User Name/Nick: Crystal
User DW: nerdangel
AIM/IM: kyotoshowgirl
E-mail: octoberrain08 [at] gmail [dot] com
Other Characters: Elena Gilbert (forgetyourusedtobe), Polly Perks (pvtparts), James Stark (outofclothes), Daneca Wasserman (advocacy), & Alana Bloom (praesidium).

Character Name: Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Series: Assassin's Creed
Age: 29
From When?: June 26, 1488 - After Ezio's been inducted into the Brotherhood and been charged with watching over the Apple. No pressure. (Sequence 11's Play Along)

Inmate/Warden:

Warden.
Honestly, Ezio does not make for the best warden. At least not in comparison to the type of warden he could be if he was older and had more experience behind him. That doesn't, however, mean he has nothing to offer now. Ezio's life was completely disrupted by the murder of his family and changed forever. It foisted a duty upon him that he knew nothing about, but it also gave him thirst for vengeance. If it had not been for that duty, for the teachings he received about the Creed (even if it was under his nose), he could have very easily gone a much darker path than he has to this point. Because of that, Ezio can empathize with inmates whose lives have gone beyond their control or their expectations and can especially understand the allure of revenge. While he may not exactly be out and about to start a Brotherhood on the Barge, there are still valuable lessons to be learned from the Creed that he will pass along to anyone who wants to listen to help temper their actions.

Item: Hidden blade.

Abilities/Powers:

Freerunning/Stealth: Ezio has a great deal of skill when it comes to freerunning (parkour). He's learned how to amble up buildings quickly - using jumps and grabbing onto higher ledges to go even faster - and how to do it quietly. He can also get down all quick with a Leap of Faith into a haystack. (Yep. He somehow doesn't break every bone in his body. Don't ask.) Ezio is very good at blending in with his surroundings by disappearing into crowds quickly. He's also extremely skilled at pickpocketing and can steal someone's coin purse and be gone before they even realize it's missing. Oh, he can also use Leonardo's flying machine to infiltrate high walls that he mysteriously can't climb for mysterious reasons of mystery, but don't ask him to because he hates it and it's a piece of shit.

Combat: He is highly skilled in close quarters. Ezio has been more formally trained in a variety of weapons as well as unarmed combat since he was seventeen. He's skilled with his hidden blades, swords/hammers/maces/brooms/spears, and daggers. As far as ranged combat is concerned, Ezio is also a deadly shot. He's skilled with throwing knives, poison darts, crossbow, and a mini-pistol he has hidden on his left wrist. (I mention all this crap because you bet he's gonna have some weapons with him.) In case you didn't get the memo, Ezio is an Assassin. That usually entails having a variety of means in killing people not limited to pouncing from above, pulling them off ledges, or tossing smoke bombs in their faces beforehand, etc.

Eagle Vision: Because Ezio has the blood of the First Civilization/Those Who Came Before, he has essentially a sixth sense. At this stage in Ezio's life, it allows him to read the intentions of those around him, allowing Ezio to identify targets, enemies, friendlies, and neutrals with some handy-dandy color-coding. In terms of how this would work on the Barge, he would not be able to look at someone and identify them as a warden or inmate. It's just more intuition about what's what with people/aura-reading. A warden who doesn't particularly like him may not register as a friendly or as an enemy, for example.

Apple of Eden: Ezio will have with him the Apple he was told to watch. This will be mostly kept locked away in his room, but it's definitely free to use for shenanigans if such a need ever arises. The Apple has the ability to do a variety of things. Namely, it is able to create solid illusions of the wielder (for pain in the ass boss fights, basically) and brainwash people into complete and total obedience. It does have the capacity to instantly drive people insane or kill them, but it harms the wielder so it's not that recommended. It can also show visions and bullshit like that if handled. Note that in canon, the effects are limited to humans. Those who have the First Civ/Those Who Came Before blood are somewhat immune to some of its effects and likewise characters of other species/canons could also have a resistance. But it's there, like I said, for shenanigans. This is not going to be something Ezio uses/swings around basically at all unless driven to it. He recognizes it's dangerous even in the hands of someone with good intentions.

