List of Assassin's Creed characters

This is a list of characters in the Assassin's Creed series.

Assassins

Desmond Miles

Desmond Miles

Desmond Miles

Desmond Miles (Voiced by Nolan North) is the primary protagonist of the Assassin's Creed series. He is a descendant of both Altaïr ibn La-Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

Desmond was born at an assassin hideout much like Masyaf, a modern day Assassin enclave called "The Farm". Isolated and living "off the grid", Desmond was born and raised as an assassin. He was unable to leave this small community of thirty or so people, but desperately sought escape, as he believed that they were "just a bunch of hippies who wanted to stick it to the man." Desmond later facilitates his desired escape, claiming that he wanted to see the rest of the world. Desmond states that he has no regrets leaving his father or mother; at one point when accused of being an assassin, he responds "I'm not an assassin…not anymore." At some time in his life, Desmond became a bartender, but lived under assumed names to protect himself. He used cash only, and he was found by Abstergo via his fingerprint (needed for a motorcycle license).

Assassin's Creed's story starts off with flashes of Altaïr in a garden, but his visual senses are distorted and he is running frantically around the courtyard. After about five minutes, Desmond wakes up to find himself in an unusual machine, and two figures with lab coats near him. He has no recollection of arriving at his current location, and is told that he is being held captive. When he questions why, the answer he receives is somewhat unbelievable:

The scientists introduce themselves as Dr. Warren Vidic and Dr. Lucy Stallman, employees of Abstergo Corporation. Thanks to climate change and massive food shortages, Abstergo has become the single largest corporation on the planet, funding everything from healthcare to advanced theoretical research. Vidic and Stillman run the Animus project for Abstergo Industries, and inform Desmond that the Animus (which Desmond was placed in at the outset of the game) reads 'genetic memory', and that they are searching the memories of Desmond's ancestors for a piece of information that they refuse to disclose. While Desmond claims to be nothing more than a bartender, it is alluded to that he is an Assassin, or at least was one at some point in the past. Vidic is working under immense pressure to find a specific memory from Desmond's Assassin ancestor, Altaïr ibn La-Ahad; Desmond's subconscious mind, however, is blocking that memory, and Vidic requires Desmond's cooperation (though he coldly informs Desmond that he is more than willing to forcibly retrieve the information and leave Desmond to die). Without much choice, Desmond agrees to help them.

Over the next few days, Desmond is removed from the Animus several times; either to give him time to rest or make repairs to the Animus when it overheats. Dr. Stillman informs him that spending too much time in the Animus creates a 'Bleeding Effect', where the subject becomes less and less able to distinguish his ancestor's memories from his own; the Bleeding Effect was responsible for driving Desmond's predecessor, 'Subject 16', into madness.

During one of his sleep periods, Desmond discovers that someone has hidden the lock code for his room inside his closet, allowing him to roam freely within the confines of the Animus chamber. Accessing the computers (and discovering that Lucy apparently forgot her security pen), Desmond attempts to discover what the Abstergo scientists want, but he can only get so far without Vidic's computer access code.

The next day, Desmond begins to put on an air of cooperation, but makes use of the Bleeding Effect (and some of his own skills) to pick Vidic's pocket and steal his security pen; he remains unable to escape, but he obtains some information about Vidic and Stillman through their Abstergo e-mail accounts.

Some time later, after recovering the information for which Vidic was searching, he hears gunfire in the distance; his fellow Assassins are staging a rescue attempt. The attempt quickly fails, and Vidic (in an attempt to demoralize Desmond) tells him that the Assassins were all killed in the attack, and that they were the last of the Assassins. After Vidic leaves, Lucy carefully warns Desmond that they cannot speak freely, and covertly indicates to Desmond that she may be an Assassin herself.

Abstergo's executives, having obtained the information they sought, order Desmond killed; Lucy's quick thinking saves him, and she persuades Vidic to keep him alive until they know for certain that he's of no further use. Upon returning to his room, Desmond discovers that the Bleeding Effect has given him Altair's 'Eagle Vision', allowing him to discern friend from foe and read cryptic messages left on the walls and floor by Subject 16.

In Assassin's Creed II, Desmond is still being held within Abstergo, several hours after the end of the first game. Lucy arrives with someone else's blood on her shirt and demands that he get into the Animus before Abstergo discovers what she's done. Desmond, though shocked by Lucy's appearance, reluctantly agrees; inside the Animus, he experiences the birth of one of his ancestors, Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Lucy pulls him out, salvaging a memory core from the Animus, and the two attempt to escape from the Abstergo building. Along the way, Lucy and Desmond encounter Abstergo security guards, which Lucy handles with a surprising level of skill. Entering Abstergo's main research facility, Desmond is stunned to find dozens of Animus machines in use; when he attempts to question Lucy about the machines, she sternly orders him to be silent.

The main laboratory door is secured with a code that Lucy doesn't have, but Desmond steps in and uses his Eagle Vision to see the fingerprints on the pad and unlock the door. After exiting to the parking lot, the two are ambushed by Abstergo security; Desmond takes a more active role in this fight, though he can only use basic bare knuckle boxing and street fighting techniques. After the fight, Lucy hides Desmond in the trunk of a car and takes them to an Assassin hideout.

When they arrive, the two of them meet Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane, both of whom are Assassins, just like Lucy. She tells Desmond they want him to become an Assassin in fact as well as memory, and can use the Bleeding Effect to train him in a matter of days using Ezio's memories. With the bleeding effect, Ezio's skills will be passed to Desmond, making him faster, stronger, more agile and therefore a better fighter -- and a key member of the modern Assassin order. He accepts, flatly stating that he's in it for revenge against Abstergo. Rebecca introduces Desmond to the Animus 2.0, a much more comfortable upgrade that resembles a lounge chair, where his journey as Ezio begins.

