Fulke

"I often presume too much of my audience. Men who fear damnation, when ignorance is the greatest of all evils."

―Fulke to Eivor Varinsdottir, c. 874,

Fulke (died c. 875), also known as The Instrument, was a Flemish scholar and a member of the Order of the Ancients in England who served as the Maegester and sole member of the Wardens of Relics sect.

Biography

Early life

"I throw myself at the strange language that Emperor Louis bade me to decipher. yet all my knowledge of the Ancient Ones and their artifacts falls short of shedding even the thinnest ray of light upon this beautiful script."

―Fulke writing about her task from Emperor Louis II in her journal, 870s.

Fulke was born in Bruges in the region of Flanders which at that period of time was part of the Carolingian Empire and suffered from numerous Viking raids from the north. With a fish-wife as a mother, Fulke grew up in a blooming community, which was doing well in its trade endeavors. With merchants passing on by, Fulke listened on their conversations, which stemmed from their travels as far as the Baltic Sea. From these speeches, Fulke dreamed of a long adventure. Being self-taught to read, Fulke looked over any reading material she found and this led her to accumulate certain perspectives and truths.

Along her self-education journey, Fulke came across references of Isu relics and followed their trail with a vigor. Catching the Order's attention, Fulke was offered a place within the organization. Despite her actual beliefs, Fulke had her talent speak for herself and rose quickly from Palatinus to Maegester. However, she retained the title, "Paladin", for unknown personal reasons.

In her early years of service, Fulke served in the court of Holy Roman Emperor Louis II, himself a leader of the Order of the Ancients like his great-grandfather Charlemagne. There, the emperor tasked her to decipher numerous documents that contained an unknown script and language, transcribed from an etchings of a Palatinus who served in the days of Charlemagne. While initially struggling to decipher these words, Fulke worked to expand her knowledge and continued her search for Isu relics throughout Germania and Francia.

Deciphering the Saga Stone

Sigurd: "We only wish to see the stone, to read the runes inscribed upon it."

Fulke: "No one on earth can read those runes. The language is unknown and probably long dead."

Sigurd: "There is no risk in letting us look."

—Sigurd asking Fulke for permission to look at the Saga Stone, c. 874.

In the early 870s, Fulke traveled to the island of Great Britain and joined the service of King Alfred of Wessex, who was secretly the Grand Maegester of the Order in England. Serving as his personal attendant, Fulke continued her research of Isu artifacts which took her to Oxenefordscire. There, she came into possession of a relic belonging to the late Viking leader Ragnar Lothbrok. Dubbing it the Saga Stone, she tasked an acolyte by the name of Paul to relocate it to the Evinghou Tower before she was captured by Lady Eadwyn's men for her heretic beliefs

Fulke rescued by Eivor, Basim, and Sigurd

Fulke was held at Saint Albanes Abbey, within the monastery's crypt, with a monk guarding the entrance to her cell. However, she was soon freed by the Vikings Sigurd Styrbjornsson and Eivor Varinsdottir and the Hidden One Basim Ibn Ishaq, who sought information on the Saga Stone in her possession. Quickly, Fulke led the way to a more private setting to talk with her rescuers.

At a farm, Fulke told Sigurd, Eivor and Basim what she knew about the Saga Stone before offering to lead the way to the Evinghou Tower, where Paul had hidden the relic. As soon as the group arrived at the tower, however, they found the place ransacked and Paul dead, leading Fulke to conclude that Lady Eadwyn had stolen the Stone. Just then, Eadwyn arrived outside the tower, having her guards surround the group.

After the Lady offered them a deal – Geadric's head in exchange for the Stone – Sigurd pretended to accept it, causing a furious Eivor to reject the offer by killing one of Eadwyn's men. The Lady then fled while Fulke and the others fought and defeated her remaining soldiers. After the battle, Fulke stood back as she watched the Viking siblings argue with each other, before the group devised a plan to besiege Cyne Belle Castle, Eadwyn's stronghold, and recover the Saga Stone.

