Audun

Audun (died 874) was the High Reeve of Jorvik in the late 9th century. He was a member of the Jorvik council alongside Faravid, Hjorr Halfsson, and King Ricsige of Northumbria.

Secretly, Audun was also a high-ranking member of the Order of the Ancients' Wardens of Law sect, holding the title of Preost and operating under the alias of The Vault. Alongside Ingeborg and Grigorii, Audun led the Red Hand, who planned a takeover of Jorvik in the name of the Order.

Biography

Audun spent his early years as a Viking, serving in the army of Halfdan Ragnarsson during the Great Heathen Army's invasion of England. After his raiding days ended, he chose to live his later years as a wealthy, important man in the town of Jorvik. Honored by Halfdan Ragnarsson himself, he accepted a thane's ring after the sacking of Jorvik. However, when the Order tempted him with even more wealth and power, he did not refuse.

Audun's cryptonym, The Vault, was first mentioned when the Hidden One Hytham told his ally, the Viking shieldmaiden Eivor Varinsdottir, the news of three Order members supposedly operating in Jorvik. This prompted Eivor to travel to the city to conduct an investigation.

After dealing with Grigorii, The Needle, and Abbess Ingeborg, The Firebrand, evidence of The Vault's identity came in the form of a riddle: "One of the four is ours." After discussing it with Ljufvina Bjarmarsdottir, Eivor concluded that the riddle indicated The Vault to be one of Jorvik's four council members: Audun, Faravid, Ricsige, or Ljufvina's husband, Hjorr Halfsson. The next step was to investigate their offices at the Archives while the council was busy preparing for the annual Yule festival.

At the Archives, evidence was discovered that the festival wine had been poisoned. Thus, it became clear that The Vault's plan was to poison everyone at the festival, prompting Eivor and Ljufvina to rush to the Roman Amphitheater, where the feast would take place. During the feast, Eivor decided to try and identify The Vault by questioning every council member. When it was Audun's turn, the shieldmaiden found it suspicious that she had previously seen the High Reeve discuss certain matters with Ingeborg, whom she now knew to be The Firebrand.

Before there could be any accusation, Audun started to deliver a speech, congratulating the nobles and people of Jorvik, before the poisoned wine took effect and those who had drunk it began to die. Audun then revealed his true identity, proclaiming that a new order was near and that those who attended the feast would not live to see it. While Ljufvina protected the council members, Audun was chased down and assassinated by Eivor, ending his and the Order's plans to take over Jorvik.

Trivia

• It was mentioned that Audun had taken an interest in and raised Grigorii, who was later inducted into the Order under Audun's guidance. This particular upbringing mirrors another induction process between two fellow Order members, The Crozier and The Billhook.
• Like certain other members of the Order, Audun's cutscene in the Memory Corridor differs. His confession consists of his soul explaining himself to Eivor while surrounded by material riches and statues. Following a brief intervention from Odin, Eivor takes the Order's medallion of an ash tree from Audun, and his body vanishes.
• Audun shares many similarities with the character Abu'l Nuqoud from the 2007 video game Assassin's Creed. Both are wealthy nobles in their region—Jorvik and Damascus, respectively—and are so infuriated at the other nobles for their pompous and greedy manners that they attempt a massacre during a feast. Announcing their true intentions of a new world order, they both state to their guests, "a pity none of you will live to see it," before calling their men to make sure no one escapes.

Gallery

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  Audun poisoning the nobles with the wine
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  Audun assassinated by Eivor
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  Audun in the Memory Corridor, explaining his rationale

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 (mentioned only)