After successfully navigating Ezio's early memories (with help from Shaun and Rebecca on the outside), Desmond is extracted from the Animus to avoid the mental degradation that Subject 16 suffered as a side-effect of the Bleeding Effect. She also wants to see how much Desmond has picked up from his ancestor's memories, tasking him with initiating security protocols around the Assassin hideout. Just as he begins, however, vivid hallucinations develop as he begins seeing people from Altaïr's life in different parts of the hideout. Desmond asks Lucy about the hallucinations, and she tells him that as long as they don't start to exceed 30 seconds in duration, he should be fine. After activating the hideout's security systems, the visions start to become more real and he flashes back to one of Altaïr's memories, even though he isn't linked to the Animus. Here, Desmond learns of Altaïr having a lover, Maria, a Templar used as decoy by Robert de Sable in the first Assassin's Creed. As Altaïr leaves, Desmond wonders why he isn't following. Instead, he moves towards Maria where he enters her womb, showing that Altaïr's child and another of Desmond's ancestors has been conceived.

After spending more time in the Animus 2.0, Desmond begins to adjust to his newly-developed skills, becoming highly agile and an expert in whatever weapons Ezio learned to use. The last segment of Ezio's memories brings an astonished Ezio (and by extension, Desmond) to a futuristic chamber underneath the Vatican, where a "god", Minerva, addresses Desmond by name and, through Ezio, warns him of an impending cataclysm that has the potential to destroy all life on Earth. Desmond is pulled from the Animus quickly afterward, and Lucy tells him that Vidic and the modern Templars have found the hideout; Stillman tells Shaun and Rebecca to pack the gear while she and Desmond buy time, and hands Desmond a hidden blade that is strongly reminiscent of Altair and Ezio's favored weapon.

Vidic appears in the hideout's loading dock, and announces that he's come to retrieve Desmond. Desmond, now fully synchronized with both Altair and Ezio, uses his freshly-improved hand-to-hand fighting skills to dispatch the Abstergo security officers that Vidic brought with him. When he confronts Vidic, the scientist says that the victory was only temporary, and he escapes in the back of the Abstergo truck.

Lucy, Shaun, Rebecca and Desmond know that their safe-house has been compromised, and have loaded the Animus into the back of a truck for transport to another safe-house somewhere in the north. Desmond enters the Animus while in transit, knowing that Ezio -- and perhaps Subject 16 -- may have the answers they seek.

In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (the events of which are set only 2 weeks after Desmond was initially captured by Abstergo), Desmond, Lucy, Shaun and Rebecca arrive at Monteriggioni, where Villa Auditore was located. They require a safehouse from the Templars who continue to actively search for them, in order to continue searching via the Animus the location of one of the remaining Pieces of Eden. They find the chamber beneath the Villa Auditore perfect for their needs, blocking any cell signals that might be able to detect them. Whilst searching the grounds of the Villa Auditore for a way into the Sanctuary, Desmond, through the Bleeding Effect, experiences a number of visions of Ezio's past. When he reaches the Sanctuary, Desmond sees another ghostly projection of Ezio, who seemed to have been escaping it. Before he opens the door to Mario's office, Desmond notices some numbers written (most likely by Ezio) on the walls.

After finding the location of the Apple of Eden through the Animus, Desmond and the others learn that the it is hidden under the Colosseum. The assassins find a way inside an ancient Vault, where the Apple is located. He then takes the Apple and Juno takes control of his body and forces him to stab Lucy Stillman for reasons which are unclear. After Desmond passes out, he gets put back into the Animus by two unknown men, whom may or may not be assassins.

Lucy Stillman

Lucy Stillman (Voiced by Kristen Bell) is a member of the Assassin's Order and former genetic memory researcher that worked for Abstergo Industries in the Animus project.

Lucy first appears as she and Warren argue about whether to leave Desmond in the Animus or pull him out during a fragmented memory sequence. Afterward, while Vidic explains to Desmond what the Animus does and what 'genetic memories' are, Lucy explains Abstergo's goal in very broad and non-specific terms. Vidic wants to hurry Desmond along, seeing no reason to 'coddle' him, but Stillman manages to convince Vidic that Desmond will be useless without time to rest from his experience.

During Desmond's time in the Animus, Lucy is his chief defender, pressuring Vidic to allow Desmond more time to rest. In breaks between Animus sessions, Lucy begins to warm to Desmond, and answers what questions she can about the Animus, Abstergo and Vidic. Lucy also mentions that Desmond was not the only person Abstergo was detaining; she, too, is an unfortunate captive. Abstergo tried to silence her to keep her from speaking publicly about the Animus, but her attackers were ordered to stand down by Dr. Warren Vidic. She claimed that he saved her life that day, and she told Desmond not to judge Dr. Vidic so harshly, as he was under a lot of pressure.

After a few days, Lucy hides the access codes for Desmond's door in his wardrobe so that he can roam freely about the Animus chamber, and left her security pen on the Animus so that Desmond could access her e-mail account. Eventually, she reveals herself to Desmond as an Assassin, working undercover to learn more about Abstergo's goals.

After Desmond successfully retrieves the surpressed memory sequence, Abstergo executives order Desmond's murder, but Lucy convinces them to keep him alive to extract more information.

Several hours later, Lucy returned and broke Desmond out of the Abstergo facility, eventually escaping to an Assassin safe-house, where Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings waited with the Animus 2.0, an improved and upgraded Animus machine of Rebecca's own design. They inform Desmond that they're going to attempt an unorthodox training regimen: by using the Animus and the Bleeding Effect, they're going to try and 'imprint' his ancestors' skills on Desmond himself, turning him into a master-assassin-by-proxy.

Eventually, Abstergo tracks them to the safe-house, and the Assassins are forced to flee to a secondary facility in the north; Desmond goes back into the Animus to search Ezio and Altair's memories for any information that may help them.

Shortly thereafter they arrive at Monteriggioni, and establish their second base. There Lucy continues to help Desmond through the Animus. After Desmond finds the location of the Apple of Eden through Ezio's memories, Lucy, Shaun, and Rebbecca accompany him deep beneath the Colosseum, to a hidden vault where it was hidden. As Desmond holds the Apple, Goddess Juno controls him through it. She then forces him to stab Lucy, demanding a "sacrifice in order to be awakened". Similarly to Assassin's Creed 2, Brotherhood has secret puzzles hidden by Subject 16 that the player can solve. When all clusters are solved, a video of subject 16 talking to Desmond appears, where Subject 16 says simply that "She can't be trusted", without referring who "she" is.

Shaun Hastings

Shaun Hastings (Voiced by Danny Wallace) is a cynical, condescending and pessimistic member of the Assassin's team, specializing in research and information handling. Through conversations in Assassin's Creed II, Desmond learns that Shaun was interested in conspiracies from an early age, and developed a love of history. Though he was unaware of the existence of modern-day Templar's and Assassins, he realized that there was some power-struggle going on. Shaun attempted to tell others about his findings, not realizing that the Templar's would try to silence him. Fortunately, Rebecca Crane apparently "rescued" Shaun and recruited him into the order. This is mentioned as being unconventional, as Assassins are usually born into the order.

During the events of Assassin's Creed II, Shaun's role is to provide tactical support to the other Assassins, as well as providing Desmond with interesting database entries, and the occasional piece of advice on glyph puzzles. Shaun is always busy on his computer though, and rarely has any opportunities to speak with Desmond - telling him to "go away".

Rebecca Crane

Rebecca Crane (Voiced by Eliza Schneider) is a member of the Assassin's team. She is the creator of the Animus 2.0 - which she affectionately refers to as "Baby" - and provides technical support for the Assassins alongside her partner, Shaun Hastings. She appears to be an old friend of Lucy Stillman, although prior to the game, the two purportedly did not see one another for seven years, perhaps due to Lucy's internment at Abstergo.

In Assassin's Creed II, Rebecca serves as tech support for the Animus 2.0. She often leaves notes within the database entries that Shaun makes available for Desmond Miles while he is in the Animus, especially if the entries (i.e. about a particular structure) indicate the presence of a glyph or Assassin's tomb therein. The data module that Rebecca receives from Lucy with the records of the Abstergo version of the Animus allow Desmond to interact with the encrypted file Subject 16 left behind in Ezio Auditore da Firenze's memories.

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

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Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, (Arabic: الطائر ابن لا أحد (aṭ-ṭāʾir ibn lā ʾaḥad) "Flying One - Son of None") (Voiced by Philip Shahbaz) usually known by the mononym Altaïr, is an Hashshashin who was born in 1165 and who lived during the Crusades. His name is Arabic for 'The Flying One' or 'Bird of Prey' and is pronounced in three syllables. "Ibn La-Ahad" means "Son of no one". Ben Reeves of Game Informer adds that the "name of the top assassin...is also the name of a star in the constellation Aquila - Aquila being another name meaning eagle. Not coincidentally Ezio is the Italian form of a Greek name that also means "eagle". Altaïr is the great-great-great-great-grandfather of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and an ancestor of Desmond Miles.

Altaïr was born the son of a Muslim father and a Christian mother. During his childhood he left for Masyaf, Syria in order to begin his Assassin training. Altaïr felt little at the death of his parents when they died due to the nature of the Assassin order. Prior to the events of the series, Altaïr trained under Al Mualim, master of the Assassin Brotherhood, quickly rising above his brethren in the abilities of mastering several weapons and skills ranging from hand to hand combat to sword fighting. This caught both Al Mualim's eye and favor, and Altaïr was quickly promoted to the rank of Master Assassin.

Nothing is known about Altaïr's background information, including where or exactly when he was born (though current information from the Assassin's Creed instruction manual states 1165 AD). His parents, and relatives (if any) are unknown.

In the codex pages Altaïr states that he never felt a connection between his parents and himself and that when he left them it was nothing more than departing "two strangers." He also stated that it was Al Mualim who cared for him and that it was enough for him during that stage of his life.

Assassin's Creed is set in 1191 during the Third Crusade, where Altaïr is first introduced as a character. Altaïr has become overconfident and arrogant because of his rank within the Assassin's Order, to the point where he believes he is above the Assassin's Creed and the Three Tenets the Order of Assassins lives and dies by.

Al Mualim once stated that "we are nothing if we do not abide by the Assassin's Creed." It restricts unnecessary slaughter of innocents, preserves the reputation of one's self and the order, and is meant to create peace not only within the world, but within the individual. The Assassins have been handing the Creed down orally from generation to generation, ensuring the message the Creed brings is delivered to every member of the Assassin's Order.

The three tenets are: - Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent; always be discreet; and never compromise the Brotherhood.

When sent to the Temple of Solomon to fetch the Ark of the Covenant for Al Mualim with fellow assassins, brothers Malik and Kadar A-Sayf, he encounters Robert de Sablé and his French Templars. Altaïr rashly confronts Robert de Sablé – Grand Master of the Knights Templar, who throws Altaïr aside, cutting him off from the melee that ensues by a collapsing wall, and escapes alone, returning to Masyaf disgraced and empty-handed, where he is forced to explain himself.

