fears borne of this realization. I know
that the elements of my body will return to the Earth. But what of my
consciousness? My identity? That is to say, what of ME? I suspect it will
end. That there is no next world. Nor a return to this one. It will simply
be done. Forever.

Our lives are so brief and unimportant. The cosmos cares nothing for us. For
what we've done; Had we wrought evil instead of good. Had I chosen to abuse
the Apple instead of seal it away. None of it would have mattered. There is
no counting. No reckoning. No final judgement. There is simply silence. And
darkness. Utter and absolute . . . And so I have begun to wonder - might
there not be a way to stop - or at least delay - death's embrace?

Surely the ones who came before were not so frail and feeble as we. But I
have sworn to be done with the artifact. To not gaze into its core. Still:
faced as I am with the prospect of my end, what harm is there I one
last look . . .

Interpretation: Altair, in his last days, muses on the concept of the soul,
heaven, the insignificance of humanity, and other such topics, but
ultimately comes to the idea of extending his own life. His mind immediately
shifts to Those Who Came Before and the Piece of Eden. Despite his oath, he
is tempted again by the Apple, leaving one to wonder how tragic his life
must have been in some ways, constantly tempted by a weapon of power and
knowledge, but resisting its urge for decades.

The last passage again implies another aspect of Those Who Came Before:
their extended lifespan. It seems as if they were capable of living for
long periods of time, but was this a innate aspect of their species, or was
it brought about by effective use of Pieces of Eden?

This last codex entry ends on a uncertain note, with Altair examining the
Piece of Eden one last time, trailing off without telling us the result.
While it is speculation, there is a strong possibility Altair might find
a way to extend his own life, and it is possible we will see him again in
Desmond's time, somehow surviving nearly a thousand years.

That will remain to be seen.

*******************************

V. Auditore Tomb Script and Interpretation

There is a hidden tomb in the game, unlocked if one makes a UPlay account.
It is located in Monterrigioni, the tomb having been built by Ezio's great,
great, grandfather. I would highly recommend making the UPlay account to
see this, as it costs only UPlay points, which are unlocked by doing
"achievements" that are accomplished throughout the game. Inside of the
crypt are engraved plates that tell the tale of the first Auditore.

Venice, 1296
I was raised in a small house by the Venetian lagoon, within sight of the
rough foam-capped waves of the sea. When I was barely old enough to walk,
I became a sailor, navigating the Atlantic first as an apprentice and
then while carrying cargo for my father's patron, Messer Marco Polo. It
was a good life.

Ashore
One day, while ashore in the harbor looking for work, I fell in love. She
was barely twenty, but when I looked into her eyes, the whole world was
reflected back, clearer and brighter than the sun. After that, I still
went to sea, but my heart remained on land with the girl, who had become
my wife, and our young son.

Birthright
One afternoon that summer, Messer Polo called me in his study. My father was
already there, beside an older man, dressed in a strange hooded cape,
watching us. At that moment everything about my life changed, my father
told me that he was an Assassin. Removing his ring, he showed me a strange
marking on his finger, explaining that our family came from an ancient
order that protected and defended mankind. He paused, and then, when I
didn't speak, Messer Polo stepped forward. He told me that the stranger
in the hood would teach me, and in return I would carry him across the
Mediterranean to Spain. And so began my apprenticeship with Dante
Alighieri, one that was to destroy every bit of happiness I would ever have.

A Mentor
In preparation for our voyage, Messer Alighieri met with me repeatedly. At
first, our meetings were about purchasing supplies, but soon they became
about higher things about life, love, honor and justice. He taught me that
society was set up in such a way as to control its members, to stop us
from thinking, from seeing. Soon, I could look past all laws and illusions.
I understood that mankind was being used by its rulers, that we, the
people, deserved freedom. It was then that Dante began showing me pages
from a book that Messer Polo had brought back from the palace of the great
Genghis Khan. The manuscript, the Codex, was about our order, the Assassins.

An Unexpected Farewell
Our planned voyage never took place. While returning to Ravenna to pick up
the remainder of his belongings, Dante died. Dismayed at the loss of my
mentor, I went to inform my father and Messer Polo of the sad news. Before
I could even speak, I was ushered into the study, and my father, his face
white, locked the door behind me. Shocked, I listened in silence as he
spoke. Dante intended to take the codex to Spain where it would be safe.
But he was being watched. The enemy of the Assassins, the Knights Templar,
still existed. I recalled the stories he had told me of the Templars, and
it all became clear. Dante had been murdered. The Templars knew about the
Codex and they knew about us. Shaking my father told me to take the Codex
and leave for Spain at once with my wife and child. As Messer Polo ushered
me out the door, he handed me a small piece of paper with a number on it.
With this number, I could draw on his credit, more Ducats than I had ever
seen in my life, at any bank in Italy.

At Sea
We set sail that night, the ship filled with cargo to sell in the markets at
Barcelona. At first, all was well. Then, to avoid a coming storm, we laid
anchor in the Otranto harbor. Cloaked in darkness, the pirates came. I
didn't see them until they were already boarding my ship. I hid my family
in the hold. Pulling out the Codex, I ran the worn leather cover through
my hands, then, I broke the spine. The pages slid silently onto the floor,
I scattered them into the chests, boxes and containers I was carrying to
market. The men who found us were drunk, I could smell it on their breath.
When they asked for the Codex, I knew who had sent them. Holding back my
rage, I said I had thrown it overboard. They started to laugh. Two held
me down, still grinning, while the rest cut off my wife's clothes. She
begged for mercy until her voice gave out. Once they were done, they
threw her into the sea. They took my cargo and sunk my ship, and left me,
adrift, clinging to a piece of railing. I made it to the beach with my
son. My wife's body washed up on shore the next morning with the tide.

A New Name
I never saw the sea again.
Making my way to Florence, I rented a small room and then visited the bank.
I had memorized Polo's account number. With the vast sum I now had at
my disposal, I went to Venice in disguise to find my father. I returned
to Florence the next day. Both Polo and my father were already dead.
From that moment forward, I collected treatises on architecture, studied the
classics and took vocal lessons. I adopted the name Auditore, impersonating
a noble at the Florentine Court. Accepted as one of their own, I took on the
trappings of the nobility and constructed this villa for me and my son.
And then, I hunted them. I raised my son to fight, to find the Codex, and to
kill Templars. Together, we would regain the honor of my wife and avenge the
death of my father, two debts that would never, that could never, be repaid.
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

Interpretation: The records left by Ezio's ancestor show us a number facts:

Altair's mention of an assault on the encroaching horde of Genghis Khan
seems to have been attempted, though the details are unknown. However,
for Kublai Kahn (the Mongolian leader with whom Marco Polo met) to have
possessed the Codex, Altair's involvement must have been a present. As to
how the Codex came to be in Kublai's possession is unknown. Based on the
statue in Qulan Gal in the Assassin's Sanctuary, an individual trained by
the Assassins was certainly responsible for Genghis Khan's demise. Is it
possible that Altair, Maria, and his sons left a base of operations in the
area? This might mean friendly relations with later leaders, including
Kublai. He would have to be a most trusted ally to be gifted Altair's
Codex, which contained many secrets he wished no one to know of. He may
himself have been an Assassin, giving the Codex to Marco Polo, a fellow
member of the Order, for safe keeping.

The Templar seem to have come out of a "dark age" of their own during the
time of Domenico's training. After the events of Assassin's Creed 1,
Altair's Codex indicates that the Templar went into hiding, and it sounded
as if their foothold was significantly weakened. However, during this
period, the Templar struck back, eliminating several Assassins, as well
as nearly gaining Altair's Codex, which would have provided them with
extremely useful information, not to mention the location of a Piece of
Eden. Based on the events of Assassin's Creed 2, it seems as if from
this point on, the Templar Order once again rose to a position of power,
having the advantage over the Assassins.

The Auditore family, hinted in subtle conversations earlier in the game, is

most definitely fabricated. Prior to killing Uberto Alberti, if you listen
to his discussion with other upper class individuals, you can hear mention
of the Auditore family "showing up so suddenly". The individual seems to
imply she never really trusted the Auditore and harbored some secret
suspicion as to their origins.

While not explicitly spelled out, it is likely this is the origin of

Altair's descendents leading to Ezio. Domenico was Ezio's great, great
grandfather, and Domenico's father was only 2-3 generations away from
Altair, possibly even 1, although that would be somewhat unlikely.

*******************************

VI. Speculation

Contents:
1. The Ones Who Came Before
A. Speculation on Nature
B. Speculation on Origins
 C. Speculation on Members
2. The Event
A. What Might Have Happened
B. When It Might Happen Again
3. Humans
A. Origins
B. Inherited Legacy
4. Assassins
A. Known Assassins
B. The Assassin Bloodline
C. Links to Adam and Eve
D. Half-Gods
E. The Assassin Order
F. Motives of the Assassins
5. Templar
A. Known Templar
B. Organizations and Influence
C. Ultimate Goals
6. Artifacts
A. Known Artifacts and Timelime
B. Artifact Powers
C. Present State of Things
D. Deeper Meaning Behind the Artifacts

-------------------------------
1. The Ones Who Came Before
-------------------------------
===A. Speculation on Nature===

The Ones Who Came Before. We know so little about them . . . we don't even
have a convenient name for them. Minerva's imbedded AI scoffed at the use
of the word "God" to describe them, indicating without a doubt that they
worldy and mortal. It is clear that they are of significant potency, but
it seems as if much of this power comes from technology. What, amongst
their clearly vast repertoire of abilities, were actually natural powers,
and which were technological? It seems that, at the very least, they had
extended lifespans. If Assassins are the result of a hybrid between them
and humans (See VI/4/C), then some semblance of an Assassins powers likely
originate from Those Who Came Before. This would mean that Eagle Vision
(better said as a form of ESP that included subtle form of emotion
reading) was derived from them, as well as enhanced agility and learning
aptitude. It also seems that the Pieces of Eden may not respond fully to the
touch of a human; whether this is a design of the Pieces of Eden, or if it
requires a special ability natural to the Ones Who Came Before, it is not
said.
Either way, it is clear that they are a massively advanced, human-like race,
who possessed technology so powerful that early humans could not comprehend
them as anything but Gods. They seemed to be few in number (possible
hundreds or thousands? It is not clear, but Minerva makes it clear that
they were far fewer than humans), and possibly had a low birth rate.
Their minds, while intelligent and more capable than those of humans,
still function in a manner similar to humanity, complete with some level
of emotion, as well as being susceptible to emotions clouding their
judgement. While I will discuss it more in a bit, it seems that in most
ways, they were extremely similar to humanity, but that humanity at the
time could not see past their powers, granting them a divine nature.

===B. Speculation on Origin===

The discussion with Minerva's embedded AI does not reveal anything about the
origins of Those Who Came Before. However, there are two clues that indicate
two different possibilities.

The first is that they were somehow extraterrestrial. The heavy use of space
symbolism in Minerva's chamber may imply that they came from another planet.
It would certainly make sense; they had the technological prowess to
potentially engage in interstellar travel.

The second, and the theory that I personally believe, is a bit more
complicated and contrived. The Ones Who Came Before imply that their
primary difference from humanity is that they "came before". Furthermore,
they created humanity by using their technology to accelerate the
evolution of apes to create humans. Ultimately, the resultant humans were
very similar to the Ones Who Came Before, who stated that they created
humans in "their image". Additionally, they seem to have been capable of
crossbreeding the two species, indicating that they had similar genetic
lineage. In my opinion, this indicates that The Ones Who Came Before
were merely a primate to evolve into civilization far earlier than we
did. If this logic is a bit hard to follow, allow me to put it this way.

A. The Ones Who Came Before created Humans.

B. They did this by advancing the evolution of Apes.

C. Humans (with a genetic template based in Earth primate DNA) were able to
crossbreed with The Ones Who Came Before.

D. For the genetic material of the two species to be close enough to

crossbreed, Those Who Came Before would have to be of a similar genetic
template (with a template based in Earth primate DNA).
E. This would exclude the possibility that they were extraterrestrials.

There are possible arguments against this theory. The most prevalent of
which is that if Those Who Came Before had such advanced technology,
they could FORCE their DNA and human DNA to be compatible. A second
argument against would be that it would be extremely unlikely that two
parallel evolutionary lines descending from different parent ape species
would be able to crossbreed anyway, however I counter this with Minerva's
claim that they made humans in their image. While clearly the two species
are distinct, Those Who Came Before made have used their own evolutionary
path and applied it to early hominids, advancing humans in a way very
similar to their own, resulting in a viable crossbreed potential.

===C. Speculation on Members===

We know of at least three members of the species to which Minerva belongs.

Minerva herself indicates she had many names in her lifetime. She then lists
two others of her kind.

Minerva - Previous names, Merva and Mera

Juno - Previous name Uni
Jupiter - Previous name Tinia

To those with knowledge of ancient Gods, these names should ring many bells.
Allow me to summarize this information.

Jupiter, Juno and Minerva are part of a trio of Gods that were considered
the most important in worship in Ancient Rome. They are equivalent to
the Greek Gods Zeus (the King of the Gods), Hera (Queen of the Gods,
sister and wife of Zeus) and Athena (Zeus' daughter, and an influential
member of his court). Amongst the Romans, Greeks and proximally located
Etruscans, there was a vast overlap of religion. These same dieties find
their counterparts in Etruscan mythology as Tinia, Uni and Merva/Mera.
Minerva's explanation of this solidifies the nature of these religions
as worshiping the same dieties.

Due to the fact that three of these individuals are the classic
"Greek/Roman" Gods, it may be likely that more of their number represent
other Godlike individuals throughout mythology. At least one image in
Minerva's chamber indicates a a member of their species in Egyptian style
art, reminescent of Horus or Ra, but without the characteristic orb above
the head which Ra possesses. Given this, it is likely that other members
of the species may later come to be associated with Gods from other
pantheons, such as:

- Other Greek/Roman Gods

- Egyptian Gods
- Norse Gods
- Mesoamerican Gods (Notably, Quetzalcoatl of this pantheon was mentioned in
Assassin's Creed 1)
- Sumerian/Mesopotamian Gods (Sumerian mythos being referenced in the
Puzzles)

-------------------------------
2. The Event
-------------------------------

===A. What Might Have Happened===

We know, now, from Minerva, that some sort of apocalypse occured which
scorched the Earth, killing a vast majority of both Those Who Came Before
and humanity. She does not say what it was, but there are a lot of hints
indicating what it might have been. She first says that while distracted
by the war on Earth, they failed to "look to the heavens". At this point,
a picture of the solar system appears, and a blast of energy, possibly a
solar flare, bursts out of the sun, coursing over the inner planets in
the solar system. She then stated that it left the world covered in
nothing but ash, implying the visuals are probably exactly what happened.

In Puzzle 19, there are a lot of hints towards this. The entire puzzle
revolves around the sun, saying it was, at one time, worshipped, but is
not anymore. This would make sense. Minerva speaks of how humanity could
not understand that the powerful Ones Who Came Before were NOT Gods.
Similarly, it is likely that following the apocalypse, humanity would not
be able to understand that the sun was merely a natural phenomenon, and
that they worshipped it as something they feared, hoping to avoid its wrath.

In the puzzle, Subject 16 says that "End. Almost the End. It happened
before.", implying again that this was what caused the apocalypse. Hidden
against the Sun are four messages; two are from Hopi folklore, describing,
in a symbolic, scripture like manner what sounds like massive destruction.
The other two say "They died in the fire from the heavens." and, more
importantly, "Toba, 75ka was not a volcano". This not only makes it clear
what happened, but gives us a when as well. Possibly, 75,000 years ago,
the fire apocalypse occured, resulting in an ash layer that, found today,
indicates a massive explosion.

Finally, at the end, Lucy speculates on the idea of a geomagnetic reversal.

She says that one theory indicates that a sufficiently large solar flare
could cause the magnetic poles to shift, temporarily weakening the
Earth's magnetic field (which provides protection from stellar radiation
and energy). Once weakened, the massive solar flare would pour through
and incinerate the now undefended Earth. Given the depictions shown
by Minerva, this may very well be exactly what happened, and that it
will happen again.

===B. When It Might Happen Again===

Since Assassin's Creed 1, the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar has been
posited as being relevant to the game's universe. The predicted date of the
Templar's satellite mind control scheme, the ultimate culmination of their
plans, would occur on the same day as the end of the Mayan Long Count.
Furthermore, a barcode written by Subject 16 showed the numerical
representation of this date.

For those who are not aware, the Mayan Long Count Calendar is a complex
calendar system that is not at all like the one used by the modern world.
It used a base of 18 and 20, rather than a base 10, and it had an
internal limit to how far it could go (akin to a counter reaching 99:99
and going no further). According to the math, this "limit" will be
reached on December 21, 2012, which is indicated in Assassin's Creed 1
to be the day the Templar would launch their satellite. As of AC1, it
was believed this represented the coming "end of the world" that many
associate with the Mayan Long Count. However, one of the previously existing
apocalypse theories about this date was of a geomagnetic reversal triggered
by a solar flare. So now, this has become the forefront expected occurance
on that date, in game. That does not change the fact that this is still
the date for the launch of the satellite. That makes for an interesting
literary plot climax; with days to go until December 21, 2012, Desmond
and Co. strive to do what they need to do, knowing full well that both
a worldwide fire apocalypse AND a mind control apocalypse were about to
occur. They will have to stop both; if they fail to stop either of the
two, all is lost . . . god I can't wait for Assassin's Creed 3.

-------------------------------
3. Humans
-------------------------------

===A. Origins===

Through the puzzles and the speech by Minerva at the end of the game, it is
very clear that humans were engineered by Those Who Came Before. Humans were
"made in the image" of Those Who Came Before, paralleling the famed concept
that the Judeo/Islamic/Christian God created man in his image. Thus, humans
look very much like Those Who Came Before.

Humans were created, it seems, by causing accelerated evolution of apes into

the modern day humans through the use of Pieces of Eden. The Templar
discuss how there is an incomplete fossil record; this indicates that up to
a certain point, apes were evolving naturally, but the process was
accelerated many years, possibly millions, in an effort to make humanity.
The Templar seem to find this concept disgusting.

Humanity was not created out of kindness or generosity, however. We were

intended as slaves/servants to Those Who Came Before, providing manual labor
for a group that seemed to have a low birth rate, hencing providing the
necessary work force. While it does not sound as if Those Who Came Before
had a particular sense of malice towards humanity, this master/servant
relationship was non-negotiable. To this end, humanity was created with
a failsafe to prevent uprisings. The human brain was installed with a
unique neurotransmitter that is activated only in the presence of a
Piece of Eden, allowing complete mental domination of a human. This
neural pathway is not present in other animals, and likely not in Those
Who Came Before.

Humanity was unable to understand how Those Who Came Before were so much
more powerful than they, and attributed Godlike qualities to them, not
understanding that Those Who Came Before were merely technologically
advanced mortals. This seems to have been met with a slight bit of
amusement from Those Who Came Before, but it likely served their
purposes well, as it would keep humanity even more firmly subjugated.

At some point humanity was able to rebel against Those Who Came Before. In
"The Truth" video, two early humans named Adam and Eve are shown stealing
a Piece of Eden. It is also possible that Adam and Eve were crossbreed
humans, giving them enhanced resistance to mind control. It also is
possible, with evidence from the games, that Pieces of Eden grant
resistance to the effects of other Pieces of Eden. Through this initial
theft, a resistance may have sprung up. While Minerva and her kind were
far more powerful than humanity, they had much fewer numbers, and with
the stolen technology, humanity was able to actually put up a fight. Who
would have won is not necessarily implied; in the distraction caused by the
war, the Earth was subject to an apocalypse which crippled both sides
severly. Humanity survived because, as Minerva said "we were built to
survive", inciting again the idea that humans were made in their image.

Humanity, made in their image, inherited some of their traits. Apparently,

one trait shared by both species was a desire for strife. Despite their
advanced knowledge and technology, Those Who Came Before were not above
war, and it was this weakness that allowed them to be distracted into
missing the signs of the coming apocalypse. Faced with the knowledge that
hatred/war had blinded them and almost cost both species their lives,
the few survivors of both sides banded together to rebuild the Earth.
Living in harmony, rather than in a master/servant relationship, they
worked together to recover scraps of civilization and restore the Earth,
which had been completely burned by the vague apocalypse.

===B. Inherited Legacy===

A small fraction of both sides survived; humans, being far more numerous,
had more survivors and were able to recover. However, Those Who Came
Before were far fewer in number, and seem to have had a low birth rate.
For this or other such reasons, they could not maintain a viable
population and slowly died off, despite having extraordinarily long
lifespans. Knowing that they would not survive, and rather than hold a
grudge against humanity, they ensured the proper defenses were in place
to resist against another such apocalypse, and seem to have left the
Earth to humans.

However, humanity never really got over their deification of Those Who Came
Before (at least not while they still existed), and traded logic and
understanding of this gift/responsibility for myth and legend. Those Who
Came Before went down in history as Gods, insubstantial, distant, and all
powerful, while the memory of their reality was forgotten. The Pieces of
Eden, left on Earth, have come to be regarded as items of godly power,
used for selfish gain, their original purpose forgotten in the legends.

Meanwhile, Templars (refered to by Minerva as "the cross") were selfish

humans who sought to take the legacy of Those Who Came Before for
themselves. They wished to use it to rule the remaining humans, and
evidently were a source of worry for Those Who Came Before. As Those Who
Came Before died out, the Templar slowly gained power, forgetting the
gift left to humanity that might one day allow them to avoid another
apocalypse. This is a shame, as the Templar are the most likely
organization to understand and be able to use defenses put in place, but
this seems to be a lost cause.

Hope remains however; Minerva implies that the factions of humanity tasked
with guarding these defenses might not have forgotten the value of peace, or
their original purpose. If the Assassins, particularly those of the Assassin
Bloodline (the last remaining descendents of Those Who Came Before), can
harness this, the Earth might yet be saved.

-------------------------------
4. Assassins
-------------------------------

===A. Known Assassins===

Aside from the main characters, such as Altair, Ezio, Desmond, and those in
the present, a number of historical figures are also revealed to have been
assassins, or people who were assassinated by them. These include:

Pre-Rennaissance:
Darius - Assassinated Xerxes
Amunet - Assassinated Cleopatra
Iltani - Assassinated Alexander the Great (Who had the Staff, PoE 34)
Wei Yu - Assassinated Qin Shi Huang
Leonius - Assassinated Caligula
Qulan Gal - Assassinated Genghis Khan

Rennaissance:
Bartolomeo d'Alviano
Niccolo Machiavelli
Dante Alighieri
Marco Pollo
Leonado Da Vinci - Aided the Assassins, but may not have actually been one.

Post-Rennaissance:
Nikola Tesla* - May have been an Assassin, but it seems more likely that he
was merely an ally of the Assassins, in a way similar to Leonardo Da Vinci.

===B. The Assassin Bloodline===

It becomes clear in Puzzle 14 that the Assassin Order is not just an

organization. There may actually be a genetic basis for certain Assassins.
However, much of this is theoretical, so the following will be mostly
speculative.

In Puzzle 14, images are shown with Gods and Mortals procreating, a message
above indicating that Assassins are the children of two worlds. If this is
to believed, it may indicate that The Ones Who Came Before and humans could
crossbreed, resulting in a hybrid being. The Ones Who Came Before were
certainly technologically advanced, but we do not know if the vast majority
of their powers came from their technology, or if they were innate. They
were certainly different in some way from humanity, but if they could
produce viable offspring, it would mean that on a physical level, they
were just advanced humans, or the other way around, that humans were an
inferior version.

Evidence, however, indicates that if this is the case, they may have had
physical powers beyond that of humanity. The puzzle seems to portray
Assassins as something unique and distinct from humans AND Those Who Came
Before. If Those Who Came Before had no powers, there would be nothing
differentiating these groups. However, we do know that there is something
more than just human abilities. Altair, Ezio, and Desmond all seem to be
in possession of abilities beyond human capabilities. Foremost is the
most blatant, Eagle Vision. There is no human equivalent to the ability,
and furthermore, not all members of the Assassin Order possess it. For
instance, Lucy Stillman seems unaware of the fingerprints on the keypad
in the beginning of Assassin's Creed 2, or of the writing on the walls.
This would indicate that, despite being an Assassin, she does not possess
Eagle Vision.

In addition to this, who are the most agile characters between the games?
Altair, Ezio, and Desmond. No one seems able to quite match their nimble
abilities, even other members of the Assassin Order. Why is it that Altair
rose to become the most skilled Assassin in his time? Or that Ezio, a
fledgling member by some standards, was chosen to fulfill the goals set
forth by the other Renaissance Assassins? It seems as if they were, on
some level, physically superior, both in natural aptitude and ability to
learn. Keep in mind that an untrained Ezio and his brother Fredericho
casually climbed dangerously tall buildings for fun, with no training,
but abilities on par with that of Altair.

To me, this indicates that Desmond's ancestry, unlike most Assassins, is a

direct line from an original hybrid between humans and Those Who Came
Before. For the sake of definition, this means that there are now two
types of Assassins.

1. Members of the Order of Assassins - These are individuals who are part of
the organization of Assassins. These include the likes of Lucy Stillman
or Shaun Hastings. Highly trained, they possess no supernatural abilities.

2. Members of the Bloodline of Assassins - These are individuals who are not
quite human, possessing some genetic ancestry going back to a different
species, Those Who Came Before. These include Altair, Ezio, and Desmond.
They are also members of the Order of Assassins, but they are distinct
from normal humans.

Henceforth, I will refer to those displaying the hybrid blood as members of

the Assassin Bloodline, rather than the Assassin Order.

What other abilities could this genetic variant possess? For one, what is it
that makes Altair different from all of his Assassin brethren, which Al
Mualim points out? He is able to resist the Apple's mind control. This
stunned Al Mualim, who had not yet encountered this phenomenon. This
would make sense. Humans were genetically designed to be subject to the
controlling powers of the Apple, and it is unlikely that Those Who Came
Before were subject to these effects. Having a hybrid ancestry possibly
allows Altair to resist these effects, in a way that other highly trained
and disciplined Assassins could not. However, he is not entirely immune
to some effects. This could be due to dilution, or only hybrid status, or
it is possible that some of the artifacts powers would indeed influence
Those Who Came Before.

Another possibility is that these artifacts were not designed to be used by

humans. Some, or all, of their abilities may not be usable by a normal
human. While Al Mualim was able to trigger the mind control effects of
the Apple, it was only Altair who was able to first access its database
(initiated by the display of the Earth covered in markers for other
artifacts). As he used it, he also gained access to possible visions of
the future, an ability mentioned by Those Who Came Before. Later, Ezio was
able to open the door to the Vault, whereas Rodrigo Borgia had not been
able to. While it sounds as if Ezio was "chosen", this could merely be a
roundabout way of saying that he had the correct genetic structure to
activate the artifacts.

And why not? The artifacts were extremely powerful in the hands of a human.
A logical, advanced society would likely include such safeguards, preventing
rogue humans from making full use of their tools. This, and the fact that
Assassins seem more agile than other humans leads me to my next topic.

===C. Links to Adam and Eve===

Adam and Eve. After viewing "The Truth", we know they were real, and we know
they stole a Piece of Eden. If they were a "first" of some kind, it was
obviously not the first humans, but possibly the first to rebel. But how was
it that they were able to rebel, when so many before had not? What made them
different? Well, we know that they were extremely agile. Somehow, they were
able to steal a Piece of Eden, and it is likely that such attempts in the
past were prevented through the Piece of Eden's mind control abilities.
Well, based on our previous conclusions, we know that members of the
Assassin Bloodline can resist the mind control, and have exceptional
agility. This might well mean that Adam and Eve, or even just one of
them (likely Eve, if such is the case) were of this hybrid Bloodline.
This would explain a lot, and it is quite possible that through Adam and
Eve, the first resistance to Those Who Came Before developed.

Why would Those Who Came Before crossbreed with humans? The answer may not
be as complex as one would think. Minerva's assertion that humans and her
own kind were both susceptible to a craving for war and strife indicates
that they share more than physically similar bodies, but a similar mindset
as well. It would not be out of the ordinary to think that passion could
get the best of such an advanced race, given that rage did the same thing.
Even in human history, when one group enslaves another, there are instances
where the master may fall in love with a slave, or even just use them for
sexual gratification. If Those Who Came Before are as similar to humans as
I believe they may be, this is likely what happened.

===D. Half-Gods===

So we may not reasonably speculate that the offspring of a cross between

humans and Those Who Came Before would result in a semi-superhuman being,
stronger than a human, but not so powerful that they became omnipotent.
Well, what does that sound like? For me, it reminds me of half-God
individuals from mythology, such as Hercules. He was extraordinarily
strong, but not quite on the level of the Gods. Gods that we now know
are symbolic, overpowered images representing individuals who truly existed.

Hercules is a great example, actually. His father was Zeus, or Jupiter in

Roman mythology. Jupiter was one of the listed "others" that Minerva
mentioned. If the true Jupiter is in anyway similar, personality wise,
to his mythological counterpart, it would mean he too had a slight
*cough* EXTREME *cough* problem with fidelity. Zeus/Jupiter of mythology
was the father of dozens of half-human individuals, the result of unions
he engaged in for nothing other than personal pleasure. Extrapolate that
mythological reputation back to the fact that we have an advanced race
(who the Gods were modeled after) with the possibility of hybrid offspring,
and we have what might be a fairly clearcut solution.

Zeus was the father of both Hercules and Perseus, individuals shown in
puzzles. Hercules was displayed in the Garden of Hesperides stealing
Golden Apples of Power (Huh? Piece of Eden what?), and Perseus was a hero,
favored by many Gods, gifted with a large number powerful items including
a divine sword, pictured in the puzzle showing Piece of Eden 25, the Sword.

It might even make sense that Perseus was favored by Those Who Came Before.
If we are to assume that they possessed normal human emotions (Minerva
herself expressed sympathy, hope, and annoyance), then love of each other
and for offspring might also be part of their psyche. If Jupiter sired
an Assassin who later went on various "human" quests of his own, and
Jupiter actually gave a damn about his son, he might just have done him a
few favors to help him out. Its not uncommon for parents to help their
kids cheat a little. It would not be extremely out of the ordinary to see
Jupiter asking Minerva (his daughter, in the mythology) to keep an eye out
for little Persey. Minerva, along with a few other Gods, granted Perseus
possesion of a number of enchanted items for his quest, and Minerva herself
kept a close eye on him, keeping him out of trouble. While this is all
speculation, I will point out that none of it is all that unlikely. And
this is the speculation section, afterall.

Why would Those Who Came Before willingly aid a human by giving one their
covetted artifacts? We do know that after the rebellion and the apocalypse,
humanity and Those Who Came Before did actually collaborate, neither one as
slaves, but as equals. It was likely some time before all of Those Who Came
Before met their end, so its possible they charged select humans with taking
care of tasks that they did not have the time to do themselves. At this
point, it is likely that humans were governing themselves, and Those Who
Came Before may have made minor strategic moves through chosen humans
(or Assassins, their favorites!), without getting too involved.

Another good example of this is the story of Jason and the Argonauts.
Ignoring all the irrelevant parts, it basically came down to Jason trying
to get the Golden Fleece (Piece of Eden 66 - The Shroud), and going on a
dangerous journy, while Hera (The Greek version of the Roman Jove) watched
over him, granting him favors and advice in his mission. In my opinion,
it all ties together very nicely. While I am sure much of the original
myths had been changed, they reveal an underlying theme of humans or
half-humans being assisted by the Gods, often with powerful artifacts in
play.

===E. The Assassin Order===

As opposed to the Assassin Bloodline, the Assassin Order's origins are

somewhat mysterious. It is implied in the Codex of Altair that the Order
which he belonged to had been created by Al Mualim, but he muses that
perhaps Al Mualim merely stumbled upon a previously existing concept.
This would imply that, prior to Al Mualim's Order, there was no existing
Assassin presence on Earth, but Altair discusses the idea that ideas cannot
be killed, and all ideas will inevitably be rediscovered. The Order itself
may harken back to the Bloodline, which may have been an organization many
thousands of years prior to the events of Assassin's Creed 1.

It is worth noting that several of the six Assassins in the Assassin's

Sanctuary were indicated as having been members of the order. The oldest
of these is over 1500 years prior to the events of Assassin's Creed 1.
The statues are clearly contemporary, however, so it is unknown whether
the Assassin order merely "claimed" these famed Assassins as members of
their fold, if they truly were of the same order.

The Order itself has been shifting back and forth from being the dominiant
member of the feud with the Templar. This timeline is worth noting.

