In the city of Florence in 1476, the Assassin Giovanni Auditore monologues on how, hidden behind the enlightenment of the Renaissance, corruption, betrayal and murder are rife, but that in order to preserve justice, honor and the safety of his family, he will fight. From the shadows, he quietly watches his family enjoying themselves at dinner, before departing into the moonlit streets of Florence. Outside, he ambushes a party of mercenaries led by Rodrigo Borgia as they attempt to sneak out of the city under cover of darkness. Giovanni is able to kill two of the mercenaries and incapacitate the third, but Borgia escapes in the confusion. Giovanni brings the injured man to his master, Lorenzo de' Medici, and warns Lorenzo that he has heard rumors of an approaching event that will trigger a shift in power. Lorenzo has the captive interrogated; under torture on the rack, the prisoner confesses that in the city of Milan, on the day after Christmas, the Duke of Milan will be assassinated during the Feast of St Stephen, when the church bell strikes for the twelfth and final time. Giovanni races to Milan and finds the Duke at Mass in church, but is unable to intervene before the Duke is killed. The murderers are swiftly dispatched by the Duke's guards and Giovanni himself; however, Giovanni's efforts to try to subdue one of the killers for interrogation fail, as the guard kills the last assassin. Giovanni searches the body of one of the killers, finding a purse of gold coins stamped with the coat of arms of Venice. Returning home, Giovanni watches his elder sons play chess, advising his younger son Ezio on how to become a better player. In private, he monologues that the Duke of Milan's death has robbed Medici of a powerful ally, and that even now, his enemies will be plotting their next move. However, he now knows where to find them.