Personality:

Prior to the death of his family, Ezio lived a relatively carefree lifestyle. He was popular all around with a number of loyal friends and held in high regard by women. He was also fiercely loyal and protective of his family, having a strong bond to his parents and siblings. Betrayal, murder, and conspiracy, however, have stripped Ezio of his carefree attitude and forced him to inherit responsibilities he knew nothing about. But Ezio has not lost everything. Through his training, Ezio has learned to be more in control of his emotions - particularly his hot-blooded temper - and likewise learned to be more thoughtful (stopping to ask questions) and less impulsive. He's also never lost the bond of loyalty to his family throughout the years, using that as a source of strength alongside the Creed.

At the beginning of Ezio's training, anger and a thirst for revenge guided his blade and his actions. He didn't care so much about why his family had been betrayed, his brothers and father murdered, but the simple fact that they were. Ezio was rash with a hair-trigger temper, pushed easily by Vieri de' Pazzi's final words into disrespecting his corpse. The more Ezio learned, however, the less and less revenge drove him from target to target. Because Ezio is still a passionate man, he's prone to his temper from time to time if the right buttons are pushed (namely anything to do with his family). However, he has learned to exercise control over it and does not let his emotions get the better of him quite as easily as they once did. He is able to show mercy to the conspirators and does not extend their suffering once he has struck. Part of the reason Ezio began exerting control over his emotions is because over time, Ezio also came to realize the importance of the work Assassins such as his father had dedicated their whole lives towards. He gradually began to see it less as a choice and more as a duty he could not walk away from any more than he could walk away from his family. The further his understanding went, the more he came to realize that he needed more than just physical discipline.

He also realized that he needed mental discipline. Ezio knows that he is far in over his head and he also knows that his father's work has barely begun to scratch the surface. He knows that everything goes beyond his desire for revenge and this matter will shape the world he knows for good or for ill depending on the outcome. Over time, Ezio has learned to be more thoughtful and ask more questions at least to himself if not others. Although he has not quite yet reached the maturity in this regard that he will eventually reach as Mentor to the Italian Brotherhood, this is the beginning. He stops focusing on eliminating each target one by one and tries to discern information/motivation from each of them as he gets closer and closer to Rodrigo Borgia. Ezio is beginning coming to his own understanding of the Creed - nothing is true and everything is permitted - that will carry him through the rest of his life. He stands against everything the Templars envision for the world and fights against them to protect the personal freedoms and individuality of humanity. Even as young as he is, Ezio is capable of befriending most anyone because, despite being a nobleman, he doesn't automatically look his nose down on anyone for being different. If anything, Ezio has come to value the differences among people because it offers new perspectives and means of accomplishing things together. This is the basis in which Ezio will eventually strengthen and rebuild the Brotherhood in Italy in the years to come. As it stands now, it is somewhat unrefined and he does not have the leadership experience to fully bring it altogether, but the seeds are there.

As far as how Ezio is on an interpersonal level, he is still very much the charmer. He flirts playfully with women, he still understands and appreciates a joke. Ezio is also a loyal friend to those that accept his friendship. He will do whatever is necessary to keep the people he cares about safe from harm and that is especially true of his family. (But more on that in a bit.) People, generally, take to Ezio very quickly as a result. But there is also a time and place for behavior like that. No longer a child, Ezio understands the difference. When the need arises, he focuses. And Ezio's focus is truly a force of nature once he does begin to focus. He's incredibly tenacious and determined once his mind is settled on something. Nowadays, he tries to think through a problem a little bit before tackling it - now that some of his impulsivity/anger has taken a backseat - making it so that he typically doesn't have to try, try again. But if he has to try again? You bet your ass he will get right back on that saddle and try again.

As far as family is concerned, Ezio is still incredibly loyal to his family. As mentioned before, his family is still somewhat of a hot button issue for him and taunting him too much will cause him to let emotion take over. Harming his remaining family will result in the same. One his first priorities will always be to ensure the safety of his mother and sister as Ezio is still the overprotective brother to Claudia and the dutiful son to his mother. He tries to do right by his father by continuing his legacy and trying to dismantle the Templar Order while solving the mysteries of the past. He also tries to help his mother through her depression by remembering his younger brother, Petruccio, and continuing to collect eagle feathers throughout Italy. Lastly, although his uncle Mario is family, Ezio was not immediately so respectful towards him or necessarily adhered to what he said. However, Mario has become a mentor-figure for Ezio, not as a replacement for his father, but somewhat as a substitute. It's through his uncle Mario that Ezio has learned the most about his heritage, his duty, and the Creed.