Fulke and Eivor planning to ambush Eadwyn's reinforcements

Fulke later spoke with Eivor about crippling Eadwyn's supplies and rations ahead of the siege. Arriving at Eatun Barn, Fulke tried to negotiate with a merchant who was supplying Eadwyn, to no avail, so she left Eivor to handle the situation. Afterwards, the two women devised a plan to ambush Eadwyn's reinforcements when they passed by, using the merchant's oil jars to set a trap. After their attack, Fulke talked with Eivor about Sigurd's proclamation of being a descendant of the Isu. She then stated that she would join Eivor's other allies at Cyne Belle Castle, and left after praying for the soldiers they had just killed.

Once Cynce Belle Castle's defenses had been weakened enough, Eivor and her allies, including Fulke, laid siege to the fortress, defeating Eadwyn and her army. Afterwards, Fulke, Eivor, Sigurd and Basim headed to the castle's monastery and found the Saga Stone. However, just as they were attempting to decipher its Isu script, they were informed of the arrival of King Alfred, whom Eadwyn had summoned for help ahead of the battle.

Alfred mediated the dispute between the two parties and Sigurd suggested a trade of warriors to secure peace and get Alfred to leave Mercia. Basim offered himself to be taken prisoner by the king, while a soldier named Wolfrich was chosen on Alfred's behalf. However, at the last minute, Fulke interrupted the peace negotiations, betraying her allies and revealing her allegiance to King Alfred.

Fulke betraying Eivor, Basim, and Sigurd

Aware of Sigurd's nature as a reborn Isu, Fulke wished to experiment on him in the hopes of awakening the dormant memories of his past life, and convinced Alfred to take him prisoner in Basim's place. Enraged by the paladin's treachery, Eivor drew her axe but was stopped by Sigurd, who accepted the terms and left with Fulke. Prior to her departure, Fulke also reclaimed the Saga Stone in order to further research it.

Fulke later sent a letter to Eivor, stating that Sigurd was in her care and was being looked after. She also expressed her belief that Sigurd was special for being descended from the Gods, and revealed her affiliations with the Order of the Ancients and her title, The Instrument.

The Instrument of the Ancients

Eivor: "You mock me. I have killed for much less."

Fulke: "Of course you have. Isn't that the way of this ugly world? We cull the sheep and thin the flock as we see fit, you and I. Most who walk the earth are little more than talking blood-bladders. Wasted flesh. But not Sigurd. Sigurd is something else. Sigurd has been touched. He is deified. The gods, they speak through him."

—Fulke explaining Sigurd's true nature to Eivor, c. 874.

For the next several months, Fulke was tracked by Eivor and Basim, who sought to rescue Sigurd from her captivity. After a series of events, Fulke was invited by Abbot Cynebert for supper at his quarters near Saint Hadrian's Priory. Suspecting a trap, Fulke killed the abbot after he prepared a feast for them, and awaited the arrival of Eivor and Basim, who had allied with Cynebert to find her.

Fulke surprising Eivor and Basim

When the Viking and the Hidden One arrived, Fulke greeted them and mocked Eivor after she demanded to know her brother's whereabouts. Following a heated exchange, Fulke admitted that she had no intention of turning Sigurd over and cryptically explained that he was "something else", which allowed the ancient Gods to speak through him. She then left the abbot's chambers and trapped Eivor and Basim inside, ordering her guards to kill the Viking and the Hidden One and bring their bodies to Canterbury.

After Eivor and Basim escaped Fulke's trap, they headed to Canterbury, finding the Ancient's sanctum beneath the Canterbury Cathedral. Unbeknownst to them, it was Fulke's intention to lead them there all along, as she had left behind a "surprise" for them: Sigurd's right arm, which had severed in order to awaken his "other side". However, Fulke had also carelessly left evidence revealing her location to be the fortress of Portcestre in Suthsexe.

Siege of Portcestre and death

Fulke: "Animals, we are. Spit and vomit, shit and soil. But Sigurd is so much more. I gave him that understanding, that gift."

Eivor: "You gave him pain!"