~1150: The Assassin Order seems to no longer exist; it is refounded by Al

Mualim.
1191: The events of Assasin's Creed 1 begin. The Assassins start at a
disadvantage, with the Templar and their manipulated factions potentially
poised to destroy Masyaf.
1191: With the defeat of Robert de Sable and many of his highest ranking
agents, as well as Al Mualim (not to mention gaining an uneasy alliance
with King Henry), the Assassin Order seems to have the upper hand,
especially with their possession of the Piece of Eden.
~1191-1250?: Over the course of Altair's life, he pursues the Templar, but
they going into hiding.
~1296: Over 100 years later, Ezio's great great grandfather is trained as an
Assassin. His benefactors, several Assassins, are killed by the Templars, as
the Templar attempt to retake Altair's Codex. This shows the Templar
coming back out of hiding into a position of power.
1476: The events of Assassin's Creed 2 begin. The Templar have put a
significant number of individuals into positions of power, and have
orchestrated plots to allow these individuals to gain even more power.
By the end of the game, their leader himself becomes Pope, possibly the
most powerful individual in the world at that time in history.
1476-1499: Ezio learns the Assassin way and eliminates these Templar one by
one. He eventually kills all except for their leader, but takes two Pieces
of Eden which the Templar spent centuries trying to obtain, depriving them
of victory and dealing them harsh blow to their number.
1500-1900: Over the next few hundred years, the Templar seem to find their
way into positions of power world wide, particularly that of the newly
founded American Presidency.
1900-1950: The Templar manipulate technological advances and politics in
their favor, obtaining a number of Pieces of Eden in the process. They
start World War II, with several of the main factions on either side under
their control, utterly controlling the course of the war, and ending it
when they pleased. Once finished, this leaves them with an extremely
strong foothold in the world's power scheme, controlling the victors and
the losers of Earth's largest war, but at the cost of a single Assassin
reprisal; the possible loss of one of their ranking members and a Piece
of Eden.
1950-2010: The Templar find themselves virtually controlling the developing
world. Mention is made of illegal connections in the United States
government, and the Templar control major technological advances, slowly
approaching their goal of world domination. They begin to systematically
track down and eliminate groups of Assassins across the world, overpowering
them with numbers and greater resources. A few Assassin counterattacks are
made, slowing, but not stopping, the advance towards their ultimate goal.
2012: The present day events concerning Desmond occur. Warren Vidic, though
at least partially incorrect, indicates that all of the Assassins have been
wiped out. Though we later find a few groups remain, a serious blow has been
delivered to their organization. A rescue mission to save Desmond fails,
resulting in the loss of even more Assassins. At the end of Assassin's
Creed 1, the Templar extract the knowledge they desire from Desmond.
Late 2012: Lucy Stillman escapes with Desmond from Abstergo. She attempts to
train him in the ways of the Assassin, by allowing him to experience the
events of his ancestor, Ezio. This is successful, though he suffers some
side effects. Lucy believes that all it takes is one person sometimes to
win a war, and her hope is that Desmond will be that one person. She also
identifies that the Templar are not the most significant threat, and the
stakes suddenly become much higher.

===F. Motives of the Assassins===

The Assassins have several motives. While the Assassins seem concerned with
countering Templar activities, they also concern themselves with politics
unrelated to the feud. Similarly, while the Templar have an ultimate goal
that, once reached, would bring about their victory, the Assassins have
no such possible victory; their goal is to counter the Templar indefinitely,
and simultaneously maintain peace through strategic assassination. More
specifically . . .

The Assassins believe in the concept of freedom, particularly, freedom to

choose one's own path and actions. While the idea of slavery goes against
their creed, even worse an offense is enforcing ignorance on the masses.
They believe that decisions are key to human life, and that these decisions
must be educated ones, even if the knowledge gained in the process is
painful to the person. The supression of knowledge and wisdom is a popular
tactic of tyrants (not to mention the Templar), and so the Assassins believe
that by eliminating these individuals, freedom of knowledge and choice can
be granted to the masses. The Templar, too, would seek to subjugate humanity
by removing free will, or by manipulating human knowledge to come to the
same result (if you mind control all of humanity into thinking a decision
is the right one, you effectively choose for them). To this end, the
Assassins fight for freedom of knowledge and choice on two fronts, that
of humanity in general, and that of the Templar.

-------------------------------
5. Templar
-------------------------------

===A. Known Templar===

I will start with a chronological list of known Templar. Speculated Templar

will be marked with an asterisk.

Prehistory:
Cain - First "Templar", killed Abel for the Piece of Eden. May be Templar in
behavior only. Later Templar use his symbol as their own.

Crusades:
1190 - AC: Altair's Chronicles
Basilisk - Grand Master of the Templar during AC:AC
 Master of the Tower
Alaat
Roland Napule

1191 - Assassin's Creed 1

Robert de Sable - Grand Master of the Templar during AC1
Maria - Robert's assistant. Eventually joins the Assassins?
Tamir
Garnier de Naplouse
Talal
Abul Nuqoud
William V of Montferrat
Majd Addin
Jubair al Hakim
Sibrand
Masun - Assassin traitor

Al Mualim - Traitor to the main Templar body, forming his own sect

1191-1192? - Assassin's Creed Bloodlines

Armand Bouchart - Grand Master of the Templar during AC:B
Frederick the Red
Moloch
Shahar
Shalim

1390
Freemasons - Earliest known Masonic text originates from this time.
Freemasons seem to be a Templar organization.

1480 - Assassin's Creed II

Rodrigo Borgia - Grand Master/Leader of the Templar during ACII
Uberto Alberti
Jacopo de' Pazzi
Francesco de' Pazzi
Vieri de' Pazzi
Antonio Maffei
Francesco Salviati
Bernado Baroncelli
Stefano de Bagnone
Emilio Barbarigo
Carlo Grimaldi
Marco Barbarigo
Dante Moro
Silvio Barbarigo
1700s
George Washington - Member of the Freemasons

1800s
Joseph Smith Jr. - Possible Freemason, translated Templar text. Founded
Mormon faith.

1900s
Rasputin - Served as Templar agent, influencing Czar Nicholas II
Thomas Edison
J.P. Morgan
Henry Ford
Harvey Firestone* - Close ally of Ford and Edison
Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Member of the Freemasons
Adolf Hitler - Worked for the Templar. Started WWII for Templar ends.
C (Possibly Churchill) - Was supposed to meet with Hitler after WWII.
O (Probably Oppenheimer*) - Worked under Templar, doing atomic research
Lee Harvey Oswald - Commit JFK assassination under Templar Orders
Z (Possibly Abraham Zapruder*) - Assisted in JFK assassination
Lyndon B. Johnson - Templar agent, president of the U.S.
Buzz Aldrin* - Cryptic message "the bees drone too" may reference Aldrin.

2012 - Modern Day

Allan Rikken - Highest known ranking member of modern Templar
Warren Vidic - Abstergo scientist

===B. Organizations and Influence===

The Templar are an ancient organization, using many names over the millenia.
The name "Templar" itself seems to be a recent name, as they have been
active at least since the time of Jesus, using the red cross as their
symbol, but the Templar organization did not arise until more than a
millenium later. As opposed to the Assassins, the Templar M.O. tends to
be to create influential organizations, use these organizations to put
members into positions of power, and then use this power to work towards
Templar means. Usually, these organizations have a publicly known goal;
this helps draw attention away from their true purposes, while not causing
suspicion as to why they seek power. Sometimes this goal can be used as a
diversion; enemies of the organizations will seek to undermine the public
goal, allowing the organization to achieve its true purposes without
opposition.

These influence has spread to include a large number of powerful groups over
the years. These include:
The Knights Templar
Several other Crusader Organizations
The Ruling Bodies of Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus
The Freemasons
Possibly the Mormon Faith (likely only at upper levels of the Faith)
Possibly NASA
A significant number of American Presidents
Various circles of scientific entrepreneurs
Several of the world leaders during WWII (U.S., Germany, and England?)
Abstergo Industries
The Assassin Order

I would like to draw attention to the last group. Yes, the Templar actually
controlled the Assassin Order. Furthermore, it seems as if they may have
even created it, as Al Mualim was the founder and father of the Assasin
Order. It is not likely he inherited his role, so it is possible the
entire order was founded for the whims of a rogue Templar. However, it
is worth noting that Altair muses on the idea that Al Mualim merely
revived a concept that had existed far longer than the Order itself.
This may refer to the difference between the Assassin Order and the
Assassin Bloodline. Ultimately, however, Assassin Creed 1's Order was
technically founded by the Templar, even if this were not to last.

===C. Ultimate Goals===

At face value, the Templar Order seems to have two goals. First, is the
aquisition and monopoly of power, especially the artifacts of Those Who Came
Before. Subjugation and control of the masses, particularly those who would
oppose them, through any means necessary. The first goal, in a sense, is
merely the means for accomplishing the second goal. Furthermore, the
second goal is done with the ultimate purpose of instilling world peace
and stability.

When asked, the Templar state that their goal is bringing peace and
happiness to the world, whatever the consequences. This would be an
ultimate philosophical goal for their order, giving them their moral
highground from which they can comfortably do what they need to do
without remorse. This is extremely effective, as virtually no Templar
throughout the games shows any guilt for the actions they have done,
truly believing they are doing good. This is important form of
psychological conditioning; with it in place, turnover and betrayal is
greatly reduced (important in a secret society), and a zealous morality
strengthens and focuses the drive to serve the order.

In this sense, the Templar are not, nor do they consider themselves, evil.
They merely differ from the Assassins in one key point; the Templar
believe that peace is more important than free will, that removing the
element of choice is a necessary sacrifice to ensure survival. The
Assassins believe that peace is a worthy goal, but it is empty and
meaningless if not chosen. Their "sacrifice" in the name of peace is
the belief that taking a few, key lives is worth the benefit if it
allows freedom and free will.

This binds the orders on another level. They are both practitioners of the
political/philosophical policy of Utilitarianism, which is to say, they both
seek to attain the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people,
recognizing that there must be sacrifice, or a few unhappy people, to attain
a "greater good". Both Assassins and Templar believe it is okay to take the
lives of others to gain this goal (though the Assassins seem less liberal
in the use of death for their goals. Ironic, that Assassins are hesitant
to kill, in this sense). The only true difference is that Assassins believe
it is NOT okay to sacrifice free will for this end. This policy is further
cemented when Altair takes over the Assassin Order, removing certain rules
and restrictions that hindered or blinded free will and thought. An
interesting example of this is in Altair's use of his Piece of Eden. The
only time he used it to manipulate others was so he could show them the
truth, clearing their minds of the propaganda that clouded their judgement
and free will.

I digress, however, from this lengthy comparison. The ultimate goal of the
Templar, taking into consideration the artifacts, is to use a Piece of
Eden's mind control abilities to entirely enslave mankind, forcing an
unprecedented era of peace and "happiness". Accomplishing this goal is
expensive, complicated, and requires political power, so certain parts of
their organization aim not to collect the artifacts, but to maintain power
and resources. As stated by Vidic, many of the technological advances
throughout history were made by the Templar, either with the intention
of aiding their ultimate goal (space travel and satellite technology) or
to help strengthen their position of power (atomic weaponry) and resources
aquisition (developing electricity and charging money for it).

Even as far back as the Crusader Templar, there was the immediate goal of
"the new world order". It is possible that the Templar may have been able
to subjugate the world with a Piece of Eden, even if it had to be carried by
hand to various parts of the world. But Al Mualim's loss to Altair
demonstrated one thing; the Piece of Eden is only part of the solution. You
cannot subjugate everyone with the Piece of Eden's power, and you must also
be able to defeat those who can resist it. To this end, gaining government
power and a technological advantage serve a double purpose, helping to
achieve their ends in the now, and ensuring victory against those who resist
the mind control. Additionally, more Pieces of Eden might possess powers
that could be used to defeat those who resisted the mind control.

However, as the years passed, it became obvious that just manually carrying
a Piece of Eden would not be exactly efficient, so research was put towards
finding ways of gaining more power, or making said power more convenient.
Rodrigo Borgia sought the Vault, hoping to find within power more potent
than that of the Apple (he would have been disappointed). Meanwhile, in the
present, the idea of using the Apple in a satellite was developed, and as
of AC1, the day of this launch is quickly approaching.

The Templar are not stupid, however, and they seem to recognize that certain
types of power are just too dangerous. The Philadelphia Experiment,
seemingly performed by the government and NOT the Templar, showed that a
certain Piece of Eden could allow time travel, if brief. The Templar show
a strong interest in understanding and controlling this phenomenon, but
once in control, they promptly secured the Piece of Eden and are conducting
no more research. They fear the concept of a Temporal Paradox, a potentially
disasterous outcome of time travel, and even they find that much power to be
too risky to meddle with.

One trait the morally minded Templar seem to ignore is their own selfish,
immorality. Many of the Templar, though convinced of their moral highground,
partake of extremely violent, greedy, and weak-minded behaviors. Individuals
such as Tamir the Merchant give into a blind rage, mercilessly and brutally
murdering people who anger them, with no real moral reason for doing so.
Others, such as Marco Barbarigo, attempt to brutally murder their own loyal
retainers for selfish greed, in this situation, ordering a hit on his
guard captain Dante Moro so he could have Dante's wife for his own. There is
no possible reason for this to be done "for the sake of mankind", but the
supposedly moral Templar seem to overlook such blatantly evil behavior. For
some reason, the Templar heirarchy does not seem to believe that this sort
of evil, perpetrated by their own number, is an issue. In this sense, their
grand scheme of providing "the greater good" is more of a grand farce. They
cannot even control their own evil behavior, so why should they be granted
the right to subjugate other such deviants.

Rodrigo Borgia, like many individuals of the Rennaisance, might have been
one of the best examples of a Templar corrupted by his own desires.
Ignoring the other such disturbing implications shown in his video, or his
willingness to kill, he infiltrated one of the largest religions on Earth,
and expressed a belief that the entire religion was a sham (while
maintaining his position and doing nothing to show its followers the
truth). Furthermore, he did believe that a God of sorts existed, and
desired to enslave God's power for his own selfish purposes. This act is
associated with one other important figure in Religion; Satan. In Dante's
Inferno, at the bottom of hell lies the imprisoned Satan, the most despised
of all of the sinners, for committing so greivous and arrogant a sin as
"Treachery against God". If Dante had played Assassin's Creed 2, Rodrigo
Borgia would probably be right there next to him. Of course, Dante
Alighieri was a member of the Assassin Order, so he fits into this
comparison quite nicely.

-------------------------------
6. Artifacts
-------------------------------

===A. Known Artifacts and Timeline===

First off, I would like to document the known artifacts.

Known artifacts:
Piece of Eden 1 - Apple
Piece of Eden 2 - Apple
Piece of Eden 3 - Apple
Piece of Eden 4 - Apple
Piece of Eden 5 - Apple
Piece of Eden 25 - Sword
Piece of Eden 34 - Staff
Piece of Eden 66 - Shroud
Piece of Eden X - Unknown (Capable of limited time travel)
Altair's Apple - Piece of Eden Unknown

Now, I would like to document a timeline for each.

If labeled with a (TC) it is under Templar Control.

PE1
1812 AD - Owned by Napoleon Bonaparte
1913 AD - Owned by Houdini
1915 AD - The Templar have Houdini killed, taking it (TC)
1963 AD - Confirmed to still be in Templar possession (TC)

PE2
1559 AD - Owned by Queen Elizabeth
1930 AD - Owned by Gandhi
1946 AD - The Templar have Gandhi killed, taking it (TC)
1963 AD - Confirmed to still be in Templar possession (TC)
~2012 AD - Destroyed in the DIA Event

PE3
X-1781 AD - Brought to America by the Masons (TC)
1781 AD - Owned by George Washington (TC)
1944 AD - Owned by Franklin Roosevelt (TC)
1963 AD - Owned by John F. Kennedy (TC?)
November 22, 1963 - Taken from JFK during Assassination (TC)
PE4
~900 AD - In the possession of an unknown Chinese warrior
~1900 AD - Found in Croatia by Nikola Tesla, who kept it
~1900-1908 AD - Stolen by Thomas Edison (TC)
~1914 AD - In the possession of Henry Ford, lent by Edison (TC)
~1914-1945 AD - In the possession of Adolf Hitler (TC)
1945 AD< - Unknown, possibly in the possession of the Assassins

PE5
>1969 AD - Apparently, in the dirt on the moon
1969 AD - Found on the moon, retrieved during Apollo 11 (TC)

PE25 - The Sword

Pre-history - In the possession of Sigmund the Nordic hero
Pre-history - In the possession of Perseus the Nordic hero
~420-450 AD - In the possession of Attila the Hun
~480-900 AD- In the possession of King Arthur at some point
1431 AD - In the possession of Joan of Arc
1431 AD+ - Taken by the Templar, killing Joan in the process (TC)

PE34 - The Staff

~1200 BC - In the possession of Moses and his brother Aaron
700 BC - In the possession of Shabataka
330 BC - In the possession of Alexander the Great
30 AD - In the possession of John the Baptist
31 AD - Passed to the possession of St. Peter, the first pope.
31 AD - 1492 AD - In possession of the popes, as the Papal staff.
1492 AD - 1499 AD - In the possession of Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander (TC)
~1903 - In the possession of Czar Nicholas II of Russia
~1904-1908 - Taken by Rasputin, Nicholas' mystic, to Tunguska (TC)
1908 - Tunguska is utterly destroyed in the Tunguska Event

PE66 - The Shroud

Pre-history - In the possession of Jason the Greek Hero
>1700 BC - In the possession of Jacob, father of Joseph?
1700 BC - In the possession of Joseph, of Jewish/Biblical Scripture
970 BC - In the possession of David, of Jewish/Biblical Scripture
30 AD - In the possession of Jesus of Biblical Scripture
30 AD and later - In the possession of the Templar (TC)

PEX - Time Travel Device

1943 - Philadelphia Experiment "works", but causes damage to artifact (TC)
2012 - Original artifact is repaired, but kept in isolation (TC)

Altair's Apple
Altair's Apple is likely Piece of Eden 1, 2, or 3, but it is not clear which
one it is.
1191 - In Solomon's Temple
1191 - Taken by Malik from the Temple and given to Al Mualim
1191 - Taken from the now revealed Templar Al Mualim, by Altair
1191+ - Altair studies the artifact, and takes it to Cyprus for safekeeping
14xx - Retrieved from Cyprus by Rodrigo Borgia
1499 - Used by Ezio to open the Vault in the Vatican

===B. Artifact Powers===

Next, I using the ingame demonstrations, and the consistancy shown between
mythology, I will create a list of definite and speculative abilties of each
one.

The Apples
1. Mind control over humans - This can include complete domination and
(temporary?) mind cleansing, or it can be more subtle, inducing
hallucinations, convincing individuals of a fact, or even insanity.
Functions by activating an otherwise dormant neural pathway, specifically
found only in humans. Possession of another artifact seems to negate or
limit the effects, as does being a member of the Assassin bloodline.
Altair was able to resist the direct mind control effect, but the
hallucinations still seemed to influence him, though he fought through them.
2. Immobilization - A seemingly non-neural ability to immobilize a target.
Strange bursts of light appear on the body of the afflicted target,
indicating that it is purely physical. Resistance to the mind control
effect does not seem to help in resisting the immobilization.
3. Duplication - The Apples seem to possess the ability for an individual to
duplicate him or herself, and potentially bestow a different appearance upon
the duplicates, which are capable of independent behavior. It is possible
this is just a use of the hallicination ability, but it seems that
duplicates are physical beings and can cause physical harm, indicating
that this is an independent power. Loss of a duplicate does not seem to
harm the original.
4. Storage of Data - The Apples seem to not only be an item of control, but
also a library of data. Altair regularly mentions delving into the depths
of his Apple to find information, but it seems it is not a simple task.
His records indicate it requires a strong mind, and that care should be
taken when using them, and he expresses a fear of losing oneself to it.
It is possible that the Apples were not intended for use by humans, and
that this ability is only somewhat accessible by them. It also can track
the location of other artifacts in its database.
5. Foresight - It seems that Those Who Came Before had a limited form of
foresight which required significant effort on their part. Altair seems able
to tap into this ability through the apple, in a limited manner, indicating
that the Apples themselves were the device through which the foresight was
accomplished.
6. Opening Vaults - By combining the Staff (PoE 34) and an Apple, it was
possible to open a vault. It is not shown if all of the vaults require the
same combination, or if other combinations are possible.
7. Extended Life (Speculated) - In a number of the Apple related myths
indicated in the puzzles, the Apple in question carried powers, and the
most common of these powers was eternal/extended life/youth. Altair
himself muses on the idea of extending his own life through the use of
the Apple, but whether he succeeded is not known.
8. Temptation/Resisting Destruction (Speculated) - It seems as if something
about the apples causes humans to desire them, but in a sense that also
limits their desire to destroy them. Like the One Ring of Lord of the
Rings, when it comes time to destroy the Apple, it takes phenomenal
willpower to do so, and many people crave possessing it. It takes Altair
several years to muster up the will to destroy it (which he was unable to
do physically anyway), but at the end of Assassin's Creed 1, he was unable
to destroy the Apple as he swore to do, choosing rather to use it for
study. If the Apples were designed to control humans, then it would be
logical to instill a safeguard within them preventing humans from destroying
them willfully. Altair's ability to do so after years of effort may be a
side-effect of his Assassin bloodline. It is also worth noting that the
Apple of the Garden of Eden is nearly synonymous with Temptation, and the
Apples in the various myths are also highly coveted (and well guarded by
non-human methods).

The Staff
1. Area of Effect Attack - One ability of the Staff that is definitively
demonstrated is a sweeping area of effect strike, used to knock over nearby
opponents. Once downed, some sort of energy seems to physically weaken
victims of the attack, causing them to fall prone to the ground for some
time. Like the Mind Control, it is possible to resist this ability. Ezio
indicates that his possession of an Apple allows this, but it is also
possible his Assassin bloodline granted him this ability as well. The
physical wave still seems to hit him, but the weakening status effect has
limited use on Ezio (though not entirely non-existant).
2. Short-range Telekinesis - The Staff demonstrates the ability to provide a
short range "force push" of sorts, knocking Ezio over, allowing Borgia to
use his disabling Area of Effect ability. It seems to work well on Ezio,
despite his Apple and Assassin Bloodline.
3. Cloaking - Using the Staff seems to allow its users to temporarily cloak
themselves. The limitations and duration of this ability are not shown.
4. Opening Vaults - By combining the Staff with an apple, it was possible to
open a vault. It is not shown if all of the vaults require the same
combination, or if other combinations are possible.
5. Mind control over humans (Speculated) - Like all of the Pieces of Eden,
it seems that those in possession of the Staff had an extraordinary large
number of followers. This indicates that it is possible it too was capable
of the mind swaying abilities shown by the Apple. Similarly, it also seems
possible it was capable of the hallucination inducing abilities, as it was
used numerous times in the Moses myth to perform otherwise supernatural
feats.
6. Other Apple Abilities (Speculated) - Ultimately, it seems that there is
some overlap between the Apples and the other Pieces of Eden. How many of
the abilities shown by the Apples are possessed by the Staff is unknown,
if any, but it is a possibility that it too has the Data Storage abilities.
Rodrigo Borgia seemed suprised at the Duplication and Immobilization
capabilities of the Apple, so it is unlikely that the Staff had these
abilities as well.

The Sword (Entirely Speculative)

1. Combat Prowess - All five individuals who possessed the Sword in the
puzzle are known for being, in one way or another, particularly skilled
in melee combat. Like the Apple, it is possible that the Sword bestows
enhanced combat knowledge upon its user, or guides/enhances the abilities
of the user to the point that they are notably more skilled than their
opponents.
2. Physically Strong Cutting Edge - Several of the myths include the Sword
being made of supernatural material that was unsusceptible to wear and
tear, and capable of cutting through extremely hard substances. For
example, being shoved deep into a stone (Arthurian legend) or a tree
(Sigmund's legend). Given the nature of those legends, it is also possible
that only certain people could activate the weapon, or that its activation
required a certain action unknown to most, and that only when activated
did its special powers work (hence, being unable to be drawn from its
place, as its edge was not active).
3. Knowledge of War - Several of the owners of the Sword were also skilled
tacticians, notably Joan of Arc (who was the LEAST combat skilled of the
five), leading their people on successful campaigns, sometimes when
completely outmatched or where others had failed.
4. Limited Foresight - Like the Apple, it is possible that the Sword offers
some form of combat foresight, accounting for the successful military
campaigns led by some of its owners. Joan of Arc's legacy specifically
mentions divine inspiration providing her with the advanced knowledge of
her enemy's movements, especially significant given that there is no way
she could have made the complex military predictions on her own (she
had less than a year's veterancy in the military, and was an uneducated
farm girl).
5. Other Apple Abilities - Like the Staff and the Apples, the users of the
Sword often had a large number of loyal followers, and some were powerful
leaders and kings. It may have possessed the same, or a limited form of,
mind control abilities as the Apples. Possibly the same with stored
knowledge.

The Shroud (Entirely Speculative)

1. Resistance to Harm - The Golden Fleece had a number of capabilities,
including being highly resistant to attack. When in the possession of David,
he chose to wear it to combat a veteran giant soldier, turning down a King's
personal suit of armor. If it is preferable to a high quality suit of armor,
and given the outcome of David's battle, it may be likely that the Shroud
protects against physical harm while being worn.
2. Healing Abilities (Possibly Resurrection) - The Golden Fleece was capable
of healing the wounded or just-recently killed, and Jesus (in possession of
the shroud) healed a number of disabled or wounded individuals. Jesus healed
a variety of ailments, included fresh wounds, injury induced disabilities,
birth defects, and mental disorders. He also was known to have revived a
recently dead man. He himself was also well known for being revived after
death, possibly through long term exposure to the Shroud (As it was taken by
the Templar after he died). Hence, the Shroud may be designed so that it
can repair natural and unnatural wounds and physical defects, as well as
curing mental disabilities and reviving the recently dead.
3. Strange/Changing Color - The Golden Fleece was supposed to be amazingly
brilliant in color, but it was definitely gold. In the puzzle, all of the
later owners wore a red cloak, and Joseph's beautiful cloak was well known
for being "techni-color". It is possible it could change color at the whim
of the owner, but still possessed a consistant beauty.
4. Other Apple Abilities - Like the Staff and Sword before, the wearers of
the Shroud had large groups of loyal followers, indicating the possibility
of the mind control abilities present in the Apples.

===C. The Current State of Things===

With that concluded, let us look at the present state of the Assassin's
Creed universe. In Desmond's time, to the best of our knowledge, the templar
are in possession of a large number of the known artifacts. At their last
known sightings, the Templar possessed 3 of the 5 Apples. They also had the
Shroud and the Sword in their last known sightings (2000 and 600 years ago,
respectively). The last known artifact, the Staff, seems to have been
destroyed. They have a reconstructed version of Artifact X, the time control
artifact. Given this, it also seems the Templar have a limited understanding
of the technology of the Artifacts, indicating the possibility of them being
able to make them some time in the future. They also have knowledge of the
location of many more artifacts.

Meanwhile, the Assassins, while losing ground, are not entirely out of the
ballgame. They seem to be responsible for the destruction of 2 artifacts,
and may be in possession of an Apple.
===D. Deeper Meaning Behind the Artifacts===

It is speculated by Altair that the Artifacts are merely discarded

playthings, given divine significance by humans. He may have been closer
to the truth than anyone things. While it is clear the artifacts are not
merely trinkets, and that they are truly powerful for humans, they seem
to have been a tool of everyday use for Those Who Came Before. The Apples,
specifically, seem to have been some sort of multi-tool/PDA of sorts, from
which the user could access a vast library of knowledge, see the location
on Earth of other users, potentially see the future, and control one's
human slaves. Powerful by human standards, certainly, but seemingly not
so much within the context of the extremely powerful Those Who Came Before.

The artifacts, however, seem to have been limited in their creation. They
are not so abundantly plentiful that they were mass produced; rather,
given the limited number of the Ones Who Came Before, it is possible that
there was just 1 artifact created for each, though possibly more, given
that different artifacts had different uses. This may have been partly
due to fear of them falling into the wrong hands; through their use, humans
would gain several advantages in rebeling against their masters. In addition
to gaining resistance to some of the powers of the artifacts, humanity
would also gain access to the technological knowledge stored within the
artifacts, as well as use of its combat abilities, and an extended lifespan
(In the Bible, Adam was supposed to have lived for 930 years).

In this sense, it seems that ultimately, Altair is correct in his analysis

of the artifacts as far more trivial than the millenia spanning fued
between Templar and Assassins would dictate. However, Puzzle #19 reveals
something more, implying that the artifacts may have had a much more
significant purpose. After hinting at the end of the world almost happening
in the past, Subject 16 says "The pieces were once part of a whole."
Minerva's statements at the end of the game indicate that there is still
hope if the other Temples can be found, possibly bearing more artifacts.
It seems that through the combined power of a large number of artifacts,
the apocalypse which devastated the Earth the first time might be
mitigated enough to allow humanity to survive, a gift from the Ones
Who Came Before to their creations.

*******************************

VII. Personal Musings

I have a few topics I would like to talk about, just for my own personal
indulgence and interest.

1. The Mottos
Nothing Is True. Everything Is Permitted.

May The Father Of Understanding Guide Us.

These mottos reflecting the Assassin and Templar orders are stated time and
time again throughout the games. However, I find them ironic. Ultimately, I
believe that they correspond to the wrong groups.

Take the Templar's motto, for instance. "May The Father Of Understanding
Guide Us" . . . this indicates a strong sense of reverence for knowledge,
enlightement, and guidance by such traits. Knowing the facts, unclouded by
propaganda and enforced uneducation . . . this sounds very much like an
Assassin philosophy. The Templar, who seek to subjugate humanity by
clouding judgement, or ultimately removing judgement entirely, do not
seem to be the foremost authority to speak on the nature of understanding.

Similarly, the Assassin's motto only halfway represents them. "Nothing Is

True. Everything Is Permitted." Ultimately, the first half makes sense.
One of the Assassin's foremost ideas is that rulers create myths to
control the people, and that one can never take these ideas (or any ideas)
completely to heart. At the same time, Altair muses in his codex that the
Templar are painfully aware that nothing can be completely, and ultimately
true, and it is this fact that leads them to create their own reality and
truth. Hence, the fact that "Nothing Is True" is the driving belief behind
the Templar's goals. Next, "Everything Is Permitted." The Assassins
believe that sacrifices must be made, usually in the form of key
individuals, for the sake of the greater good. However, they draw the line
in many things, refusing to kill innocents, and respecting free will above
all else. It is the Templar who truly believe that anything can be
sacrificed in the name of their ultimate goal. There is nothing so immoral
or so catastrophic that it is not worth doing if it will allow them to be
one step closer to realization of their new world order. The Templar live
by the policy that "Everything Is Permitted".

I suppose it could be argued either way, but I found it interesting that

these two mottos seem almost reversed.

2. Artifacts of Legend!

I cannot wait until Assassin's Creed 3. You know what I am waiting for most
of all? More Pieces of Eden. The revelation of the Sword, the Staff and the
Shroud, and the association between them and mythological items just
struck a chord with me, and I find myself considering other such
possibilities. I have always been a fan of mythology, and magical weapons
and the like have always been my favorite. So, I would love to see more
of these items brought into the series. A few I would personally
love to see:

The Spear - Athena (Minerva) wielded a spear, and Odin, King of the Norse
gods, weilded an enchanted spear (Gungnir) which could not miss its target.
One spear, now regarded in a mythological context, is the Spear of Longinus
(also known as the Spear of Destiny), a lance used to pierce the side of
Jesus while he was on the cross.

The Helmet - Athena/Minerva in mythology seemed to always were a helmet of

some sort; however, we now see that Minerva wore some sort of headpiece
that did not seem particularly special. However, helmets do come into
play in other respects. In the legend of Perseus, he was granted several
gifts, one of which was the helmet of Hades/Pluto, which allowed him to
turn invisible. The Staff was already depicted as offering a cloaking
ability, so this is not outside the realm of realistic.

The Boots - Another item in the Perseus myth were Hermes/Mercury's enchanted
sandals. They were made of gold, and had wings which allowed the user to fly
at tremendous speeds. Within the context of an artifact, they could merely
be some sort of propulsion device worn on the feet, yet still an
interesting item.

*******************************

VIII. Legal Somesuch

This file is written and copyrighted by me, Irvine Tomoe. That being said,
much of this is interpretation of facts that are merely implied already in a
game. I would appreciate not passing off the document as one's own creation,
but realistically, none of this is mine. I just made the connections that
anyone can, with enough effort and research. If you would like you put it on
a website, go ahead, though an email sent my way would be appreciated at
DarkerCompanion@gmail.com. Thanks, and I hope you will be respectful, and
spread this information to as many players of Assassin's Creed 2 as
possible.

*******************************

IX. Credits

Credits go to four.

Ubisoft, for making this game. All the connections I made over the past few
days were not invented: they were found. The makers at Ubisoft must have had
to scour history for ways to tie all of this in, and they have done an
incredible job. How they found all of these coincidences is uncanny . . .
and I am impressed.

Wikipedia, for being my one-click guide to the world's information. Tesla

would be proud.

And last, Failbaddon who pointed out for me that Abraham Zapruder is a
significant Z named individual in the JFK assassination. I would NOT have
found that one on my own.

/_\ (_) ( ) / __ \ ||
/ /_\ \___ ___ __ _ ___ ___ _ _ __ |/ ___ | / \/_ __ ___ ___ __| |
| _ / __/ __|/ _` / __/ __| | '_ \ / __| | | | '__/ _ \/ _ \/ _` |
| | | \__ \__ \ (_| \__ \__ \ | | | | \__ \ | \__/\ | | __/ __/ (_| |
\_| |_/___/___/\__,_|___/___/_|_| |_| |___/ \____/_| \___|\___|\__,_|
______________________________________________________________________
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¯¯¯
_____ _____
|_ _|_ _|
|| ||
|| ||
_| |_ _| |_
\___/ \___/

_____________________________
| Assassin's Creed II Guide |
| Created by: Axel7174 |
| FAQ and Walkthrough |
| Copyright 2009 Ryne Gardner |
|_____________________________|

Version History
---------------
Version 1.00 - 11/16/09 - 11/23/09
--Well, here we are, the first completed version. I will admit, this guide is
somewhat rough for the first edition. I'm hoping to buff out some of the rough
edges very soon and start adding more things and improving existing stuff. Here
you go though, enjoy!

Version 1.10 - 11/25/09

--Alright, first update! I think I accomplished a fair amount here. I started
a few sections and their subsections. For example, the Villa section has been
started but not finished. Extras was started with Trophies added and the Glyphs
and Puzzles section was started but not yet finished. Other than that, I added
a specks of information to the walkthrough and gave the whole guide a much
needed spellcheck.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Version 1.15 - 11/27/09

--Started some more stuff like Basics. Didn't work on the Villa section this
time so there's still some work to do there. Other than that, it was just a few
small updates to the walkthrough, a tip or two, information changes/edits and
a pair of new FAQ questions.

Version 1.25 - 12/1/09

--Welcome to the month of December! For this update, I added two new
sub-sections, including one for a little info on connecting the PS3 version of
ACII to the PSP game, AC: Bloodlines. I added the Stautettes, located in the
Villa section. I also finished the Glyph puzzle solutions, but have not yet
added all the locations. Other than that, a bunch of fixes and small additions.

Version 1.35 - 12/21/09

--Well, let me first apologize for the lack of updates. I have been simply
overburdened with final papers and final exams in college (being an English
Major stinks sometimes!) and other obligations as well. Now that my semester
is over (huzzah!), I can finally find some time to work on this guide. I began
by updating a few sections here and there, then started the Weapon, Armor &
Clothes sub-section. Added a few tips that were submitted to me and made a few
corrections. Well I'm gonna disappear for a few days but a few more updates
should be coming eventually. Until then, regardless of what you celebrate...

Happy Holidays everyone!

Version 1.40 - 1/4/09

--Hope everyone had a good holiday and a happy New Year. Got a small update
here, mostly just to fix some stuff here and there. I'm gonna be focusing on
older guides so I'm gonna put this one aside for a little while.

_ _ ____ __ ___ _____ __ __ ____ ____ _____

( \/\/ )( ___)( ) / __)( _ )( \/ )( ___) (_ _)( _ )
) ( )__) )(__( (__ )(_)( ) ( )__) )( )(_)(
(__/\__)(____)(____)\___)(_____)(_/\/\_)(____) (__) (_____)

____ _ _ ____ __ _ _ ____ __ __ __ __ ___

(_ _)( )_( )( ___) /__\ ( \( )(_ _)( \/ )( )( )/ __)
)( ) _ ( )__) /(__)\ ) ( _)(_ ) ( )(__)( \__ \
(__) (_) (_)(____) (__)(__)(_)\_)(____)(_/\/\_)(______)(___/

__|
_______________________________________________________________________
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¯¯|
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
¯¯
1|Introduction..................................................... [itro]
|+ About This Guide
|+ Using This Guide
2|Basics........................................................... [bscs]
|+ Welcome To The Animus (SPOILER WARNING)........................ [bcan]
|+ Controls....................................................... [bctr]
|+ Side Missions.................................................. [bcsm]
|+ Currency and Goods............................................. [bccg]
|+ Combat......................................................... [bcom]
3|Walkthrough...................................................... [ac00]
|+ Sequence 1..................................................... [ac01]
|+ Sequence 2..................................................... [ac02]
 |+ Sequence 3..................................................... [ac03]
|+ Sequence 4..................................................... [ac04]
|+ Sequence 5..................................................... [ac05]
|+ Sequence 6..................................................... [ac06]
|+ Sequence 7..................................................... [ac07]
|+ Sequence 8..................................................... [ac08]
|+ Sequence 9..................................................... [ac09]
|+ Sequence 10.................................................... [ac10]
|+ Sequence 11.................................................... [ac11]
|+ Sequence 14.................................................... [ac14]
4|The Villa........................................................ [acvi]
|+ Overview....................................................... [viov]
|+ Shops.......................................................... [visp]
|+ Renovations.................................................... [virn]
|+ Collections & Equipment........................................ [vicl]
|+ Statuettes..................................................... [vist]
5|Extras........................................................... [exra]
|+ Glyph Locations & Puzzle Solutions............................. [exgp]
|+ Weapon, Art, and Clothes Lists................................. [exli]
|+ Assassination Contract Missions................................ [exas]
|+ Connectivity with Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines................. [exbl]
|+ Trophies/Achievements.......................................... [exth]
6|Miscellaneous.................................................... [misl]
|+ Frequently Asked Questions..................................... [fak4u]
|+ Credits/Special Thanks
|+ Contact Info
|+ Legal Chitchat

/|_
/ |_
/ /
/ >
( >
/ /
/ /
/ /
__/ \_____
/- |
/ /-\ /
/ / \--/
/ /
/ /
( >
/ >
/ _|
 / __/
/_/

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Uno (1)| Introduction | ASSASSIN'S CREED II [itro]
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Hello, and welcome to the guide. The name is Axel7174 and I'll be your host.
I'm under the preconceived notion that if you're reading this guide, you've
come for some sort of help, or you're very bored. Well, if it's the former,
worry not! I'm hoping to do my best to provide as much help as possible for
Assassin's Creed II, one of the 2009 holiday season's biggest hits.

About This Guide

----------------
This could be my last guide of 2009, though I'm thinking about some other stuff
as well. This guide is being written during the end of my current college
semester so it's possible that after most of the work is done, that updates can
get a little spaced apart, while I tackle assignments and finals and all that
junk. Other than that, I hope this guide proves helpful.

Using This Guide

----------------
This guide contains a general walkthrough that is fairly clear and concise. It
covers just about all aspects of the game. Look to the table of contents above
for help finding something. At the end of each item is a code called a
quickjump. Put this code into the ctrl+f function of your web browser and you
can quickly jump to a section of the guide. You can also use this to search for
keywords.

If you have questions, please refer to the FAQ section at the end of the guide
first before e-mailing me. If your question isn't answered, or if you have
something to comment on or submit to me, feel free to e-mail me. If you're
submitting something, please, please, please read the Contact Info section
first for my policy on this.

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Due (2)| Basics | ASSASSIN'S CREED II [bscs]
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
WELCOME TO THE ANIMUS, DESMOND. WOULD YOU LIKE TO REVIEW THE
EVENTS YOU
EXPERIENCED [in Assassin's Creed 1] AGAIN, REVISITING THE EVENTS OF
YOUR
ANCESTOR, ALTAIR? I MUST WARN YOU, IT CONTAINS SPOILERS, SO
PLEASE DISREGARD
THIS IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED.

Yes, I want to review it, please.

OK........ ACCESSING...... MEMORY BLOCKS FOUND....... PLEASE WAIT............

REVIEW PLAYBACK BEGINNING....

Desmond stepped into the Animus and relived the life of his ancestor, Altair,
an assassin who lived during the time of the Third Crusade. Altair was just
one assassin in an entire fraternity who hailed from Masyaf and pledged loyalty
to their master, Al Mualim, and three guiding tenets:

o Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent

o Hide in plain sight
o Never compromise the brotherhood.

Altair broke all three tenants in one mission, as he and his brothers tried to
thwart Robert De Sable of the Crusaders from retrieving the treasure of
Solomon's Temple. His actions cost his brother Malik his arm, as well as the
life of Kadar, Malik's actual blood brother.

Al Mualim scolded Altair for his foolish behavior. Altair remarked, "Were you
not the one to say "nothing is true and everything is permitted?"

"You do not understand the true meaning of the phrase, my child," Al Mualim
said. "It does not grant you the freedom to do as you wish, it is a knowledge
meant to guide your senses. It expects a wisdom you clearly lack!"

As punishment, Al Mualim stripped Altair of his rank and had him charged with
ending the lives of nine men, men on both the Saracen and Crusader forces.
"Nine lives in exchange for mine," Altair mused.

And so he set out to kill all nine men. The assassin brothers in each city
guided Altair, including Malik who still held intense contempt for the former
ace assassin. Putting his skills to good use, Altair gathered the information
necessary, climbed impossible obstacles, and put a blade to any enemy in his
way. One by one, each man fell.

With his dying breath, Altair's first target, Tamir of Damascus revealed that
he was "but a piece. A man with a part to play." To which Altair replied, "I
look forward to ending their lives as well."
Each man had been accused of heinous crimes that threatened peace and the
salvation of the Holy Land. Yet, to Altair's surprise, each of the men had a
different tale to tell. Tamir claimed a nobler cause than simply making weapons
for war.

Garnier de Naplouse of Acre claimed he was not harming the sick and mentally
disabled, but saving them.

Talal of Jerusalem said he was not enslaving people for any reason but to save
them.

Abu'l Nuquod, a servant of Salahudin, revealed that he stole money to serve his
group, the "brotherhood" Tamir spoke of. "If you do not serve Salahudin's cause
then whose?" Altair asked.

"In time you'll come to know them," Abu'l Nuquod replied, choking on his own
blood. "I think perhaps you already do."

Altair continued his quest and slew Majd Addin, William de Montferrat, Sibrand,
and Jubair.

As Altair suspected, there was "something that binds these men." Al Mualim
enlightened him to the truth. They were Templars. Despite being on opposite
forces, the 9 Templars would hope to use the treasure from Solomon's Temple to
achieve "peace" as Al Mualim put it.

Altair's face twisted in a confusing grimace. "Peace? But this would make them
our allies!" Al Mualim explained that he supported the goal, but not the method
in which the Templars would achieve it, through forced control and the
stripping away of free will. Understanding their purpose, Altair set off to
find his final target: Robert De Sable.

Altair found his target in Jerusalem... and struck. To his surprise however,
he learned it was merely a body double. Robert was on his way to persuade
Richard the Lionheart and Salahudin to join forces against the Assassin's who,
thanks to Altair, had murdered 8 men on each side.

Altair, fearing the worst for Masyaf and for the Holy Land, rode for Arsuf.
There he confronted Robert as the Templar he was and after a lengthy duel, he
finally fell to his blade.

"Nine targets he sent you to kill," Robert said. "Not nine, but ten."

Altair couldn't believe it. "A tenth?! None may live who know the secret."
He shook Robert and demanded a name.
"Oh, but you know him well. It is your precious Al Mualim. He used you, boy.
The only difference between your master and me is that he did not want to
share."

Robert faded from the world and Altair rose, weightless, trapped in a cloud of
disbelief. Al Mualim was a Templar and he had been aligned with the others all
along. Not only that, he used Altair to kill his former allies to have the
treasure all to himself. A treasure that Al Mualim claimed "Turned water into
wine and parted the Red Sea." Altair knew what he to do, and so he rode back to
Masyaf.

When he returned, he found the people of the village and the assassin's all
under Al Mualim's spell, a spell cast from the treasure, the Piece of Eden.
With help from Malik, Altair confronted his master in the garden. There, Al
Mualim raised the Piece of Eden triumphantly and cried, "Nothing is true and
everything is permitted!"

Altair could not help but find it ironic that his master has twisted the true
meaning of this phrase, just as he himself had done. Altair's significance was
explained. Since he could not be brainwashed by the Piece of Eden like the
others, he was the perfect puppet for Al Mualim's plan. Now his usefulness had
ended, he imagined. Al Mualim confirmed this notion, raising his blade, and in
an almost believably solemn voice, said "You were my best student, Altair."

Altair saw through the illusions cast by the Piece of Eden and through his own
willpower, he killed Al Mualim. Al Mualim dropped the orb and claimed he could
not destroy it. "Then I will!" Altair remarked.

The Piece of Eden laid there in the garden. Altair approached it with
trepidation. With each step he took toward the object, he could feel his heart
flutter in a most strange way, as if it ceased to not only beat, but exist in
his body. Slowly, the Piece of Eden came to life, displaying a map of the
world. The grand orange glow of its projection mesmerized Altair. There was
something beautiful, entrancing, and serene about it.

In his head, Al Mualim's voice taunted him. "Go on, destroy it as you said you
would."

Altair struggled to even speak. "I... I can't!" he said.

"Yes you can, Altair. But you won't..."

The image ended, and Desmond awoke. The map displayed by the Piece of Eden was
what the Templar's in the present day sought. Having served his purpose,
Desmond was considered expendable. Lucy Stillman bought Desmond time, and so
he returned to his room. There, he found that he possessed Altair's Eagle
Vision and upon the walls of his room, he saw many cryptic messages... written
in blood.

END SPOILERS

Controls [bctr]
--------
Here is a quick layout of the control schemes for the PS3 and 360 versions of
the game. I split it up into two parts just for ease.

Basic Controls

_________________________________________________________________
|Action |PS3 Button |360 Button |
|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|Pause |Start |Start |
|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|Map |Select |Back |
|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|Movement |Left Analog Stick |Left Thumbstick |
|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|Camera |Right Analog Stick |Right Thumbstick |
|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|Lock on |L1 |Left Button |
|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|Contextual Camera |L2 |Left Trigger |
|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|High Profile |R1 |Right Button |
|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|Inventory Wheel |R2 |Right Trigger |
|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|Look |R3 |Right Thumbstick In|
|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|Select Hidden Blade |D-Pad Up |D-Pad Up |
|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|Select Primary Weapon|D-Pad Right |D-Pad Right |
|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|Use Medicine |D-Pad Left |D-Pad Left |
|---------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|Select Fists |D-Pad Down |D-Pad Down |
'-----------------------------------------------------------------'

Actions: Low Profile and High Profile

 ______________________________________________________________
|Action |PS3 Button |360 Button |
|--------------------------------|----------------|------------|
|Steal (Low Profile) |X |A |
|--------------------------------|----------------|------------|
|Sprint/Free Run (High Profile) |X |A |
|--------------------------------|----------------|------------|
|Gentle Push (Low Profile) |Circle |B |
|--------------------------------|----------------|------------|
|Grab/Throw (High Profile) |Circle |B |
|--------------------------------|----------------|------------|
|Tackle (while running) |Circle |B |
|--------------------------------|----------------|------------|
|Attack |Square |X |
|--------------------------------|----------------|------------|
|Speak |Triangle |Y |
|--------------------------------|----------------|------------|
|Eagle Vision |Triangle (hold) |Y (hold) |
'--------------------------------------------------------------'

A little insight to some extra moves that Ezio can do.

Advanced Wall Jump

------------------
Run up a wall and then immediately point the Left Analog Stick left or right
and hit X again. Ezio will run up the wall and use his momentum to go left or
right. It's useful for grabbing a tricky ledge or a ledge that is to your
side.

Climb Leap
----------
Ezio learns this in Venice. Climb Leap lets Ezio leap up when climbing a wall
so he can reach ledges normally out of reach. When he leaps, you have to grasp
with Circle or he'll just fall down. Some buildings can only be climbed with
Climb Leap. Otherwise, it's a nice way to take shortcuts when climbing.

Side Missions [bcsm]

-------------
The developers decided to go in a different direction with ACII. The game was
constructed similar to Grand Theft Auto in the sense that you have a lot of
story missions that you do in succession to progress the game. At the same time
though you have tons of side missions and other things to do in between. In
this small section, I'll very briefly glance over some of these.

[RACES]
Each city has some races you can undertake. You don't actually race anything
except the clock. Usually the time you're given is pretty lenient.

[BEAT UP EVENTS]

These missions have you visiting the infidelic husband of some poor wife in
town. You are given a search area to look for them. Find them and beat them up
but do not kill them. Easy.

[COURIER MISSIONS]

You are given a letter to deliver and a destination. Get it there in time to
succeed. The time limits vary from very comfortable, to a bit more strict.
Overall, these are not difficult however.

Currency and Goods [bccg]

------------------
Assassin's Creed II sports a nifty economic system. You can now earn money and
spend it how you see fit. There are numerous things to spend on, and there are
various ways to keep the money lining your pockets.

[MONEY MAKING]

-Missions: Beating story and side missions will always reward you with a small
amount of florins, the game's currency. Later story missions yield better
rewards of course.

-Pick-pocketing: By holding X while walking, you can bump into them and steal
money. The amounts are miniscule but remember to do it a few times every so
often and you'll find it adds up.

-Looting: Like pick-pocketing, you don't get much by looting corpses. It's an
option and a decent one early on in the game to make an extra buck but not
reliable overall.

-Chests: There are chests hidden throughout the cities that have small amounts
of money. The amounts can be pretty big in some of them. If you go to an Art
Merchant, you can buy a map that will show you chest locations for an area.

-The Villa: Once you have the Villa Auditore up and running, it becomes by far
your greatest source of income for the game. Put enough into it and you'll get
a larger return. For more information, see the Villa section of the guide.

[WHAT TO SPEND IT ON]

-Blacksmiths: Blacksmiths deal in armor and weaponry. They can give Ezio new
primary and secondary weapons, as well as replenish his stock of throwing
knives or smoke bombs and so on. The goods available depend mostly on how far
you have progressed in the game. Blacksmiths will also repair damaged armor for
a small fee.

-Art Merchants: Art merchants sell... art of course! The paintings you buy from
them increase the value of the Villa but the greatest value is earned for
purchasing all 30 of them. Each city has different artwork available. The Art
Merchants also sell maps that show the locations of treasure chests.

-Tailors: Visit a tailor and he can let you customize Ezio's wardrobe for a
small fee. This gives the player some customization which is nice. More
importantly I think however, is that the Tailor sells pouches to let Ezio carry
more medicine, throwing knives, and poison.

Doctor: The doctor will heal Ezio for a small fee. He will also sell medicine
that he can carry and later, poison as well.

Combat [bcom]
------
Combat in Assassin's Creed II is very similar to its predecessor. There are a
few new features though, so if you are interested in those or are just totally
new to the AC series, you might find some useful information here.

An important thing to take note of is that some combat skills like Disarm are
available to you early in the game. The game will give you tutorials on these
things but you can use them before then.

===============================================================
================
Initiating Combat|
-----------------'
You can initiate combat by provoking guards. There are also many missions and
instances where combat is unavoidable. Guards will normally not attack you
unless you attack first or perform High Profile actions in their presence. The
exceptions are archers who attack when you get too close to them. This changes
when you have Notorius status, where all guards will be more quick to attack.
===============================================================
================
Basic Setup|
-----------'
Enemies will surround Ezio and typically attack one at at a time but there are
instances where more than one will attack simultaneously. While in combat, Ezio
can only lock onto one enemy at a time, but he can switch targets by using
the Left Analog Stick to point toward a different enemy when attacking.

Your health is represented by the white squares in the top left. When you take
damage, the severity is measured by the squares. If you lose a whole square,
it will not be replenished except by medicine or a doctor. If you lose a part
of a square, it will replenish itself if you don't take any further damage for
a few seconds. Enemy health is represented by the red squares above their
heads.
===============================================================
================
Enemy Types|
-----------'
Guards come in a few varieties. You have two basic guard types. There are
unarmored types with no armor (duh!). There are ones who have some armor but
are still sort of small and skinny like the others. They have the pointed
helmets with the visors and so on.

Going up from there you have Brutes, Agiles, and Seekers. Brutes are the bulky,
heavily armored enemies that carry axes and claymores. They are much tougher
defensively and offensively. Depending on your equipped weapon, you may not be
able to block a Brute attack without taking damage. You also cannot counter
them except with the Hidden Blade. Brutes are susceptible to Disarm though. It
works very well against them.

Seekers look like Brutes but don't have a face visor and they exclusively
wield spears. Seekers will patrol with guards and check out various hiding
spots. If you happen to be hiding in a haystack, they can find you in there
by investigating. You can assassinate them from hiding though. As fighters,
they can get annoying with the spear because they can attack pretty quickly
sometimes and knock Ezio down. Disarm also works great against them.

Agiles are the least threatening of the three archetypes. They appear as small
enemies with pointed helmets that don't cover their face. They also carry
knives and small weapons like that. What makes Agiles special is that if you
happen to run from them, they will chase Ezio and easily catch up to him. They
were said to be able to chase after him up buildings, but I haven't seen any
do this yet.
===============================================================
================
Prioritizing In Battles|
-----------------------'
When faced with a group of guards, you can decide if you want to end the fight
quicker by taking out bigger targets. Defeating the tougher enemies first often
makes the lower ones run away in fear. For example, defeating one or two of
the normal armored enemies can sometimes make the unarmored enemies run. If you
have a group with a Brute, killing them can make the lower ones run away too.

Targeting a Brute with Disarm is always a good strategy. Taking their weapon
and using it on the lower enemies makes the fight a bit easier. The problem
is that counters with the big weapons like the claymore and spear often have
Ezio lodging the weapon in their head or body.
===============================================================
================
Inventory|
---------'
You can use the D-Pad to quick select weapons during and before fights. Up is
your Hidden Blade(s), Right selects your primary weapon, and down will switch
to your fists (unarmed). For some reason, they decided to remove the short
weapon from D-Pad Left. That button is now to quick select your recovery
medicine, which is pretty useful. To select other items and weapons, hold R2
to bring up the Inventory Wheel and use the Left Analog Stick to select it.
You will keep that weapon item/weapon equipped until you change to something
else like your primary weapon.
===============================================================
================
Escaping|
--------'
If you need to flee, hold R1 and hit X and typically back on the Left Analog
stick to escape from a fight. You'll abandon your lock on and take off running.
To assist your escape, deploy a Smoke Bomb first.
===============================================================
================
Strafing and Dodging|
--------------------'
Hit X and use the Left Analog Stick to strafe in a direction. It's a decent way
to avoid an attacker or move into a better position to strike. Dodging is much
more effective however. Hold R1 and in anticipation of an enemy attak, again
use X and the Left Analog Stick to move away. Unlike Strafing, Dodging pretty
much always guarantees you escape damage (unless you back away into a wall or
something like that). Dodging is also a useful way to inflict extra damage on
an enemy by dodging their attack and striking back while they are vulnerable.
===============================================================
================
Countering and Disarming|
------------------------'
To counter, hold R1 and hit Square as an enemy is attacking. The timing for
this is not extremely precise but it does require a bit of practice. Your
timing will depend on the speed of the enemy's attack which can vary greatly.
Countering will be one-hit kills on weak enemies. The more armored ones can
need to be softened up a bit. This goes for Disarming too.
Disarming can only be performed when you are unarmed (select Fists). It works
the same way as countering. The difference is Ezio will take the enemy of his
weapon. Following up on this with another attack will instantly kill that
enemy. This is very effective against Brutes who can't be countered except
with a big weapon.
===============================================================
================
Weak and Broken Armor|
---------------------'
Without very much effort, Ezio's battles with the city guards will wear down
his armor. There don't seem to be any immediate effects to worn out armor, but
let it continue and the armor eventually breaks. Broken armor turns depleted
health squares red and they cannot be replenished! The only way to fix this
is to repair your armor at the Blacksmith shop.

Armor takes a while to break, so to prevent this from happening easily, make
regular trips to the Blacksmith to repair any damage.

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Tre (3)| Walkthrough | ASSASSIN'S CREED II [ac00]
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Welcome to the walkthrough portion of the guide. This section will be as

spoiler free as possible. The game is thankfully divided into major parts
called DNA Sequences, which... well, you'll see. So in that way, this guide
will be divided in that way for your ease of use.

In this guide I'll be using a fair amount of detail when necessary. The world
of ACII is vast and therefore, pinpointing you to an exact location can be
at times, difficult. I will also assume that after a certain point, really
big details about common fights will not be necessary, hoping that you as the
player will have grasped the basics enough that you can fight well on your own.
I will introduce most if not all new features as they come along.

As for the Glyph puzzles, they go in a predetermined order, no matter what

glyph you find in what order. I'll be listing all the locations throughout the
walkthrough at convenient places. You are not required to go after the ones I
get when I get them. This of course means that if you are on glyph let's say...
12 and I've only written up to glyph 10, you will be dealing with a different
puzzle. Just take note of that.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy this guide and that it is useful to you.
Let's begin!

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PROLOGUE
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Assassin's Creed II begins at the exact point that the first game ended at.
Really. You'll be seeing some strange markings on a wall in a first person
view. Players of AC1 will remember this. You'll eventually be able to leave
that view and you'll get a scene.

Lucy is back and for those who didn't play AC1, her importance is explained,
albeit briefly. She got a facelift since we last saw her and to be honest....
I don't think it was for the better. Oh well.

Follow Lucy out into a very familiar room once you have control. Without
wasting any time, she wants you (as Desmond) to lay down on the bed in the
middle of the room, the Animus machine. She'll get really bossy (hey, stop
yelling at me!) very fast so just do it. There's nothing to see here anyway.

Hit any button near the Animus to get in. A scene plays and in a strange yet
comical way, you have some control here. Once it's done, you'll be in control
of Desmond again.

Follow Lucy through the door. AC1 fans will remember this as a door that only
opened to reveal nothing but ominous blue light. Players couldn't go through
here in the first game. Now we can though, so aren't you excited?!

Unlike last time, Desmond can finally run this time. Hold R1 to keep up with
Lucy after a very quick scene with some guards. Follow her down a few corridors
to an elevator.

This next room will be a large office-like area with a lot of Animus machines.
More than one?! Le gasp! Just follow Lucy and you'll be fine. She'll even curse
at you... ._. she's so mean now. I want the old Lucy back!

The next elevator will take you the parking lot where a nice brawl will ensue.
The game doesn't really tell you what to do here. Just hit that Square button
to knock some sense into these guards. They'll surround you though, but it's
nothing to worry about. Lucy can kick butt too.

After that, a scene. Once you have control again, follow Lucy up through this
new building. She'll talk on about the new plan and it sounds very interesting.
She'll even give Desmond a hug. There's sweet Lucy again!

Go into the following room for a short scene. Once you have control again, you
can look around and talk to these characters. One chat with Shaun and you can
quickly see he's all business and quickly tells Desmond to bugger off. Talk
to Rebecca and Lucy too, then sit down in the new Animus and it's off to the
show.

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SEQUENCE 1
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[ac01]

Boys Will Be Boys

-----------------
After the scene, you'll be in control of Ezio, and it's street brawlin' time!
The game gives you a tutorial this time around (guess letting Desmond get
pummeled wasn't important). You can attack still, but also lock on to a target
with L1. The R1 button lets you block or deflect. Do this when multiple
enemies swarm you.

A more interesting feature is the combo system. Time your Square button presses
so that when a punch lands, you hit the button again and you can combo an
attack repeatedly. This was actually a part of sword fighting in AC1, but now
you can do it with your fists too.

After a quick scene, you get more targets to pummel. Focus on blocking and
attacking when it's clear. You should pay attention to that white bar in the
top left which is your health. It won't matter too much what happens though.

You Should See The Other Guy

----------------------------
Once the fight is over, you can search the bodies for money by holding Circle.
Do so and get 200 florins. Once you do that, Federico wants to move on. You
can loot the rest of the bodies though if you want. Find Federico standing
nearby (the ! symbol on your mini map) and talk to him.
You can now access a Database file on Federico. Follow him as he runs down
the street. Hold R1 to run and hold X at the same time to sprint. This will
let you follow Federico as he climbs up the boxes to the left and then jumps
across several beams. Hold these two buttons and move the Left Analog stick
forward and you can effortlessly jump across these beams and follow him. Drop
down from the roof to the plaza below. Approach the guy with the goofy mask.
This is the doctor.

After Ezio is all patched up you can get a Database file for the Doctors. A
new challenge arises though, this one a bit more friendly, or should we say,
brotherly.

Sibling Rivalry
---------------
Race Federico to the top of the church. Federico will take an indirect route.
Take advantage of this by running straight at the building. Look for the ledges
you can climb onto. Hold R1 and X and you can begin climbing. From there, you
just need to use the Left Analog Stick to move upward. If you get stuck, hold
R1 again to traverse a gap or some other obstacle. Get to the glowing circle
before Federico to win.

Nightcap
--------
After that, get onto the perch sticking out from the tower and get a look
around by hitting Triangle. AC1 fans will be familiar with this. Take a Leap of
Faith into the hay below when ready.

Vieri will appear. Wait for him and his men to go by, then leave the hay and
move on to your new destination. Vieri's men are still looking for you though,
so you need to avoid being seen. They appear as red circles on your mini map.
If they do spot you, they'll chase. You can fight back or run. If you run,
notice that the enemies this time around have a search circle, very much like
Grand Theft Auto IV. Escape the search circle as seen on the mini map and the
enemies can no longer see you. When they can't see you, you're free to hide.

Make your way to Cristina's house and find the white circle again. After the
short scene, climb up to her window. Well, well. Seems like Ezio is an Italian
stallion. You get an interactive cutscene with some button prompts and some
ooh la la thrown in. The second button prompt is only available for a split
second so try not to miss it.

Rewards:
o Doctors Available
o Races unlocked
After that, make your way to the marker, the "!" one and find Ezio's father,
Giovanni. You'll get a Database file for him. Speak with him for a scene. He
gives Ezio a letter to deliver. You can read the letter with Select if you
would like.

Paperboy
--------
The yellow marker is your destination. Before heading off, search one of the
corners in this area for a red chest. Hold Circle near it like you were looting
a body and you can get some money.

Head to your marker. Along the way, avoid the red circles which are Ezio's
enemies, unless you want to fight more, which is perfectly fine, as long as
you don't overdo it. Remember to loot them afterwards. Also inspect some of
the shops around town. You can't buy anything yet, but you can get Database
files.

The marker is in an area of the town that is still shrouded on your mini map
so find a view point to clear things up. Just so happens there's one right near
the marker. Climb it and Synchronize to get a better view.

Now, the marker is set in an alley between some buildings but each entrance is
blocked by enemies. If you want to avoid a fight, you'll have to climb to the
roof and drop down from the other side. Do so and talk to the guy in the back.

Return to Giovanni when you're ready. You'll unlock more Courier side missions
to do at your leisure. Talk to the woman sitting on the bench now. She is
Claudia, Ezio's sister.

Rewards:
o Courier Assignments unlocked

Beat A Cheat
------------
Pretty straightforward. Go to the marker to meet Duccio. After some words, it's
time to throw down. Punch him and grab him. When you grab him, the game informs
you of three moves. You can headbutt (Triangle), knee him (X), or throw
him (Circle again). Beat him up and that will be that.

Rewards:
o Beat Up Missions unlocked

Friend of the Family

--------------------
Go with Maria, Ezio's mother to meet Leonardo Da Vinci. Oh, ho, ho. The
brilliant Leonardo wants Ezio... to carry his stuff for him. Do so and listen
to the conversation. Drop the box into the white circle to finish this one.

Pertruccio's Secret
-------------------
Ezio's little brother wants some feathers. Simple enough. Three feathers are
marked on your mini map. Go to the closest one and just climb straight up the
building to find it, marked by the white circle. As you make your over to the
second, look for the foyer below the roof to find a red chest for some florins.
Gather all three and return to the door to the Auditore home to finish this.

Rewards:
o Feather Locations unlocked

Special Delivery
----------------
Three markers. Go to each one and you'll deliver some letters or get one from
the pigeon coop. Pretty straightforward stuff here. Return to the house when
you're done.

Jailbird
--------
Now things are getting interesting. Make your way toward the marker. The game
will throw some more useful information at you about guards and notoriety.

When you get to the prison grounds, make your way around the tall tower, going
east from where the actual marker is. Find a spot to climb up to a restricted
area is where a guard archer is. Grab him and throw him into the scaffolding
in the center of the platform to defeat him easily.

After that, climb the scaffolding up against the wall and then onto a ledge
with a ladder. The next platform has another guard. You'll probably want to
dispatch him as you did the last one. When you're done, climb the tower. Make
your way up; the path is fairly obvious, and get to the window with the white
circle. After the scene, the job is done. You will automatically be off the
tower, but there's a view point at the top so climb back up if you want to get
it.

Family Heirloom
---------------
Make haste for the Auditore home again. Once inside, turn on Eagle Vision by
holding Triangle. Eagle Vision highlights npcs in specific categories. Blue
are allies. Red are enemies. It also reveals hidden things, such as say, a
secret entrance in the Auditore home. Interact with it and find the secret
room.

Open the chest and you get a scene. You get the Assassin Robes, sword, and a
broken hidden blade, as well as the documents Giovanni asked to be delivered to
Uberto.

When you attempt to leave, two guards appear. They're very jealous of Ezio's
new getup. You've got a sword now, so draw it and lock on. You'll find that
unlike in AC1, you can already counter. It may take a little practice at first,
but hit Square as you see an enemy attack about to connect and you can take
them out pretty easily. Otherwise, just swing away and even as they block, you
can see the red squares that represent their health deplete. Striking again as
the previous one connects lets you combo too.

With those guys down, make your way to Umberto's house. You can get some more
fighting in along the way (be sure to loot bodies if you want). You might even
fight some unarmed guys and they are killed instantly if you swing at them. You
can also grab guys know and kill them by hitting Square.

Make your way to Umberto's house and interact to get a quick scene. Well,
here's hoping for the best.

Rewards:
o Assassin Robes
o Broken Hidden Blade
o Codex Page (1)

Last Man Standing

-----------------
From the marker for this mission, the entrance to the courtyard is just up the
stairs from you. Go there for a scene. Then, you're taken on by several enemies
and your best option is to flee. Take to the rooftops and start running and
jumping until you ditch them. Try to make reasonable jumps so you can keep
going faster. Once they're gone, that's it for this mission.

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SEQUENCE 2
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[ac02]

Fitting In
----------
Meet Annetta at the marker on your map. It's the building with the red awning
and red tapestry. It's right across from a view point if you want to climb up
there and get it.

Once inside, you get a scene. Paola will teach you about Blending. No, not
with a blender! Blending in! Familiar to AC1 fans, you can now do this with
anyone, not merely scholars. Just find a group of people who are walking
together and walk amongst them to blend. A white circle appears and that's the
area you must stay within to remain blended.

Follow Paola but do not follow her by yourself. Keep her in sight but stay
inside a group of walking pedestrians and their white circle to remain hidden
from the guards you will walk by. Depending on how the crowd moves, you may get
forced out of your blend. Try to blend again or hopefully there will be another
group nearby you can seamlessly blend into as well.

Follow Paola back to the starting point and she has another lesson--stealing.
Oh goodie! By holding X you can speedwalk. Bumping into people doing this lets
you automatically steal from them. Try it out five times. Be sure to leave the
immediate vicinity once you do to avoid stirring up a ruckus. Return to Paola
after this to finish the mission.

Rewards:
o Blend skill learned
o Steal skill learned

Ace Up My Sleeve
----------------
Find Leonardo's home again. You will likely have to cross guard-infested areas
to get there. Try hiring some Courtesans if you want and they will help you
blend in for a while, but they can be lost too so the effect can be temporary.
You might be better off just taking to the roofs, but beware, there are archers
up there now. Unarmed still, you don't want to start any fights.

Find Leonardo and Ezio will hand him the broken hidden blade and after a quick
scene, it will be fixed. A guard will get Leonardo to come out of the house
then attack him. Find the guard. Select your Hidden Blade (D-pad Up), and then
get near him and hit Square to assassinate him, thus saving Leonardo. Carry the
body back to his house and put it down in the marker to get a scene and end
this mission.

Rewards:
o Hidden Blade acquired
o Assassination skill learned

Make your way back to Paola's. When you get there, look for that GLYPH that
Shaun mentioned. When you approach a building and see the eye icon near its
picture, there's a glyph on it somewhere.

Climb the Rosa Colta to the first rooftop and put Eagle Vision on. You can see
glyphs without Eagle Vision but they stand out much, much easier if you use it.
Look for the strange symbol glowing on the wall here and get near it for a few
seconds. It activates a strange transmission and then a puzzle.

-[In The Beginning]-

Ten paintings and five of them are said to have something in common. You are
to select them and if you get them right, you can unlock a part of a long
puzzle that is stored in the part of your menu called The Truth. The thing
five paintings have in common is fruit, or rather the Pieces of Eden. Look at
each painting closely and look for characters holding what looks like yellow
fruit. Select these five and you should solve it. If you can't figure it out
read below:

o Atalanta and Hippomenes

o Judgment of Paris
o The Fall
o Idun and the Apples
o Hercules in the Garden of the Hesperides

-----[1/20]-------------------------------------------------------------------

You get a tiny piece of a video that is barely more than a second long. You
need to get more glyphs to unlock more. You can view this again, from The Truth
menu which is selected from Database on the pause menu.

When you're ready, start the next mission by climbing the roof and finding the
marker.

Judge, Jury, Executioner

------------------------
When you start, you can grab another GLYPH. Go to the building where Uberto is
and climb the roof on the north side. There are some archers here so be
prepared to fend them off using the Hidden Blade (go for counters). Turn on
Eagle Vision to find the glyph.

-[Sixty Four Squares]-

You get three circular slider puzzles. Each ring needs to be aligned properly
to form the picture. It's not really hard. The best way to start is to align
the faces and then work your way from there to align the rest. Do this for all
three to solve it and get another part of the video.

-----[2/20]-------------------------------------------------------------------

Start the mission now, officially.

You get a database file for Uberto and it has a video to play. After that, you
can begin. You need to go without being noticed. Drop down from your perch and
find a group to blend in. Let them take you around the building. Stay blended
because besides guards, there are Brutes which are tough customers. Despite the
fact you can use the Hidden Blade to fight, being spotted here means you have
to start over.

Go around the building, staying blended. Ditch your group and find the
Courtesans. Hire them and walk with them. Some will go off to distract guards.
With the remaining ones, walk to the opening on the left that will let you
inside. You'll likely lose the rest of the Courtesans. That's ok, just blend
inside. Look for the red marker that signifies Uberto's location. Go from
group to group, blending until you get closer. He'll spot you finally. Walk up
to him and let the fat bastard have it.

Return to Paola's again.

Laying Low
----------
Now you can finally get rid of that pesky Notorious status. You can do this by
doing a combination of three things: removing wanted posters, assassinating
officials, or bribing people who would rather speak ill against you.

You should see some new markers on your mini map. You'll need to find posters
or people to bribe or assassinate. Posters are easy, but some need to be
reached by climbing. Assassinating officials isn't difficult with the Hidden
Blade, but try to do it away from large crowds. Also, until you get your
notoriety down, beware of the guards still. Once you've done four actions, you
can walk safely amongst the streets again.

Arrivederci
-----------
You need to guide Claudia and Maria out of the city. With the guards no longer
hounding you, this is fairly simple. Just go casually and don't do anything
suspicious or violent and you'll be fine. Make your way through the alleys and
down streets to get closer to the markets.

Many bards will try and put on a little singing show for you but resist the
urge to punch them in the face for now. There will be plenty of time for that
later. If too many get in your way, you can hold R2 to go into your inventory
and select your money, then hit Square to throw some to the ground to distract
them as well as guards.

When you near the exit, you will see it's well guarded. Hire the nearby
Courtesans, then lock onto a guard with L1 and hit Triangle to let the
Courtesans do their thing. With the guards distracted, slip by and out of the
city. Proceed from marker to marker to end the mission.

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SEQUENCE 3
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[ac03]

Roadside Assistance
-------------------
Go down the road with Maria and Claudia until you get a scene. Looks like
Vieri is up to old tricks. Still unarmed, you need to use the Hidden Blade to
protect the two women. Take the initiative and just attack them immediately and
you'll be done with the enemies in no time.

After a scene, you finally got a sword. Focus on the enemies attacking Claudia
and Maria first. Deal with the rest after that. Attacking an enemy from behind
that is attacking someone else is usually a one-hit kill.

After the scene, you're done.

Approach Uncle Mario and talk to him to start the next mission.

Casa Dolce Casa

---------------
Doesn't get much easier than this. After the tour, you can look around Villa
Auditore. There's a view point above where the tour ends. You need to go to
the blacksmith and then to the doctor to get supplies. Mario gives you some
florins, which, in combination with what you already have, should make you
pretty wealthy.

Go to the blacksmith and buy the greaves and the dagger. Then go to the doctor
and get some medicine. You can use medicine by hitting Left on the D-Pad to
heal your wounds. This is more convenient than going to the doctor.

Rewards:
o Medicine Pouch acquired
o Dagger acquired
o Leather Greaves acquired

Practice Makes Perfect

----------------------
Here you can practice some of the combat skills you have. This should be very
useful for those who have not played AC1. You will spar against a mercenary
to learn dodging, countering, escaping. After that, you can spar with Mario to
finish the mission.

Rewards:
o Quickstep skill learned
o Counter skill learned
o Taunt skill learned
o Escape skill learned
o Courier missions unlocked
o Races unlocked

After this, find the guy in the codex library and talk to him. Leave the house
now and try to find the next marker. Before you do that, let's find the GLYPH
on the Villa house. Turn around and face the entrance of the house. Turn on
Eagle Vision. You should see the red glow from the top left corner of the front
of the house. Climb up there to face it and you'll scan it, then start the
puzzle.

-[Descendants]-

This one has you looking at photos with infrared to find the Pieces of Eden.
First is a photo of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Hit X to turn infrared on and
move the search box over to the space below FDR's hand to find it. Scan it to
move on to the next one.

The second is on Houdini. The Piece of Eden is below his hand too. For the
third one, of Gandhi, the Piece of Eden is near his right forearm. Solve all
these to get the next piece of the video.
-----[3/20]-------------------------------------------------------------------

Go back inside the house and up to the second floor where Maria and Claudia
are. After a talk, you are told that the feathers you can collect you can place
inside the chest inside this room.

Leave now and leave the villa entirely. Find a horse outside and get on. Hold
R1 to move faster, and X to gallop, just like you would run faster with Ezio.
Make a left at the fork to head to Tuscany/San Gimignano.

Proceed north and find the view point on the tower to get a better look around
this place. Just nearby is the marker where you can finally catch up with
Mario.

What Goes Around

----------------
Follow Mario and his mercenaries up to the city walls. Climb the wall while
they distract the guards at the gate. Select your new throwing knives by going
into the inventory wheel with R2. There are three archers on the rooftops
near the gate. Lock onto each of them and throw a knife at them to take them
out.

Once that's done, interact with the lever near the gate. Head out there and
help out Mario and the mercenaries by slaying each of the guards. Head inside
together.

With a group of the mercenaries, guide them toward the guards like you did with
the Courtesans. Target them and hit Triangle to send the mercenaries into
battle. Start dueling it out with each of the guards. Remember that attacking
ones with their backs to you is an instant kill. Counter and attack the
rest to defeat them.

You can fight more but you don't have to. You can just walk past the next few
guards if you prefer until you get to the marker. Speak to the injured man to
get a new destination. Head there to find Mario under attack. Lock onto any
guard and send your mercenaries into action by hitting Triangle.

Mario will eventually tell you to move on and find Vieri while they deal with
the guards. Do so and abandon this fight for now. You might have gained
Notorious status again. Find some posters or assassinate an official along the
way if you can. Remember that when climbing, your mercenaries can't follow you
so tell them to wait.

Once you're ready, move toward the yellow marker. You won't need the
mercenaries since you need to climb a roof to get to it. Go to the site of the
next big fight and help out Mario by defeating the guards. You'll likely become
Notorious yet again if you shed it earlier.

Climb the wall when you're ready and then up to the guard tower where Vieri is.
He'll spot you no matter what, so no stealth kill this time, my friend. Duel
with him and his guards. Use countering as much as possible. More guards will
climb up to help Vieri so try to focus on him when you can. He can counter you
too, but not very often. Weaken him enough and deliver the final blow to end
his tale.

A Change of Plans
-----------------
Back at the Villa, find Mario at the marker to get a scene. After that, follow
him inside the house. After the talking, read the letter you got if you didn't
do so earlier. Find Mario just a few steps away inside the codex room next.

After the scene, you can see how this will work. Codex pages can be seen on the
map after finding a view point. Kill/distract the guards get the pages, get
them to Leonardo to translate, receive an extra health square for every four
you translate, and then return them to the villa. Together, the codex pages
mean something when gathered.

The Codex room has 6 on it already. The one you received from the chest along
with the Hidden Blade is also added automatically, as is any you may have
collected before Leonardo fixed it because they would have been automatically
translated. An untranslated Codex Page cannot be added to the wall, so the one
you got from Vieri is still in your possession.

So you need to find four Codex pages. These will give you extra health once you
get them to Leonardo. There are four inside the villa. They won't appear on
your mini-map until you are very close so use the full map (select) to help
you. The last one is outside the villa at a tiny house on the road. Leave and
get on a horse to go get it. Collect all four to end the mission and eventually
Sequence 3.

Rewards:
o Codex Pages (4)

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SEQUENCE 4
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[ac04]

Find Claudia. She's not in the room with Maria anymore. Although if you go up
to that room again, there is a hallway beside it that takes you to a ladder.
The ladder leads to a room where portraits of your slain Templar enemies are
kept. There's two chests up here too.

Claudia is in the room beside the codex room. Talk to her for an explanation
about how the Villa gets money which you can then in turn take from the chest
behind her. Talk to the architect next to learn how renovating the city and
sprucing it up can help increase that income. It's a bit complicated to explain
so just let him do it. It's a simple concept once you grasp it. Go ahead and
renovate something now if you have the money.

Return to the Codex room and speak with Mario. He'll take you to his private
Batcave of sorts where there is a shrine to some of the great assassins,
including Altair himself. There is also an armor of Altair, but it will take
time to get it.

Head to the next marker which will take you to Florence, so leave the villa,
hop on a horse and get going.

Practice What You Preach

------------------------
You should be near Leonardo's so enter and start this mission. You get to
practice some new assassination moves on some dummies. There's the hiding
spot assassination you can do from a pile of hay. There's the air assassination
which is finally easy to do this time around. There's also the ledge
assassination. Practice all three and then return to Leonardo.

Rewards:
o Air Assassination skill learned
o Ledge assassination skill learned
o Hiding assassination skill learned
o Double Hidden Blade acquired

Once that's done, let's look for another GLYPH before starting the next
mission. This one is at Mercato Vechchio, which is near your next marker. Go
to the north of the marker and get on the roof. Use Eagle Vision to see it and
it's to the north, near a window and some tapestry on the wall. Hopefully you
should see it. Scan it and start the puzzle.

-[Infinite Knowledge]-
More photos to search for. The first one should be a picture of Vietnam. Look
for the Piece of Eden in the mouth of the bazooka the soldier has an ID it.
The second picture, look at the soldier's helmet in the background. The third
photo is a lot trickier. It's really hard to see but it's a little bit right
of the center. Look for the discrepancy amongst the soldier's bayonets. For the
last photo, look at the fireball the creature on the right is holding and ID
that.

-----[4/20]-------------------------------------------------------------------

Head to the marker finally when you're ready to begin.

Fox Hunt
--------
You need to find La Volpe. Turn on Eagle Vision and look around the area for a
target highlighted in gold. Make your way over to him for a scene. The guy runs
off with your money so chase him. Run full sprint after him and try to catch
up. When you get close try to tackle him. It can be difficult when he suddenly
turns away or changes direction so just stay on him until you get him down.

A scene starts and after that, the mission is over.

See You There

-------------
Climb the viewpoint first if you'd like. Find La Volpe again and speak to him
to start this mission. Climb up after him and stop in the marker and then it
really begins. You are given one minute to get to Santa Maria Novella. It can
be tough if you don't take a good enough route. Try to avoid any long climbing
and just go from rooftop to rooftop. Go across the cables too since they are
a quick way to get across. Get to the marker in the time limit to succeed.

La Volpe tells Ezio about a secret entrance and you can see it below. To get
there, either climb over or use the Courtesans to distract the guards. Inspect
the handle and a secret compartment opens up.

**************************************
* ASSASSIN'S TOMB - Novella's Secret *
**************************************

You are automatically notorious here so keep that in mind. Find the lever on the
right and pull it to open the entrance. The next part is a long platforming
sequence. Jump from beam to beam and try to reach the platform with the next
lever. Pull it to open a gate behind Ezio. Go through here and platform some
more to reach the final lever.
Jump forward and you'll do a Leap of Faith to the bottom. Head through the open
door now for a quick scene. You now need to open that door the guards went
through, but how isn't exactly clear.

Start by climbing the left wall. There are some broken pillars here you can
climb to jump to the wall and start climbing it. Make your way up and then over
to the left. Swing around the inside corner here to a ledge where a guard will
come by. Do a ledge assassination to do away with him. Climb up now.

Take the stairs up to another guard. Assassinate him or just use your sword to
kill him fairly easily. Find the swing bar here and go east back across the
room from there to some beams. Jump to the hanging lantern or whatever it is
and Ezio will swing around to the platform below. Find the first lever here and
interact with it.

Before moving to the next one, collect the florins from the chest below. Look
to the east wall now for some stones to climb. There is a beam right below them
so reach them from there. Climb the ledge to a balcony and jump from there to
a hanging coffin. Jump south from there to a swing bar that will take you to
the other lever.

Continue to the west and you can find a spot to drop down into the haystack.
You have three guards patrolling. You can either take them all on or wait for
one to stop near the haystack, and then leave the haystack to assassinate him
while the others are not looking. They'll come to investigate and you should
be able to do a hiding assassination on both.

Approach the guard in the hall and he'll take off running. You need to chase
him. It requires some platforming and it shouldn't be terribly difficult. The
guard will shut gates behind him, leaving you to find alternate routes. It can
be tricky at first but the guard will not move again until you catch up to
him so there's no worry of losing him.

Once you get to a certain point in the chase, keep following him to a long
hallway where there is a ledge to climb on the left. While still in a full
sprint, climb these ledges and when you near the end hit Square to start an
air assassination. That should do it.

Keep moving now to eavesdrop on the Templar meeting. After that scene, continue
to the resting place area where you can find some chests. open them and the
sarcophagus as well. It gives you one of the six seals you need to get the
Armor of Altair. Find the exit and that will end the mission.

At this point, you might want to go back to the Villa. By now, some money has
likely accrued in the chest. You can also place the Seal of Darius in the
sanctuary. Go to the nearest exit of the city and speak with the Viaggio. For
a little cash, you can skip the travel and get right to your destination.

Once you're back at the Villa, go to the house and put away any feathers you
have collected and put the four Codex pages you got onto the wall in the Codex
room. Collect the money from Claudia and speak to the architect if you want to
spend on some renovations. Also visit the blacksmith or whomever if you want
to buy new things.

Last but not least, go down into the sanctuary and place the Seal of Darius on
the second statue from the left. Only five to go.

Once you return to Florence again, we can do a little collecting before heading
off to the next mission. If you have scaled the necessary viewpoints you should
see a Codex Page on your map. It's near the southeast area of Florence, near a
blacksmith and tailor. On your map, the building is one of the few in dark
grey. Enter that building from the south side and inside you'll find a chest
with a Codex page.

If you go straight north from there to another gray building, the large one
called Basilica Santa Maria del Fiore, you can look for another Assassin Seal.
The entrance is on the north side. Kill the guards nearby if you want, then
interact with the glowing skull lever.

***************************************
* ASSASSIN'S TOMB - Il Duomo's Secret *
***************************************

More platforming and it should be fun. Once you have control, look for that
stone throne or whatever it is that you saw during the cutscene beside the
door. Climb it and use it to scale the wall. When you get up to where the
murals are, shimmy over to the right and pull yourself up.

Jump to the beam to the north and from there, across two platforms. Jump to
the next beam and move to the right as much as you can so you can jump to the
next section. Move out so you can jump to the chandelier. Jump from one to the
next, and then to the beam next to you. Jump to the south from the chandelier
and you'll barely make it. A shortcut will be opened to you in case you fall
off after this point.

Turn right (west) and go across the beam to the stone platform and climb it.
Turn left at the top and jump from a beam to a swing bar, then to another beam
and across two platforms. The path is pretty straightforward here, going across
more bars, and a chandelier. Get on the nearby platform when you can and then
jump across two more chandeliers to a beam.

Jump from the beam back to the north wall and climb the stone platform. Turn
right and jump across the obstacles until you must turn right to get to the
south wall again, going across more chandeliers and such.

When you reach the swing bar, just swing and jump and you'll open another
shortcut. Jump from here to the tall stone wall that encircles the center area.
Take it all the way around to the other side from where you entered. Climb up
the wall to a platform. Take this to the corner where you can climb up the wall
in this chamber.

Up here, find more beams to traverse. Go left and across a few gaps to a swing
bar. Swing and land on the next platform and jump to the chandelier. Jump to
the platform ahead of you on the wall. Shimmy around this wall until you can
find a spot to climb all the way up.

Step out onto the beams and go left to a balcony. On the other end, make your
way to a beam. Turn left and jump to the swing bar. Swing and land on another
beam. Climb the wall and shimmy over to right as far as you can go. A banner of
some sort prevents you from going any further. Climb to the very top of this
part and then hold R1 and hit X to jump away from the wall and grab onto the
chandelier. Climb this, then leap to the part of the wall you can climb up.
Here you'll find a chest with some florins.

Climb up the wall to the right of the chest and grab onto the beam. Jump from
there to the swing bar. Align yourself with the hanging platform ahead of you
and swing to it. From there, go left and up a few ledges to a ladder. Spin
yourself around on the ladder to reach the top. Now, make your way counter
clockwise around this room, jumping across beams to reach balcony after
balcony. You'll come full circle around to an unfinished wall. Climb the bricks
to the beams up there and shimmy onto the center one and pull yourself onto it.

From here, jump straight ahead to the platform that takes you to the ladder.
Climb the ladder to reach the tomb area. Raid all the chests for money, and the
sarcophagus for yet another Assassin Seal. Exit through the glowing window.

If you want to head back to the Villa now (or if you didn't earlier), go ahead.
You can put the new Assassin Seal in the sanctuary while you're there. Either
way, when you're ready, let's head to the next story mission marker.

Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

--------------------------
Approach the area outside the church. Enter the crowd and you'll get a scene.
Lorenzo comes under attack by Francesco and his men. A large brawl ensues. If
you are comfortable enough with combat, you can focus on all the other enemies
first before dealing with those attacking Lorenzo. Just beware of Francesco
since he is a little tougher, though not much.
Countering is the easiest way to go. You can also quickly dispatch enemies by
grabbing them and hitting Square. Deplete the enemy force gradually but watch
Lorenzo's health. If it gets too low, go help him out directly. When it's just
you and Francesco, counter him and then retaliate with a quick combo. When he
is near defeated, he'll turn tail and run. It is very tempting to give chase,
but doing so will fail the mission. Lorenzo will come under attack by two
more guards so help him out again.

After that, you need to escort him to safety. Run with him to the marker to
the north. It's a bit of a walk so try to take the alleys but beware the
guards. If you run right past them, you can avoid fighting most of them. If
you do get in a fight, focus on the ones attacking Lorenzo. Once you're safe
again, continue on to the destination for a scene.

The next mission marker is right where you ended. Before starting, look for
another GLYPH. It's on that dark grey building right where you basically are
on the map. It's tricky to find at first, so remember to keep Eagle Vision on.
This one is near the northwest corner of the building. Right next to the main
dome where the cross is on the top, there is a tower beside it. The glyph is
on the tower facing the rest of the building. It's right next to a smaller
dome that also has a cross on it.

-[Instruments of Power]-

For the puzzle, you are given 10 paintings again. This time, the clue is the
word "cut". Try to figure it out for yourself if you can or want to, otherwise:

Assemble Perseus, Atilla the Hun, Sigmund, King Arthur, and Joan of Arc to
solve the first part. The second part has even more paintings. The clue word
is "Lean".

Choose John the Baptist, Alexander the Great, Shabataka, Peter, and Moses. That
finishes this glyph puzzle and unlocks another fragment of the video.

If you go west from there, you can find another Codex page. This one is just a
little west of the building you've been hanging around these past few minutes.
The entrance is on the north side and it's guarded. You can just as easily
dispatch the guards. If you want to be a bit more creative, climb the roof of
the building to find some Thieves. Hire them and when they climb down with
you, tell them to lure the guards away. Open the chest inside for the Codex.

-----[5/20]-------------------------------------------------------------------

Go to the mission marker when ready.

Farewell Francesco
------------------
After the scene, make your way to the new marker at the Palazzo della Signoria
and scale the wall to reach it. It overlooks the execution grounds. On the
way, you'll likely run into several large battles brewing on the streets. Feel
free to join in, as you shouldn't gain much notoriety from it all.

When you get to the marker and Francesco appears, you are given the task of
climbing the palazzo. Do it as you did the first time. Go around instead of
jumping straight to the building. Climb up to the restricted area. Try a Ledge
Assassination if you can and then climb up to duel it out with the rest of the
guards up here.

Climb the ladder after that and you'll find more guards awaiting your arrival.
Start dispatching them and you'll soon see Francesco flee like a coward.
Finish off the guards first if you'd like, as Francesco won't be going anyway.
Climb up to where the birds are and take a Leap of Faith.

At this point, Francesco will take off running. He'll get a decent head start
but won't get very far. He'll try to take to the rooftops and you can actually
knock him down if you catch up to him as he's climbing. Either way, catch up
to him and assassinate him to finish this mission and Sequence 4.

Rewards:
o Codex Page (1)
o Beat Up Missions unlocked
o Courier Assignments unlocked
o Assassination Contracts unlocked
o Palazzo Medici unlocked (must have redeemable code to play)

_______________________________________________________________________
_______
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¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
SEQUENCE 5
_______________________________________________________________________
_______
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¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
[ac05]

You'll appear in front of Lorenzo. Speak to him. After a chat, you'll get a
list of some of your next targets, as well as a new Codex Page. That should
make three. You'll also unlock side Assassination missions to do.

With three Codex pages, we want to bring them back to the Villa and then
collect the money and put the Assassin Seal away (if you haven't already).
Before that, we need to bring the Codex pages to Leonardo first. Just so
happens that he is where your next mission marker is located.

After a scene, Leonardo, being the wonderfully helpful chap that he is, will
decipher all three for Ezio. The most important one is the one that Ezio
received a moment ago from Lorenzo. It gives Leonardo clues on how to build
Ezio a poison blade alteration for his Hidden Blade. Using this on a target
causes them to go berserk and attack nearby npcs. After that, they die. It's
a good way to do away with several targets with little effort.

Before starting the first mission in this sequence, you can go explore a new
mission type that opened up recently. Well, it will be open if you redeemed a
code from Gamestop for the Palazzo Medici. If you don't know what I'm talking
about, then skip this part. Go to the marker labeled "Templar Lair". Find the
entrance on the side and go in.

Home Invasion
-------------
This will start off with a battle with three guards. Fairly routine so not much
thought or strategy necessary. Once you've disposed of them, climb the platform
on the west wall and jump across the beams and go back to the east. Turn right
and you'll want to use the beams to enter the corridor to the south, using the
beams and swing bar. Just be sure to stop your momentum on the last beam and
not fall off.

Climb up the wall, going through the hole in the ceiling here. Drop through
another hole into a new room. Two guards are patrolling and they might very
easily spot you and actually climb up after you. Defeat them, then look for
the lever down below. Operate it and it opens a secret door above.

To get there, return to where you dropped into this room. To get across to the
other side, climb up onto the painting frames and shift from one to the other.
Hop across the beams to reach the opening. Find the ladder within and take it
up. Approach the door for a scene.

More guards in the next room. Two will approach the doorway. Hide behind the
door and then quickly lunge at them with your double Hidden Blades to take them
out easily. Engage the other two in a quick fight, then make your way to the
window.

Go outside and turn left. Climb the metal grate here and hop over the other
side. Follow this balcony to the next open window and step inside for a fight
with three more guards.

Climb up the little moveable library staircase in the corner and jump to the
beam across from it. In the corner, climb up to the balcony. Find the very
large cabinet up here and climb it. Turn around and jump to the swing bar.
Swing to the chandelier and jump to the next. A guard might very well come up
there to join you. Grab him and push him off for an easy kill. Jump the rest
of the way across.

You'll land on top of a bookcase. Another guard will come snooping. Wait for
him to get closer, then do an air assassination. Exit through the large window
here.

Climb the grate, jump to the swing bar, land, then climb another grate. Swing
again to reach another open window. In here you'll find three guards, two of
which are Brutes. Now, you probably haven't fought any of these guys yet
(unless you dared to stand your ground at the execution), but they are tough
customers. It would probably be best to avoid them if you are still feeling new
to the game.

Across from the fireplace, next to a door are some crates. Climb up these, then
shimmy all the way to the left until you can climb onto the large
dresser/cabinet. Jump across to the top of the bed, and from there to the
window sill. Pull the lever here and that opens the secret opening in the
previous room as well as an exit from this one.

It also alerts the guards though and they come snooping around. Take out the
first two with throwing knives. As they rest are blocking your exit, a fight
is inevitable. Lure them out into the previous room so you have more space. Try
to take out the lower guard first before dealing with the Brutes.

If this is your first time fighting a Brute, here's a quick crash course. They
hit harder for one. You also can't counter them so that's one valuable asset
gone. You can combo them but it takes a while to bring their health down this
way. Strafing and attacking is a good strategy to hurt them. The absolute best
way to kill a Brute with ease is to Disarm them.

To Disarm an opponent, change your weapon to Fists (unarmed) and press Square
when an enemy attacks like you were going to counter them. You'll instead, with
the right timing, steal their weapon. Pressing Square again after this kills
them instantly. This works on Brutes very well and is your best way to fight
them. You can use Disarm despite the fact that the game hasn't formally
introduced you to it yet.

Climb the bookcase again which was moved by the lever. You can now use it to
jump to a chandelier and from there, to a beam. Jump across to the next beam
and then the next chandelier. Then finally, jump to the secret opening.

Drop down and take this corridor to another opening. Take the ladder here down
for a scene. Lorenzo will shower you with gifts. Four chests and one really big
one. All of them contain money, but the big one has more, obviously. When you
are done, exit through the glowing door.

We are due in the Villa so head over there. Do the regular business, collect
money, do renovations, buy supplies, armor, drop off feathers, etc, etc. Talk
to Uncle Mario when you're ready. He'll take the Codex page that was for the
Poison Blade and he'll start a mission up.

Evasive Maneuvers
-----------------
This quick and simple mission will teach you two new skills: dodge and the one
you've probably been looking forward to the most--disarm. Dodging is better and
more reliable than strafing. Hold R1 and hit X before an enemy attacks. Use the
Left Analog Stick to determine the direction in which you dodge.

For disarming, it's much like countering. You do disarming when you are unarmed
or have Fists selected. The timing seems to be a tiny bit more strict than
normal countering so practice when you can and rely on the enemy's movements
and delivery to help you. As I mentioned a few paragraphs above though, you
have always been able to do this technique, the game is just formally
introducing you to it now. Remember this for the next time you play through
though.

Rewards:
o Dodge skill learned
o Disarm skill learned

We're not done yet at the Villa. Go put up those Codex pages on the wall in the
Codex room. Next, go downstairs and put the Seal on the statue of Ilanti which
is the second from the right.

Take care of any other remaining business before you set off to your next
destination.

At Tuscany, you'll see there are not one, not two, but three mission markers.
Two in the city and one in the countryside to the east. Go to the city first.
You might want to start by taking down some posters, assassinating witnesses,
since you probably have some notoriety.

You might want to collect some things before we get started. Climb some
viewpoints to make it easier. The one on the north side of the city, between
an art shop and a race marker, has a GLYPH near the top. Once you synchronize
the view point, drop down a ledge and scan the glyph to start another puzzle.

-[Brothers]-
This glyph, called Brothers, has more slider puzzles. This one is trickier
though because some rings cannot be moved alone. Moving one will move another
so pay attention. If one ring has to be moved for another to be aligned, then
find the ring in that pair that can also be moved by itself and purposely
misalign it so that when you move them as a pair, the single one is aligned
again.

For the second slider, note that one outer ring and one inner ring are
connected. Moving the outer one moves the inner one, but the inner one can be
moved by itself so you can fix it any time. Also, the very center is fixed and
cannot be moved so you need to align the puzzle around it. The same applies
for the third puzzle.

The fourth one is a lot harder because two pairs of rings are paired together
and the image is black and white and it's hard to match things up. If you
tinker around with it long enough though, you can match up hands to arms and
so forth. Make sure the puzzle is aligned from the center outward since the
center is also fixed here.

-----[6/20]-------------------------------------------------------------------

There is another GLYPH in the area to the southwest of the city. If you look
on your map it's a grey area and it's the Teatro. If you go to the southeast
portion of this area (you'll be coming back here soon) you can find the glyph
underneath a small bridge.

-[Keep on Seeking, And You Shall Find]-

More paintings for this one. The clue word is "red". It's not too hard but if
you need the solutions, read below:

Joseph, Jesus Christ, David and Goliath, Christ Disrobed, I forgot the name of
the last one (yikes!) but it's the second one on the top.

The second part is a picture of the crucifixion. You need to find the Piece of
Eden. It's toward the lower right. You get a beep indicator that beeps in
shorter intervals the closer you are. Pretty simple.

-----[7/20]-------------------------------------------------------------------

Once you're done and done getting a better view, there's plenty of stuff to
find here. Start with the two Codex Pages. One is in toward the northwest
corner, the other toward the northeast corner of the city. Both are well
guarded, but there are courtesans and thieves for distractions. You can also
hire mercenaries or do it yourself for a fight.
When you're ready, let's tackle some of the mission markers. Start with the
one toward the southern part of the city. Talk to the man who is highlighted
in white to start.

Come Out and Play

-----------------
One of your targets, Bernardo, is in town. Time to take him out. Go just a
little northeast of your current location (climb the wall) and you'll see him
in Gold if you have Eagle Vision on.

It's difficult to assassinate him stealthily. The best way is to jump into the
well when he isn't looking (don't get too close though) and hang over the
ledge. Use the camera and keep it behind Ezio so you don't accidentally climb
out with the Left Analog Stick. If you wait inside the well long enough,
Bernardo will stop in front of it and if you're aligned right in front of him,
you can Ledge Assassinate him for an easy kill.

If this doesn't work or if you try to sneak up on him, he might run. Chase him
down. Be prepared to barrel through numerous guards. Don't let them slow you
down or you'll have to start over. Chase him down and execute him. Eliminate
any chasing guards or ditch them to finish the mission.

On to the next marker, just a ways north of that one, in the center of the
city.

Town Crier
----------
This one is also fun. Maffei is in town as well and has perched himself up on
a tall tower near you. Well there's a lot of towers. See the really tall one
with the walkway around it? That's where he is. Climb the one nearest you. You
will have to continually go around each side to get higher. When you reach the
top, use a ledge assassination on an archer when the other isn't looking. Then
use the Hidden Blade on the other when his back is turned.

From this, the shorter of the towers, you can go straight to Maffei's tower.
Go to the others though if you want to assassinate more of the archers. You can
do ledge assassinations on one of each pair, then climb up to stealthily
assassinate the other with the Hidden Blade.