So, to sum it all up, Ezio was once on a different path than he finds himself on today. He thought his father was merely a banker and had no idea of the secret war that was being fought every day between Templars and Assassins. He still can sometimes allow his emotions to overtake his judgment as he remains a passionate man, but he has learned to exert far better control than he had in the beginning. Family is one of the most important things in this world to Ezio and he would do anything to keep them safe, to avenge them, or to remember their memory. He is a loyal friend, open to and fully willing to embrace differences, and a flirt when it comes to the ladies. He's come to have a basic understanding of the Creed that will only deepen as he gets older as he continues the fight to protect the free will of humanity from the dominance of the Templar Order.

Barge Reactions:

Um, I'm really sorry about him, but if a character happens to be an owner of a vagina, of age, and relatively attractive? (Bonus points if she don't need no man and can probably beat him up.) He's probably going to hit on that. A lot. It's just how he do. He will back off if someone doesn't flirt back or is upset by it. Ezio's got respect for the ladies like that. But he's a massive flirt so that's his go-to. That said, in general, Ezio will be receptive to characters from different backgrounds/cultures/worlds. He won't exactly be nosy about everything, but he might ask a few questions here and there to get a sense of where that person is from. More or less, he's content with whatever people wish to share with him and he won't press or pry beyond that. People do, after all, have a right to their privacy and he's not about to go nosing where he's not welcomed unless necessary.

As far as the whole warden/inmate dichotomy is concerned, Ezio won't really care all that much. He doesn't judge a person's character/potential based on that as he understands how circumstance can drive a person one way or another. Ezio will be far more concerned with the way an individual treats others. Ezio is not at all enthused by Templar goals, so if someone shows a streak of that the friendship is dead in the water possibly before it even begins. If someone can't adhere to the golden rule at the very least, he's not exactly going to be besties with that person either. Ezio will treat everyone with a decent amount of respect even if he's not their biggest fan even if it's strained.

When it comes to floods/breaches/ports, he'll roll with it and adapt as best as possible. He's likely to be more exploratory when it comes to the ports compared to flood/breaches, but he's not going to hole up in his cabin in any of those events. He's going to be curious and he's going to want to look out for people he trusts/considers friends.

Ezio is the worst at technology/science. It's not for a lack of trying, at least. He's usually mildly curious about it. But generally speaking, he'd rather take it to someone who knows what the fuck they're doing and let them handle it while he takes a nap. It's usually more productive that way because he's not even going to pretend like he knows what the hell is going on. So, expect any and all technology to blow his mind and for it to inspire swearing when it doesn't work right.

History: Bene.

Sample Journal Entry: Here
Sample RP:

When someone else is near, he flashes smiles and jokes. There's the occasional serious conversation, but for the most part he stays jovial and light. It's not a false face he displays around other people, like a mask. He feels that lightness around other people truly. But it is a distraction. Both for himself and whoever his companions at the time might be.

There's little need for such distractions when Ezio is alone, however. Ezio lays on his back on his bed. He props his head up with an arm while he holds the Apple in his hand. There's a small amount of light to it, as it always does whenever he touches it. Turning it over in his hand, he's lost to his thoughts in the quiet in a way he never is when there's someone else about.

He spent so much time dismissing the Codex and its prophecies when he first began. But now? Now that he holds the Apple in his hand, he can't help but feel there is some truth to the words. Is he a prophet? The others back home believe that wholeheartedly without knowing what he may be a prophet for. Rodrigo Borgia believes himself to be the prophet. Ezio disagrees with Rodrigo, but he's apprehensive to think of himself as his Brothers and Sisters do. He knows who he is. He is an Auditore. He is an Assassin. He is proud of those things. He knows what he believes. Laa shay'a waqi'un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine. What he doesn't know is how all of this will end. What will they find inside the Temple once they locate it and steal the second Piece of Eden away from Rodrigo? Only time will tell.

The most Ezio can hope for, the most he can know for certain is that everything - from the death of his fathers and brothers to the lives he has taken - cannot have been in vain. Prophet or not, he will not allow Rodrigo Borgia to enter the Temple. He will find him, using a deal here, and end this.

Special Notes: