NAVARRA, VIANA, SPAIN, 1507 AD
Whilst Cesare Borgia leads an assault on a fortress, Ezio Auditore and his Assassin apprentices attempt to thwart the Templar leader. Offering themselves as distraction, most of the apprentices are captured and imprisoned, but in doing so it allows Ezio to enter the fortress unimpeded. More apprentices enter the fortress, freeing the captured assassins contained within. Now freed, the assassins take to the shadows and seek out the armory room. There they collect their Hidden Blades, whilst sabotaging Cesare's personal pistol.

Upon the fortress walls Ezio finally confronts Cesare face to face, ultimately leaving the Templar defeated and falling to his death.


VENICE, ITALY, 1507 AD

After their victory, the Brotherhood of Assassins return to Italy. Within Venice, their informants advise of a former Templar headquarters. Taking it as their own, the Assassins now have a base within the city. The Venetian branch then turn their attentions to the Doge Leonardo Loredan, a previous ally and lead magistrate presiding over the city Senate. Pope Julius II asks the Assassins to investigate the Doge after his sudden shift in recent behaviour, therefore they head to the Palazzo Ducale.

A short time later they infiltrate the Palazzo, the Assassins locating a vault room. Once they review the Doge's documentation, it becomes clear he is being blackmailed by the Templars, as they had kidnapped one of his daughters. Locating the blackmailer and his guards, they are swiftly eliminated by the Assassins, freeing the Doge from his deceitful obligations.


VENICE, ITALY, 1509 AD

The Assassins decide they want to upgrade their headquarters and seek out Leonardo da Vinci. Unfortunately the Maestro is in hiding, therefore they seek out his apprentice Salaì. It turns out he has been captured by the City Guards, so the Assassins attempt to locate him at a nearby palace. Once freed, Salaì leads them to a secret workshop used by his master. There, Leonardo builds a tank filled with cannons. His reputation for creating war machines being so well known, he attracts the attention of Niccolò di Pitigliano, a condottiero on Templar payroll. Pitigliano uses the City Guard to surround the workshop, thus it falls to the Assassins to maintain a defence of the Maestro.

Rumors begin to circulate that Pitigliano has taken control of the Navy, putting the Assassin headquarters at risk of bombardment by Da Vinci's previous invention – the Naval Cannon. The Assassins manage to sneak into the docks and recover the Cannon for their own purposes, thus eliminating the threat.

Realising that Pitigliano will be a constant threat, the Assassins turn to Niccolò Machiavelli to negotiate an accord with the City Guard. Demanding payment to turn a blind eye to the Brotherhood, Pitigliano is provided money from his own chests – as the Assassins steal this in kind.

Whilst around the City Guard, the Brotherhood hear that the Templars are about to locate an “artifact” of importance. Ezio believes this to be a Piece of Eden, leaving the Assassins desperate to find information. They manage to intercept a messenger who reveals that it is in fact a Staff of Eden. Its location is apparently known by a Dottore in the San Polo district. The Assassins locate the Dottore near the Ponte delle Guglie. There he reveals the Staff is hidden near the Lion of Venice statue, under San Marco square. Once the Assassins arrive, the Staff is strangely not present. The Animus code of the simulation glitches and the Lion of Venice statue comes to life and starts attacking the Assassins by flying towards them.


ABSTERGO OFFICE, TOKYO, JAPAN, 2020 AD

Shaun Hastings sneaks his way through the offices. Utilising his shock blade and a handgun, he takes down guards quietly where needed. Locating the servers from which the Lion of Venice and Staff of Eden glitches had been generated, he manages to hack into the simulation and reboots the memory.


VENICE, ITALY, 1509 AD

The Assassins finally manage to recover the Staff, taking it to their headquarters. Realising this, the City Guard dispatch their mounted units to siege the Brotherhood base. A prominent member of the Crows disguised as Pestilence, one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, also tries to claim the staff but the Assassins defend resolutely.

In order to secure the Staff, the Assassins from the Venetian Brotherhood plan to meet Ezio in an abandoned palace to entrust him with the artifact.

While looking for Ezio, another animated statue appears before them. It’s the statue of the titan Cronos, who starts attacking the Assassins within the simulation.


ABSTERGO OFFICE, TOKYO, JAPAN, 2020 AD

Realizing the animated Cronos statue is another glitch in the Animus simulation caused by the Templars, the unknown characters experiencing the memory once again have to rely on Shaun Hastings.

Thus, Shaun infiltrates another (or the same) Abstergo facility in Tokyo in order to start two fires that might eventually remove the glitch from the simulation, but when he does, Otso Berg, dressed as the Black Cross and seemingly fully able to walk, appears on site. This confirms it was Berg who had created the glitches within the Animus simulation, as he starts chasing the British Assassin.

As Shaun manages to flee the Abstergo Compound, the Cronos glitch disappears from the Animus simulation.


VENICE, ITALY, 1509 AD

Eventually the Cronos statue / creature reappears, but no longer protected by Otso Berg. With the aid of Ezio, the freak creation is eventually defeated by the Brotherhood. The staff now safe and hidden by Ezio, whilst the Assassins are preparing Ezio’s upcoming voyage to Constantinople, a message is received from the Brotherhood of Rome seeking assistance. The next adventure awaits. The Assassins are confronted with an animated statue of Cronos, the work of Otso's manipulations. With the aid of Ezio, the freak creation is eventually defeated by the Brotherhood. The staff now safe and hidden by Ezio, a message is received from the Brotherhood of Rome seeking assistance. The next adventure awaits.