When you're ready though, take the cable just below the top of the shorter
tower you climbed. It leads straight to Maffei's tower. Run up the wall from
the cable and begin climbing. It will take you to the walkway where three
archers patrol. You can't do a ledge takedown like this so you'll need to
sneak up when one turns his back and then assassinate him with the Hidden Blade
when the others are not in view.
You should only need to assassinate one or two. Hang down here for a while and
observe as Maffei drops down every once in a while to the walkway. He'll pace
down it for a few seconds, then climb back up. Wait for him to do this again
and when he does, climb up behind him and strike for a sweet assassination.
Just make sure enough guards are dispatched.

With that done, it's time for more goodies.

First, another GLYPH. Find the large grey building in the center of the city.
This is the Santa Maria Assunta. Find a way to enter so that Ezio is in the
little square space in the center of it. Find a courtyard with a tree and a
haystack near it. Near those should be some columns supporting a roof. Go under
here and with Eagle Vision on, look for the glyph.

-[Martyrs]-

For this puzzle, it's similar to the last part of the previous one. You get a
search box and need to "ID" the area where the Piece of Eden is. You can't see
it, so you need to rely on the beeps.

For the first picture, it's about halfway up the guy's staff. For the Joan of
Arc one, it's like near what would be her left leg, near her sword. The third
part is a little stranger and different. You get a map-like look at Europe and
Russia and all that with a few images. Take the fire symbol and put it on the
Joan of Arc painting to the left. Then take the top guy and put him toward the
third guy. That solves this one.

-----[8/20]-------------------------------------------------------------------

If you return to Maffei's towers, you can locate another GLYPH. This one is
on the wall of one of the two towers that are really close to each other. Use
Maffei's tower as reference, the one with the walkway remember? If your forgot,
his tower is toward the north side of the city. East of his tower are two
smaller towers close together. There is a small patch of roof between them.
Either climb one and slip inside or shimmy onto that patch of roof from a
window on the side.

-[Hat-Trick]-

Here you get some pictures to look through again. The first one is of Houdini.
Find the Piece of Eden near the left side of his torso. The second is of
Gandhi. It's on his chest.

The third part of this might seem tough at first. You have to put in some code
to match the 867 and you get a code wheel. Seems confusing but you're given an
important clue. 6=1. Go to the code wheel and use R2 to align it so that the
6 on the grey portion matches the 1 on the red portion. Now, just match 8 and
7 from the grey wheel to the red one and put in the code.

It should be 312, although it's possible it is different each time. Read the
document you find then continue to finish this and get another video slice.

-----[9/20]-------------------------------------------------------------------

Once that's done, we can now find another Assassin's Tomb. It's in the same
building you're currently hanging about right now. If you go to the east side
of the building, there is an alley that will take you right to the secret
entrance.

*******************************************
* ASSASSIN'S TOMB - Torre Grossa's Secret *
*******************************************

There is a ledge with a door near you. You can climb the wall behind you and
shimmy over to it. Pull yourself up and use the lever.

Go up the stairs and the camera will soon pan around the next few areas, giving
you a nice visual tour of the area. As soon as you have control again, proceed
up to the next platform. You should be in good position to air assassinate one
of three guards here. Try to duck behind the wine keg racks and sneak up on
the others, or just fight them straight out.

Go to the southwest corner of this room where there are some kegs you can climb
to reach a beam. Jump from there to a small platform, then to a ledge. Shimmy
over, pull yourself up, and follow this narrow walkway to the north. Jump to
the ledge on the left side when you can. Shimmy all the way around until you
can pull yourself up onto a platform with a big crate. Find the stairs near
you and make your way to the balcony. Take out the guard here, then proceed.

Step on the railing of the balcony and jump to the chandelier. Face left and
jump to the cables running across the room. Go left and step onto the platform
here, which puts you in easy jumping range of the next balcony.

After getting a view of what's in store, proceed into the room. Start fighting
the guards and the Brute will come over as well. This time, you have the Disarm
ability at your disposal. Deal with the other guards first, then switch to
fists and try to disarm the Brute. Disarming and killing the Brute with his
own giant claymore sword is a bit humorous.

Use some medicine if you need to, then look for a way to continue onward. In
the southeast corner, under the second floor balcony, there is a bookcase up
against the wall. Climb it and the camera should shift ahead of you. Cross
these gaps to a beam. Move out to the right on the beam and look for the two
black rings on the wall. Jump to the first one and you can climb the wall to
the balcony from here. Deal with the two guards.

Go to the other side of the balcony where a chandelier is within close jumping
range. Jump across to the third chandelier and then jump to the north wall,
trying to grab onto one of those recesses that has an emblem in it. Climb them,
the window, and some other objects to reach a platform above.

The platform sits across from a swing bar. Swing, then land on the cable, then
jump to another swing bar which will get you to the third floor balcony. Climb
up and take care of the guard here. Enter the doorway next.

You'll be at the bottom of a tower. The path here is pretty simple so I won't
bother going into much detail. When you get up to the point where the camera
shifts and shows you a guard in the foreground, turn around and jump to his
platform and kill him. Climb the ladder here to proceed, jumping across more
beams and platforms. Eventually you'll climb another wall and two guards will
be patrolling up here.

Where to go from here isn't totally obvious at first. Find the window and climb
it. You can reach one of those rings from there and climb a beam. From there
you can jump to another wall, climb that, get onto another beam. Make your
way across the beams to the other side of the room where you can climb another
wall. Ezio can climb into the slotted fissures here so shimmy around the
corner and get onto the beam. Walk along the beam to the column and there are
rings on it you can climb. This will take you at last to the tomb.

Open everything and take the Seal. We'll put this away when it's time to make
a return trip to the Villa. For now, let's continue with the missions. There
are two mission markers. One is in the northeast, one in the southeast, both
in the countryside. Both are roughly the same distance apart from Torre Grossa.
Let's go with the one in the northeast though. Take a horse and ride in that
direction. Be sure to get some of the viewpoints out there too.

Behind Closed Doors

-------------------
You get command over quite a few mercenaries and need to storm the villa where
Francesco Salviati is hiding. It won't be long starting off until you come
across the first few guards. Defeat them with your group, then proceed toward
the red marker, into the villa.

You'll find another group guarding the front gate. They're really easy to
kill since your mercenaries do a good job at distracting them, allowing you to
kill them with one blow from behind. A Brute is amongst them, but he's no sweat
when he's all that's left against all your mercenaries.

You need to open the gate. First, use throwing knives to dispatch the guards
on either side of the gate. There are some ridges you can climb up just to the
side of the gate bars. Instruct your mercenaries to wait, then climb up to the
top and you can see a lot of guys patrolling inside. If you wait for a large
group to get close, you can maybe pull off the double air assassination, which
is beyond badass.

You'll get surrounded really fast, and some of the enemies include Brutes so
find the mechanism to open the gate immediately. Sic your mercenaries on them
to even the odds.

There might be one enemy in the mix who seems out of place. He'll look like a
farmer guy and has an axe. This is your target, believe it or not, Salviati.
He's an easy kill if you go for a Disarm. Finish him and then you get a choice
between finishing the fighting or running.

With that done, head to the last mission marker in the south. When you get
there though, you'll come to the Monte Oliveto Maggiore, which has another
GLYPH for you to find. Let's get that first.

It's on the southwest side of the structure on the viewpoint tower. It's the
tall tower on the grounds with the cross on top. The glyph is at the base of
the tower on the east side of it, right where it meets the roof of the rest of
the building.

-[Apollo]-

The puzzle for this one starts with another photo ID. Find the image to the
left of the moon, out in space. For the second part, it's a slider puzzle. It's
not a photo though. Your goal is to line up all the gaps in these rings so that
you could draw a straight line through to the center. It's tough but note which
rings move together and which you can move alone so you can fix them. For the
final part, you get a moon landing photo. The Piece of Eden is at the bottom
of the picture, to the left.

-----[10/20]------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, go ahead and talk to the mission marker guy to start the next mission.

The Cowl Does Not Make The Monk

-------------------------------
It's time to knock off Stefano too. The kind mercenary gives Ezio Smoke Bombs.
Schwing! These are handy for when you must make getaways, or if you have a
ninja fantasy.
Get inside the abbey now. You need to watch out for the armed monks. Everyone
is wearing a robe here, making it hard to pick out certain people, including
friend and foe. Rely on Eagle Vision to see who will attack you. You can also
see Stefano in gold. Use blend to stay amongst the non-violent monks and get
closer. If you actually do start a fight, it's funny to note the monks will
not actually attack, just surround you. Meanwhile, Stefano will flee, so if it
comes to that, get after him.

You could try using the Poison Blade on that guy following him, but it probably
won't work and just end up exposing your position. Find the group of monks near
the middle of the abbey who are standing still. Blend with them and wait for
Stefano. He will end up walking right in front of you and stopping. When he
does, deploy a smoke bomb. Everyone will be caught off guard. Now, leave the
blend with your Hidden Blade drawn and pounce! Pounce like the tiger!

With Stefano dead, the monks will attack this time. Fend them off or flee.
Another smoke bomb makes escape easy. Flee and become anonymous or deal with
enough enemies until you are.

Rewards:
o Smoke Bombs acquired
o Smoke Bomb pouch

Head to the next mission marker.

With Friends Like These

-----------------------
You need to tail Jacope so you can find out who more of the Templars are. A
large crowd will leave the building in front of you. Use Eagle Vision to
pick out Jacope. He will then be marked by a blue arrow from here on.

Stay on high ground and follow him as he goes throughout the city. This is
pretty simple. Just stay on the watch for archers and dispatch them. Jacope
will stop and inspect a dead archer body that has fallen off the roof but it
won't give you away. If Jacope is out of sight or if something is blocking your
view of him, a timer will appear. If the timer runs out, you'll fail. Get him
in your sights again before this happens.

He'll pick up a friend and together they'll go on a very long walk through the
city. They'll come to the front gate and leave. Take the ladder on the side
to get out since charging through the guards isn't advised. Find a group of
people out here that is following Jacope and blend with them.

Keep blended and follow Jacope. A lot of guards will follow him to a secret
meeting area. When the guards have turned away, try to climb over the walls
here to get over them and get inside the secret meeting area. Step into the
marker and you will get a scene.

Ezio will be discovered and some guards will grab him. When the prompt appears
hit Square to totally own one of the guards. A fight then begins. This isn't
hard really. Countering does the trick. One of the guards is a Brute and
another has a spear. You might want to disarm the spear guy at the start and
use it against the others. Either way, this fight should not be terribly
difficult at this point in the game.

When all the guards are dead, approach Jacope who, despite being stabbed three
times--once through the neck--is still ticking. End his misery with some Hidden
Blade treatment. That ends the mission and Sequence 5.

_______________________________________________________________________
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SEQUENCE 6
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[ac06]

You'll be back in Florence. If you want to go back to the Villa you can to do
the usual routine of money collecting, dropping off feathers, etc. Keep in
mind you haven't decrypted your Codex pages (if you have them) yet. We're in
Florence too so Leonardo is nearby if you want to wait. If you know the Villa
chest is near full though, feel free to head back.

Speaking of Codex pages, there's one near your next destination. Look for the
marker on your map. It's at a grey building to the north. Just a little south
of that building is the Codex Page marker (provided you have the viewpoint
synchronized to see this). The entrance is on the east side and is of course
guarded. You can try to be creative, instead of just using courtesans, thieves
and mercenaries all the time. You can try to distract some with money, then use
the Poison Blade, or you can use Smoke Bombs. It's up to you. Get inside and
get that Codex Page though.

There's another Codex Page near the northwest corner of the city. Climb the
viewpoints here to discover it. It's a bit east and a tiny bit north of the
west gate of Florence.

After that, proceed to the mission marker.

Road Trip
---------
It's Lorenzo. He'll start up a chat and give Ezio a Medici Cape which prevents
him from gaining notoriety in Florence or Tuscany.

Go to the blue marker now which is to Leonardo's. Give the door a knock and
you'll discover he's gone to Venice. That's convenient, because that's exactly
where Ezio is headed.

Rewards:
o Medici Cape acquired

The new marker appears in the east, so head over to the east gate. First, let's
collect another Codex Page and another GLYPH. Go to the northeast corner of the
city, near a view point if you haven't gotten it already. This is close to the
Ospedale Degli Innocenti which is where a glyph is.

To find this one, recognize that this building has a roof that surrounds the
courtyard in a square shape. On the east side of the roof is where the glyph
is, on a small wall near a chimney. Scan it to begin another puzzle.

-[The Inventors]-

For this one, "The Inventors", simply take the electricity marker and put it
over each of the lightbulbs. Hit X to continue and get a photo. You don't have
any beeps or anything to help you with this one so you have to look for it the
hard way. The Piece of Eden should be a little bit above the door.

For the second photo, the third part of the puzzle, you get infrared but it
doesn't help you one tiny bit. Scan this picture as much as you want, you'll
not see anything, leaving you to blindly click on spots. As you might guess
though, it has something to do with the guy sitting down. Choose the book he
is holding and scan that to solve this one and this puzzle.

-----[11/20]------------------------------------------------------------------

The Codex Page is just south of here. Again, if you don't have the viewpoints
necessary to see this, the marker won't appear on your map. Defeat the guards
outside then claim it. For another hint on this location, it's just west of a
Tailor shop which is exactly west of the eastern gate of Florence.

With the glyph and Codex Page in hand, go to the east gate and exit. Get a
horse and ride for the Mountains.

Step into the marker which will be right in front of you to get a scene.
Romagna Holiday
---------------
After the scene, you'll begin a totally new type of sequence here. You have
to steer Leonardo's carriage down the road. This alone isn't difficult. The
guys chasing you make it a little tougher. They'll jump onto the carriage and
try to climb it. Shaking them off is really tough. You need to purposely aim
the carriage toward objects on the road and try to have them scrape the side
of the carriage where the guys will be climbing. Tree branches, although more
cliché, are better.

When they get on top, you can try to make a sharp turn, but this isn't easy
if you're not coming up to any turns. If they reach Ezio, you need to tap
Circle repeatedly to throw them off. Also, when making those sharp turns, be
careful when you steer back to the other side, the momentum could cause the
carriage to roll over.

Eventually, you'll get across the flaming bridge, and archers will begin
shooting fire arrows along the road. The fire pockets are easy enough to dodge
except when coming off a turn. More riders will appear so continue to try to
shake them off when possible. Continue until you get a scene.

After this, you'll be on your own against some guards. Try to disarm the Brute
from the get go, then finish the others one by one. Head to the marker to
complete the mission.

You'll be outside Forli, which is no Venice, that's for sure. Find the nearest
viewpoint and scale it. Then, enter the city via the drawbridge. As soon as
you enter, you should see (provided you got that viewpoint) a Codex Page.
Defeat the guards outside and take it. It's in between a Tailor and Blacksmith
on the south side of the city.

Enter deeper and start finding more viewpoints to get a better view and reveal
more things. As you go further north, there is another Codex Page and a GLYPH.
The Codex Page is right near where the Courier Mission guy is standing.

You might notice some things about the guards here. For one, the armored
variation of guards (not Brutes but the small ones who wear armor) can't be
disarmed until they are weakened. Also, Archers can't die in just one throwing
knife. You'll just have to work a little harder, that's all.

The GLYPH is at Abbazia Di San Mercuriale which is right there as well. It's
on one of the walls with all those columns. The south column wall to be exact.
The glyph is above the columns. Get up there and scan it.

-[Titans of Industry]-
For this one, you start with another slider combination puzzle. The hint is
still there, though not as obvious. You can see it in the bottom left, 4=1.
So align the red wheel so that its 4 matches the grey wheels 1, then input the
grey red wheel numbers for grey's 9 and 7 or whatever numbers you have. If
the numbers are not random, the code should be 240.

After watching a strange video, you get a photo. The location is really
obvious: his hands. ID it and you'll get another combination puzzle. This time
though, the red slider doesn't contain numbers. Also, the clue here is a lot
harder to decipher. If you look at the pictures though, you can see a number
2 and one of the symbols from the red wheel on the news article. Match up the
grey wheel 2 with the red wheel symbol that is "||.."

The problem is that not all the symbols are on the red wheel. If you pay
attention to them, they follow an obvious pattern. You can see by messing
around with the combination that the missing symbols are there. So if the code
is 139, the 3 symbol should be "|||" and 9 should be "|..".

-----[12/20]------------------------------------------------------------------

Go further north after that to find another Codex Page. This one is in the
north east corner of the city, just below the north side of the city walls.
It's northwest of a tailor shop. Get the Codex and exit the city, continuing
north. Grab more viewpoints along the way.

Return to the southwest area of the city. That dark grey area in the city is
like a little mini-fortress. Inside is another Assassin Tomb. You can find
the entrance on the north side of it, just on the water. Either climb over or
swim to it. Enter and we can begin.

****************************************
* ASSASSIN'S TOMB - Ravaldino's Secret *
****************************************

Start by hopping into the water and swimming to the wooden platform ahead.
Climb out and begin climbing the wall. Grab the wooden ledge and then jump
away from it to get onto a platform. From here, just make your way across the
room by going from one side to the next. Activate the lever and then run
through the gate.

Head into the following chamber and drop into the water. Swim toward the big
iron gate and hold X to dive underneath and get to the other side. Proceed
north from here. You can climb these walls pretty easily. Just climb one side,
then jump away from the wall to the opposite one and repeat. Continue on to the
top where you'll get a quick little tour of the next area.
After that, Ledge Assassinate the guard here and climb out. As you proceed over
to the other side of the room, you'll attract more guards. A lot of them are
easy to deceive though and kill off stealthily.

Dispatch all the guards and then go into the southwest corner of this area.
Climb the scaffolding of some sort and use it to jump to a balcony. Go to the
east wall and climb onto the crate. Jump up and grab onto the red shield. Jump
away from this to reach another balcony.

Here you'll find the second lever and the camera will show you the third. Throw
this lever then quickly proceed north, hopping the gaps effortlessly to get to
the next one before the gates shut. Interact with this lever and it's the same
thing; move fast to make it to the other side.

Go around the corner using the beams and you'll see a large gap. Climb the east
wall and then shimmy over to the left using the shields and windows. Get over
to the open window and drop down to enter.

Go down the stairs then climb over the railing up and to the left. Kill the
two guards here then take the stairs down. You'll encounter two more guards and
a Brute. Disarm the Brute and kill him, then deal with the others easily.

Find the large wooden wall/fence in the southeast corner down here. Climb the
platform next to it to get up here. Now from here, you can make your way
clockwise around the room to the platform where you saw the exit earlier. Just
climb the shield and shimmy over to the one on the left to climb out of here.

You'll find a lever here. It operates a gate to the far left. It gives you
some time, but not much, to get there. First figure out how you're gonna get
there. Turn left and face that northeast corridor. You can see a broken wall
on the right side. This is where you begin after throwing the lever. Climb up
that, then jump to the left side wall. You'll walk out onto a beam, climb the
column, then jump away from it to reach a wooden platform. The door is then
just a beam and a swing bar away.

Provided you make it in time, you'll reach the tomb on the other side. As
usual, plunder the place of its goodies, ending with the seal from the
sarcophagus. The exit is a trap door to the left.

Head to the marker to meet with Leonardo. On to Venice at last! Well... not
yet. Ezio needs a pass to get on the ferry.

Tutti a Bordo
-------------
Find the woman who just suddenly interrupted everything by screaming for help.
Locate the boat with the marker on it. Climb on board and row it by getting
near the oar and hitting Circle. Row continually by hitting Circle. Don't tap
it repeatedly. Instead, just hit it more rhythmically to get good speed.

Go to where the woman is to pick her up. Her name is Caterina. Bring her to
the dock and she'll help Ezio get on the ferry.

One last thing before we leave. North of the dock are some buildings, including
a tower that serves as a viewpoint. There is a GLYPH on the tower. Go to the
tower and the glyph is on the north side of it, about two thirds of the way
up.

-["I am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds"]-

Another combination puzzle. This one is even trickier. You can see the clues
in the photos. Triangle = 9 basically is what it's telling you. Align them on
the wheels. 5 and 2, the remaining numbers, have their red wheel counterparts
smeared out of course. So that leaves you to once again try to discern a
pattern.

You can see though that the combination goes in the same order as the wheel.
For example you can toggle from square to square and circle. So obviously when
you get to what comes before Square in the combination, you can figure out what
is missing from the wheel, and that is circle. Figuring it out this way the
combination should be circle, square, and square for 5, circle for 2, and
triangle for 9.

Next, put the marker on the red button for a short movie. After that, you get
a blank picture of some sort and need to ID something inside. Not totally easy
but you get a noise to indicate how close you are. Find some numbers by
scanning near the bottom left, but not quite near the corner. That will finish
this one.

-----[13/20]------------------------------------------------------------------

It's time to make for Venice. There is still plenty to do in Forli so stay a
while longer if you wish. Wrap up all the side missions and such or you can
do it at a later time.

That ends Sequence 6. You'll get out of the Animus and have a little time with
Desmond now. Talk to Rebecca and Shaun, then go down to where you first
entered this place to find Lucy. She'll have Desmond use some of his retented
skills to turn on some sensors. Sounds pretty simple and it should be. The
sensors stand out pretty well. Some require some climbing which Desmond can
now do. Overall, this isn't too difficult.
Find Lucy when she calls for you which means you're done. Go upstairs and you
will start seeing some strange visions. After that, a strange dream begins.
I won't spoil this part for you, so just enjoy it. Chase the target you see.
If you lose sight of them, use Eagle Vision. They will glow in gold and will
leave a trail behind them. Follow them up to the top of the tower and you'll
get a scene. A lot of people seem to have trouble climbing the tower when they
get to the balcony with the beam. If you can't figure it out, either do an
Advanced Wall Jump or stand underneath the very tip of the beam and hold R1 and
hit X without touching the Left Analog Stick.

After that, once you're back in the office, talk to Lucy if you want, then
hop back in the Animus again.

_______________________________________________________________________
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SEQUENCE 7
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[ac07]

You'll be in Venice at last. Leonardo is standing near you and he is your

first mission giver. Scale the viewpoint right next to you first though so you
can get some bearings on your surroundings.

Benevenuto
----------
Follow Alvise and Leonardo as you get a quick tour of Venice. A few scenes will
happen here and there. Nothing else to this, really.

Afterwards, go right in to visit Leonardo again in his new shop. Have him
translate all the Codex Pages you've received. If you've not gone back to the
Villa yet, this is the time. Go back east to where you got off the ferry. The
Viaggio is here so pay the fee to get back to the Villa instantly. Do your
usual thing there, and also drop off the last Seal you got if you didn't
earlier.

Return to Venice when you're ready. Start by climbing more viewpoints. You'll
find a lot of the city is off limits for now. You can find a Codex Page in
the center of the city, near a blacksmith. There is a second one just a little
northwest of Leonardo's shop.

Find a GLYPH at the east side of Venice where the bridge, the Ponte Di Rialto
is. Go to the east end of the bridge (the game won't let you go further than
that). Now, go into the water and swim under the bridge. The glyph should be
here.

-[Bloodlines]-

Bloodlines puzzle. For this one you need to pick the paintings Danae Visited by
Zeus, Jupiter and IO, Leda and the Swan, Cupid and Psyche, and Rape of Europa.

-----[14/20]------------------------------------------------------------------

There is another GLYPH very close by on the San Giacomo Di Rialto, just
northwest. It's on the west side of the roof, between the three bells and the
dome.

-[Guardians]-

Guardians is a really easy one. You get a slider puzzle which should not be
difficult by now. After that, you get a map with a lot of red targets. Move the
marker over each to reveal some things and that's it.

-----[15/20]------------------------------------------------------------------

Go to the next mission marker, to the northwest.

That's Gonna Leave A Mark

-------------------------
Help out your new friend by battling the enemies. You'll want to focus first
on those attacking her. The guards can be difficult to defeat quickly enough
so that leaves Rosa at the mercy of the guards longer.

Follow her through the city. Bowl down anyone in your way to keep up with her.
A lot more fights will erupt as you proceed so continue to protect her by
going after the ones attacking her directly. There will be some Brutes in the
mix so try to one-shot them by attacking while they're focused on Rosa.

Eventually Rosa will meet up with her thief friends and collapse. Pick her up
and carry her off to yellow marker. Along the way, one group of guards will
attack. Immediately sic the thieves on them. One or two guards might still
chase you though so get far enough away, drop Rosa, then dispatch them before
continuing.

After the scene, you'll need to provide protection for the gondola. Go across
the river to the spot where the enemies are. Start taking them out one by one
as you move along and keep up with the gondola. The enemies are sometimes
easily defeated by attacking them so they fall into the water.
You'll need to do a lot of platforming to keep up with the gondola on its path.
Just keep going and when enemies appear, take care of them. Two throwing
knives is the price to kill one if you choose that route. Otherwise, your
sword is a better option if you can get close.

Keep following the gondola until it slips inside an entrance. Climb over this
building and approach where it will dock to get a scene. You'll interact a
little here so be ready to hit button prompts. After that, the mission ends.

There's a GLYPH here so let's find it. It's on the north side of the roof of
this area Ezio is in after the last mission ended. Climb up there. It's near
the thieves if you need another hint. Scan it and begin.

-[The Cavalry]-

This puzzle is a little confusing. You get a map and there are a bunch of
location names all over. Some of them do not exist on this map, such as Alaska
and Florida. If you move the marker on one name, it jumbles them around. To
solve this part, Tunguska is the one you want to select.

For the next part, place the cursor on the sword and stab the picture with it
and you're done.

-----[16/20]------------------------------------------------------------------

Go ahead and drop down to talk to Antonio in his home. After that, talk to
Rosa outside for a very easy mission.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

---------------------
Here you can learn the Climb Leap technique which is very handy. This will
make climbing viewpoints a lot easier. There is one tower in Venice that can't
be climbed without this.

Hold R1, then hold the Left Analog Stick forward and hit X to leap up to a
ledge you couldn't normally reach. Hit Circle to grab it. That's all there
is to it. Get up to the marker and that will end this mission.

Go find Rosa for her next challenge.

By Leaps and Bounds

-------------------
This is the tower I mentioned. With the Climb Leap in hand, you need to get to
the top of the tower in five minutes. This is more than enough time. Finding a
climbing path isn't really difficult. When you get to the tower, use Climb
Leap, then shift around to another side of the tower to finish climbing.

Synchronize the viewpoint before dropping down. Speak to Rosa to end this one.

There's another mission marker just to the northeast, near Leonardo's shop.

Breakout
--------
Ugo wants Ezio to help bust out some of the thieves that are being imprisoned
and awaiting execution. There are three locations, noted by the blue markers.
It involves fighting at each location but you can reduce the fighting by hiding
and waiting for some of the guards to leave the area if possible. Otherwise
fight and then bust the thieves out. You need to return each group to Ugo's
area first before seeking out the next.

You only need to keep 1 alive in each group. It's possible some may die when
they have a platforming brain fart or if you come across some guards. Getting
most of them to the destination though should not be much trouble.

You have two mission markers in the northwest: one at Antonio's and a new one.
Go to the one at Antonio's first, his house is the dark grey one on your map.

Cleaning House
--------------
From saving thieves to killing thieves. You have three yellow markers where
some traitors are. When you near each one, a green search circle appears on
your mini map. This means their exact location isn't clear. You'll need to use
Eagle Vision. The thieves will be marked in gold. Each one has a partner to
help them but they are easy to defeat as far as combat goes.

One will be on a rooftop, and the one to the northwest will be on a boat. You
might be able to ledge assassinate that one.

Go to the next marker.

Clothes Make The Man

--------------------
Three destinations. You are to find the chests at each location and loot them
for the archer armor that Ugo needs.

At each location there should be thieves nearby. Using them will make it easy
and it goes along with the theme of the mission I suppose. If you'd rather have
a fight or if you just want to save all the money you can, you can do it
yourself. Raid each chest once the guards are gone. The first location which
is just a little southeast has another nearby area also guarded that has two
chests with a good amount of florins inside.
Make the one to the north the last one, as it is near the boat that you have
to steal. This is a restricted area so be quick and just take it without
dealing with the swarm of guards that will appear. Get on the boat and pull
away and some of them will probably fall in the water. Row it to the marker
and get out to finish the mission.

Go back to Antonio's for the next mission.

Everything Must Go
------------------
This is what you've been building toward thus far in Venice. It's time to
storm the palazzo and take out Emilio. The thieves have got your back and they
have a plan. Ezio's first task is to take out the archers so the thieves can
replace them. Also stock up on throwing knives if you're low.

Your targets are already marked on the map. Head over there and you'll find all
the archers on the rooftops, obviously. Antonio said quietly, but discretion
isn't important here. If you want to be stealthy though, each archer stands
on a little platform. You can sneak up on them and hang there to do a ledge
assassination on each. Any approach will work, even if you just run up to them
and attack, or grab them and push them for a more hilarious method.

Once they're down, meet with Antonio, Rosa and Ugo. There's a guard across from
them but you can hide in the haystack to take him out.

After that chat, it's off to do the dirty work. Ugo recommends hiring some
thieves to help out so do so on your way to the palazzo. Enter the grounds from
the west or south side. One might be unguarded if you're lucky. Use your
thieves on the guys guarding the entrance and if possible, on the ones near the
front door.

You can't enter that way so once you have cleared the guards, start climbing
the west wall. Make your way up here and use Climb Leap to help you along.

When you get up to the roof, you will see a scene of Emilio. There are plenty
of archers up here and more enemies below. If you have enough throwing knives,
this can enable you to get closer to Emilio for the stealthy assassination.
You have limited time here too; if Emilio leaves on his boat you'll have to
start over.

If you don't have the throwing knives necessary, you will likely be given away
on your way down. Being spotted by the archers isn't bad. Being spotted by
some of the other enemies below will alert everyone, except Emilio. So if this
happens, climb all the way down and run toward him to kill him before he gets
away. If you're quick, he won't get much farther than a step or two.
After that, approach the door with Rosa for another scene. This ends Sequence
7.

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SEQUENCE 8
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[ac08]

You now have access to the eastern part of Venice now. The south side is still
unfortunately, off limits. This new area is almost like it's own place as you
won't see many viewpoints on your map, even if you scaled ones in the main
part of the city. So use one to locate the others on your map and start scaling
them as you go.

There's a viewpoint tower to the west of the large restricted area in the
southeast corner (where an Assassin Tomb is). Near the top of the viewpoint is
a GLYPH.

-[The Bunker]-

Another combination puzzle. This is a really tough one and it took me a few
minutes to crack. The hint first off, is not easy to find. You can see a "<"
symbol in the bottom left picture. The only number that appears isn't in a
picture. It's the 4 that flashes in and out in between two of the pictures.

Start by lining up < and 4. Now the key here is the angles of the shapes. For
example, < has one angle, while the next one on the red wheel, has two. If you
count each shape on the red wheel starting with <, each shape after has one
more angle, so that whatever shape 7 is must have four angles. Whatever 1 is,
must have eight angles. 9 is provided to you, being that bowtie shape.

Confused? Don't blame you. Count the angles, but not corners. Count angles only
starting with < which has one. Have < aligned with 4 on the grey wheel. I can't
type the solution but I'll try to describe the shapes. 7 is that one that looks
like the letter "e" but tilted almost upside down. 9 is the bowtie. 1 is the
small diamond inside the bigger diamond.

The second and last part is a photo again. You're looking for the Assassin
emblem and it's a little tough to locate. Basically, you can find it in the
top right corner of the building's second floor. There's a tree partially
covering this spot if you look at the picture.

-----[17/20]------------------------------------------------------------------

There's a Codex Page north of the basilica, east of a blacksmith. There's also
a structure that surrounds the basilica. If you look on your map it's that
dark grey wall that surrounds it. If you go to the north portion, there is a
tower like structure with a railing just a little east of the bridge. Step up
here with Eagle Vision on to find the GLYPH.

-[Synapses]-

Here is another tough combination puzzle. I wrestled with it long enough to get
Shaun's Advice and that actually helped a lot. He explains the symbols here are
Sumerian. The symbol that looks like a tree is a 1, and the arrow "<" like
shape is a 10.

You'll see the hint in the bottom right picture with all the CAT scans. There
is a 5 in one, and that tree symbol between two others. So line up 5 and that
Sumerian symbol on the wheels.

Finally, the picture toward the bottom left has a sequence of numbers, starting
with that symbol which I explained (actually, Shaun did) is a 1. If you add it
to 2 which is the second number, you get 3. If you look on the red wheel, the
symbol after "1" symbol is one that has three of them. You see? Now let's add
1+2+6, 6 being the next number. You get 9. Sure enough, if you look on the red
wheel, the next symbol after the three tree symbols has nine of them. See the
pattern now?

The portion that is missing for 0, corresponds to 1+2+6+2+1+5 in that bottom

left picture. That comes to 17. The arrow shape is equal to 10, so you're
looking for the arrow shape with seven tree shapes. The one that is missing for
3 is 17+3+5+6 which is 31. That would be three arrows and one tree shape. I
know this sounds really confusing but if you grasp the initial concept, it
becomes a lot easier.

The second and last part gives you a picture of synapses, which are basically
those gaps between cells that allow them to transmit messages for the body
and all that scientific junk. Just put the marker over each of the. There are
eight in total, including a small one in the top right corner.

-----[18/20]------------------------------------------------------------------

Now finally, the last thing we'll do before jumping to the next mission is the
Assassin Tomb in the basilica. It's located in a little hidden alcove on the
roof. The best way to get to the basilica roof is to climb that surrounding
wall structure I mentioned and then jump to it from there. Find the entrance
and let's get ready for some tomb raiding!