Fulke: "Yes! To awaken him! All that power! All that potential, locked away. A god trapped in a prison of bones! The pain was necessary to free him!"

—Fulke's final moments, c. 875.

Fulke taunting Eivor from Portcestre's tower

Around 875, Fulke sent scouts to the woods to find Eivor and her allies, who were planning to besiege Portcestre. Fulke's forces immediately ambushed Eivor and her company, and her champion managed to kill one of Eivor's close friends, Brothir. However, the champion soon fell to Eivor's blade and Fulke's forces were forced to retreat. After the ambush, Fulke's supplies and reinforcements were soon depleted by her enemies, who captured encampments and destroyed resources and infantry.

Before the start of the siege, Fulke sent for reinforcements from Wincestre, and talked with Eivor and her allies Soma and Ubba Ragnarsson from a tower at the main gate of Portcestre. After a heated exchange, Fulke taunted Eivor to come and rescue Sigurd if she could. During the subsequent battle, Fulke fled into the fortress' church, where an injured Sigurd was located. When Eivor and Basim cornered her, Fulke left Sigurd behind and escaped through an underground passage.

Eivor gave chase and Fulke took advantage of the catacombs' darkness to stay hidden while continuing to taunt Eivor. After the Viking told her that she wanted no more babble, just bloodshed, Fulke revealed herself and fought Eivor, occasionally retreating back into the shadows to ambush the Viking. Eventually, however, she was injured and decided to make her escape, fleeing the tunnels.

Fulke's last stand

Outside, Fulke was surrounded by Eivor's allies, who had defeated her forces, leaving her with no means of escape. As Eivor caught up to her and insisted that she deal with the Ancient herself, Fulke decided to make her last stand, grabbing a giant cross from the ground to use as a weapon. Already bloodied and beaten, Fulke was ultimately defeated and killed by Eivor. In her final moments, the Ancient tried once again to explain to Eivor that her torture of Sigurd was meant to help him unlock his "potential", but her efforts were in vain as Eivor deemed her insane.

Following Fulke's death, Eivor recovered a clue from her body, relating to the Grand Maegester of the Order. The clue stated that Fulke must always follow "The Father's" orders, not her own. Later, within the Temple of Mithras in Wincestre, Eivor found a letter from Fulke, in which she informed her fellow Order member Ealhferth of King Alfred's correspondence with the mysterious informant known as the "Poor Fellow-Soldier of Christ", and ordered that Alfred be "burned to ash" for his betrayal.

Behind the scenes

Fulke is an antagonist and assassination target in the 2020 video game Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, where she was voiced by French actress Gaia Weiss.

Through the course of the game, Fulke is revealed to be one of four Order members who plotted the attempted assassination of King Alfred, along with The Seax, The Gallows, and The Quill. Whether before or after Fulke's death, the letter found in the Temple of Mithras under Wincestre summarized that Fulke ordered that Alfred be killed for his betrayal. However, Fulke did not join the other three Order members in planning Alfred's assassination, most likely because of her time studying Sigurd's nature as a reborn Isu.

Her title, The Instrument, echoes a similarity with the Instruments of the First Will, a secret organization which sought to revive the Isu Juno and restore humanity's place as slaves beneath their creators. The Assassin Shaun Hastings speculated that the Instruments might have been a successor organization to the Order of the Ancients, more so than the Templars, and Fulke's Order cryptonym could possibly be a clue to support this theory.

Etymology

The name Fulke is derived from the Old High German name Folcher further derived from combining folk ("people") and *harjaz ("army leader", "commander", "warrior"), all together meaning "people's fighter".

Gallery

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  Concept art
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  Concept art of Fulke as a man
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  Fulke, Basim, Sigurd and Eivor making their stand against Lady Eadwyn
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  Fulke and the others looking at the Saga Stone
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  Fulke confronted by Eivor in the underground catacomb
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  Fulke cornered by Eivor
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  Fulke in the Memory Corridor
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  Eivor standing over Fulke's body

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first appearance)
• The World of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Journey to the North – Logs and Files of a Hidden One (image only)