Editing Ezio Auditore da Firenze (section)

===Battle of Forlì===

Shortly after his induction, Ezio met with Mario and Niccolò and travelled to Leonardo da Vinci's workshop in Venice, hoping that the artist could shed some light upon the strange artifact Rodrigo had dubbed "the Apple". Leonardo examined the unique device, commenting that the metal it was made of should not exist and that its design was highly advanced despite its age. Upon briefly touching the Apple, Ezio accidentally activated the device, which began to glow and project strange holographic images, though he quickly deactivated it. Niccolò later announced that he had arranged for the Piece of Eden to be held in the Rocca di Ravaldino, where it would be protected by an ally of the Assassins, Caterina Sforza. Recalling that he had met her seven years ago, Ezio was happy to participate in this mission. He bid farewell to Leonardo, who was invited by Mario to stop by Monteriggioni whenever he wished.

Niccolò and Ezio met with Caterina just outside the city of Forlì. Escorted by her guards, they discussed the Apple and the fact that Caterina assassinated her husband, Girolamo Riario, a Templar who had created a map to localize the Codex pages. The three made their way back to the city, only to find that it had been invaded by the Orsi brothers, Checco and Ludovico, the mercenaries that Caterina had hired to kill her husband. Recognizing that they had been hired by the Templars to find Riario's map, the group hurried back to the city. As the group fought its way to the city's locked gates, Ezio managed to find another way inside and open the gates from within, allowing them to continue their way to the citadel.

Reaching the Rocca di Ravaldino after some fierce fighting, they discovered that two of Caterina’s children, Ottaviano and Bianca, were missing. As the mercenaries entered the citadel, Ezio and the guards repelled the attack.

At this moment, the Orsi brothers arrived before the walls with an ultimatum that they had captured the children and would kill them if she refused to hand over Riario's map and the Apple. In response, she feigned apathy towards her children's fate while secretly asking Ezio to save them. Before leaving, Ezio entrusted her with the Apple. Venturing into the village outside Forlì, Ezio overpowered the guard detail assigned to imprison Bianca and freed her. Bianca then directed Ezio to the lighthouse where her brother Ottaviano was being held. There, Ludovico was dangling the boy high above the ground shouting his threats to Caterina, but Ezio climbed the tower, assassinated him, and rescued Ottaviano.

Returning to the citadel with the children, Ezio learned that the kidnappings had only been a distraction for Checco to lead an attack and steal the Apple. Ezio swiftly tracked down and killed Checco and his remaining men in the mountains, but the dying ''condottiero'' managed to stab him in the abdomen while he was bending down to retrieve the satchel with the Apple. Injured, Ezio collapsed to the ground, with the Apple rolling from his hand. Before losing consciousness, Ezio saw a monk with a missing finger pick up the Apple and walk away despite his pleas.

Caterina’s guards later found Ezio next to Checco’s corpse and returned him to Forlì, where Caterina nursed him back to health. Returned to his senses, Ezio anxiously explained to Caterina that a man in the black robes of monk had stolen the Apple. Noting that the monks in a nearby abbey wore blank robes, Caterna advised Ezio to search there. Before he left the city Caterina gave Ezio her husband's map to help him in his quest.

Though there was no sign of his target, Ezio saved the monk Darby O'Callahan, who was being harassed by Borgia soldiers. Brother O'Callahan recalled dining with a monk missing a finger at an abbey in Forlì during the previous San Vicenzo's feast. At the Abbey of San Mercuriale, the monks fled at the sight of Ezio because they recognized him as the killer of Brother Stefano years ago. Upon intercepting one of them and reassuring them that he did not kill innocents, the monk gave Ezio the name of the nine-fingered monk: Girolamo Savonarola. The only clue he could offer as to Savonarola's possible location was Florence, for that was where he had studied.