****************************************
* ASSASSIN'S TOMB - San Marco's Secret *
****************************************

As soon as you enter, the game will show you the sarcophagus in plain sight!
Get down to the church floor and approach it. Can it really be that easy? Go
ahead and interact with it.

Of course not. Four stone tablets rise from the floor in the previous area. Go
and check them out. Put Eagle Vision on to see some things on the floor. Step
onto the very first tablet you see.

This activates a platforming section and a lever you must pull before it
retracts. Go back to the corner behind the sarcophagus and climb up here. Jump
up to the wall and then onto the platform above the sarcophagus. Jump to the
north wall and climb the railing. Go left and then turn left again. Jump to the
top of this wall and hop all the gaps to the south wall. Shimmy over and climb
over the railing. Now, climb the dark structure that looks like a pipe organ
(I think it is) and you can see the lever waiting for you. Jump to it.

Step on the southern switch next. The starting point for this platforming
trial is to Ezio's left. Take the platforms, swing bar and so on to the south
wall. You'll land on top of another narrow wall. Take this all the way to the
right, under an arch. Turn right and follow this wall down, then turn right
again and take the beam under a railing. Climb up to this railing. Go left and
then turn right to jump to the hanging crosses. When you reach the opposite
balcony, turn right. Jump across all these beams to reach the south wall again.
Climb up the big mural here about halfway and then jump away from the wall to
reach the lever. Two down.

Step on the west one next. This one is a bit faster. Go to the left and find
the little altars. Climb the painting to get on top of the first one, then hop
across the rest. Jump to the ledge on the column here. Shimmy around it to the
other side and drop onto the beam. Jump across several beams here. At the end,
turn left and climb up the wall. Now, just climb up the cross as high as you
can and jump away to a swing bar. Swing twice to reach the lever.

For the last one, climb the small platform to the right. Jump to the stone
structure in front of you, and the larger one in the center. Next, jump north
to the wooden poles and hop across those to the platform at the north wall.
Jump to the ledge on the right and shimmy around a bit. You should see some
very small pedestals above. Point the Left Analog Stick up and Ezio should
climb up these. Climb and shift around until you can get up to and over the
balcony railing. Go left and find the crates in the corner. Use these to climb
up the wall. At the top, jump away and you'll latch onto a beam. Pull yourself
up and then from there, it's just a short hop to the last lever.

With all four levers activated, the floor opens up to reveal a secret area.
Drop down here and you'll find the real tomb. Pilfer all the goods and take
the seal. Only one more to go! Leave through the glowing wall in the top right.

Now at last, it's time to go to the next mission marker.

Birds Of A Feather
------------------
This is similar to a mission you had earlier. You are to trail the two templars
and eavesdrop. If you stay too close to them for too long, they will star to
get suspicious like guards. Follow them, but keep a reasonable distance and
when they stop, duck into a crowd of people or Courtesans. You can also hire
a Courtesan group so you have constant moving cover to blend in. This isn't
necessary though.

When they come to the bridge leading to the basilica though, hire the nearby
thieves. Have them lure away the guards after the two pass by so you can keep
following them. They'll enter the plaza outside the basilica and a scene will
start. After that, follow this entourage (yummy, more victims for Ezio! err...
I mean, ooh, more badguys!). They'll exit through a corridor with more guards
so hire the thieves nearby before they get too far away and lure the guards
away.

From here, it's pretty simple. Stop whenever they stop, and if there is no
crowd to blend with, just stay far enough away or behind a corner or something
to obstruct any possible view. Keep following them and just take it slow, not
bumping into guards or anybody carrying anything. After a scene this mission
is over.

Rewards:
o Assassination Contracts unlocked

Head straight to find Antonio to start the next mission. The thieves have
settled into Emilio's old palazzo, so that's where you'll find the mission
marker.

If At First You Don't Succeed...

--------------------------------
While Antonio is talking, head to the yellow marker to the south. Cross one of
the bridges to get inside the plaza area outside the basilica which is where
the marker is.

After the scene, a new marker appears nearby. It's not on the tower, or the
rooftop near it. It's in between the two on the ground. Find it there and then
a new one appears. Go southeast, around the restricted area and find the
viewpoint tower near the docks. Climb it to the top to find the marker. Wait
for Antonio to get there and another quick scene starts.

The next marker appears on the north side of the basilica. Synchronize this
viewpoint if you have not already, then take a Leap of Faith. Antonio will do
things the hard way and climb down, but he won't take very long. Let him follow
you to the next marker.

It looks like you've found your ticket. Climb up all the scaffolding with
Antonio; it's pretty simple. Find the white marker up on the roof (yellow on
your mini map) and you get another scene. There is your target, Grimaldi, but
still no way to reach him. If only you could fly...

If you're familiar with the E3 footage of Assassin's Creed II, then you should
know what's coming. Without wasting a moment, make haste for Leonardo's, which
is the new mission marker.

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

--------------------------------
This isn't much of a mission. You get to try out Leonardo's flying machine.
It's WOW EXCITNG OH MAN I'M REALLY FLYING--until you find out the controls
are
inversed and that it can only take you so far--OH CRAP!!!!!

After that, you get a scene and the next mission starts immediately.

Well Begun Is Half Done

-----------------------
Noting that the heat from fire will keep the flying machine aloft, Ezio needs
to clear areas for Antonio's men to light those fires. In this way, Ezio's
first flight can be successful.

The locations are signified by the red markers on your map. There are plenty
of markers, but only four "areas". The first one is very close. Two Brutes
are standing near each other. Approach them and go with a double Hidden Blade
kill.

Head to the next closest one which should be on a boat. You'll probably start
a large fight, so just disarm the Brutes first, then work your way from there.
Once you've cleared that area, head to the next area which is a rooftop area.
Just use throwing knives on the archers here, or push them off the rooftops if
that's your thing.

The last area has two spots, one guarded by a lone Brute you can easily attack
from behind with the Hidden Blade. The other spot has a lot of guards. Start
with the Brute as always and that should scare off most of the others. Finish
the rest and you're done.

Make the long trip to the next mission marker to finally begin.

Infrequent Flyer
----------------
You should know how this works. If not by seeing the E3 footage, then by the
discussions going on in the past mission and in the beginning of this one.
You need to stay aloft by flying over the fires. At the same time, try to avoid
the archer arrows. As Leonardo suggested, you could kick some of them off.

Doing this is as simple as locking onto one ahead of you with L1 and flying
as straight at them as you can. Don't take unnecessary risks though just to get
a "kick" out of this. Pardon the pun, but seriously, don't just try to kick
guys off if you have to take a bad angle to do so. Try to do it at least once
to get the "Flyswatter" Trophy and then focus on flying and hitting the fires
to stay aloft.

I find the best route to be to go north, then east toward the river and hit
the fires on the boat and continue east from there, before turning to the
right to finally get to the basilica.

Once you make it (hopefully), you need to get into position. The archers up
here can spot you and if they do, you'll need to start over. Therefore, use
the columns up here to hide behind then try to quietly sneak in for Hidden
Blade kills. Your throwing knives won't work since you need more than one for
a kill. You can also climb the columns and do air assassinations.

Make your way around, killing all three, then you can drop down to the window
as noted by the white marker. You'll get a scene.

You might be disappointed to see it's not the E3 demo. I was at least, but this
was still a very fun mission. Fight your way down the staircase. Eliminate
every guard. They're pretty simple, no Brutes, so have fun. After that, you'll
find Grimaldi hasn't gone anywhere and is just standing there, trembling,
waiting for Ezio to deliver the coup de grace, so give it to him.

Now, leave the basilica through the now open front doors and get far enough
away to become anonymous again. This end the mission, gets you a Codex Page,
and ends Sequence 8.
Rewards:
o Codex Page (1)

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SEQUENCE 9
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[ac09]

You'll be in front of Leonardo's. Go inside.

Knowledge Is Power
------------------
Here's another upgrade you may have been looking forward to: the pistol or
Hidden Gun.

Go to the yellow marker which is the platform resting near the canal. There
are three targets to practice on. You should be able to lock onto each one
without having to leave this platform. To use the pistol, go into your
inventory wheel and select it first. Then, lock onto your target and hold
Square. An aiming mechanism appears and forms a solid line. If you hold Square
to this point, you should hit your target.

Do this for all three and then return to Leonardo's.

With that done, you get the Carnevale mask. It let's you stay incognito in
Venice, but only for now while the carnevale is going on. Really though, isn't
Ezio's getup a bit more recognizable than his face? Just saying...

Rewards:
o Pistol attachment acquired
o Carenvale Mask

Anyways, you can now go to the south side of Venice at last. Start scaling more
viewpoints and getting a look around. There is a new Assassin's Tomb, the last
one if you've gotten all the others up to this point--huzzah! Let's head in
that direction. First though, grab the Codex Page which is just north of its
location.

Find the tomb entrance at the base of the tower on the roof of the building.
******************************************
* ASSASSIN'S TOMB - Visitazione's Secret *
******************************************

When you have control, step out of the haystack and assassinate the Brute.
Approach the other guy and he'll take off running. This will be reminiscent of
the first tomb except that the area is obviously very different.

The path isn't really hard to figure out here. Basically every time he shuts
a gate, like the guy earlier in the game, you'll need to find an alternate
route that is immediately next to the gate. Keep pace with him at the end as
you jump some beams and use swing bars and do an air assassination to finish
him.

If you did it in time, the guards to the left in the next chamber will not
see you. If you want to stir up a fight, then go ahead. You can open the next
door without bothering them though.

In the next chamber, use the lever. This starts a timed mechanism. Go forward
and to the left, jumping up the spires to the platform. You're told about the
Advanced Wall Jump which is something you may already know. Run up a wall and
then hit the Left Analog Stick in a new direction and hit X and Ezio will
use his upward momentum to go in that direction. Use this to reach the bar.

Swing forward and climb the steps to the statue. Use the Advanced Wall Jump
again to get to the platform on the left. Go across the beam and swing bars
ahead to reach another platform. Do another Advanced Wall Jump to the right to
get to the next bar.

Go forward to the west wall, traversing a few gaps to reach the third swing
bar. Go across a spire to the right and then move forward and to the wall on
the left. Run the wall and do another Advanced Wall Jump to get to the platform
on the left. Take this to some beams and then to a swing bar, a spire, and
another swing bar. Turn this corner and you'll get to the last bar lever. The
door will open in the central chamber, leading to the tomb.

Take all the stuff as always, including the last seal! Schwing! You might want
to hoof it back to the Villa at once to claim the Armor of Altair. If you need
another seal though, step to it!

When you're doing tending to business at the Villa, return to Venice and go to
your next mission.

Damsels In Distress
-------------------
Easy mission. Chase down the murderer. He's a bit fast so don't lose him.
Steering away from the crowd while sprinting will obviously help.

You'll find him attacking another courtesan. If you get too close, he'll kill
her too. Find a reasonable distance where you are far enough away, but still
close to lock onto him. It can be difficult with all the NPCs around but sneak
closer and closer until you lock on. Select the pistol and shoot him. Be
prepared for a possible swarm of guards to attack after this. Either fight or
flee.

Nun The Wiser

-------------
This is more of a segue into the next few missions which are actually sort of
like mini-games. In order to get close to Barbarigo, you'll need to get entry
to his party, by winning a golden mask at the Carnevale. Teodora explains as
she and Antonio escort you to the area. That's it.

Pick a game and start. Begin with the closest one.

Ribbon Round-Up
---------------
You need to collect at least 25 ribbons before time runs out. The women at the
Carnevale have them. You can get them by doing a normal pickpocketing maneuver.
If you forgot, hold X to speed walk and bump into people. Do this to collect
the ribbons. The women are marked by blue markers on your mini-map. Larger
groups of women will yield more ribbons. Pretty easy.

CTF
---
This one is kinda fun. You need to get to the flag before your opponent,
retrieve it, and bring it back to the starting position. You both have to do
it three times, so if your opponent wins, it's no big deal, as long as he does
not win three times before you.

You'll start out on the roof, and the opponent will start out on the street.
You'll want to use the same route each time. Run forward to the edge of the
roof overlooking the flag, then drop down fast. If you want to bear with the
damage you would take, you can also drop from that height, you'll get there a
little faster, just remember to heal.

If your opponent gets it first, give chase. He runs pretty fast so do your best
to avoid people and catch up with him to tackle him.

And They're Off

---------------
The third game is a race. Despite the name, this is just a race against time
and nothing more. You need to hit all the white markers in two minutes. It
might seem tough at first, but you can practice it over and over until you see
the best route. Overall, this one isn't tough either.

The final marker for the last game appears after the first three are won.

Cheaters Never Prosper

----------------------
This game is a fighting style one. You will fight fists-only against a few
opponents. It's pretty easy. Focus on blocking, dodging, and remember that with
your fists you can counter too.

Things go well until you get a surprise opponent, Dante Moro. He's a little bit
tougher, but not by much. Counter him a few times as well and he goes down
without too much effort.

The final challenge has you pitted against a few armed guards. You figured this
was going to happen, right? Just disarm them and kill them with their own
weapons to end this.

Unfortunately, the golden mask will have to wait.

Having A Blast
--------------
You need to find Dante and get that mask. Killing him won't accomplish anything
as Antonio suggests. You'll have to be a bit more creative.

First, go to the yellow marker. This will reveal a general search area. You'll
probably have to wait for Dante to appear. Just have Eagle Vision on so you
can spot him when he does.

Hire some nearby Courtesans and follow him. Lock onto Dante and have them
distract him.

Eventually he'll stop and turn around. This is your chance to speed walk into
him to pickpocket the mask. With that done, it's time to crash a party like it
it's 1399.

Go to the yellow marker and pass through the archway for a quick scene. Now
you need to find Barbarigo.

Proceed to the blue marker for another quick scene. Marco Barbarigo will appear
soon enough. So will Dante though. You'll automatically become notorious so
you need to stay blended. Hire some Courtesans fast and just stay with them
and wait for the timer to run out.

After that, Marco appears. Listen to Teodora's advice and use the pistol. Try
to get a lock on him. Use your Courtesans to sneak closer if you must. Once
you're locked on, try to time the shot with the fireworks. It might not work
though, I'm not totally sure. I got in a fight anyway. If that happens, use a
Smoke Bomb since there's a lot of them.

Flee and become anonymous by outrunning the guards or hiding. Make your way
back to the brothel (yellow marker) and on the way, try to get rid of your
notoriety.

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S E Q U E N C E 10
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[ac10]

Head to the marker to speak with Antonio.

An Unpleasant Turn of Events

----------------------------
This is nothing but a cutscene, outlining what's to come for this sequence.
Doesn't get any easier, my friend.

Caged Fighter
-------------
Head over to the marker to search for Bartolomeo. The marker turns into a
search area. He's held roughly near the center so he shouldn't be hard to find.
You'll know you're in the right spot when you see the guards standing in front
of the cell.

Defeat them, then rescue Bartolomeo. More guards will attack. You'll need to
protect him so focus on the enemies attacking him first. Proceed to the yellow
marker now, sticking to the streets only. If you encounter any guards along
the way, you'll probably get into more fights so continue protecting your
escort.

Get him to the yellow marker which is his home. A pair of guards will be
waiting for a fight. No problem at this point. After that, a scene and the
mission ends.
Your next mission can begin right where the last one ended but you now have
much more of Venice open to you and there's still even one more section after
that! Start by scaling all the viewpoints out in the east here if you are
patient enough for that.

The dark grey building in the southeast, the San Pietro Di Castello has a
GLYPH you can find on the east side if you stand on the lower roof.

-[The Fourth Day]-

Your clue is about something "once worshipped". It's pretty easy to figure out
if you think about it long enough. The sun! Anyway, the answers are:

o Nazca Textile
o Aztec Calendar Stone
o The Eastern Gate
o Sistine Chapel Ceiling Fresco
o Book of the Dead

For the last part, search the sun for the object you need to find. Use the
clicking noise to help you.

-----[19/20]------------------------------------------------------------------

Almost exactly north of there is a Codex Page if you can uncover it from the
viewpoints. It's near a tailor shop too if that helps.

Continue sweeping up the viewpoints. There are two grey buildings adjacent to
each other in the north and a bit to the east. They're more north than east
(meaning, not in the northeast corner of Venice but close). One is a viewpoint
building. The one adjacent to it has the GLYPH. The glyph is on the top,
behind the arch shaped mural. This should be the last one!

-[The Origin of the Species]-

Without a doubt this slider puzzle portion is probably the hardest. The reason
is because that so many rings are forced to move together. You'll want to start
by aligning the picture correctly. Make sure the globe/earth in the center is
being held with the hand underneath it, not to the side or anything like that.

After that, it'll take a lot of work but you can probably figure it out with
enough effort. Recognize which rings move together and which can be moved
alone. The way I did it was that I moved one pair of connected rings a certain
number of spaces away from being perfectly aligned. I then picked another pair
that also had one of the first pair in it and moved them back the same number
of spaces. This fixed one ring. I just kept doing this and I also had to
improvise a bit but eventually I got lucky. I know you're angry for not having
much to go on here, but I'll try and get a concrete solution if possible.

Second part is a breeze compared to that. It really is though. You'll notice

one of the key Creed catchphrases, "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted."
If you want to take that last part literally, go ahead and fiddle with the
combination. Just change the " - - - " to anything at all! Anything! Hit enter
and you're done with that part.

The last part is also simple. Just place the marker over all the skeleton's
bones and it will transform. Voila! You're all done!

-----[20/20]------------------------------------------------------------------

With all of that done, go ahead and watch the unlocked video. You might be a
little confused, even a tad perturbed. That's ok. Shake it off, champ. Return
to the next mission marker.

Leave No Man Behind

-------------------
Head to the marker where some of Bartolomeo's mercenaries are being held
caged like he was. Defeat the guards there easily and free them. Some will run
off, but many will join you.

Take your band of mercenaries to another location and have them attack the
enemies here. There are more but the fight obviously becomes easier with help
(not that you really need it at this point in the game. Free more mercenaries.
Your group will get a little bigger, so head off to the third location.

Here, the group of enemies will be a little bigger, including some Brutes with
spears. If you spend too much time trying to disarm guys, you'll likely lose
most if not all of your mercenaries. It really won't matter too much though.
Free these mercenaries once the last enemy has fallen to complete the mission.

Go back to Bartolomeo's for the next one.

Assume The Position

-------------------
Your goal in this mission is to attack some positions occupied by guards so
that Barbarigo's men are too busy, allowing Ezio to sneak in for the kill.

The first red marker is on your map. Lead your mercenaries to it. Remember that
they can't climb buildings so you'll need to stick to the streets. If you
encounter any guards patrolling, they'll attack so be quick in dispatching
them. Lead them to the target area and defeat all the enemies with their
help. Step into the marker when you're done. More mercenaries will occupy the
area and a new group will follow you to the next target area.

You'll encounter more patrols on the way to each destination and with Brutes
in the mix, this gets troublesome. If you want to avoid losing too many
mercenaries, go for the Brutes first. Remember that killing them early can
make some of the weaker enemies flee.

Once you've taken all three positions, the mission ends.

Head to the marker and you will finally get to work on ending the lives of
Dante and Silvio.

Two Birds, One Blade

--------------------
Head to the viewpoint (yellow marker) and climb to it. If you haven't climbed
this one before, when you get to the top with all the cone-shaped structures,
it might seem like there's no way up. On the south side of it though, there
are some ridges you can take to the very tippy top. Climb up the cross here
and you'll get a scene.

Bartolomeo is fighting with Dante. Dive off of the cross and straight into the
water in the canal. Make your way over to the battle. Dante will flee when
he sees Ezio coming (that's right, run you wuss...), so help Bartolomeo by
defeating the Brutes and other enemies. You do need to watch out for his
health but it shouldn't be too much of an issue at the moment.

Proceed north where another fight erupts. Defeat or ignore the normal enemies.
Get to Dante and start whacking away at him. You can't disarm him, even when he
is weak, so don't bother. Just counter, dodge and so forth until he runs away
yet again.

For this next part, you'll need to chase them. Early on, try to find a route
that will take you up to the roof. The path is pretty identifiable up here. I
might be wrong, but if you move quickly here, you could possibly double air
assassinate both of them. I could be wrong though.

If/when they get to the boat, climb the crane overlooking the boat and you can
try to double air assassinate them both. If not, wait for them to split up and
you can do it to Silvio probably. Dante will come running over so you can
just as easily counter attack to kill him in one blow.

Say ciao to Sequence 10. On to Sequence 11. We're almost there, folks!

_______________________________________________________________________
_______
 ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
S E Q U E N C E 11
_______________________________________________________________________
_______
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
[ac11]

This will begin with a little stroll with Leonardo. Walk with him and he and
Ezio will talk. At the end, Ezio will come to a rather startling conclusion.

At this point, the north section of Venice is at last open to you. Boy, this is
a huge city! Find the first viewpoint there and scale it to see the rest. Start
climbing those too to uncover everything else.

Synchronizing the first viewpoint in northern Venice will reveal a Codex Page
very, very close by to the east. You won't find anything else of interest
though.

Go to the next mission marker when you're done.

All Things Come To He Who Waits

-------------------------------
This can actually be a little tough. After the scene, you're to tail a courier
with a very "interesting" package. It's like the two stalking missions you've
done with a small twist. The courier can run and there will be a few times
where he picks up his pace.

Your best bet it is to stay to the rooftops because it's quick and easy, save
a few tough gaps. Avoid too much climbing when necessary, especially if the
courier starts to run. Like before, any little obstruction that blocks your
view on screen starts a timer. Manipulate the camera with the Right Analog
Stick to prevent rooftops and other objects from blocking your view. Try not
to let him get too far away, especially when he starts running.

If you follow him on foot, be aware that he turns around at some large
intervals in his route so stay out of sight when he stops. Try to avoid the
ground route since he will pass by guards on the way.

Eventually, after a long time of tracking him, he'll start climbing. You've
probably been following him in a somewhat distant way on the rooftop. You need
to follow him more directly when he starts climbing. Get right behind him and
follow because you can lose sight of him very fast.

He'll eventually get to his destination and store the package. You need to kill
him and take his armor in 120 seconds. There's a ladder near the guards here
that you can take to the rooftop. You can't be detected or you'll fail so you
need to avoid getting very close to the archers.

It'll take a little more time, but take a more circular route, going counter
clockwise and swing back toward the target area, so you can avoid the archers.
You can drop into the canal near here and climb out (watch out for a guard who
will walk toward the canal--assassinate him when he turns his back). It'll be
just a short walk into the area where the target guard is. Assassinate him and
you'll finish the mission.

Immediately open the chest to begin the next mission.

Play Along
----------
You'll need to follow the guard so you can find the Spaniard at last. Carry
the chest and follow him and an entourage of guards as you walk through the
city.

The biggest challenge here is not drawing attention to yourself. You need to
avoid bumping into people or else the guards will harass you way too much and
you'll lose some distance to the lead guard. This is easy to do once you know
the trick. Whenever you see people carrying boxes, just stand still and let
them pass by you or wait for them to get out of the way or walk around them.

There will be plenty of them along the way so avoid them as best you can. It's
worth it just to not get harassed by the guards, because it's sometimes hard
to resist that urge to stab them in the face. It's somewhat of a long walk but
it's not too difficult.

After the scene, you finally get to have a showdown with the Spaniard, Rodrigo,
the guy in the cloak. The guy you've probably been wondering about since the
beginning of the game (or longer if you watched the first Lineage video). He
is really not difficult at all. Use counters and dodges to bring his health
down fast. Basically, at this point in the game, you really shouldn't have any
trouble fighting him.

Things get a little tougher when guards show up. You can make this part go
fast by disarming them all one by one. After that, a quick scene in which your
allies show up.

Take down all the guards first. It'll be you and all your allies against
Rodrigo. This makes the fight extremely easy because you can get a lot of free
shots on them with their help. Keep slashing at him and you'll eventually win.

That ends sequence 11. Sequence 12 and 13 are skipped. It's not entirely clear
if this is 100% intentional or if there is perhaps a chance of DLC, but you'll
be brought right to Sequence 14.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
S E Q U E N C E 14
_______________________________________________________________________
_______
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
[ac14]

You'll be at the Villa. You might first notice that Ezio has a bit of a beard
which is to characterize him as being much older than when the game began. It
has been a long ride, although we've jumped around a lot too.

You might notice that the Codex room is off limits. You need all the pages to
get in there. Luckily, the maps for each city will display any missing Codex
Pages even if you don't have the necessary viewpoints synchronized.

You need to get into the Codex Room to continue, so therefore, logically, you
need to gather the last Codex Pages. Find them and then bring them to Leonardo
for decryption. He can be found in the architect room at the Villa.

Track them down if you need to and return to this room. Speak with Mario to
begin.

X Marks The Spot

----------------
Place the last few Codex Pages on the wall if you have not already. Select
the option to turn on Eagle Vision by holding Triangle. You may have done this
once before, just out of curiosity. You can see that together, the Codex Pages
create a picture. You need to align them correctly though.

The best way to start is to align the border. Start with every outside page
along the top, bottom, and sides. They're easy to align because each one has a
small line, like a border. Line the outside ones first, then work your way in.
Already you should see it's a map of the continents. Start fiddling around with
the inside pages until the shapes make sense. If you don't automatically start
a scene, you still need to mess around with them some more. Keep doing it until
you get the scene.

If you're ready, you can proceed to Rome by talking to Mario. If you wish to
mop up some unfinished business, collecting things, getting Trophies, you can
do that now, or later. Either way, talk to Mario when you're ready to go to
Rome.

In Bocca Al Lupo
----------------
You'll start off in a small, enclosed spot near the water. Your climbing route
here is fixed, so you can't just go any way you want. When you get up the wall
to where the beam is, you might think you can't jump to it, but you can. Keep
climbing up from there.

You'll find a few guards up here. Try to disarm the Brute spearman first, then
deal with the others easily. Operate the lever when they're down.

The two guards in the next area won't be immediately alerted. Take advantage
of this by running at them and executing a double Hidden Blade kill.

Climb up the crates and barrels in the corner. Do an Advanced Wall Jump here
to get to the right balcony. Climb over and counter the guard that attacks to
kill him easily. Throw the lever you find, then drop down and pass through the
doorway.

Try to get a jump on some of the guards with a Hidden Blade attack. Defeat the
others through normal combat. You can't disarm them until they're weak so just
rely on counters mostly. It shouldn't be too hard.

Climb the tower to reach the marker. You'll get a quick scene. You'll start
this part on horseback but don't get used to it. As you attempt to charge
through the enemy forces, you'll likely get knocked down. If not, you cant'
cross the gap up ahead with your horse anyway.

Defeat as many enemies as necessary, then move on. After crossing the large
gap, the enemies will lower the next gate. You can't make it through so don't
bother. Climb the tower instead, but you probably won't be very successful
with that unless you defeat most or all of the enemies chasing you. Climb the
tower, then sneak attack one guard and rush the other with Hidden Blade kills.

Take a Leap of Faith to reach the next section. Only a few more enemies will
stand between you and the next tower. Disarm the Brute spearman and then deal
with the others. Pretty simple. Remember to keep using medicine when you need
to, but I'm sure you know that very well by now.

There is no haystack directly below this next tower, so just climb down the
hard way. You'll notice the two haystacks further down here though. You can
hang over the side of the walls and try Ledge Assassinations, or quietly sneak
into the hay for Hiding Assassinations. Or of course, you can just charge in
with your battlecry and beat the heck out of them.
Climb the next tower and Ledge Assassinate the lone guard. Run up to the other
two to get a Double Hidden Blade Kill. You can perform an Air Assassination
from this tower on the guard below. Climb the very next wall and kill the
guard here quickly.

Climb to the top of this wall and you can see the area below. You can do a
Double Air Assassination on the two guys below to start things off. It'll help
since a large fight will erupt here when you land. Four Brutes and a few lower
guards comprise the attacking party. You will want to try and steal a Brute's
weapon as soon as possible since that will enable you to kill him and at least
one other enemy easily. Continue this strategy until all enemies are dead.

Climb the wall in the corner and operate the lever. This opens a door below
you. Pass through to the next area. You need to remain undetected here. There
are only two guards; one on the left and one ahead of you guarding the lever.
Both can be assassinated easily from behind. Throw the lever and turn the
corner to the next corridor.

You have a lot of places to blend in here so stay blended to ward off any
suspicious glances from the guards. Don't assassinate any guards here. It will
make the monks run away which takes away your hiding spots. No, you'll have
to go stealthy here. Just wait for the guards who walk in circles to walk past
and then move from one group of monks to the other. Keep doing this to get
behind the large group of guards in the back and reach the lever.

You'll finally find Rodrigo. Getting to him is easy enough. Cross from your
side of the chapel to the other. It's just a few hops away to reach the hanging
platform. From here, you can perform your Air Assassination. Take that!

Oh but of course, it doesn't go as planned. Rodrigo uses the staff but Ezio
has the apple. A fight begins and Ezio pulls an Al Mualim (AC1) and makes
copies of himself!

Rodrigo uses the staff like a spear and he also has the durability of a Brute.
You can't counter him, nor can you disarm him. Your copies will not be very
aggressive but they will attack, so take advantage when they do. Other than
that, dodge and attack so you can get the most out of yours strikes. Combo him
and just keep the pressure on to slowly bring down Rodrigo's health.

Since standard attacking is difficult, I have received a few submitted tips

from readers that might make this fight easier. For one, you can try using a
dagger and you might land your hits more often.

You can also fling throwing knives at him and deplete his health pretty easily
that way.
 __________________________________________________________________
|Credit|Thanks to mccloven27 for the tip of using daggers against |
| | Rodrigo. |
| | |
| |Thanks to Lalkotna for the tip of using throwing knives. |
|______|___________________________________________________________|

After the scene, you need to find the way to open the secret passage that
Rodrigo fled in. Turn on Eagle Vision and you can see two buttons on the wall
beside it. Press these and you can make your way down. You'll find him in a
pit below. Approach for another scene.

Ah, a good old fashioned fist fight. Rodrigo is durable, but this isn't much of
a problem. You can't combo him at all and dodging then striking isn't effective
either. Countering his attacks is your best strategy so stick with that. This
isn't very hard as Rodrigo is easy to counter. You might also find it faster to
grab him and headbutt/knee him and so on repeatedly (thanks to RaggedLemur and
Draconis for this). Just keep it up and the fight will end with Ezio choking
him. Mash Square to finish it at long last.

After the scene, the doorway finally opens. Sequence 14 ends and you are given
a path to a white marker. The path lights up as you walk down. Proceed inside
this chamber and step inside the marker.

You'll get a longer scene and this one will be a doozy. It'll get a bit strange
and confusing, and then it will get even more strange and confusing. Eventually
though, the scene ends and while you're sitting there wondering, the credits
begin to roll.

As they roll though, you'll get control of Desmond again. Follow Lucy out of
the room and back down to the garage. The Templars are here and so is an old
friend. Desmond, thanks to the Bleeding Effect can now finally kill. He has
the Hidden Blade, but can get a club in a minute.

You'll be attacked by a few Templar guys. Lucy will fight too, but worry about
yourself. You can attack, dodge, counter, and disarm. Counter and Disarm will
of course be the most effective moves. You might ask yourself why, if Desmond's
story takes place in 2012, that these guys are using clubs and not guns? Good
question, actually. They want Desmond alive so I guess that's why.

Anyways, go ahead and beat their lights out. You don't get any HUD display but
you can still press down on the D-Pad to switch to unarmed if you want to
disarm these guys. Otherwise, stick to the Hidden Blade or the club weapon.

It's an overall easy fight. Approach the truck for a scene and that's it.
The credits roll again. You'll get some dialogue that throws only a few hints
at you. Just sit back and enjoy the rest.

Congratulations, you've beaten Assassin's Creed II!

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Quattro (4)| The Villa | ASSASSIN'S CREED II [acvi]
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Welcome to the Villa Auditore at Monteriggioni. You'll unlock access to this

area during Sequence 3. It will serve as Ezio's home base or "headquarters" and
will be a very important tool to him as the game progresses.
________
|Overview|
|------------------------------------------------------------------[viov]----|

No source of income is as great and fruitful as the Villa, if you allow it to

be so. The second greatest is the money received from missions and after that,
it is a huge drop off. The Villa, if you work hard and pour enough money into
it, the amount you receive back will increase exponentially.

To me, the Villa system reminded me a little of the Headquarter system present
in the Suikoden RPG games by Konami. The Villa's condition and looks will
improve as it increases in value. The higher the value, the more money is paid
through taxes. The more tax money, the more that goes into Ezio's pockets.

To make money, you gotta spend money of course. You can do a lot of things to
increase the Villa's value. Some are required and near-required such as
collecting Codex Pages and buying near weapons and armor for yourself. These
things go into your Collections at the Villa and increase the value. You can
increase the value by renovating the shops and building a Church, Brothel,
and other places. Not only will the value increase, but the shops will give you
a special discount on their goods.

Well let's get a little more in-depth on the Villa. From the entrance, the
Doctor, Blacksmith, Tailor, and Art Merchant are all very close. Up from there
is the actual mansion.

Architect & Claudia

-------------------
The southeast room on the first floor might as well be called the "money room".
This is where Claudia will let Ezio look at the Villa's value and what is
making it money, what needs to be collected to get even more value, and so on.
Behind her is the chest if you want to collect your money and not look at the
book. Also in that room is the architect who will take money from Ezio to spend
on renovating places in the Villa.

Codex Room
----------
The northeast room is the Codex Room. Here is where Ezio can place the Codex
Pages he has received. Codex Pages can only be placed on the wall when they
are decrypted first by Leonardo Da Vinci. Eventually, Uncle Mario will open a
secret entrance that leads to...