Malik however brings the Ark to Al Mualim (who regards it as a "Piece of Eden"), explaining the events which led to Kadar's death and the severing of Malik's left arm at the hand of Robert de Sablé. Robert and the rest of the Templars retaliate by besieging Masyaf, killing many of its citizens before being foiled by an intricate trap activated by Altaïr.

When Al Mualim discovers that Altaïr broke all three tenets of the Creed, he disgraces Altaïr, enacting a mock execution for treason and demoting him to the rank of Novice. He is stripped of all his weapons and equipment and must earn his way back into the Brotherhood. By murdering an innocent (an old man who he thought could have alerted the guards), revealing himself to Robert de Sablé, and leading the Templars back to the – until then, secret – location of Masyaf, he jeopardized not only his own safety, but the livelihood of the entire Brotherhood.

To re-establish himself within the Order, Altaïr is assigned to kill nine key targets (later revealed to be Knights Templar) threatening to tear apart the Holy Land. Malik is unable to fight due to his injury, and is assigned as the head of the Assassin's bureau in Jerusalem.

Over the course of the story, Altaïr learns more about the Piece of Eden and its uses. Al Mualim names this piece "the Apple," believing it to be the legendary apple from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. After assassinating eight of the targets, Robert de Sablé is the only remaining target that Altaïr must confront. Altaïr stalks de Sablé in Jerusalem and attempts to execute him, only to discover that de Sablé used an impersonator to cover his escape.

Altaïr chooses not to kill the impersonator, a Templar woman named Maria. Altaïr discovers de Sablé's plan to unite the Saracens and Christians against the Assassins. Altaïr rushes to the Christian camp of King Richard of England to reveal de Sablé. Richard the Lionheart witnesses the accusations against de Sablé and Altaïr. The King decides that God will decide who is truthful by means of combat. Altaïr and de Sablé clash swords, but Altaïr manages to finally gain the upper-hand and kills de Sablé, letting Richard believe that Altaïr was chosen to be victorious and that he was telling the truth. As Altaïr gloats over his fallen enemy, de Sablé uses his dying breath to reveal that Al Mualim was his benefactor in this entire affair until he discovered the true intentional use of the Piece of Eden.

Altaïr rushes back to Masyaf to confront Al Mualim, discovering that the town inhabitants have become soulless slaves to Al Mualim's will. Face to face at last, Al Mualim reveals to Altaïr that the Piece of Eden, the Apple, was instrumental in creating illusions on a grand scale in famous events in history. The Apple allows the holder to manipulate visual reality and control the weak willed.

Master and student fight for control of the artifact with Altaïr defeating Al Mualim and the Apple of Eden taken out of his grasp. Unable to destroy the Piece, Altaïr discovers that it is a map that projects the locations of all the other Pieces around the world, ending the game story there.

During one break on using the Animus 2.0, Desmond suffers a hallucination via the Bleeding Effect that returns him to the memories of Altaïr in Acre - as if Desmond is able to visit Altaïr's memories without the use of the Animus. In the vision, Altaïr chases after a person, revealed to be Maria, the impersonating Templar he had earlier spared. Altaïr and Maria engage in intercourse. When Altaïr departs, Desmond finds his memory staying with Maria, moving toward her womb, indicating she has probably fallen pregnant with Altaïr's child to whom Desmond is related to. This leaves Desmond confused as he recovers, but he keeps the fact that he accessed Altaïr's memories without the Animus to himself.

At the point when Assassin's Creed II begins, Altaïr has been dead for over two centuries. However, it is known that he left a Codex that his descendant, Ezio, later finds. In it, he left a secret map which reveals the locations of Pieces of Eden scattered all over the world. The Codex pages also reveal that Altaïr invented several new improvements and technologies, such as compacting a wheellock firearm on the assassin's wrist, as well as creating a fighting style which uses two hidden blades instead of one. In the game the player can obtain Altaïr's all-black Master Assassin armor as well as his sword. The final page of the Codex states that Altaïr left for Mongolia with his family in his old age to assassinate Genghis Khan. It is unknown if they succeeded, however Genghis Khan's death is attributed to a Mongolian assassin by one of the statues found beneath Villa Auditore in the game.

In Assassin's Creed: Altaïr Chronicles the year is 1190 AD, and the Third Crusade is engulfing the Holy Land. Crusaders clash with Saracens for control of the Holy City, Jerusalem. The game takes place before the events of the original Assassin's Creed. Altaïr is tasked by Al Mualim to find and retrieve a sacred object: the Chalice. It is said to have the power to unite under one flag all the factions of whatever side possesses it — either the Crusaders or the Saracens — and end the Third Crusade in victory for one side or the other. But the Chalice is too powerful an object to be left in the hands of men alone: It must be found and destroyed fast.

After learning that the Chalice is kept in Jerusalem, Altaïr manages to get there before the main antagonist which is the Templar leader, Basilisk. There he successfully rescues the Chalice from a group of Templars. Altaïr identifies the Chalice as Adha, the woman he knew and liked before the events of game. From her, he learns that the Templars have paid off Harash, the second-in-command of the Assassins. Altaïr then plans to attack Alep, the assassin fortress, kill Harash and run away with Adha, but after making his way through Harash's assassin guards and killing him, Adha is kidnapped by Basilisk and taken to their port in Tyre.

Altaïr fights through the Templar Knights and kills Lord Basilisk in one final confrontation on his ship. But Adha is on a different ship, which escapes before Altaïr can catch it. He swims to shore and, seeing the Templar ship far off in the distance, yells "I will find you, Adha!". But in one of the Codex Pages in Assassins Creed 2 it is said that Altaïr found Adha dead; when or where is not stated.

Assassin's Creed Bloodlines: The game takes place before the events of Assassin's Creed II, but after the events of the original Assassin's Creed. The game is set on the island of Cyprus, taking the player to two of its cities, Limassol and Kyrenia. Altaïr has traveled to Cyprus from the Holy Land, the setting of the first game, in order to assassinate the last remnants of the Templars. Bloodlines includes more face time with Maria, the female Templar that was spared by Altaïr in Assassin's Creed.

Although the player is told that Altaïr is long dead, it is implied by the final page of the codex that he has used The Apple to extend his life, thus making it possible for him to reappear in later games.

• In the video game The Saboteur, the player can obtain an Altaïr trophy.
• In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, player-character Solid Snake can disguise himself with Altaïr's outfit.
• In Prince of Persia, Altaïr's outfit is unlockable for the Prince to wear.
• Altaïr's outfit also appears in Rayman Raving Rabbids 2.
• In Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Altaïr's outfit is unlockable through a UPLAY download.

Malik A-Sayf

Malik (Voiced by Haaz Sleiman), who appears in Assassin's Creed alongside Altaïr, is an assassin. Though not as skilled as Altaïr he was renowned for being decent at his art as he was sent along with his brother Kadar and Altaïr to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant from under Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. When Altaïr breaks the three tenants of the creed and confronts Robert de Sable directly, Malik attempts to stop the confrontation lead to Altaïr getting shoved aside and into another tunnel. The Templars block off the tunnel and deal with Malik and Kadar.

Later, just before the Templar invasion of Masyaf, Altaïr informs Al-Mualim that he failed and began to blame Malik for it, believing that the Templars must have killed him and Kadar and taken the Ark for themselves. As Altaïr is speaking, Malik appears clutching his arm and covered in blood, followed by a servant who carries the Ark in for him. Malik informs the surprised Altaïr and Al Mualim that Kadar is dead and his left arm will have to be amputated. As Malik can no longer perform assassinations and subterfuge effectively, he becomes the Assassin Bureau Leader in Jerusalem.

Toward the end of the game, Malik forgives Altaïr because he is a "changed man", meaning Altaïr's pride for himself has been let go.

Ezio Auditore da Firenze

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Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Ezio Auditore from Florence) (Voiced by Roger Craig Smith in Assassin's Creed II and by Kid Beyond in Assassin's Creed II: Discovery) is the main protagonist in Renaissance-era. He is an ancestor of Desmond Miles, and a descendant of Altaïr (a great assassin that lived several centuries before him, and the protagonist of the original Assassin's Creed). He is also the earliest known link between the lineages of Subject 16 and that of Desmond. Also, to continue with the tradition of the reference to an eagle, Ezio is derived from the Greek word Aetos, meaning eagle .

Ezio is a 17 year-old boy who has a knack for getting in trouble, the son of prosperous Florentine banker and undercover assassin Giovanni Auditore. He learns the ways of the Assassin after his family is betrayed, driving him to seek vengeance. Ezio's base lies in the Villa Auditore, established at Monteriggioni, Tuscany.

Born on April 15,1459, Ezio is a young Florentine nobleman who lives in Florence during the 15th century. He has an affluent lifestyle and many friends, until an event that changes his life. He and his family are betrayed, victims of a conspiracy that takes the lives of his father and both his brothers, younger and older. His mother and sister survive. By the Florentine guard record books, Ezio appears as a womanizer, and guards are usually unable to capture him.

From the day of the execution on, Ezio is labeled a criminal and a traitor. This leads to Ezio beginning to learn the ways of the Assassins. With the help of Leonardo da Vinci, Ezio is able to get one of his father's weapons, the Hidden Blade, and uses it to kill Uberto Alberti, who is his father's best friend and is responsible for the execution. Afterwards, Ezio flees from Florence with his mother and sister and meets his uncle Mario, who saves them from an attack from another family, the Pazzi.

Mario takes the remainder of the family in to Villa Auditore and teaches Ezio how to fight. Soonafter, Ezio and Mario are able to corner one of the Pazzi (Vieri de Pazzi) and Ezio assassinates him. Ezio continues his work as an Assassin, assassinating numerous enemies and helping several factions in the city heirarchy who return the favour, such as the Thieves, Courtesans, and Mercenaries. Ezio discovers new enemies: the Templar Rodrigo Borgia, Vieri's father, Francesco de Pazzi and other Templars, all of them being sworn enemies of his father, Giovanni.

Time goes on, with Ezio continuing to bring criminals to justice with his blade, and the hunt for Borgia continues. Eventually, Ezio finally corners Borgia, who has not come alone. Mario, Paola (a friendly Courtesan), Antonio of the Thieves' Guild and even Niccolò Machiavelli reveal themselves to be Assassins. They offer assistance to Ezio in an extended fight against Borgia's men, and when victorious, induct Ezio into their ranks by way of an ancient ceremony.

Years later, in 1492, Borgia becomes Pope Alexander VI at Vatican City. Ezio and his allies have completed the Codex and discover that the Vault lies in Rome, with the Papal Cross being another Piece of Eden. Ezio's allies then distract the city while Ezio infiltrates the Vatican. Ezio attempts to assassinate Borgia, but after a long fight, the false pope uses the Staff of Eden to freeze Ezio, wounding him with a knife and escaping with both the Staff and the Apple. Ezio wakes up after some time and uses his Eagle Vision to find the Vault, where he finds Borgia and fights him unarmed, easily defeating the older and physically weaker man, partially thanks to his own armor. Ezio decides to let Borgia live, realizing that vengeance and the death of the Borgia will not bring back his family.

Wielding the Staff and Apple, Ezio opens the Vault and a holographic figure approaches him, calling herself "Minerva" and identifying him as the Prophet, destined to find the Vault. She tells Ezio of other "beings" like her, describing her people's society (believed to be The Beings Who Came Before) as a vast and ancient culture that lived together with humans. Both races fell to war, before a natural disaster occurred and wiped out most of both peoples. The survivors constructed several temples in the hope of preventing the disaster from occurring again.

Minerva speaks directly to Desmond, which confuses Ezio, and tells Ezio that the task of finding the Temples and stopping the disaster (which is revealed as a solar flare) is up to him. After this revelation (which astounds Desmond and his companions), the focus shifts back to the year 2012 - the Hideout's perimeter alarms indicate approaching intruders — Abstergo has tracked down the Assassins to the Hideout, and none other than Warren Vidic has come to 'reclaim' Desmond.

A battle is inevitable as the Assassin's make their bid for freedom. Desmond makes use of a hidden blade that looks suspiciously familiar, and the physical capabilities he has learned from reliving Altaïr and Ezio's lives. The Assassins force Vidic to flee, but not before he makes one more declaration: this is only the beginning. Desmond, Lucy, and the others flee, hoping to locate a secondary safehouse in the mountains. They discuss their next course of action as the credits roll and Desmond can reenter the Animus.

In the game Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Ezio returns to Villa Auditore (Monteriggioni), under the pretense that his life of slaughter is finally over. The Papal Forces, led by Cesare Borgia (son of Rodrigo Borgia) leave Ezio little time to entertain thoughts of peace, as they besiege the Villa. During the attack, Ezio's Uncle Mario is shot by Cesare Borgia, and the Apple of Eden is taken by Cesare. Ezio, now a Master Assassin, seeks revenge for his Uncle's death, and heads to Rome in 1503 to continue the fight against the Templar Order. He eventually faces Cesare Borgia in Spain, in 1507.

Subject 16

Subject 16 (Voiced by Cam Clarke) is the assassin abducted by Abstergo directly before Desmond Miles. His real name is never revealed. Warren Vidic pushes subject 16 to the point of insanity. In both Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II, indirect references are made to the events immediately following Subject 16's insanity. The events are only revealed after beating the first game.

After completing the storyline of the first game, Desmond gains Eagle Vision via the Bleeding Effect, which allows him to see more than is usually visible. At this point, he can use his new found ability to see blood covering the walls and floor of the room with the animus. The blood was used to create symbols and writings, indicating the end of the world in a variety of ways and making references to several different cultures. All of the clues point to December 21, 2012. When Desmond enters his own room and uses Eagle Vision to view the wall behind his bed, he sees that it is almost entirely covered in blood and contains several more clues to what happened to Subject 16. Eventually it is revealed that Subject 16 felt his soul was being stolen and his mind shattered with so many memories of his ancestors, so he used his own blood to paint clues before ending his life.

But before killing himself, Subject 16 makes one last contribution to the game. He places encoded messages throughout history in the form of glyphs. These encoded messages each require decription, and only make sense when viewed as a whole, to reveal what Subject 16 refers to as 'The Truth'.

During Assassin's Creed II, Desmond (now acting through Ezio Auditore) can find and decode these glyphs. In Assassin's Creed II the Truth reveals a short video showing Adam and Eve stealing the piece of Eden and jumping over a wall. The video is more or less unexplained. The story is expected to be fully revealed during the next game in the series, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, which was in North America on November 16, 2010, and in Europe on November 18, 2010.

Similarly to Assassin's Creed 2, Brotherhood has secret puzzles hidden by Subject 16 that the player can solve. When all clusters are solved, a video of Subject 16 talking to Desmond appears, where Subject 16 says simply that "She can't be trusted", without referring who "she" is.

During Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, reference is also made to Subject 15.

Templars

Dr. Warren Vidic

In Assassin's Creed, Dr. Warren Vidic (Voiced by Philip Proctor) is the head of the Animus program. Vidic does not care about the Animus test subjects; his only goal is finding the Pieces of Eden, however he must. He forced Subject 16 into reliving many of his ancestors lives in a bid to find the Apple. This resulted in Subject 16 losing his sense of self as the Bleeding Effect overcame him and drove him to insanity and suicide. As a result, Vidic is begrudgingly more lenient towards Desmond, granting him more frequent breaks.

In Assassin's Creed 2 he makes a brief appearance during the game's ending when he locates the Assassin hideout. Trying to recapture Desmond, he tries to make Desmond come peacefully and comments about Lucy's' betrayal, telling her about the pain that he was forced to inflict on the Animus subjects as a result. After Desmond and Lucy defeat the Abstergo guards, Vidic says that Desmond should enjoy his temporary victory, and escapes in an Abstergo van.

Alan Rikkin

Allan Rikkin is the CEO of Abstergo. He had sent several E-mails to Warren Vidic, one of which that details several Pieces of Eden that they believe to be nothing more than mythical tales, including The Holy Grail. Rikkin is possibly one of the three men standing in the conference room right after Desmond Miles finished the Altaïr project.

Robert de Sable

Robert de Sable (Voiced by Jean-Philippe Dandenaud), one of the nine assassination targets assigned to kill by Al Mualim to Altaïr and the last of these nine, was a lieutenant for Richard the Lionheart and Grand Master of the Knights Templar during the Third Crusade.He serves as the main antagonist of Assassin's Creed.

