Ealhferth

"Aelfred's God is weak. Yet he would chain us all in His service. From our first breath to our death rattle. My Order wishes to break these mind-forged manacles. I am the wolf in lamb's wool."

―Ealhferth in his final moments, 877.

Ealhferth (died 877), also known as The Seax, was Bishop of Wincestre from 871 until his death. Secretly, he was also a member of the Wardens of Faith sect of the Order of the Ancients in England. Holding the rank of Preost, Ealhferth faked his death in order to remain hidden from prying eyes within the city of Wincestre.

Biography

Early life

"My mother would cradle me beneath the stars and whisper dovelike, "God watches over you." Then your people came. And God fixed his stout eye as they slit her throat for a copper ring. No stars threw down their spears as barbarians smeared her blood through fields of broken wheat. God watched all... and I hated him."

―Ealhferth recalling his mother's death, 877.

Ealhferth was born into a poor and religious family who settled in northern England in the 9th century. Having a tight relationship with his mother, Ealhferth heard stories of God's permanent love and long kindness from her. However, all of this changed when his mother died at the hands of Norse raiders, who killed her for a mere copper ring.

Starting that day, Ealhferth renounced Christianity and, with the Order of the Ancients, he found the means for vengeance. Posing as a bishop, he controlled the people of Wincestre by using the alleged words of God.

Plotting the king's assassination

"The Bishop Ealhferth is dead. He was The Seax, so far as I can tell."

―Aelfred informing Eivor of Ealhferth's role in the Order and supposed death, 877.

Around 877, Ealhferth and two fellow Order members in Wincestre, Selwyn and Hilda, known in Order communications as The Gallows and The Quill respectively, were assigned by the Maegester Fulke to kill King Aelfred due to his collaboration with the “Poor Fellow-Soldier of Christ", an informant who sought to undermine the Order in England. Ealhferth subsequently faked his death in order to plot against the king from the shadows.

Learning about the Order's plot against him, Aelfred summoned the Viking shieldmaiden Eivor Varinsdottir to Wincestre and enlisted her help to flush out the three Ancients operating in the city. To aid her investigation, Aelfred provided the Viking with a letter from the Poor Fellow-Soldier of Christ, which mentioned The Seax's, The Gallows', and The Quill's cryptonyms, as well as The Seax's supposed death.

After eliminating both Selwyn and Hilda, Eivor discussed The Seax's fate with the reeve Goodwin. To determine the validity of the Ancient's death, Eivor decided to attend Bishop Ealhferth's funeral, which was set to take place in Saint Peter's Church's courtyard.

Death

"With my death, The Order will not die. It will only transform... into something far worse for all of us."

―Ealhferth to Eivor in his final moments, 877.

Eivor assassinating Ealhferth

During the funeral, the body in question proved to be that of a random man. When Harriet, Ealhferth's sister, was rightfully accused of burning the dead man's face to make him more difficult to identify, she refused to talk anymore and summoned the guards to attack Eivor. However, the guards were defeated, and Harriet revealed that Ealhferth was at the Witan Hall to convince Aelfred to abdicate the throne of Wessex. Ealhferth's true plan, however, was to strike Aelfred down during his speech.

Moments later, at the Witan Hall, Ealhferth was hiding among the guards bearing the same appearance. Waiting for the right time to strike, Ealhferth walked up in front of Aelfred and announced his attack. However, before the bishop could deliver the first blow, he was assassinated by Eivor, saving Aelfred's life and putting an end to the Order's plots against him.

Prior to his demise, Ealhferth had left Harriet a key, which she subsequently gave to Eivor. This key unlocked the entrance to the Temple of Mithras, under the Bishop's Residence, which was used by the Order as a base of operations. There, Eivor found an unsealed letter detaling Ealhferth and Fulke's plan to eliminate King Aelfred. After his death, Ealhferth was succeeded as bishop by Tunbeorht.

Trivia

• Historically, there was a Bishop of Wincestre named Ealhferth, who died between 871 and 877.
• Like other Order members, Ealhferth's cutscene in the Memory Corridor differs. His confession consists of the shadows of Danes surrounding Ealhferth as he proclaims that his death will start a new, worse Order, before throwing his medallion towards Eivor and walking into his grave.
• Ealhferth's facial profile is not seen until his cutscene in the Memory Corridor. In fact, the given profile is similar to the Order's Zealots.
• Ealhferth is similar to his fellow Order members The Crozier, The Leech, The Firebrand, and The Rake, in that they all faked their Christian beliefs in public, while in reality they believed in the "true" Gods who had created humanity.
• Ealhferth's assassination shares several similarities with the assassination of Robert de Sablé from the 2007 video game Assassin's Creed. Both try to kill the protagonist during a funeral and use a decoy to deceive their murderer.

Gallery

• 
  Ealhferth helmet-less
• 
  Ealhferth with Eivor and Odin in the Memory Corridor

Appearances

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