Sanctuary
---------
This is a secret room downstairs from the Codex Room. In here is the Armor of
Altair, hidden behind bars. To open the way to the armor, the player must
retrieve all six seals from the Assassin's Tombs.

Weapon and Armor Gallery

------------------------
These two rooms on the west side of the first floor contain replicas of the
weapons and armor that Ezio has purchased. Items that Ezio is currently using
are replaced in the gallery by imitations. You can exchange weapons and armor
by interacting with them in the gallery. The other room has his armor and
replicas of some important vehicles he has used.

Art Gallery
-----------
The Art gallery takes up the west rooms of the second floor and is directly
above the Weapon and Armor gallery. Here is where paintings that Ezio has
purchased are placed. Art is also hung in the main room on the second floor
walls. You can go up to any piece of art and interact to learn more about it.

Front Courtyard
---------------
In the front of the mansion is a training center run by Uncle Mario's
mercenaries. Aside from some required training sessions, you can come back here
any time and pay for special training which will unlock new skills and weapons.

Back Courtyard
--------------
Behind the mansion is a courtyard where there are four pedestals. Each has room
for two statuettes. The statuettes are hidden on the Villa grounds somewhere.
Collect them and place them in the correct pedestals.

Maria's Room
------------
On the second floor, southwest corner is where Maria can be found, perpetually
in a kneeling position. Behind her is a chest where you can leave feathers you
have collected.

Attic
-----
If you go down the hall from Maria's room and then make a left, you'll find a
ladder eventually. Climb this to reach the attic where portrats of Ezio's
targets are stored as he takes down each one.

Income
------
The income that the Villa makes is determined by its overall value. This
overall value is represented by a number that increases each time you add
something or renovate something. Value can never decrease, it can only stay the
same and increase. All the possible sources of income are categorized on the
Summary part of Claudia's book:

o Shops - All shops are fully renovated

o Renovations - All town renovations are added
o Collections - Collectible items
o Equipment - Weapons and Armor gathered

Each of these has a monetary value and all those are added up to make up your
income. Your income is accrued once every 20 minutes. This time cannot be
changed. Improve any of the above categories and your income will increase.

_____
|Shops|
|------------------------------------------------------------------[visp]----|

There are five shops in the Villa. Four you can access freely at any time like
other shops. There is a Doctor, Art Merchant, Blacksmith and Tailor at the
Villa. There is also the bank which you can't do anything with. The Blacksmith
and the Doctor are the only two available at the beginning.

The shops need renovations and they have 3 levels. Each level of renovation is
more expensive obviously, but it will further increase the Villa's value and
therefore, your income. You also get special discounts on their wares when you
shop here.

Here is a list of the shops and how much each renovation costs. After that, you
have the value of each shop when fully renovated in regards to your income.

____________________________________________________________________
|Shop |1st Renovation|2nd Renovation|3rd Renovation|Max Value|
|-------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------|
|Art Merchant |1000 |5000 |8000 |10500 |
|-------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------|
|Bank |1500 |5000 |9000 |15500 |
|-------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------|
|Blacksmith |N/A |7000 |12000 |14750 |
|-------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------|
|Doctor |N/A |3000 |5000 |6750 |
|-------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------|
|Tailor |1000 |2500 |5000 |6500 |
'--------------------------------------------------------------------'

___________
|Renovations|
|------------------------------------------------------------------[virn]----|

Renovating is how you will increase the Villa's value for the most part. When
choosing a shop or place, read the description. If you see that a renovation
will "greatly increase" the value, then go for that one as it will mean a
bigger income boost.
________________________
|Renovations |Cost |
|------------------|-----|
|Brothel |3000 |
|------------------|-----|
|Mines |4000 |
|------------------|-----|
|Church |4000 |
|------------------|-----|
|Military Barracks |3000 |
|------------------|-----|
|Thieves Guild |3000 |
|------------------|-----|
|Well |4000 |
'------------------------'

_________________________
|Collections and Equipment|
|------------------------------------------------------------------[vicl]----|

Things Ezio collects will also add value to the Villa. Buying armor and weapons
will do it, as will placing new Codex Pages on the wall, seals in the sanctuary
and adding feathers to the chest. Completing an entire collection of something
gives you some bonuses too.

For Codex Pages, you can find most of them mentioned in the walkthrough, and
they're not really hard to find and you're required to get them all anyway so
I'm not listing them again.

Feathers I will not be making a list for either so unfortunately, you're on

your own there. Try looking up some maps online to help you out though. I can't
link to any here because I don't own the ones made by the websites that have
them and I'm not really skilled enough to make my own. Also remember that it's
easier to find feathers at night and with Eagle Vision on.

The models are the models of Leonardo's carriage and his flying machine. You
will get these automatically just by progressing far enough through the game.

Seals are the ones you get from the Assassin's Tombs.

Buy paintings from each city. Florence, Tuscany, Forli and Venice all have
their own paintings.

You'll obtain portraits of Ezio's targets just by progressing through the

game. Note that one is a group portrait so nine is not the number of targets.

______________________________________________________
|Collection |Value per |Max Value |
|--------------------------------|----------|----------|
|30/30 Codex Pages |5 |150 |
|--------------------------------|----------|----------|
|100/100 Feathers |10 |1000 |
|--------------------------------|----------|----------|
|2/2 Models |80 |160 |
|--------------------------------|----------|----------|
|6/6 Seals |25 |150 |
|--------------------------------|----------|----------|
|30/30 Paintings |Varies |3600 |
|--------------------------------|----------|----------|
|9/9 Portraits of Ezio's Targets |50 |450 |
'------------------------------------------------------'

___________________________________________
|Bonus |Value |
|------------------------------------|------|
|All Codex Pages on the wall |1000 |
|------------------------------------|------|
|All feathers deposited in the chest | |
|------------------------------------|------|
|All models collected |1000 |
|------------------------------------|------|
|All seals returned to the vault |2000 |
|------------------------------------|------|
|All paintings purchased |3000 |
|------------------------------------|------|
|All portraits of targets collected |1000 |
'-------------------------------------------'

Equipment
___________________________________
|Equipment |Max Value |
|------------------------|----------|
|22/22 Weapons |10850 |
|------------------------|----------|
|4/4 Leather Armor |460 |
|------------------------|----------|
|4/4 Helmschmied Armor |1255 |
|------------------------|----------|
|4/4 Metal Armor |2135 |
|------------------------|----------|
|4/4 Missaglias Armor |3790 |
|------------------------|----------|
|4/4 Armor of Altair |3500 |
'-----------------------------------'

___________________________________________
|Bonus |Value |
|------------------------------------|------|
|All weapons collected |2000 |
|------------------------------------|------|
|Leather Armor set completed |1000 |
|------------------------------------|------|
|Helmschmied Armor set completed |1000 |
|------------------------------------|------|
|Metal Armor set completed |1500 |
|------------------------------------|------|
|Missaglias Armor set completed |1500 |
'-------------------------------------------'

__________
|Statuettes|
|------------------------------------------------------------------[vist]----|

The statuettes are located around the town at Monteriggioni and are placed
on pedestals in the back courtyard of the Villa mansion. Collecting all eight
gets you the "Myth Maker" trophy.

Locating them is not too hard. They're small but they stand out, flashing
white. They are even more noticeable with Eagle Vision on and especially at
nighttime.

Start near the Blacksmith shop. Go east from there to find an open area with
a cart of hay in the middle. Just near there should be a bench and beyond that,
is where you'll find the NEPTUNE STATUETTE on the wall.

Look at your map and notice that the Blacksmith and Tailor and Art shops are
all part of the same structure. Well go to the bottom right of this
structure and climb up the slanted roof to find the MINERVA STATUETTE.

The church is at the southwest part of the town. Climb it's east wall and climb
the circular window to reach the ledge holding the JUPITER STATUETTE.

If you go to the building that has the Doctor's office in it, search the wall
on the inside corner of this structure and you should find the DIANA STATUETTE
on a pedestal in front of a window.

In the southwest corner of the town, there is a building just north of the
Brothel. It should have a smoking chimney. Here is where you can find the
APOLLO STATUETTE.

Go to the training center and face the mansion. Go up the left stairs and then
immediately turn left. The MARS STATUETTE is on the wall.

On the opposite side (take the right stairs up and turn right from the training
center), you should find the PLUTO STATUETTE.

Go further west away from the training center until you hit the west wall. You
should only need to go a few steps north to find some scaffolding. Climb this
and you'll easily locate the VENUS STATUETTE.

With all of them in hand, you get the "Myth Maker" Trophy. That's not all
though. Place the correct pairs of statuettes on each pedestal and they each
open up reveal a reward of 2000 florins each! Schwing!

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Cinque (5)| Extras | ASSASSIN'S CREED II [exra]
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Here are a few extra supporting sections for additional help on the game. You
will find all the Glyph locations and solutions which were in the walkthrough
bundled up together right here for quicker reference. Trophy/Achievement info
can be found here too, along with some tips on those.

+------------------------------------+
Glyph Locations and Puzzle Solutions [exgp]
+------------------------------------+
Glyphs are strange designs and symbols that can be found on important buildings
in Assassin's Creed II's cities. From what I understand they do not really
exist in Ezio's time, and are rather, "glitches" in the Animus that were left
behind by Subject 16.

Each glyph has a piece of a secret video file locked away inside. Solving all
20 puzzles gets you the full video, called The Truth.

Finding a Glyph is as easy as finding a building that has one and finding it
in Eagle Vision. Getting close will scan it and add it to your Database. From
that point, the puzzle is always stored so even if you don't solve it now,
you can access it from the Database any time. This means you do not have to
return to the Glyph once you've scanned it.

For the most part, all Glyphs are located on buildings that appear dark grey
on your map. Approaching an important building often yields a prompt for a
Database entry. If you see red symbol that looks like an eye on the picture,
that means there is a Glyph there.

Florence Glyphs
---------------

Building: La Rosa Colta

Description: A building a bit to the northeast. Located directly northeast of
the first Assassin's Tomb. It's where you meet Paola early in the game
Location: The glyph is on the top of the roof

Building: Santa Croce

Description: A bit to the east. It's the building where Uberto is assassinated
in.
Location: The north side of the building, it's on a wall accessible from the
lower part of the roof.

Building: Mercato Vecchio

Description: The square shaped grey area toward the west. Looks like a plaza
area with a lot of columns and stuff.
Location: North of the "inner square" area, there is a building with a sub-roof
where a window is. It's hard to describe but if you look to the side where this
window is with Eagle Vision on, you'll see it.
Building: San Lorenzo
Description: A large building north and a little west. It has a few domes and
crosses on each.
Location: The glyph is on the northwest part of the building where there is a
tower near a dome. The glyph is on the tower, on the side facing the rest of
the building.

Building: Ospedale Degli Innocenti

Description: This is the only dark grey building (on your map) in the northeast
corner of Florence.
Location: The rooftop surrounds a courtyard in a square shape. On the eastern
part of the roof there are two pieces that jut out with windows and such and a
chimney between them. The glyph is on the side of one of these.

Monteriggioni Glyphs
--------------------

Building: Villa Mansion

Description: Pretty simple actually. It's the main building, the mansion of the
Villa.
Location: When facing the mansion entrance, climb the front wall and go to the
top left.

Tuscany Glyphs
--------------

Building: Torri Del Salvucci

Description: Two towers located very close to each other. They're near another
tower that has a walkway (Maffei's tower), pretty close to the center of the
city.
Location: Between the two towers that are very close to each other is a small
patch of rooftop. Climb up here and the glyph is on the side of one of the
towers

Building: Torre Del Diavolo

Description: This is a tower in the center of the city, maybe a bit north. It
is recognizable by the small ledges jutting out from the top on each side.
Location: The glyph is located at the top of the tower

Building: Monte Oliveto Maggiore

Description: The abbey located in the far southeast of the map. You get an
assassination mission here.
Location: The glyph is on the east side of the tower sticking up from the
main building. It's right where the tower meets the rooftop
Building: Santa Maria Assunta
Description: The dark grey building (on your map) right in the center of the
city.
Location: In the middle of this structure is a small square-shaped courtyard
with a tree. Drop down here and the glyph is a bit northwest, behind some
columns.

Building: Antico Teatro Romano

Description: This is the "stage" like area made of stone to the southwest of
the city. You will go here for the last mission of Sequence 5 but if you don't
get it before that you automatically leave Tuscany when the sequence is over.
Location: The glyph is under a bridge on the southeast side of these grounds

Forli Glyphs
------------

Building: Abbazia Di San Mercuriale

Description: A church building with a really tall viewpoint tower. A little
north of the center of the city.
Location: On the west part of this structure are four walls that surround a
small courtyard in a square shape, an the walls have a bunch of columns. The
glyph is on the inner part of the west column wall.

Building: Avamposto Veneziano

Description: The only major building in the far northeast corner of the map,
near the dock area. There's a viewpoint tower here too.
Location: Go to the viewpoint tower and climb the third beam to a ledge that
you can shimmy all the way around. Shimmy to the north side of the tower and
you should find it.

Venice Glyphs
-------------

Building: Ponte Di Rialto

Description: The large bridge that is a bit east of the center of Venice
Location: The glyph is underneath the east end of the bridge, just above the
water

Building: San Giacomo Di Rialto

Description: The small building near the Ponte Di Rialto
Location: On the roof of this building is a statue. The glyph is on a wall
below the statue

Building: Gilda Dei Ladri Di Venezia

Description: This is the place where Antonio makes his home, in the northwest
Location: Climb the adjacent (north) wall from Antonio's door and there is a
wall up here near the roof with the glyph on it

Building: Campanile Di San Marco

Description: The tall brick tower near the Basilica Di San Marco, in the south
east
Location: Climb the tower until you get to a platform near the top. The glyph
is on the floor of this platform

Building: Torre Dell 'Orologio

Description: The "wall" like structure that surrounds the Basilica Di San Marco
particuarly to the north of it.
Location: Below this wall (again, north of the Basilica) are the two bridges.
Right above where these are, there is a white tower-like structure on the wall
with a railing. Climb up here and the glyph is on the floor.

Building: San Pietro Di Castello

Description: Building in the far southeast district of Venice; also has a
viewpoint
Location: On the east side of the building, just below the top roof

Building: Scuola Granda Di San Marco

Description: A building that is off toward the northeast (but not the very
northeast corner) of Venice. It has a blue roof and is right next to another
building that also appears dark grey (on your map).
Location: On the building with the blue roof, there is a wall with some murals
on it and on the other side is where you'll find the glyph.

Puzzle Solutions
----------------
The puzzles go in a predetermined order. It doesn't matter which glyph you do,
the next puzzle will always be the one that's supposed to be next. As mentioned
above, the puzzles don't have to be solved immediately.

The puzzles come in a few categories. Sometimes there are 10 photos and a clue
connecting five of them that you must pick out. Others have photos where you
must search for a secret. There are slider puzzles which are jumbled pictures
on rotating rings that need to be aligned properly. Marker puzzles are the
simplest, usually having you place the cursor over the objects on screen. Then
there are combination puzzles, having you crack a code.

Below is a list of each puzzle. When possible, I'll try and help you in trying
to figure it out. I encourage you to wrestle with each puzzle yourself and see
how good you can do, because it's more satisfying that way. The solutions are
given when applicable for those who are stuck.
===============================================================
================
1) In The Beginning

"Five of these mythic scenes share a CORE similarity. PICK them out and you'll
begin to see."

The two clue words should tell you what you need to look for. You have 10
paintings and there is a common thread that binds them. Pay attention to the
clue words and look at each picture carefully.

Solution: The thread that binds the pictures is the apple. Thus, the pictures
you want are:

o Judgement of Paris
o Atlanta and Hippomenes
o Hercules in the Garden of the Hesperides
o The Fall
o Idun and the Apples
===============================================================
================
2) Sixty-Four Squares

This is the first of the slider puzzles and it is by far the easiest. You can
select each individual ring and change your selection by using the D-Pad.
Rotate each one to align the pictures. You have three to work on. For best
results, start with the most recognizable features like heads and faces and
work your way from there.
===============================================================
================
3) Descendants

You are given three pictures, one after another. You have the option to turn on
infrared in each one. This will make the Piece of Eden you are looking for in
each more identifiable.

Solution:
o Picture 1: Near FDR's outstretched hand
o Picture 2: Also near Houdini's hand
o Picture 3: Two-thirds up Gandhi's staff
===============================================================
================
4) Infinite Knowledge

You are given four pictures and you need to search each one for the Piece of
Eden. You are given a small search frame to scroll along each picture. Finding
them is fairly easy until you get to the third one.

Solution:
o Picture 1: Inside the mouth of the soldier's bazooka
o Picture 2: On the helmet of the soldier in the background
o Picture 3: On one of the bayonets a little bit right of the center
o Picture 4: Inside the fireball held by the top-right creature
===============================================================
================
5) Instruments of Power

The first clue is "The Power they wielded CUT down their enemies." You have ten
paintings and need to select five. You need to look for paintings depicting a
sword, as the clue suggests. A sword though; anything else will not suffice so
that leaves out Alexander The Great.

Solution:

o Perseus
o Atilla the Hun
o Sigmund
o King Arthur
o Joan of Arc

Part 2 has the clue, "In their hands, the wise LEAN on a great force." You're
looking for pictures with a staff in them this time.

Solution:

o John the Baptist

o Alexander The Great
o Shabataka
o Peter
o Moses
===============================================================
================
6) Brothers

You have four slider pictures. These ones are a bit tougher than the ones in
the original, because some rings move together. So moving one will move another
sometimes. Your strategy should be to find which of a joined pair can also be
moved alone. Move the OTHER one until it's properly aligned then move the other
by itself to fix it.

The center is fixed for some of the puzzles so you need to align the rings
around them. In the second one, one outer ring and the inner ring move together
but the inner one can also be moved by itself.

The last one is more difficult because there are two pairs of rings that move
at the same time. It's also black and white which makes it a little harder to
discern. Focus on aligning body parts and then fixing misaligned rings that can
be moved by themselves.
===============================================================
================
7) Keep on Seeking, And You Will Find

The clue is, "First plucked from a tree guarded by a snake, its powers perform
miracles. Then, worn across the ages, torn asunder, hidden under a sea of RED,
reconstruct the timeline.

10 paintings. The clue word is red so you should focus on paintings that go
along with that theme.

Solution:

o Joseph
o Jason
o Jesus Christ
o David and Goliath
o Christ Disrobed

For part two, you see a picture of Jesus on the cross. You get a beeping that
indicates how close you are to the thing you need to find. The faster it beeps,
the closer you are.

Solution: It is toward the bottom right, a little bit away from Jesus' left
leg. There is a red object with a smaller object in gold inside. Focus on that
and scan it.
===============================================================
================
8) Martyrs

You get a few photos to scan again. Like before, trust the beeping and pay
attention to when it beeps more rapidly to try and find the Piece of Eden in
each one.

Solution:

o The piece of Eden is the staff, but you need to scan it like a little bit
more than halfway up
o For the Joan of Arc picture, the Piece of Eden is the sword, so scan the
sword near Joan's left thigh.

The next part gives you a map of Europe with some pictures. First place the
cursor on the flame and bring it to the Joan of Arc picture. Then grab the
middle guy, Rasputin, and put him over near the third guy
===============================================================
================
9) Hat-Trick

You start with two successive pictures to scan again. Again you have a sound
to guide you as you scan for the Pieces of Eden.

Solution:

o On the Houdini picture, it's on the left side of his torso

o For Gandhi, it's on his chest

The last part is a new type of puzzle. You get some pictures and two colored
sliders with numbers. You have to use these to input a combination in the
middle.

You're given the grey half of the combination, the numbers 867. 867 on the
grey wheel correpsond to numbers on the red wheel. You need to figure it out
and put in the correct red numbers to solve this puzzle.

Start by looking for an important clue amongst the pictures. You should see
"6=1". Use R2 to align the wheels so that 6 on the grey wheel is aligned with
1 on the red wheel. All the other numbers are aligned in certain ways now. Put
in the red counterpart numbers to 867 to solve the puzzle.

Solution: 312
===============================================================
================
10) Apollo

You start off with a picture of the moon. You are told to find the "Eagle".
That's actually a moon lander. You can find it out in space, a little to the
left of the edge of the moon. Find it and scan it.

You get a slider puzzle, but this one is different. To solve this one, you
need to align all the rings so that all the gaps in them are aligned. The best
way to do this is to focus on the part of each ring that has two gaps side by
side. Try to align this part in every ring. Pay attention to which rings move
together and which of those can be moved alone so you can fix any changes you
make. Also make sure that they all align with the white center.
Finally, you get a picture of the moon landing. The Piece of Eden is located on
the moon's surface, to the left of the flag.
===============================================================
================
11) The Inventors

You start off with a map. Take the electricity cursor and place it on each of
the lightbulbs.

For the next part, you get a picture. You have no help on this one really so
you have to search it the hard way. You can find this solution a little above
the door.

For the final picture, you might also be hard pressed to find what you're
looking for. Focus on the character in the center and the object in his lap
and scan that.
===============================================================
================
12) Titans of Industry

You'll begin with another combination puzzle. The clue is a bit harder to
find, but you should see it in the bottom left as "4=1". Align the wheels and
input the rest of the numbers to crack the code.

Solution: 240

For the next part, you get a picture of a guy holding a glowing object. I'm
told that it's Mark Twain. ID the glowing object for this to be done.

Finally, you get a second combination puzzle. This one doesn't have numbers on
the red wheel. They are some sort of code and you'll have to work a bit harder
to figure this one. There's a clue but it's not as obvious. In the picture
with the car, you'll see a "2", and in the news article, you'll see the "||.."
from the red wheel.

You'll see that the symbols you need are missing from the red wheel. Get used
to this predicament. You should be able to see a pattern with the symbols and
if you mess around with the combination you can see that pattern.

Solution:

o 1 = "||."
o 3 = "|||"
o 9 - "|.."
===============================================================
================
13) I am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds

Yet another combination to crack. The pictures will tell you that triangle is
equal to 9. You again need to discern a pattern as the others you need are
missing. If you flip the combination possibilities though, you can see the
missing symbols and they go in the same order as those on the wheel, so filling
in the blanks should be simple.

Solution:

o 5 = two squares and a circle

o 2 = circle
o 9 = triangle
===============================================================
================
14) Bloodlines

This is simple enough. You get ten pictures and got to select the correct
five again. The clue speaks about "seeds being planted" which therefore means
sex and "two worlds" which means two different species (gods, humans, etc). So
knowing that, the pattern should be easy to see in some of these.

Solution:

o Jupiter and Lo
o Danae visited by Zeus
o Cupid and Psyche
o Leda and the Swan
o Rape of Europa
===============================================================
================
15) Guardians

Guardians starts off with one of those old slider picture puzzles. This should
not be terribly difficult by now. Just remember to fix any mistakes you make
by moving rings that were moved by others. Align helpful pieces like faces and
so on to make it easier.
===============================================================
================
16) The Cavalry

You get a map with a bunch of location names on it, many of which don't even
exist on the map you're given like Alaska. You need to place the cursor on the
correct location to solve this. If you touch the wrong one, some of them get
jumbled around.
Solution: Tunguska

For the second grab the staff/sword and stab it through the picture.
===============================================================
================
17) The Bunker

This is one of the harder combination puzzles. Your clues can just barely be
seen in the pictures. There's the < symbol in one, and a 4 lingering between
some others. Line these up on the two wheels.

You need to find the symbols on the red wheel that correspond to the code on
the grey wheel, 791. Discerning a pattern here is really tough though. Shaun's
hint doesn't give anything away, but might steer your brain in the right
direction. The symbols all have angles, and each one on the code wheel, going
in a clockwise direction, has one more angle than the last symbol. So you see
O has none. The < has one. Do you see?

So if you count each symbol going clockwise until you get the one missing (that
lines up with 7 on the grey wheel) you would need a symbol that has five
angles. Flip through the symbols on the combination until you find one that has
five angles. Nine is provided for you as the bowtie shape so you just need 1.
If you keep counting like you were, you should be able to figure out that the
one you need for 1 should have eight angles.

Solution:

o 7 = the upside down and tilted "e" shape

o 9 = bowtie shape
o 1 = the small diamond inside a bigger diamond

Last, you're given a picture of a building and you need to scan for something.
You're looking for the Assassin symbol which you should be fairly familiar
with.

Solution: The Assassin's symbol is located in the upper right corner of the
2nd floor area of the building. You can see that it is almost partially covered
by the branches of the tree in the picture.
===============================================================
================
18) Synapses

Another tricky one. Shaun can give you a helpful hint that will make this a lot
easier. The symbols on the red wheel are Sumerian. The symbol that is shaped
like a tree or a glass is a 1. The arrow "<" or boomerang shape is equal to 10.
You'll see the hint for this puzzle in the bottom right where there is a
picture with a series of CAT scans. One of them has a 5 and between two others
is that tree shape.

Ok, so let's summarize so far:

|KEY|

Let T = "tree shape" symbol

Let < = arrow shape symbol

T=1
< = 10

The numbers you're given are 603. Line up 5 and T (tree shape) on the code
wheels. 6 will be provided to you as TTT. The other two are absent. The answers
are not in the wheel or anywhere except one other interesting picture.

In the bottom left is a red picture with yellow numbers. The sequence is as
follows:

T+2+6+2+1+5+3+5+6+4

The sum of consecutive numbers in this sequence are equal to the value given
from the symbols on the code wheel. If you treat the numbers above as "spaces"
and move a certain amount from left to right, add up those numbers and you'll
get the value of the same symbol on the red code wheel if you moved the same
number of spaces there clockwise.

It sounds really confusing I know, but here is an example:

Keep in mind the number sequence. The T is a 1 remember? That's our starting
spot so let's say we move one space. Add up T + 2. T + 2 = 3. Now "move" the
same number of "spaces" on the red code wheel going clockwise. T is your
starting point as well here. You go from T, to TTT. TTT is really 1+1+1 which
is three. Well, what do you know, that's the same as the picture!

In this case, count how many "spaces" you go from T to get to the first blank
space on the red code wheel. It's five spaces. Now, go to the number sequence
and "move" five spaces from your starting spot and add all of it up. You'll add
T + 2 + 6 + 2 + 1 + 5. That equals 17. Make a 17 using the symbols and that
should look like one < and seven T's.

To figure out the last one, move three spaces from the first blank space on the
code wheel to the second one. Now reference the number sequence again and from
where you left off at 17, add up the next three numbers, 17 + 3 + 5 + 6 and
that is 31. Make a 31 with the symbols which is three <'s and one T.

It's confusing yes but it's extremely easy once you grasp this trick. Try to
figure it out for yourself. I've provided the walkthrough and the answers are
listed above but if you want to cut right to the chase and don't care for
using your brain, keep on reading.

Solution: 6 = TTT 0 = <TTT 3 = <<<T

TTT
T

===============================================================
================
19) The Fourth Day

"Once worshipped, now ignored, from a distance it watches and waits."

This is the clue you're given. It might seem a bit vague, but if you look at
the pictures you're given, it might become more obvious. What do all these
pictures have in common, something that was once worshipped in ancient
cultures? Think Egypt and Aztec, and other cultures. It should come to you.

Solution: The sun! That was what was once worshipped. Therefore you want:

o Nazca Textile
o Aztec Calendar Stone
o The Eastern Gate
o Book of the Dead
o Sistine Chapel Ceiling Fresco

You get a picture of the sun for the last part. This can take a moment, but you
get a sound to help you out as you search around for the item you're looking
for. It should be a little to the left and below the center.
===============================================================
================
20) The Origin of the Species

This is a difficult slider puzzle. Start by aligning it vertically with the

hand that is holding the earth being underneath it and the characters on the
sides vertically upright.

There are two rings here that can be moved independently. So whenever these get
moved around by the others, go back and fix them. This one can take a while so
just stick with it.
For the next part, look at the eye in the sun and ID that to move on.

The third part looks like another combination puzzle. You might be going "Oh
great..." but this is surprisingly simple. You are given a very important clue,
the Creed saying, "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted." Going by that
logic, if you replace the "-" symbols with anything at all, you can put that in
as your code.

The last part gives you a skeleton. Move the cursor over all the joints to make
it transform and finish this and all of the glyph puzzles.

+-------------------------------+
Weapon, Art, and Clothes Lists [exli]
+-------------------------------+
Here I'll list the available weapons, armors, art, and tailor items available
for purchase in the game. I'll put these in some tables along with the stats.
I would like to put in prices for these too but I can't do that at the present
time.

[WEAPONS]

The weapons available in the game vary from swords to clubs. There are also
weapons like axes you can take from enemies. The weapons have three important
stats: Damage (self explanatory), Speed (speed of attacks), and Deflect (how
well the weapon guards against attacks). These stats are represented by the
star shaped icons that appear when looking at weapons and armor. The max value
is +5 so when you see a weapon that has Deflect 5, that means it has the most
Deflect. Compare the weapons and their stats in the tables below.

_______________________________________________
|S |Name |Damage|Speed|Deflect |
|W |--------------------|------|-----|--------|
|O |Common Sword |1 |2 |2 |
|R |--------------------|------|-----|--------|
|D |Captain's Sword |2 |4 |3 |
|S |--------------------|------|-----|--------|
| |Milanese Sword |3 |5 |3 |
| |--------------------|------|-----|--------|
| |Schianova |4 |5 |4 |
| |--------------------|------|-----|--------|
| |Sword of Altair * |5 |5 |5 |
| |--------------------|------|-----|--------|
| |Old Syrian Sword |1 |2 |3 |
| |--------------------|------|-----|--------|
| |Venetian Falchion |1 |3 |1 |
| |--------------------|------|-----|--------|
| |Florentine Flachion |2 |3 |4 |
| |--------------------|------|-----|--------|
| |Scimitar |3 |3 |5 |
'-----------------------------------------------'

* The Sword of Altair can only be purchased at the Villa Blacksmith

_________________________________________________
|H |Name |Damage|Speed|Deflect |
|A |----------------------|------|-----|--------|
|M |Mercenario War Hammer |1 |1 |3 |
|M |----------------------|------|-----|--------|
|E |Condottiero War Hammer|5 |3 |4 |
|R |----------------------|------|-----|--------|
|S |Maul |2 |1 |2 |
| |----------------------|------|-----|--------|
| |Flanged Mace |3 |3 |3 |
| |----------------------|------|-----|--------|
| |Cavalieri Mace |4 |2 |2 |
'-------------------------------------------------'

* You unlock the Condottiero War Hammer for collecting 50 out of 100 feathers.

____________________________________________________
|S |Name |Damage|Speed|Deflect |
|P |-------------------------|------|-----|--------|
|E |Maria Thorpe's Longsword |1 |3 |3 |
|C |-------------------------|------|-----|--------|
|. |Fredrick's Hammer |2 |2 |2 |
| |-------------------------|------|-----|--------|
|W |Mace of the Bull |2 |2 |5 |
|E |-------------------------|------|-----|--------|
|A |Dark Oracle's Bone Dagger|2 |4 |4 |
|P |-------------------------|------|-----|--------|
|O |Twins' Rapier |2 |5 |3 |
|N |-------------------------|------|-----|--------|
|S |Bouchart's Blade |2 |5 |5 |
'----------------------------------------------------'

You unlock these weapons for snycing your game with the PlayStation Portable
title, Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines. See the connectivity section for more
details.
[ARMOR]

Like weapons, Armor is also purchased from the Blacksmith. And like weapons,
there are some stats to take note of. Armor increases your resistance against
attacks (Resist) and also increases your health by a certain number of squares.
Each armor piece type has the same exact resistance as its counterparts. This
means that Leather Vambraces, Metal Vambraces, and even the Vambraces of Altair
all have the same exact resistance. Same goes for Chest Guards and Greaves and
Spaulders. So really, the only stat you need to concern yourself with is
Health Added.

_________________________________________
|L |Armor Piece |Health Added|
|E |-----------------------|------------|
|A |Leather Spaulders |+1 |
|T |-----------------------|------------|
|H |Leather Chest Guard |+2 |
|E |-----------------------|------------|
|R |Leather Vambraces |+1 |
| |-----------------------|------------|
| |Leather Greaves |+1 |
| |-----------------------|------------|
| |TOTAL |+5 |
'-----------------------------------------'

_________________________________________
|H |Armor Piece |Health Added|
|E |-----------------------|------------|
|L |Helmschmied Spaulders |+2 |
|M |-----------------------|------------|
|S |Helmschmied Chest Guard|+3 |
|C |-----------------------|------------|
|H |Helmschmied Vambraces |+1 |
|M |-----------------------|------------|
|I |Helmschmmied Greaves |+2 |
|E |-----------------------|------------|
|D |TOTAL |+8 |
'-----------------------------------------'

_________________________________________
|M |Armor Piece |Health Added|
|E |-----------------------|------------|
|T |Metal Spaulders |+3 |
|A |-----------------------|------------|
|L |Metal Chest Guard |+4 |
| |-----------------------|------------|
| |Metal Vambraces |+2 |
| |-----------------------|------------|
| |Metal Greaves |+2 |
| |-----------------------|------------|
| |TOTAL |+11 |
'-----------------------------------------'

_________________________________________
|M |Armor Piece |Health Added|
|I |-----------------------|------------|
|S |Missaglias Spaulders |+4 |
|S |-----------------------|------------|
|A |Missaglias Chest Guard |+5 |
|G |-----------------------|------------|
|L |Missaglias Vambraces |+3 |
|I |-----------------------|------------|
|A |Missaglias Greaves |+3 |
|S |-----------------------|------------|
| |TOTAL |+15 |
'-----------------------------------------'

_________________________________________
|A |Armor Piece |Health Added|
|L |-----------------------|------------|
|T |Spaulders of Altair |+4 |
|A |-----------------------|------------|
|I |Chest Guard of Altair |+6 |
|R |-----------------------|------------|
| |Vambraces of Altair |+2 |
| |-----------------------|------------|
| |Greaves of Altair |+3 |
| |-----------------------|------------|
| |TOTAL |+15 |
'-----------------------------------------'

So you might be wondering what makes the Armor of Altair so special when it
gives the same exact total health bonus as the Missaglias armor. Well besides
being totally cool looking, the Armor of Altair NEVER wears or breaks. This
means that never will you need to repair the Armor of Altair. How's that for
value?
+------------------------+
Assassination Contracts [exas]
+------------------------+
These are side missions you can take on after progressing far enough into a
city. They are taken from the pigeon coops around the cities. For the most
part, they are quick and simple missions, but some get a bit more difficult.
I won't really put down too much strategy for these, unless necessary.