Born into a powerful family, Robert de Sable was immersed from birth into nobility, though events during De Sable's life are difficult to pin down; at some point he became lord and ruler of Briollay, France. Subsequently, Robert de Sable entered into the order of Knights Templar and reigned as their "Grand Master" from 1191 to 1193. During the 3rd Crusade, de Sable and the Knights Templar laid siege to the city of Acre, which soon fell. Throughout August 1191, they also recaptured many fortresses and cities along the Palestinian coast, which had been lost previously.

Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Robert follows a goal similar to the Assassins in that he is attempting to end the war in the Holy Land. Al Mualim has no objections against him ending the Crusade but more against the way Robert De Sable attempts to do so - the Assassins would have people find peace themselves, but the Templar would force their "peace" onto others and attempt to control them. Altaïr first encounters Robert de Sable at the beginning of the game in Solomon's Temple, where he has apparently discovered the Ark of the Covenant. This is later revealed to be another artifact known as a Piece of Eden, which the Templar wish to use to control the minds of the people, effectively controlling those who opposed the one who held the Piece. Believing that God didn't exist, de Sable planned to bring peace and make the Holy Land a utopia by using the Piece of Eden. However, since the Assassins had it, he used brutal tactics to control the people as he planned to overthrow King Richard and destroy the Assassins. When his lieutenants were assassinated by Altaïr, he convinced King Richard to ally with Saladin in order to destroy the Assassins. Later Altaïr tried to convince the King of Robert's evil plot, however he didn't know who to trust and declared Altaïr and Robert fight, believing God would aid the truth-teller to victory. Altaïr and Robert had to fight to the death, and Altaïr proved to Richard that God was on the side of the Assassins as he finally killed Robert.

Al Mualim

Al Mualim (Arabic for 'The Teacher') (Voiced by Peter Renaday), was a Master Assassin but he was also a Templar; he was seen as a wisened old man and Altaïr saw him as a fatherly figure.

After Altaïr broke all three tenets of the Assassin's Creed in one mission, Al Mualim reduced Altaïr to the rank of an initiate and gave him a list of nine men to kill in order for Altaïr to redeem himself, and bring an end to the Crusade. In actual fact, Altaïr was killing other members of the Templar so Al Mualim could keep the Piece of Eden for himself.

After Altaïr defeats the ninth target (Robert de Sable), he returns to Masyaf to find that the citizens are being controlled by use of the Apple by Al Mualim. Al Mualim himself broke all three tenets of the creed, leading to a fight between himself Altaïr, but after a lengthy battle Al Mualim is defeated by his student and Altaïr takes possession of The Apple.

Rodrigo Borgia

Rodrigo Borgia (Voiced by Manuel Tadros) is the primary antagonist of Assassin's Creed II.

Rodrigo Borgia (1 January 1431 – 18 August 1503), born Roderic Llançol, later Roderic de Borja i Borja, was the leader of the Knights Templar during the Renaissance in Italy. He was elected Pope from 1492 to 1503 as Alexander VI. His enemies called him "The Spaniard" (due to his Spanish origins) while his Templar followers called him "Maestro" ("Master" in Italian and "teacher" in Spanish). He was one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his surname (Italicized as Borgia) became a byword for the debased standards of the papacy of that era. He is the main antagonist of Assassins Creed II.

The Medici were the ruling family in Florence. But a conspiracy was being plotted in an attempt to overthrow the powerful Lorenzo de' Medici, and Rodrigo Borgia was at the centre of it. One night in 1476, Borgia was on his way to leave Florence with few of his men in the dark streets of the city. Suddenly, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze, an assassin, intercepted him. Borgia fled immediately as the assassin battled his men. Hidden behind a corner, he saw Giovanni capture one of his men. The prisoner revealed the plotted assassination of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan and a powerful ally of Lorenzo de' Medici, to Giovanni. Giovanni quickly went to stop the attempt, but arrived too late. Rodrigo and his accomplices' plan had succeeded and Borgia began planning the next move.

Deducing the origin of the Duke of Milanese murderers by looting a Ducat from one of them, Giovanni headed to Venice. There, he intercepted a message from Marco and Silvio Barbarigo to their master, Rodrigo. After having decoded the letter by Uberto Alberti and Father Maffei, Giovanni carried the copied message to Rome, in order to discover who is behind the plots. Once arrived in the city, he gave the message to a man. By tailing this one, it appears that the letter travels in various hands before arriving in its final destination: Rodrigo's. Rodrigo headed next to see Pope Sixtus IV to obtain a military support in order to conquer Florence.

The night before the trial of the Auditore family, Rodrigo was at Uberto's house. Ezio came by to give Uberto his father's letters which would prove him not guilty. Ezio noticed the hooded man Rodrigo behind Uberto, but paid no further notice to him. The following morning, Rodrigo attended the judgement of Giovanni and two of his sons. Years later, he would state that Ezio's brothers did not need to die, but he had them killed anyway to make a point to the assassins and to Ezio. Two years later, Rodrigo went to a meeting with the Pazzi family in San Gimignano and with the Templars in a catacomb under the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. There he reminded them to beware the assassins, and stated that the next day would be "a new dawn for Florence".

After Ezio thwarted the Templars in Florence, Rodrigo was to meet with the remaining conspirators in Tuscany. The Pazzi were going to ask for asylum with Rodrigo in either Venice or Rome. But before the meeting could even commence, most of the conspirators were killed by Ezio, one by one. Only Jacopo de' Pazzi actually made it to the meeting alive. There Jacopo claimed that the blame rested with his nephew, Francesco, for his impatience and with Emilio Barbarigo for supplying the Pazzi troops with sub-standard weaponry. Enraged by Jacopo's snivelling excuses, Rodrigo lectured his subordinate on his failure, then stabbed him, aided by an all-too-eager Barbarigo. Ignoring Jacopo's pleas for mercy, Rodrigo stabbed him in the neck, then called out Ezio who had tailed Jacopo to the meeting. Sarcastically apologizing for killing Ezio's target for him, Rodrigo mocked Ezio; saying that he had been doing "this" for far longer than the novice assassin. He ordered his men to kill Ezio and left without bothering to make sure the deed was done. He might have guessed that Ezio would escape, and chose not to stick around for it.