[FLORENCE CONTRACTS]

A Day At The Market

-------------------
You have a target who is somewhere on the far southeast side of Florence. Go
there and you'll see the search area. He should be located near an art shop,
in a small corridor. Not too many guards around here either so it's an easy
kill.

Fallen Archers
--------------
Three archers should be posted near the far south side of Florence. They're a
bit spaced out but not too difficult to find. You can perform Air
Assassinations on some of them.

Political Suicide
-----------------
A tiny bit trickier. Your target is in an alcove to the north. Both sides are
protected by guards. There are thieves on a rooftop nearby, Courtesans down
the street, and Mercenaries on the other side so take your pick. Mercenaries
will distract both sets of guards, which can help if your target faces one
direction, you can slip around the other side and attack from behind.

Caveat Emptor
-------------
Your target is off to the west. Finding him can be a bit tricky. He should be
just a little west of the furthest west dark grey building. Remember to keep
Eagle Vision on and you should probably search on the street rather than the
rooftops.

He has a Seeker guarding him. This part seems to scream out for the Poison
Blade but from what I've seen, it won't work. Go figure. Such an awesome weapon
and it barely works. You should therefore attempt to pull the guard away,
either with the nearby thieves, or some Courtesans. After that, you should have
no trouble taking him down.
Meeting Adjourned
-----------------
This starts out like the few missions where you had to follow someone. This
guy sort of speed walks though, so make sure you keep up with him. Stay on the
rooftops, and make sure nothing obstructs your view to keep the timer from
getting in the way.

It should be a fairly easy trip to his meeting place. There you'll see a whole
bunch of targets and several Brutes. You might be able to experiment a bit
here, trying to get inside and Poison Blade some of the guards, though I
imagine this is pretty hard. You can just hire the nearby Courtesans and lure
the front guards away, then sort of try to have them follow you inside, and
they should lure all of the others away. Go inside, deploy a Smoke Bomb, and
start killing them all one by one.

Needle In a Haystack
--------------------
Pretty easy. Find the target off toward the northwest. There might be a lot of
guards in the area, so have the Courtesans deal with them if necessary. Climb
the wall and do an Air Assassination on him. Try to do it from an angle since
you might hit the roof above him if you go straight on.

Peacekeeper
-----------
Some people have trouble with this one. You must go to the area on the far
southeast side of Florence and locate the 10 Brutes. You have to kill them all
within one minute and the timer starts as soon as the first one is killed.

An easy way to do this is to approach them when they're all together and deploy
a Smoke Bomb and start assassinating them with the Hidden Blade, trying to get
two at once when possible, then finish off the rest with Disarms or Hidden
Blade counters. Some have reported that the game froze on them when they did
this though. It never has for me, but if it happens or if you're worried, then
start by assassinating two. From there on, just counter each Brute with the
Hidden Blades for easy kills.

MORE TO COME

+----------------------------------------------+
Connectivity with Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines [exbl]
+----------------------------------------------+
If you own Assassin's Creed II for the PlayStation 3, you can sync it up with
a copy of Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines for the PlayStation Portable system.
Syncing them allows you to unlock some unique weapons in ACII, and it gives
you some bonuses in Bloodlines.
To sync the games, turn on your PS3 and start up ACII. Go to the main menu and
go to Extras and select Connectivity. Now, turn on your PSP and start up
AC: Bloodlines. Connect the PSP to the PS3 by using a USB cable. On Bloodlines,
at the Memory Select menu, go to Upgrades at the bottom, then select Connect
at the bottom left. The two should detect each other and you will have a prompt
on ACII to sync. Hit X to select "Yes" and they will instantly sync.

Now, what you get on ACII from Bloodlines (since that's more valuable) will
depend on how far you have progressed in the PSP title. Beat the entire game
and you will get six weapons. Each boss in the game gives you a weapon, and
therefore, if you haven't beaten the final boss, you can't have all six. They
are as follows:

o Maria Thorpe's Longsword

o Fredrick's Hammer
o Mace of the Bull
o Dark Oracle's Bone Dagger
o Twin's Rapier
o Bouchart's Blade

Of all of them, Bouchart's Blade is the coolest looking in my opinion, and it

has decent stats. You do NOT need these weapons for collection purposes, but
I'm not 100% if you need them for full sync with Ezio.

One downer is that the sound effects for some of these weapons might seem a
little off. For example, I used the Mace of the Bull which is a very hefty
looking mace. When I was fighting with it though, it made a lot of sword
sound effects instead of mace ones.

+---------------------+
Trophies/Achievements [exth]
+---------------------+
Here is a Trophy/Achievement list for the game. I will only be listing them as
Trophies but the unlocking requirements are the exact same if you are a 360
user. After the list, you can find some tips on getting specific Trophies.

This section contains very little spoilers, so you should feel ok about reading
this before completing the game.

Bronze
------

Trophy: The Birth of an Assassin

Unlocked: Be reborn as Ezio Auditore Da Firenze
Trophy: Arrivederci Abstergo
Unlocked: Break out of Abstergo

Trophy: Myth Maker

Unlocked: Find the 8 statuettes in Monteriggioni

Trophy: Vitruvian Man

Unlocked: Unlock all 20 pieces of Subject 16's video

Trophy: Fly Swatter

Unlocked: Kick a Guard while using the Flying Machine

Trophy: Messer Sandman

Unlocked: Stun 4 guards at once by throwing sand in their face

Trophy: Doctor
Unlocked: Perform an Air Assassination on a Poisoned NPC

Trophy: No-hitter
Unlocked: Kill 10 enemies while remaining in conflict without being hit

Trophy: Kleptomaniac
Unlocked: Pickpocket 1000 Florins

Trophy: Lightning Strike

Unlocked: Sprint for 100 meters

Trophy: Sweeper
Unlocked: Sweep 5 guards at once by using a Long Weapon

Trophy: Venetian Gladiator

Unlocked: Discover the Assassin's Tomb inside Santa Maria della Visitazione

Trophy: I can see your house from here!

Unlocked: Discover the Assassin's Tomb inside the Torre Grossa

Trophy: Hallowed be thy name

Unlocked: Discover the Assassin's Tomb inside the Basilica di San Marco

Trophy: Prison Escape

Unlocked: Discover the Assassin's Tomb inside the Rocca di Ravaldino fortress

Trophy: Choir Boy

Unlocked: Discover the Assassin's Tomb inside Santa Maria del Fiore (The Duomo)
Trophy: Assassin For Hire
Unlocked: Complete your first assassination mission for Lorenzo Il Magnifico

Trophy: Macho Man

Unlocked: Defend a woman's honor

Trophy: Steal Home

Unlocked: Win a race against thieves!

Trophy: Show your Colors

Unlocked: Wear the Auditore cape in each city

Trophy: Handy Man

Unlocked: Upgrade a building in the Stronghold

Trophy: I like the view

Unlocked: Synchronize 10 View Points

Trophy: High Dive

Unlocked: Perform a Leap of Faith from the Top of Florence's Giotto's Campanile

Trophy: Mailman
Unlocked: Intercept a Borgia Courrier

Trophy: Tip of the Iceberg

Unlocked: Use your Eagle Vision to scan a Glyph in the environment

Trophy: A Piece of the Puzzle

Unlocked: Unlock a piece of Subject 16's video

Trophy: Art Connoisseur

Unlocked: Buy a Painting from Florence and Venice

Trophy: Podestà of Monteriggioni

Unlocked: Reach 80% of your stronghold's total value

Trophy: Perfect Harmony

Unlocked: Tint your clothes with those colors: Wetland Ebony and Wetland Ivory

Trophy: In Memory of Petruccio

Unlocked: Collect all the Feathers

Trophy: Red Light Addict

Unlocked: Spend 5000 florins on Courtesans

Trophy: Man of the People

Unlocked: Toss more than 300 florins on the ground

Trophy: Victory lies in preparation

Unlocked: Get all Hidden Blades, Item Pouches and Armor upgrades for Ezio

Silver
------

Trophy: Welcome to the Animus 2.0

Unlocked: Enter the Animus 2.0

Trophy: The Pain of Betrayal

Unlocked: Complete DNA Sequence 1

Trophy: Vengeance
Unlocked: Complete DNA Sequence 2

Trophy: Exit the Son

Unlocked: Complete DNA Sequence 3

Trophy: Bloody Sunday

Unlocked: Complete DNA Sequence 4

Trophy: Undertaker
Unlocked: Discover the Assassin's Tomb inside the catacombs under Santa Maria
Novella

Trophy: The Conspirators

Unlocked: Complete DNA Sequence 5

Trophy: An Unexpected Journey

Unlocked: Complete DNA Sequence 6

Trophy: Bleeding Effect

Unlocked: Complete training and reenter the Animus

Trophy: The Merchant of Venice

Unlocked: Complete DNA Sequence 7

Trophy: The Impenetrable Palazzo

Unlocked: Complete DNA Sequence 8

Trophy: Masquerade
Unlocked: Complete DNA Sequence 9
Trophy: Bianca's Man
Unlocked: Complete DNA Sequence 10

Trophy: The Prophet

Unlocked: Complete DNA Sequence 11

Trophy: The Vault

Unlocked: Complete DNA Sequence 14

Gold
----

Trophy: An Old Friend Returns

Unlocked: Escape the hideout

Platinum
--------

Trophy: Master Assassin

Unlocked: Unlock all trophies

Tips
----

x-Messer Sandman-x
------------------

To get this Trophy, you have to learn the Sand Throw Skill. You can learn this
from the mercenaries at the Villa's training center after a certain point in
the game. The next thing you need to do is find a suitable place. San Gimignano
is a good spot, as is Venice. Any area is great actually, as long as you can
find a somewhat narrow street or alley but not too narrow.

You want to force a large group of guards to converge on you and surround you
as closely as possible so narrow spaces help. You might want to go with an
earlier place such as Florence or San Gimignano though, because as I noticed,
the guards are less aggressive than the ones in Venice. Charge up the attack
and unleash it. You probably shouldn't need to charge it to full. If you manage
to daze four enemies, you're done. If they interrupt your attack, keep trying.
If you have to, kill one and this might make the enemies attack less. Just make
sure it's not a Brute and that you still have enough enemies to work with.
x-Sweeper-x
-----------

Like Sand Throw, you need to start by learning Sweep at the training center at
the Villa when you get far enough.

You'll want to follow some similar tips for Messer Sandman. Basically you want
a place where the guards will be less aggressive so rule Venice out. You might
think Venice would be the best place to get a spear, but the spear enemies will
appear in some but not all of the earlier cities too if you get far enough into
the game.

I did this in San Gimignano. The enemies were far less aggressive than in
Venice and San Gimignano had some narrow streets to work with which was
helpful. Start off by finding a group with a Seeker Spearman and starting a
fight with them. Try to attract even more guards. Find a spot where they will
be forced to surround you more closely, such as a narrow street or alley. For
best results, you'll want to charge up Sweep to max so having the extra time
to do so will be helpful.

x-Macho Man-x
-------------

Simply do any Beat Up mission that you unlock in a city to get this. These
missions are represented by the fist icon.

x-Mail Man-x
------------

The Borgia couriers are the guys you might randomly see in the red clothes
who run away from you at first sight. They are not represented by an icon on
your mini-map. Simply catch these guys (I find them easier to catch than
pickpockets) and tackle them to get a small monetary reward and this Trophy.

x-Street Cleaner-x
------------------

You do not get this for hiding assassinations, despite what you might think.
To get this, just start a fight with a large group of guards as close to a
haystack as you can be. Kill them all and have at least five corpses (be sure
to keep in mind some guards might run away). With five corpses, pick them up
one by one with Circle (might be frustrating with all their weapons in the way)
and carry them over to the haystack. Get close to the haystack and hit Circle
again to throw them inside. Do that for five corpses and you'll get this one.

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Sei (6)| Miscellaneous | ASSASSIN'S CREED II [misl]
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Frequently Asked Questions [fak4u]

--------------------------
1) There is a viewpoint I just can't climb! There's no way to get up there!
A) If it's Venice, then this is possible. Keep playing until you learn Climb
Leap. You can get up there after that. If it's earlier than Venice, then you
aren't looking hard enough. Be sure to climb around to another side of a tower
if you're stuck. Look all around you.

2) Disarm isn't working anymore, why?!

A) The small guards who wear some armor (not to be confused with Brutes) cannot
be disarmed sometimes until they are weakened.

3) How do I learn how to sweep enemies for the "Sweeper" Trophy?

A) Train at the training center later in the game (not sure when exactly it is
available) and pay a fee to learn Long Weapon training.

4) Are there any maps you can buy (like the treasure maps) that will show you
the location of all the feathers?
A) Unfortunately, none that I know of. You can check your progress though by
viewing the area maps and it will tell you how many feathers you have there.
Also, there are plenty of websites out there that have maps with the locations
so I suggest you check them out.

5) I'm in a city and there's this see-through white wall blocking my path!
A) The game will lock you out of certain areas until you progress the story
more.

6) Are big weapons like the axe and spear stored at the Villa?
A) Yes, that's what the game says. You can never truly "buy" them and you can't
equip them primarily other than stealing them off an enemy. That doesn't really
explain why they're not visible at the display.

7) Where can I purchase Altair's sword?

A) You can only buy it from the blacksmith at the Villa. Be sure to have all
three renovations for the Blacksmith discounts because that is an expensive
sword!
8) Is there a part after the game where I can still collect things and do
unfinished side missions after I beat it?
A) Yes, you'll be able to still do all the side stuff after completing the
story.

9) I have some Codex pages but I can't visit Leonardo. Why?

A) Near the beginning of the game, you won't be able to drop off Codex pages
other than the required times you must visit Leonardo. After a certain point
though, any time you have an encrypted Codex page, Leonardo's shop will appear
on your map.

10) How do I know where to find ______ where there is a glyph I need?
A) All important buildings for the most part, including glyph buildings will
appear dark grey on your map.

11) Can I start a new game+ or replay story missions?

A) No and no. It is sort of disappointing, more so the latter, but that's just
how it is. Incidentally, I hear there's a petition going around on the ACII
forums at ubisoft.com, trying to get a patch to make old missions replayable,
so if you want your voice to be heard on this, give it a shot.

12) I've done everything but I'm not at 100% sync?

A) I'm fairly sure you need all the Templar Lairs which can only be received
from the redeemable codes that come with the various editions of ACII. I think
only the Master Assassin's Edition has them all but they might come out as
DLC later. You might also need the Auditore Tomb from uPlay.

13) What do you get for collecting all 100 feathers?

A) A Trophy, the Auditore Cape, and the last weapon.

14) How do I climb that tower in the "Dream" Sequence?

A) I'm hoping this will reduce the e-mails I get about this dreaded tower,
because I'm getting a little tired of it. When you get to the balcony with the
beam above it, either do an Advanced Wall Jump on the side to reach the beam,
or stand underneath the very tip and hold R1 and hit X without touching the
Left Analog Stick.

15) Where exactly do I need to wear the Auditore Cape for the "Show Your
Colors" Trophy? Does Rome count?
A) No, Rome is not included. You need to wear it in all the cities (Florence,
Forli, Tuscany, the Villa at Monteriggioni), and the Mountains area.

Credits
-------
-Thanks to surbyug for filling in a few blanks in the Collections subsection
of the Villa section.

-Zakuman12 for a minor fix in the glyphs section

Special Thanks
--------------
-Ubisoft for their great work in improving on Assassin's Creed 1 which was a
great but slightly flawed game and producing this. Great game.

-GameFAQs. Enough said.

Contact Info
------------
If you have questions, please read the FAQ section just above. Also try using
ctrl+f to search for a keyword in your question. If you can't find what you
need, feel free to e-mail me. My primary e-mail is listed below. If you have
something to bring to my attention though, please read my guidelines below.
This is very important.

First off, I prefer getting e-mails that have clear and helpful subject titles.
Things like "Assassin's Creed (II) guide" or "ACII (2) FAQ" will help.
Subjects like "HELP!!!!!" and other ones in all caps like that, I tend to
ignore these for a while so avoid it, please.

When it comes to submitting information, tips or strategies, please leave me a

screen name or other alias you go by in your e-mail. I do not publish people's
real names or e-mail addresses in my guides. If you fail to leave me one, I'll
try to get back to you afterwards. If you don't reply to me, I will not use
your tip, no matter how good. Just how it is. I credit for most tips and
especially big strategies that are comprehensive, detailed and well written.
Being an English major, I cringe when I see things full of spelling errors and
lacking punctuation. If English is not your first language, I understand and
I'll gladly meet you halfway. I do not credit for tiny things like typo fixes.

E-mail: veritas7ax@gmail.com

Legal Chitchat
--------------
This guide is solely my creation. Please do not copy this and pass it off as
your own work or post it on your site without permission. If you wish to host,
please contact me first for approval, unless you've already been preapproved by
me. I ask that all information in this guide remain completely unchanged. As of
now, the following sites have permission to host this guide:
www.cheatcc.com
www.gamefaqs.com
www.supercheats.com
www.gamesradar.com
www.cheatplanet.com
www.neoseeker.com
www.MyPS3.com.au

That's all. Have a good night! Schwing!

Auditore Cape

Collect 100 feathers in the box in your villa, then talk to your mother to get the Auditore
Cape.
Condottiero War Hammer

Collect 50 feathers in the box in your villa to unlock the Condottiero War Hammer for
purchase for 30,600 Florins at the blacksmith's shop at Villa Monteriggioni.
Extra abilities

Successfully complete the indicated task to unlock the corresponding ability:

Climb Leap: Successfully complete Rosa's "Monkey See, Monkey Do" mission in
Sequence 7. This ability allows you to make longer jumps while climbing and get hand
holds that would normally be out of reach.

Disarm: Successfully complete Mario's "Evasive Maneuvers" mission in Sequence 5.

This ability allows you to counter incoming attacks from weapons that are normally too
heavy to counter, such as axes.
Shop renovations

Renovate any of the five shops located in the Villa to increase the Villa's value and get
special discounts. Each shop has three renovation levels. The blacksmith and doctor are
available at the beginning of the game. The following is how much each of the three
renovation levels cost for each shop:
Ant Merchant: 1,000, 5,000, 8,000 Florins
Bank: 1,500, 5,000, 9,000 Florins
Blacksmith: First renovation already available, 7,000, 12,000 Florins
Doctor: First renovation already available, 3,000, 5,000 Florins
Tailor: 1,000, 2,500, 5,000 Florins

Finding feathers

Feathers are placed along the main quest areas of the game. This is unlike the flags in the
original Assassin's Creed, which appeared seemingly at random throughout the world.
Finding hidden feathers is best done by running across rooftops, since naturally that is
where birds spend the most time losing them. Walk around the rooftops with Eagle
Vision turned on to see feathers in a white glitch type of graphic.

To find the final few feathers, pause the game, and go to the DNA strand. There is a
section at the end of the strand that shows you where the feathers are located. Then, go to
the feather section to find out what districts the missing feathers are located in.
Easy medicines and throwing knives

Loot bodies or pick-pocket people to get free medicines and throwing knives.
Reusing axes and spears

If you lose an axe or spear inside an enemy while countering him, just pick up his corpse,
and immediately drop it to be able to collect that weapon again and reuse it.
Giant squid

In the assassin's tomb in Santa Maria Delle Visitazione, before the room where you get
one of the seals required for the Armour of Altair, is a large room filled with water. This
room has an obstacle course. Activate the lever before going through the course, then
stand on the edge of the floor, and look at the water. Remain idle until a large shape
swims across the water. Use the lever again after the timer resets, and stand at same
location. After awhile, a giant tentacle will shoot out of the water that Ezio dodges at the
last second.

Easy kills

Once you unlock the smoke bomb, you can use it to kill guards quicker and easier. Equip
the smoke bomb, then throw it. While the soldiers are coughing, use your hidden blade to
quickly and easily kill them.
Using horses

The horses in the game can be very useful for things other than obviously using them for
travel. Ride them into a potential fight and dismount. Lure an enemy to the rear of the
horse, and it will kick them, inflicting a good amount of damage. They also will follow
you after you dismount them until you enter a city, making them easier to relocate.
Defeating Archers

Normally Archers are not much of a threat and more of a nuisance, but in some areas
there are a lot of them scattered around. If you are in a fight and there are also archers
shooting at you, try to get away from the fight and run to the archer(s). This will make
them drop their bow and draw their sword. You can also use the archer(s) to your
advantage by positioning the soldiers in the archer's line of fire to have them wound the
soldiers instead of you.
Defeating Brutes

Brutes are the large armored soldiers with two handed weapons such as axes and
claymores. The trick to killing Brutes is to first disarm them. You can take their weapons
away from them, and then kill them easily. Trying to reverse their moves will just result
in you getting hurt if you have a weapon ready.
Defeating Seekers

Seekers are soldiers with spears. The trick to killing Seekers is grappling them. Grab
them first to kill them quickly.
Defeating groups of enemies

When fighting a large group of enemies, it is best to keep moving around so they do not
surround you and attack from more than one side at once. Keep your guard up, and wait
for one of them to attack, then counter it. If there are Brutes or Seekers in the group, it is
a little tougher, but the other tips listed will help. Try avoiding Brutes and Seekers at first
and focus on the other enemies.

When you are in a situation where you have to fight multiple guards, attack with a group
(thieves or mercenaries). While they are attacking someone, come from behind with your
hidden blade to instantly kill them. Note: This also works during the final battle where
many Ezios fight the final Boss; however, instead of using your hidden blade (because it
is never successful), use your main weapon.
Defeating harder enemies

Note: This can only be done after learning the Disarm move. Sometimes you will run into
the big "Golden Knights" or the men who fight better than normal soldiers and usually
have unique weapons such as lances or big axes. They can also deflect attacks and
counter more often. To defeat them more easily, disarm yourself by pressing Down to put
your weapon away. When they attack, press X to counter and disarm them. This usually
works in one attempt. Then, quickly press X again to kill the unarmed man.
Glyph locations and puzzle solutions
Use Eagle Vision to scan for Glyphs in the indicated locations:

The Truth File 1: While standing on a roof, it is on a wall at Santa Croce. Solve the
puzzle by choosing the paintings with an apple in them.

The Truth File 2: While standing on a roof, it is on a wall at Ospedale Degli Innocenti.
Solve the puzzle by rotating the circle puzzle pieces from smallest circle to largest.

The Truth File 3: While standing on a roof, it is on a wall at La Rosa Colta. Solve the
puzzle by highlighting the circular object in each photo.

The Truth File 4: While hanging from the roof, it is on a wall at Villa Auditore. Solve the
puzzle by taking the hints literally.

The Truth File 5: In the bottom dwellings of Santa Maria Assunta, it is on a wall near
pillars. Solve the puzzle by choosing the paintings with a sword in them.

The Truth File 6: While standing on a roof, it is on a wall at Torri Dei Salvucci. Solve the
puzzle by rotating the circle puzzle pieces from smallest circle to largest, while keeping
an eye on the two outer layers that will connect.

The Truth File 7: While standing on a roof, it is on a wall at Torre Del Diavolo. Solve the
puzzle by choosing the paintings with red in them; this can be done in any order.

The Truth File 8: While standing on a roof, it is on a wall at San Lorenzo. Solve the
puzzle by finding the Pieces Of Eden (success is indicated with a sound). Then, put the
flame over Joan on the world map. Finally, move Rasputin's photo to the top of Czar
Nicholas II’s photo.

The Truth File 9: While standing on a roof, it is on a wall at Mercato Vecchio. Solve the
puzzle by taking the hints literally, with the last one being 6=1.

The Truth File 10: While standing on a roof, it is on a wall at Monte Oliveto Maggiore.
Solve the puzzle by not looking for the Eagle Apollo Lander on the moon. Once found, it
is best to rotate the layers of the puzzle from the inside out until they all align, but note
that inner layer 1 rotates on its own despite being connected to layer 4 in one instance;
this also happens with layer 6. Additionally, the Piece Of Eden is on the Moon's surface.

The Truth File 11: While standing on the floor, it is under a stone arch at Antico Teatro
Romano. Solve the puzzle by highlighting the light bulbs. After that, highlight the middle
of the photo above the doorway. Then, highlight Nikola Tesla’s lap.

The Truth File 12: While standing on a roof (not the church tower itself), look down to
the side of a wall attached to where you stand at Abbazia Di San Mercuriale. Solve the
puzzle by aligning red 4 with gray 1 on the wheel and entering the related code. Then,
turn off all the lights on the globe. Select the orb in the middle of the next photo. Solve
the last puzzle by lining up the wheel as follows: 1=II, 2=III, 3=I.

The Truth File 13: Climb the base lookout tower until you see it on part of the stone
walling on Avamposto Veneziano. Solve the puzzle by lining up the wheel as follows:
5=circle, square, square; 2=circle; 3=triangle. After that, press the red button. The final
part you will find near the left-middle bottom of the letter.

The Truth File 14: Swim under the Ponte Di Rialto bridge. It is on a wall near the edge of
the water. Solve the puzzle by choosing the paintings with Gods in them: Jupiter, Zeus,
Cupid, Swan, and Europa.

The Truth File 15: While standing on a roof, it is on a higher up wall at Gilda Dei Ladri
Di Venezia, right above a wooden hatch. Solve the puzzle by working from the inside
out, and realizing these layers are connected: 1 to 6, middle two, and 4 to 5.

The Truth File 16: Climb up the Campanile Di San Marco bell tower until you can climb
in, then look on the floor. Solve the puzzle by looking around on the map for the answer
to appear, which is as follows: Naples, Alaska, Greece, and Tunguska. Then, go to the
staff, and stab the photo with it.

The Truth File 17: Climb up the Torre Dell 'Orologio, then look on the floor to find it.
Solve the puzzle by lining up the wheel as follows: 7=broken square symbol, 9=six-sided
hourglass symbol, 1=square with little square inside of it. The attic on the top-right will
then reveal an Assassin symbol for you to ID.

The Truth File 18: While standing on a roof (not the highest roof), it is on a wall at San
Pietro Di Castello. Solve the puzzle by lining up the wheel as follows: 6=M or YYY,
0=Chalice symbol, 3=<. Then, move the symbol over the thick blood vessels to finish the
photo.

The Truth File 19: It is on the back of one of the rounded-top walls that stick out on the
side-parts of Scuola Grande Di San Marco. Solve the puzzle by choosing the paintings
with a sun in them: Aztec Calendar, Easter Gate, Sistine Chapel Ceiling, Nazca Textile,
and Book Of The Dead. Then, find the part of the sun photo that has the most radiation,
and ID it.

The Truth File 20: From the roof with a fire near it, it is there when you look down to a
wall on the side of San Giacomo Di Rialto. Solve the puzzle by working from the inside
out, and realizing that these layers are not connected: second inner layer and fifth outer
layer. Then, ID the sun. Next, you can line up the code wheel any way you want to
complete the puzzle. In the final puzzle, move the cursor over the bones to change the
skeleton from a monkey into a human.
Mario series reference
When Sequence 3 begins and you are escorting Maria and Claudia to the Villa, you will
get ambushed by Pazzi and his men. You will be rescued by your Uncle Mario. When
you first talk to him, he will say "Don't you recognize me? Its-a me, Mario!"
Easy "Doctor" achievement

Easy "Fly Swatter" achievement

Simply lock onto a target by holding LT and pressing X while in front of them to kick
them. Note: This must be done during the Flying Machine mission to get the "Fly
Swatter" achievement.

Easy "Kleptomaniac" achievement

Find a herald to reduce your notoriety, and bribe him. This will cost 500 Florins. Once
done, immediately pickpocket him to get the 500 Florins back, plus 3 to 5 extra Florins.
Repeat this one more time with the same or different herald to get the "Kleptomaniac"
achievement.

Go to Florence, and find a large group of people. Try to have them walking towards you.
Hold A while walking through the group of oncoming people, and you should pickpocket
most of them in just a few seconds. Since A also serves as the "fast-walk" command, you
can get Florins quickly from people if you keep it held. Repeat this trick as many times as
necessary to get the "Kleptomaniac" achievement
Easy "Myth Maker" achievement

Easy "No-hitter" achievement

Unlock the Smoke Bomb, then buy three Smoke Bombs. Find some guards to start a fight
with, and lure additional guards if necessary so there are at least ten guards. Throw a
Smoke Bomb, and kill as many guards as possible with your hidden blade. Once the
Smoke Bomb's effect wears off, throw another one. Repeat this until you get the "No-
hitter" achievement.

Achievements

Accomplish the indicated achievement to get the corresponding number of Gamerscore

points:
The Birth of an Assassin (20 points): Be reborn as Ezio Auditore Da Firenze.
Arrivederci Abstergo (20 points): Break out of Abstergo.
Welcome to the Animus 2.0 (20 points): Enter the Animus 2.0.
The Pain of Betrayal (30 points): Complete DNA Sequence 1.
Vengeance (30 points): Complete DNA Sequence 2.
Exit the Son (30 points): Complete DNA Sequence 3.
Bloody Sunday (30 points): Complete DNA Sequence 4.
Undertaker (20 points): Discover the Assassin's Tomb inside the catacombs under Santa
Maria Novella.
The Conspirators (30 points): Complete DNA Sequence 5.
An Unexpected Journey (30 points): Complete DNA Sequence 6.
Bleeding Effect (30 points): Complete training and reenter the Animus.
The Merchant of Venice (30 points): Complete DNA Sequence 7.
The Impenetrable Palazzo (30 points): Complete DNA Sequence 8.
Masquerade (30 points): Complete DNA Sequence 9.
Bianca's Man (30 points): Complete DNA Sequence 10.
The Prophet (30 points): Complete DNA Sequence 11.
The Vault (30 points): Complete DNA Sequence 14.
An Old Friend Returns (100 points): Escape the hideout.
Myth Maker (5 points): Find the 8 statuettes in Monteriggioni.
Vitruvian Man (20 points): Unlock all 20 pieces of Subject 16's video.
Street Cleaner (10 points): Hide 5 dead bodies in a Bale of Hay.
Fly Swatter (5 points): Kick a Guard while using the Flying Machine.
Messer Sandman (10 points): Stun 4 guards at once by throwing sand in their face.
Doctor (20 points): Perform an Air Assassination on a Poisoned NPC.
No-hitter (20 points): Kill 10 enemies while remaining in conflict without being hit.
Kleptomaniac (10 points): Pickpocket 1000 Florins.
Lightning Strike (10 points): Sprint for 100 meters.
Sweeper (10 points): Sweep 5 guards at once by using a Long Weapon.
Venetian Gladiator (20 points): Discover the Assassin's Tomb inside Santa Maria della
Visitazione.
I can see your house from here! (20 points): Discover the Assassin's Tomb inside the
Torre Grossa.
Hallowed be thy name (20 points): Discover the Assassin's Tomb inside the Basilica di
San Marco.
Prison Escape (20 points): Discover the Assassin's Tomb inside the Rocca di Ravaldino
fortress.
Choir Boy (20 points): Discover the Assassin's Tomb inside Santa Maria del Fiore (The
Duomo).
Assassin For Hire (10 points): Complete your first assassination mission for Lorenzo Il
Magnifico.
Macho Man (10 points): Defend a woman's honor.
Steal Home (10 points): Win a race against thieves!
Show your Colors (10 points): Wear the Auditore cape in each city.
Handy Man (10 points): Upgrade a building in the Stronghold.
I like the view (10 points): Synchronize 10 View Points.
High Dive (10 points): Perform a Leap of Faith from the Top of Florence's Giotto's
Campanile.
Mailman (10 points): Intercept a Borgia Courrier.
Tip of the Iceberg (10 points): Use your Eagle Vision to scan a Glyph in the environment.
A Piece of the Puzzle (10 points): Unlock a piece of Subject 16's video.
Art Connoisseur (10 points): Buy a Painting from Florence and Venice.
Podestà of Monteriggioni (30 points): Reach 80% of your stronghold's total value.
Perfect Harmony (10 points): Tint your clothes with those colors: Wetland Ebony and
Wetland Ivory.
In Memory of Petruccio (30 points): Collect all the Feathers.
Red Light Addict (10 points): Spend 5000 florins on Courtesans.
Man of the People (10 points): Toss more than 300 florins on the ground.
Victory lies in preparation (10 points): Get all Hidden Blades, Item Pouches and Armor
upgrades for Ezio.