Borgia was later found in Venice, planning with Carlo Grimaldi and the Barbarigos to murder the current Doge, Giovanni Mocenigo, so that one of them can replace him and take control of Venice. He chastised the Barbarigos for making their own plans and arguing over who would be the new Doge after they took Venice. He appointed Marco Barbarigo as the next Doge, and then left them to carry out his plans. While Ezio was hunting the Barbarigo's in Venice, Rodrigo was tracking the location of the Piece of Eden which Altaïr once took from the Templars. He sent ships to Cyprus in order to claim it from the Vault where Altaïr sealed it away before his death. He appeared in Venice to lay claim to the Piece of Eden; but Ezio, disguised as the carrier of the artifact, attempted to kill him. Rodrigo was prepared for the attack, and told his men to stand down so that he could deal with Ezio personally. The two began an intense battle, with Ezio emerging as the victor. Realizing he could not defeat Ezio alone, Borgia called in a supply of guards to overwhelm Ezio. Suddenly, many of Ezio's allies appeared, revealing themselves to be assassins. They held off the guards to allow Ezio to re-challenge Borgia, who then escaped from them before Ezio could kill him.

Rodrigo found out that Caterina Sforza's late husband had made a map of where all the codex pages were, so he hired the Orsi Brothers to retrieve it. The Orsi's found out that Caterina had the Apple, so they took it, planning to present it to Rodrigo for an extra pay off. Unfortunately for him, Ezio managed to kill both of the Orsi brothers, though the Apple eventually came into the hands of Girolamo Savonarola, an arch-enemy of Rodrigo. With the Apple, Savonarola took control over Florence. Rodrigo repeatedly kept sending his men to Florence in the hopes of acquiring the Apple.

In the following years, Rodrigo fooled the Spanish Inquisitor General Tomas Torquemada into capturing and killing Assassins in Spain. Tomas, who thought Rodrigo was as much as a believer of God as he was, blindly followed his orders. He also found out about Christoffa Corombo's plans to sail west. Rodrigo knew of the presence of America and the treasures that lay there, and did not want anybody to find it before he would. Therefore he arranged a meeting with Christoffa in Venice. Christoffa's friend Luis Santangel, in secret an Assassin, suspected a trap and called for the aid of Ezio. Ezio successfully rescued Christoffa, and eventually Christoffa did set sail west.

Borgia was elected Pope in 1492 and established his power in Rome. Borgia's true intent however, was just to get in the vault that lays under the Vatican, where, according to himself, God rested.

In 1498, Rodrigo was responsible for the execution of Girolamo Savonarola, but was unable to acquire the Apple as the Assassins had already obtained it.

Rodrigo offered his daughter Lucrezia to Caterina Sforza's son Ottaviano Riario. Rodrigo figured that with a son-in-law like Ottaviano, he could control the regions of Forlì and Imola. Caterina declined the offer, as she knew of his plans and that Lucrezia 'never stayed married for long'. This enraged Rodrigo, and his son Cesare began an assault on Forlì.

In 1499, Ezio chased him to assassinate him. Ezio sneaked into the Vatican and seemingly assassinated Borgia without being seen inside the Sistine Chapel. After Ezio finished speaking with Borgia he left only to see him rise from the ground and use his Piece of Eden, the Papal Staff, to strike down Ezio and everyone else in the room. However, he was surprised to see that Ezio was able to resist the power of his staff, Ezio brought out his own Piece of Eden: The Apple that Altaïr took from Al Mualim. Ezio then summoned four clones of himself to assist him in his battle against Borgia, eventually defeating him. But Borgia tripped Ezio with the staff, and snatched The Apple from his hands, and combined it with The Staff to open up the door to The Vault, which had been underneath Rome the whole time. Ezio tried to stop him, but he was lifted into the air by Borgia, unable to resist two combined Pieces of Eden. Borgia stabbed Ezio with a dagger and left him to die on the floor of the Sistine Chapel before escaping into the Vault. Though injured, Ezio eventually made his way to the Vault, with Borgia furiously pounding the door to the inner chambers. Ezio dropped down into the pit where Borgia was, and challenged him to one last fist fight, with no more weapons, no more plots, and no more decoys. Borgia accepted and the two had one last battle. During the battle, Borgia stated that he never believed in The Bible or in God, and only became Pope to get the Staff and access to the Vault, wanting to unify Italy under the Templar rule. Ezio defeated Borgia, holding the Pope at blade-point and telling him he was not the Prophet: he never had been. Broken by this revelation and accepting defeat, Borgia told Ezio to kill him and put an end to it: however Ezio refused, saying that killing Borgia would not bring back his family.

Borgia appeared in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, which takes place in 1503, the last year of his papacy. Rodrigo appeared in the E3 trailer for Brotherhood, riding in a carriage through Rome with his son Cesare, when Ezio and his new band of assassins appear and attack the carriage. Throughout the game, he and his son, Cesare are continually at odds: Cesare thinks his father weak, while Rodrigo recognises his son's ambition is out of control. As the pressure between them (made worse by the Assassins) intensifies, Rodrigo in 1503 tries to do away with his son by offering him a poisoned apple, but Cesare, upon learning of his father's assassination attempt, turns the tables on Rodrigo and kills him with the apple.